Punch Up: “To Me My ❌-Men”

Chapter Twenty-One:

1984

LifeDeath a love story: July, 1984, Uncanny X-Men 186 by Windsor-Smith, Austin Glynis, Scheele, Orzechowski, Claremont + Nocenti & Sanderson

Mixtape track: Pink Turns to Blue by Hüsker Dü

Chapter 21 of “to me my ❌-Men,” in which Life Death begins our third Masterpiece, must read Mutant story. Chapters 7 & 17, being the others, thus far.

Previously on “to me my ❌-Men,” Rom the space knight, had been fighting the Dire Wraiths, as is his purview, and been pulling in other titles for assistance, including the ❌-Men. It simply was not part of our purview. That is until they showed up on our doorstep. Forge, the government’s B-Team for weapons acquisition after Tony Stark, had taken Rom’s tracker and weapon against the Dire Wraiths and augmented it to be used against his own people, in exchange for profit. Only, the government acquired the untested prototype and went into the field with it. As Ronald Reagan was convinced by Gyrich that Rogue represented an actionable existential threat, because she had possessed Carol Danvers powers and persona in SF. Catching up with her in Mississippi, they fired the gun two times. The first hitting Rogue after she had taken Ororo’s powers and was in the midst of gaining her persona. A mutually voluntary exchange. Ororo awakened and regained some control, and then the second blast came, only Forge shoved Gyrich this time as he fired, and the blast hit Ororo instead. Then the river basin came ablaze (perhaps because Storm emitted an energy blast that blew up a tugboat), and then emerged the Dire Wraiths.

So now an iconic love story.

At the turn to this century I was in a hallway gallery showing at Preston Hall in Savannah, GA. Named for its architect, William G Preston, though its name was changing to Poetter Hall, after the parents of co-founder and initial investor in the Savannah College of Art and Design. The building is also in the opening scene of Forest Gump. The building was renovated in 1979, becoming SCAD’s first building, where Paula and Richard’s dream first came to be. Now Richard has been erased and Paula rules a vast university. In this building is where Kelly and I took our first comics classes. It is also where, I met Seth (Drawn and Quarterly), and then a moment later stopped in front of a page on display and began analyzing a page with Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales), because it was simply blowing our minds. The original page was by Berry Windsor-Smith. I am not sure if Berry was in the room. We were to absorbed in his art. When you are with Mark, the subject usually comes down to inking. In Mark’s hands, that is where the magic happens. I wasn’t anywhere near there, but if you ask me about my work, that is where the magic happens. And based on the page we were in front of, it seemed like for Berry, this might be the case.

In this reading of the ❌-Men; we have had Claremont & Miller’s Wolverine (1982), our first masterpiece; and we have had Claremont & Sienkiewicz’s Demon Bear (1984), our second. I am an about to turn the page to our third, Life Death by Claremont & Windsor-Smith.

A three part story, completely integrated into the larger narrative, the first two part published by Marvel. The third lost and then when discovered printed by Fantagraphics. I know I have a copy or am pretty sure I am not dumb enough to part with it. I thought I was organised and could find it…but I have yet to. If I include it, this project with span 275 comics. If not, 274. It’s not essential, and frankly is a bit of a stretch, but I absolutely thought it would be fun to bring it home here. We don’t require it. But parts I and II are required reading.

You will be familiar in part, by having seen ❌-Men ‘97. Which I love, but as these 274 or 275 issue unfolding one point is how awesome and absurd that adaptation was. Here is a part of that storytelling in its original form.

The cover itself is loose, and a bit timid in comparison to issues from this title in this era. He captures that alt indy comics aesthetic that was pulling from underground and Europe. The muted colors remind me of batik, a wax and fabric art form my Mom used as her primary medium in the 70’s before switching to Architecture in the 80’s. It’s hauntingly beautiful, a subtle grounding and shifting of expectations. Forge and and Ororo lack expression and seem one with the sky. Forge’s Chucks are a nice touch. A Special Double-Sized Issue, like New Mutants Slumber Party.

