Era #4, Part 01: Ghosts

My Grade:  B

The Uncanny X-Reading starts with a bang!  Collected in Uncanny X-Men: Ghosts, issues #199-209 begins the darker phase of Chris Claremont's historic run. he series focuses on Rachel as she deals with her personal ghost starting with her assuming the mantle of Phoenix and culminating in a memorable showdown in Central Park. I am not a big fan Rachel, but this series included gems.

[3-Stars] 199 - "The Spiral Path" introduces one of my favorite X-Men villain teams. The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants approach Valerie Cooper with a bold plan to work for the US Government as a strike-force called Freedom Force in exchange for full pardons.  Their first assignment is to arrest Magneto, and that puts them up against the X-Men.  Meanwhile, Rachel visits her mother's home and becomes the Phoenix.

[3-Stars] 200 - "The Trial of Magneto"  Magneto stands trial in Paris at the International Court of Justice for his crimes against the humanity. Professor Xavier can no longer hide his deteriorating condition, while the X-Men attempt to protect the proceedings from the terrorist attacks perpetrated in their name by Fenris.

[3-Stars] 201 - "Duel" Storm challenges Cyclops to a epic duel for leadership of the X-Men.

[2-Stars] 202 - "X-Men, I've Gone to Kill the Beyonder!"  Let me start by saying that I did not like Secret Wars II. In the first crossover, Rachel is on a mission to kill the Beyonder. She puts her teammates at risk when the cosmic entity forces her to make a difficult decision. He gives her enough power to either destroy him or save the X-Men from an unstoppable Sentinel attack.

[2-Stars] 203 - "Crossroads".  In this second part of the Secret Wars II crossover, Rachel takes the lifeforce of her teammates (in some cases forcibly) for a second attempt to kill the Beyonder.  As with the first story, Phoenix must determine who and what she will sacrifice to save the universe.

[3-Stars] 204 - "What Happened to Nightcrawler?" is one of two solo stories in this series.  Nightcrawler struggles with his own ghosts (in keeping with the theme) while he attempts to save a young woman from Arcade's Murderworld.

[4-Stars] 205 - "Wounded Wolf" is the definitive Wolverine solo story.  With an enhanced cybernetic body from Spiral, Lady Deathstrike seeks her revenge against her greatest enemy. She is joined by three enhanced mercenaries, Macon, Reese and Cole, who also bear a serious grudge against the Canadian X-Man. The four hunt the badly injured Wolverine through a blizzard in the city during the Christmas season.  Katie Powers guest stars in this beautifully drawn issue by Barry Windsor-Smith.

[4-Stars] 206 - "Freedom is a Four Letter Word!"  Why do I like Freedom Force?  Because even when they do something completely villainous, they do it with the complete authority of the US Government.  The X-Men are further alienate and forced to play the role of outlaw.

[4-Stars] 207 - "Ghosts".  The final storyline starts with Rachel struggling with dark dreams and frustrations. She decides to seek revenge against the the Hellfire Club while running from Wolverine.

[4-Stars] 208 - "Retribution".  The final storyline continues with the Hellfire Club exacting their revenge against the X-Men who must find Rachel.

[4-Stars] 209 - "Salvation" The Hellfire Club continues to press their attack against the X-Men despite Nimrod's arrival. It is a three way battle that leaves serious repercussions.

Starting Era #4: X-Factor

The first part of the Uncanny X-Reading will take me from November 1985 to May 1989. By this point in my life, I am reading X-Men comics regularly (particularly after Uncanny X-Men #191), but it isn't until Uncanny X-Men #211 that I become a dedicated fan. I start reading the New Mutants and X-Factor, and I begin buying a few key issues with my limited budget. I eventually fill the gaps much later in life. I purchase most of my comics from the Stars and Stripes Bookstore, but I go to my first comic shop near Cannery Row in Monterrey.

