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Post by spoon on Mar 31, 2024 12:11:30 GMT -5
Here's my first quarter update. Reading Goals* Re-read some X-books (or in some cases, read for the first time). These are the comics that give me the most joy, so I want to mix them in with my new reading. Three possible reads within this are: (1) the latter part of the Silver Age X-Men run (starting around #40 or so), (2) original X-Factor (since 2023 was my big New Mutants binge), and (3) Claremont's X-Treme X-Men, which I previously only read to around #15 or #20. I re-read Dave Cockrum's first run and John Byrne's run, plus associated annuals and guest appearances. I haven't read any of the three specific runs I mentioned above. Done. Largely because the Strange Deaths of the Batman TPB and Batman #255 both reprinted stories from many decades, I've already stories from every decade from the 1940s to 2000s (the 2000s was just an excerpt of a few pages from one issue). I want to read more that just a spare issue of two though. Not yet. Done. I read a couple issues of Alien Worlds. I also read some Ka-Zar and Shanna comics, which interpreted liberally are the jungle comics genre or mixed genre with superheroes. None of these yet. I'm not on a great trajectory, as I've bought a bunch of collected editions. My second omnibus purchase of the year should arrive this week, although I've actually finished reading the first omnibus I bought this year already. Not yet. I'm debating whether to wait until after the Assassin Nation release date to see if the price drops. I'm still waiting for the groundswell, so I can write "because you demanded it."
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Post by spoon on Mar 30, 2024 19:05:16 GMT -5
I finished the Action Heroes Archives vol. 2, reading the stories from Captain Atom #89, Blue Beetle #3-6 (#6 went unpublished for years until it was published in Charlton Portfolio), Mysterious Suspense #1, and Charlton Bullseye #1-2, 5. Since the Archives doesn't reprint Nightshade back-up stories, I also read the back-up from the copy of Captain Atom #89 I own.
We start with some fun, interesting stories like Blue Beetle battling the Madmen in #3 and Captain Atom dealing the trippy, enigmatic Thirteen and his cat sidekick stepping in between his battle with Ghost. The Nightshade story is drawn by Jim Aparo. He's not yet as skilled as he'll later become (& it doesn't look so distinctively like his style), but it's an improvement over Ditko's rendering of the character. Nightcrawler faces off against Jewelee (without the imprisoned Punch) and her minions. Also, in a flashback we learn that Tiger, the former sidekick of Judomaster, trained Nightshade in the martial arts.
The scripts in Blue Beetle (both the lead and the Question back-ups) are credited to D.C. Glanzman, but all involved agree that Ditko was the actual scripter. I've read differing stories about the reasons for the false credits. There's a gap of almost a year between Blue Beetle #4 and the swan song of the Action Heroes in Mysterious Suspense #1 starring the Question and Blue Beetle #5. I read that there was a lot of editorial freedom in Charlton's comics views. That makes these comics unusual reads, as Ditko pours into the "objectivist" infused socio-political commentary. I phrased it "unusual reads" rather than interesting, because I don't think it's particularly effective. His commentary reads like one-note screeds more than thoughtful, engaging commentary.
MS #1 features a story about Vic Sage suspecting one of network's sponsors of being a criminal because he sees him through a window with a happy exchange of cash with a disreputable (but not convicted figure). He doesn't actually overhear anything, but since Sage/The Question is an ethical superman, of course he's right. There's an inherent conflict in the Question stories between Sage making bold, often insulting ethical statements before he has the evidence to back them up, but then insisting that others have to make their ethical judgment and not rely on what he says. It's a have your cake and eat it too scenario of Sage placing his words as the ultimate appeal to authority, but washing his hands of the consequences. He actually has the temerity to lecture a member of his staff for being a sad sack after Sage has to bail him out of jail. Said employee is in jail because he got framed for a crime after investigating a lead based on Sage's insistence that the sponsor is corrupt. Sage reminds me of a politician who portrays himself as anti-corruption, but has repeatedly flouts ethical safeguards and gets himself into ethical messes. His followers ignore the evidence and regarding him as anti-corruption because he spews his BS with an air of confidence. Sage will call people out before he has evidence, but his reputation is supposed to make his views convincing in lieu of evidence. Unfortunately, I feel like the storytelling is neglected, because at the climax of the action it's not clear what happened.