Buckaroo Banzai ad is absolute eye sore here. The film is an iconically weird 80’s influence (certainly on me at the time). Want to do an epic 80’s double feature do The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension AND Repo Man. I think of them as being part of a pocket universe. This ad is for the comic adaptation.

Which is unfortunate, because Windsor-Smith, Austin, Glynis, & Scheele are providing us with a pantheon level Ororo illustration here. It’s iconic, as impactful an image and as storytelling as one can ask for.

“Once upon a time there was a woman who could fly.” -Claremont

This really should have been a lasting statement. Not because I want to depower my favorite ❌-Men character, but because of what she proves capable of without them is beyond anything she provides with them.

Some folks love more power. I can’t stand it. Some folks complain Superman is to powerful. To me the narrative there is that his actual power is that his moral code boxes him in, but his problem solving mind finds ways to work through seemingly impossible contexts to save the day, by maintaining his code. His is not a problem of being to powerful to be of interest. His is a problem of morally inflexible that he can be set up for what seems like he must make a choice of equity…only his thinking is nimble enough to find his way.

Ororo is not Superman. And she has neither this power today. Nor does she have an impossible moral code. But a code she does have. And an ability that is unmatched when it comes to leading those in her charge through equally impossible tasks. She is a mutant. This has not changed. She is just getting started in proving her worth to her people.

The subtle design choices as we turn the page, implies we are in Dallas, at Forge’s place…of course we already guessed as much.

He brings her tea, as you do after setting motion and then pushing events that would upend someone’s life. A lifetime of small gestures is all you got.

We have now established like Dani, Forge is Cheyenne.

Ororo is despondent and Forge’s bedside manner waffles wildly between nurturing and demanding.

Now we have gone from I will push you to live to “have it your way.” And the old “see if I care.”

8 panels spanning parts of three pages. I am all for endless time for the audience to infer between panels in the gutter, but even I am like, he just walked in and in a blink of an eye he is leaving like that. Forge is emotionally weak.

Ororo’s dead eye glare and listless body in Windsor-Smith’s hands is so effecting.

In his own mind, Forge cares to deeply. And he is floundering. I am empathetic to this not being his skill set and knowing what I know, expecting more seems unreasonable…but if this reading of “to me my ❌-Men,” is your introduction, you can be forgiven in putting him in the Chuck category. They aren’t that different here.

Boy is his place an architectural marvel! Romita JR, Windsor-Smith, and as you will see, Marc Silvestri, create my happy place as far as Marvel architectural design is concerned. Like I said, my Mom is an architect, and as I was reading this, I had come out of partially growing up in Cal’s Architecture Department, been inside a couple architectural firms in SF and Berkeley, after school for late hours, and then been along for the ride as my Mom built her own thing in Mill Valley. I was externally surrounded by my Mom’s architectural real world building process and internationally consumed by these ❌-Men comics cartooning. So this Eagle Plaza in a handful of ❌-Men comics housed a world of possibilities and aesthetics that left an impression, when I was forming my own perspectives foundations.

Forge is self critical. Good.

What’s one more harm is where he is at. This can be read a thousand ways. We will see how it plays out. In his mind they are “two of a kind.” Both mutants, he the builder and her controlling the elements…though no longer.

He is reviewing events we have already gone over, but he is comparing them with his lowest moments in ‘Nam.

He is thinking, but maybe he is also speaking aloud. Because Ororo is now in his thoughts and in reality out of bed, in her sheet, standing behind him. Ororo: “That was not kindness.” Ororo: “You should have let me drown.” She is at her own lowest moment here.

Haha! Even with Cerebro, Chuck’s mutant stalking machine, he can’t find Ororo. Because no powers. I am sure Kurt is sympathetic, you psycho.

