Comic Review #50: The Uncanny X-Men #183 (1984)

 We are still on the Let's Review Comics from my Youth kick so I knew I had to try to do something big for the #50. I've been meaning to talk about any X-Men comic from the 1980s because they were always a solid good time (for the most part). I know some people say the stopped being good in 1987 or 1981 or whenever. That's Facebook comic group talk. You always have to be like NUH UH MAN (insert thing whatever) STOPPED BEING GOOD IN (insert year here). I think it's funny because there are great X-Men comics happening now. There are great comics happening now. Not only from Marvel but other companies too. They didn't just stop being good in some random year. Yeah I've pretty much stopped reading comments on those groups and just look at the cool art and comics people post. 

I was also not happy with the only X-Men comic I'd had reviewed was really bad, right near the end of Chris Claremont's run. When Bob Harras was letting Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld and other idiots tell the stories they wanted and have Claremont and Louise Simonson write them. Jim Lee is a fine artist but he sucks shit as a writer/creator. No one cared about WildStorm or WildCATS until people like Warren Ellis or Alan Moore wrote for them. Don't you dare post saying you loved Wildstorm and WildCATS portnoyd. I will fucking punch you in the balls if you do and Rob Liefeld was terrible. Just terrible. I've talked about how I don't like 1990s X-Men all that much even after Jim and Rob fuck off to Image Comics, I'm not about to say the entire decade sucked or that there wasn't anything to enjoy. I'm sure I'll find something that I like during the 1990s X-Men. I am still curious about some 1990s stuff from some of titles that weren't X-Men or Uncanny X-Men. 

I was not happy because that story stunk and The X-Men were one of my favorite comics as a kid and I still love them today. It was because of the 1990s show but like most issues I got were from the Second Page Bookstore. This issue however was a bit different. Pretty much every year until 2000 my parents, sister and I would go to a small town in Newfoundland called Lewisporte. It was a nice town and I enjoyed being there a lot. We'd go to visit family. At one time there was a Shoppers Drug Mart there and in the basement of the store was a video store and a book store and a big old bookcase with comics on it. It was weird to see a staircase there in the middle of the store. Sadly it seems that the staircase is gone. The bookstore had a Spaceballs book! By Jovial Bob Stine! That's right! How cool is that? The Video Store was closed. I found a copy of this comic and some others. I sadly don't have this comic any more as water ruined it. My original copy I mean. I got a nice and snazzy looking upgrade. Anyway there are my memories of this comic. I read it a billion times as a child and it was great. I'm still mad that I couldn't get that Spaceballs book!

This comic was written by Chris Claremont. The man who really brought the X-Men to super popularity. The X-Men was cancelled at one time. Well not really cancelled, they were just doing reprints and sometimes some crossovers. From like 1970 to 1975. In 1975 they put out Giant Size X-Men #1 and it changed history. Len Wein did Giant Size X-Men #1 and I think issues 94 and 95. Then came in Chris Claremont because Len Wein already had two comics to write already. I also think he might have been Editor in Chief at this time. Marvel Comics had like 23 Editor in Chiefs during the 1970s. Chris was great and one of my favorite writer guys. Not just for X-Men but for Iron Fist and his Marvel Team Up issues. John Romita Jr did the art and I love it. This was during his time when he was mostly doing similar work to his father. I like this stuff better than his new stuff but I do like his newer blocky look. Especially when the inking is done by Al Williamson.

This comic starts out with Kitty Pryde and Colossus sitting on the top of a mountain. Colossus is telling Kitty Pryde about the woman he met during his and the X-Men time on Battleworld in Secret Wars. I will talk about Secret Wars in its own piece so I won't go any farther about what it really is. Since Kitty Pryde and Colossus were dating up to this point it's kinda important to tell her all this. (It's kinda weird to see their relationship now because one is 14 and one was 18 when they started meeting. Also Colossus says he's almost 20 in this issue, shouldn't that have made Kitty 16? Age is weird in Comic books.) Kitty leaves and when she finally gets home cries her eyes out while Lockjaw (her pet dragon) and Illyana (Colossus sister and New Mutant Magik). Storm also wishes that Colossus had DIED in one of her thought balloons. Better him die and not break Kitty's heart in this way. Just break her heart in a different way. Still cold Storm! Kitty even leaves to go see her dad! 

Wolverine however is gonna do something about it because Wolverine doesn't like seeing people he cares about hurt. So he brings Colossus to a bar but before he can leave Nightcrawler pops into the car (before like thinking WOLVERINE YOU SAID YOU'D WAIT FOR ME, man Wolverine was an asshole) They all end up at a bar and Wolverine tries to show Colossus how Kitty feels but Colossus ends up getting in a bar brawl (and tearing the entire damn bar down!) with The Juggernaut. This is one of THE best one on one fights in comic book history. If you disagree you can bugger off this blog right now. Jerks. Anyway The Juggernaut beats him and gives Wolverine a huge bit of money to give to the owner to put the bar back together. I guess Juggernaut likes this bar. 

Colossus then goes on about how they are a team and he could have used their help just for Wolverine to mention how Kitty Pryde almost gave herself to the Morlocks (a group of really ugly ass mutants that have to live in the sewers) to save him and all she got was he heart pulled out of her chest and used as toilet paper. Wolverine talks to Nightcrawler about how Colossus didnt care about Kitty's feelings and Wolverine doesn't respect that kinda shit, bro! It ends with a mutant named Selene sucking the lifeforce out of a homeless man. He's a damn skeleton now man! That's some dark shit! I didn't get that Selene issue until like 15 years later. So I might talk about it but who knows.

FINAL VERDICT: GREAT comic. a great fight. great character development. Just totally fun to read. I recommend this to all! Colossus is a jerk.