There is a lot of turmoil and change in my life during this period. I start the era as an insecure 15 year old Sophomore at Nuernberg American High School. We moved to El Paso, Texas during the second half of my Senior year where I graduated from Austin High School. We then move to Monterrey, California, and I find a part-time job at the AAFES Burger King as I try to enlist in the United States Army. I eventually pass the physical and successfully complete Basic Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. This entire period of my life is marked with the normal angst, anger and confusion most teenagers work through as they navigate high school and enter the work force. 

I will be reading the following issues over the next few months: New Mutants #35-74, Uncanny X-Men #199-243, X-Factor #1-40 and X-Terminators (Limited Series). The reading will be chronicled in 16 or 19 posts since I am not sure if I am going to break Fall of the Mutants and Inferno into multiple parts or read them as single stories.

Uncanny X-Men: Ghosts (199-209)

New Mutants Classic, Vol. 5 (35-40)

X-Factor (1-8)

New Mutants Classic, Vol. 6 (41-47)
X-Men Crossover Event: Mutant Massacre

New Mutants Classic, Vol. 7 (48-54)

Uncanny X-Men (215-219)

X-Factor (12-17)

X-Men Crossover Event: Fall of the Mutants

New Mutants (62-66)

Uncanny X-Men (228-231)

X-Men Vs. the Brood -- Day of Wrath (232-234)

Uncanny X-Men (235-238)

New Mutants (67-70)

X-Factor (27-32)

X-Men Crossover Event: Inferno

Uncanny X-Reading

I have a modest sized comic book collection: 2,253.  That may seem like a lot to those outside the comic collecting world, but I have a few friends in the community with more than they can count.  I've decided that I am going to reread the entire collection, and since 75% of those books are part of the X-Men cannon, I figured I should read them in order.

Peter Marinari created a great guide at Crushing Krisis.  He "examined every X-Men title ever published and put them in order – one story at a time – so you can read without switching books mid-story (or even mid-issue). The guide takes advantage of the breaks in stories created by Marvel’s own collected editions wherever possible and was built by referencing release dates, chronology guides, and Marvel’s own Official Indexes."  He did such an impressive job, that I will be following his lead.

Peter divided the X-Men history into "eras".  I am going to skip the first three eras reading all the issues I do have in a consolidated Era #0.5: Once Upon the X-Men later in my reading cycle.

Era #0: Before X-Men.  Stories occurring prior or parallel to X-Men #1 in September 1963.  I have only three limited series that tell stories from this flashback era with no interest of collecting any more (at least at the moment): Rise of Apocalypse, Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix and First X-Men. 

Era #1: Original X-Men.  Stories occurring after X-Men #1 in September 1963 and prior to Giant-Size X-Men #1 in May 1975.  This is the Silver Age X-Men that I wished I owned.  The era also includes two flashback series in my collection: X-Men: The Hidden Years and Emma Frost. 

Era #2: Second Genesis.  Stories occurring between Giant-Size X-Men #1 in May 1975 and Uncanny X-Men #140 in December 1980.  This is the first half of the Bronze Age that my collection will eventually reach back to.  The only flashback title I own now is Uncanny X-Men: First Class. 

I am postponing the reading of the Era #3: The New Mutants.  Stories occurring between Uncanny X-Men #141 in January 1981 to Uncanny X-Men #198 in October 1985.  The second half of the Bronze Age is the period in which I first heard about and started reading the X-Men.  I am currently extending my collection to include these issues.  I am about two-thirds of the way there, so once I have those last few, I will return to this era and read it as a complete set.

That means I will be starting with Era #4: X-Factor.  Stories occurring between Uncanny X-Men #199 in November 1985 and Uncanny X-Men #243 in April 1989 & X-Factor #40 in May 1989.  It is during this period that I become a life-long fan, so it is probably appropriate to start here.

I am writing this as part of a personal log on what I expect to be a long journey.  It will very likely touch on bits of my life mixed into the nostalgia.  We will see where it goes.