Kurt wonders if what Chuck felt, leading to looking, her Death. An ❌-Men thinks another ❌-Men dead. Take a drink.

Storm has faith in Rogue’s survival, as she is hunted by the government in Mississippi.

Oh Forge…you know nothing. He’s basically like, ‘Ororo, why you hanging with that riff raff.’

I spent all day yesterday in parent teacher conferences. With one I got to get into my lessons on fantasy and reality play as it pertains to violence including superheroes. And how, while it is foundational in my own life, so is the concept of peacekeeping. How we simply are not the setting at school for one, and we are all about the other. And how there is no binary, good v evil. How I work with 4-year-olds, already at that age, paddling upstream against our consumption of this culture we love. How I try and demystify this at their level, that, “there are no bad guys.” How, when we have actual conflict of intent or accident in our school and in life, we recall not what “they did,” but acknowledge in their presence, “what we did.” That we apologies. We check in. We atone. And that is for physical and emotional care, as part of our social contract, of “do onto others…” AND in imaginary, non-physical contact play, we don’t label, and we don’t use weapons in school. Real or imaginary. Because…

Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns

And the enemy is a label.

Tim Burton’s Batman

And how, there are no bad people, there are only choices. “What is your choice?”

Forge here is buying into the superhero propaganda financial lazy thinking…labelling Rogue a crook. And Ororo shorthand’s by stating, “no more.”

Forge has made choices and here we are. Ororo has made choices and here we are. Rogue made choices and there she is.

Next Panel: Ororo makes my point. When she was half Rogues age, she was living that pickpocket life in Cairo. And then she pockets and reveals Forge’s important stuff.

She is talking, she got mad human skills. Hella!

Also, please can she have a floor…the open space is freaking her out…oh…suddenly knows she can’t fly, so yup, scared of falling. I feel you Ex-Wind Rider.

She is reveling how sensitive to weather she was, and how now she is using her human perceptions to achieve the information. An adjustment. Not in interest, but in how accessible.

Ororo makes a distinction between before being a life and now this being an existence. Damn.

Forge is like, “I won’t accept that.” Excuse me?!

He is self critical, thinking he made it worse. I think it was his best moment, after offering tea.

Forge: “it’s her life”💭

Oh yeah, you a “Dunce.”

He’s thinking about agency and choices. LIKE I WAS SAYING!

Reminder, all this art house and superhero comics stuff is build up to the ❌-Men Swimsuit Issue…so we are now jumping in the pool. Both of them. Honestly, surprise Storm bothers with clothes here. But she and Forge are a mile from that kinda scene.

Forge is being asked to race, but he doesn’t have his prosthetic on…which Ororo catches onto and feels like a dunce herself.

The way this is played out as a comics page is solid. Folks if they want to do this work (go for it)…could benefit from looking at this comic and getting into the how it works part…’cause it does and it is chalk full of how to.

Forge is taking about how his ability to invent is his ability to be mobile.

When I think of comics, education, life, I am often thinking, of this concept that the crucible we are in is the catalyst for a process towards solutions. I don’t love the term problem solving, because objective assessment of where we are at brings up questions about what have we solved? However, I witness and have learned of this context leading to creative that has informed our lives.

Just like when the US government as part of the Red Scare put pressure on an industry, and that pressure with a sequence of human frailties lead to a context that resulted in the MCU and this moment right now…that impact on our lives is something we celebrate here.

So whatever fictional (based in part on reality) hell Forge went through, that crucible has resulted in this moment…but this moment is doing the same process to continue the narrative and inform the fictional characters and our own reading as an audience. The creative team had to have gone through something to be able to present this to us. This gift.

When asked directly what happened, Forge says, “I got to close to a bomb.” (In Vietnam).

“…or maybe not close enough”

Oh these two are two of a kind. Literally on the same page. Page 14 of Life Death I AKA Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 No. 186

So Claremont is getting into the debate of agency in death, the proximity to both these characters is having them wrestle with the temptation to just be open to external events taking life away. And how close they have been to it, it builds a window to regrets in the temptation not making the other choice for them.

Listen folks! I am not one who has grown up with fear of death. It is part of life. BUT I AM HERE TODAY AND I AM NOT LOOKING TO EXIT. The sun rises and sets. I wish for all to, give yourself the grace to forgive and atone, to find joy when it presents itself, and when it doesn’t, find beauty, as it is in all things. To stay here until things plays out, as they will in their own time. When then sun goes down and rises again, there will be moments to reflect on and in those reflections you will find joy, beauty, and utility to press on. Let your story play out. The ending can wait, as it does.

Here we are at the beginning for Ororo and Forge. For real.

Forge (Claremont): “With life, there are always options (choices), possibilities (hella!) - - hope (corny…we are year for corny). You never know what will happen next (shush anxiety voice…wisdom is afoot) - - for better or worse (I am rejecting this binary…but that’s my perspective). Death may be certain (like I was saying…), but it’s also final (regardless of your belief system…you linger through storytelling…I promise you that). It’s done. There’re no second thoughts, no going back.” Amen.

Forge is admitting he has second thoughts to death. Gooding thing it didn’t happen.

Ororo is experiencing cold…Forge is nudging her with the old “plain folks” life.

Ok…I just had to check…and to be honest, I am glad I did, because it demystified and removed any desire to have second guessing on this path. Rom before No. 59-61 and after by Ditko, Mantlo, and revolving door of team members, is underwhelming and unimportant. I am actually unsure which issue “see current issue” - Me Again/ Guess Who (Louise) is referring to.

Ditko is absolutely not at the hight of his powers, these are absolutely not the Rom issues you are looking for, there seems to be nothing critical related to Dire Wraiths, Forge, or frankly Rom in this. And frankly Starshine is the most compelling aspect, and she is betrayed by this poor excuse for an 80’s issue. Forge specifically in contrast with Uncanny is really hard to even look at. And the Dire Wraiths are haunting (again, I am not exactly into these space alien monsters across the story here from Uncanny 143-THE END) in ❌-Men and something less terrifying than Jack Cole’s Plastic Man in Rom.

Here are’s the good Ditko stuff that somehow exists in the same universe and we are choosing to ignore.

Yup, Rick Jones, SHIELD, Avengers, ❌-Men…all totally forgettable.

Meanwhile, in this masterpiece called Lifedeath:

“Caldecott County, Mississippi…”

“Welcome back Dr Cooper (Val)…”

Phil greats her, as she is coming from DC. Val’s assessment there, “lousy.” Just you wait Val.

Oh…they are calling the Avengers scanner a “mutant scanner,” I read it as chasing down Rogue’s alien connection with Carol. ?!?

Discussing Forge’s temperament. Best not to talk about that.

Trail on Rogue is cold.

Val says Gyrich will deal with Storm after Rogue.

Phil calls Gyrich “Mr. Tact.” I guess into office assessment is the same as ours. He kinda sucks.

Val is at “if they (Forge and Gyrich) slaughter each other it’ll be fine with me” street.

They part ways in the parking lot, for the night. Phil is noting she looks worn out.

Office gossip is Forge complained directly to Ronny, ‘cause he did and DC is run by undisciplined gossips.

Phil thinks he heard something. Gets in the car. Is reflective on how he thinks Val is a good boss and got into a bad situation, thinking she was getting into the opposite. Hoping to eat with his Marty, when…

Dire Wraith: “HUMAN”

This is truly terrifying. It sends a tentacle through the windshield and into Phil’s forehead, deforming and then reforming, as it has possessed Phil. And the alien has friends.

Beahahahahha. “Your human form and memories are utterly repulsive to me.” The visage and look of Phil’s vessel is iconic.

At Val’s door and now inside…the Wraith’s are about to…

“AH’MROGUE”

And y’all’s on time.

Val’s a badass too!

Wraith Phil is…

…calling that Dead!

The motel room explodes as Val books it in the parking lot…uh oh…Rogue’s skin touched the Dire Wraith!

Haha…Chuck was cyberstalking Rogue and now he is feeling despair. Kurt holds his hand, because Chuck needs it. Bless Kurt’s heart.

A chopper shows, motivating Val to get in Phil’s busted up can…and in a really fun page she just plays bumper cars in the bloody mess of a car…

And then Rogue jumps out from the back seat and touches her skin.

Rogue has herself, Carol, assuming not Ororo, possibly a Dire Wraith, and now definitely Val inside her mind. She is vengeful against Val at this moment. Hopes it sucks for her.

Oh the part of her that is Wraith is perturbed because Val is not disintegrating. Rogue is able to be self critical about the eating brains impulse. Wild.

Dire Wraith is subsiding.

Now she is able to access Val’s thoughts better and it’s Rogue’s intro to Forge. Uh oh.

Now she understands she was the target and Forge is her next stop.

This helicopter is still tooling around.

Meanwhile: Naked Ororo, take drink.

And Forge has dressed her like Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink.

He makes her nervous. Am I ready to think this is cute?!

They are definitely having that awkward romance John Hughes moment.

She changes into overalls (?!). Now I’m thinking she looks hot. Fits.

They are remarkably open considering. He likes his space. She likes hers. They both are private and guarded people. Does he want her to go? Does she want to leave? Hella no.

Ok fine…cute.

I have no idea what they are eating, but they know. I like that.

A little bubbly.

This date is unfolding organically and it is lovely. They are getting know each other.

She tells someone about her parents death for the first time. Ever. That’s intimacy.

Forge: “We’re a lot alike. I propose a toast to crips and outcasts.”

There might be a storm and to confirm he removes all the imagery of walls floors and ceilings.

Ororo has been “before I lost my powers - - I have been living on the raw edge of my emotions…elemental abilities were bound up with emotions…to protect…self and those around me. I cultivated an absolute serenity of mind and body…lost…awareness of self as a woman. Few months ago cast away restraints...rebelled…cut hair…like (Forge)…denied old world and self…now…irony…problem no longer exists. No need to fear feelings…only risk…will be to me.

Damn. Forge: “Not quite.” and leans in for a kiss.

Folks…silent panels work!!!

Juxtaposition works!!!!!

Business calls for Forge. Ororo is late in checking in with stalker Chuck.

Oh…yeah…so back in the 80’s when you picked up a line that was already answered by another party, you could listen in. So now she has heard that someone tried to kill Val and they suspect Rogue (not totally off).

Oh no messy…it’s Forge and Gyrich, so the conversation is basically ‘Muties are all in this together, and so we need to take them all out’ only Gyrich doesn’t get he is taking with a mutant and I am not clear if Ororo knows either…also she learns that this may be a manipulation on Forges part and definitely that the designed the gun that removed her powers. She drops the phone and he knows she was on the line now…he wants to explain…she is like hell naw and runs.

Only the space is translucent and she can’t figure out where to step, falls into a couch.

She gets his controls for the space, but there is an explosion when she pushes the button. It is his recollection of ‘Nam. She is in a virtual ‘Nam.

Forge offers, and then as thunder crackles Ororo request HELP ME!!

They are in conflict and loss of trust. I love some of the visual elements here. Especially these pink rectangles. They are getting into it, and she simply can’t trust his version of the events. The ones we saw. She wants freedom. Which makes sense given all history.

On the rooftop, the storm is relentless. They are negotiating without any thing to exchange because everything means nothing to the other party. “Empty gestures.”

She wants him to back off and then CHOK hits him.

“Pathetic man”

He is offering something she cannot buy, and perhaps we can, and we are on her side. They part.

The End.

Next: Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 No. 187