BB #5 has interrelated Blue Beetle and Question stories that deal with a snobbish art critics and some angry hippies who disdained artwork that celebrates great achievers (like some Randian thing) in lieu of art about the fallibility of human beings. It feels very much like a strawman (the critic's preferred art is about how powerless and awful humanity is and how people can't achieve anything), but I guess I'd know better if I knew what it was actually satirizes. The problem is that it doesn't feel like incisive satire as much as a screed. I think the target might be an early reference to poverty in the art critic's commentary, although Ditko doesn't really go back to that point. It seems like Ditko is dancing around his dislike for art that attributes conditions of the downtrodden to harms the rich and powerful have done to them. They be great if they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps.
BB #6 is more like a conventional superhero story, but the moral is that the average person hates scientists and reason too much. While I think that's probably true, Ditko isn't very effective at making the point. The Charlton Bullseye stories include a Ditko Captain Atom/Nightshade story that wraps up the Ghost's story. Ditko's penciled art from the Charlton archives is completed with a Roger Stern script and John Byrne inks. Finally, there a Michael Uslan/Alex Toth Question story that seems to have been created for Bullseye rather than from the Archives. The art is great although the commentary about government being too soft on crime feels superficial.
I also read Alien Worlds #5. All four short stories are scripted by Bruce Jones, but with different artists. "Lip Service" drawn by John Bolton is pretty-looking and has an interesting central metaphor. On the other hand, I feel like Bolton's feathery touch gives some panels a lack of clarity, and the twist ending doesn't quite make sense to me. "Gamewars" by Ken Steacy is very brief and makes commentary based on a single irreverent gag. "Plastic" by Adolpho Buylla is a very effective portrait of a meaningless war with a vividly disturbing ending. I think it's my favorite story of the issue. "Wasteland" feels like a Twilight Zone episode. I don't think it imbues its twist with deeper meaning, but it's quite an odd trip.
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Post by spoon on Mar 29, 2024 13:11:00 GMT -5
I knew plenty of people who left X-Men all together. Claremont's writing was a factor, as was art; but, mostly, they were tired of the grandiose events, the lesser spin-offs, and just wanted something different. There was plenty of fan criticism, in certain quarters, about the endless Alien-influenced/swiped plots, for a start, extended subplots that either never got resolved or were underwhelming in their resolution. Personally, I bailed after Paul Smith left, as I felt Claremont was rehashing storylines, trying to redo Dark Phoenix and he kept throwing monkey wrenches into relationship, which felt backwards,to me. I'm not big on endless soap opera; a bit of emotional drama, from time to time, is one thing, but every issue gets tiresome. It's a big reason why I never warmed to the regular Spidey books and why I found Claremont's non-X-Men writing to be diminishing returns. The Aliens vs Predator mini he did ended up being not as interesting as previous ones, since the only thing he seemed to bring to it was a focus on a female human, a female predator and an alien queen. I liked his Star Trek graphic novel, up to a point; but, he turned it into another Alien riff, too, with Kirk and a bunch of old tv show characters teaming up with Klingons from the original series and a Romulan commander, to fight ....well, the Alien species, in a barely disguised form.. Now, X-Men chugged right along and others were fine and dandy with it; but, it is no more true to say that readers weren't tired of Claremont than to say everyone was hunky dory. There were detractors; but, they were probably a much smaller minority than the people who didn't care, as long as they got their X-Men fix or art they liked. The thing is X-Men continued to gain more readers than it lost. Even if there were a bunch of readers who grew tired of the series after Paul Smith left, etc., the book continued to grow in terms of sales numbers and readership. I started reading the book when Silvestri was the penciler. It never crossed my mind that anyone other than Claremont would ever write the book. Certainly when Jim Lee became the penciler fans seemed genuinely pleased, especially when Claremont finally put the team back together. I think it’s fine to critique the run and determine where the book peaked and where it began to decline, or whatever opinion a person may have, but I don’t think it’s accurate to say the readers in 1991 wanted Claremont gone. Add me to the list of people who were actually reading X-Men in 1991 who didn't want Claremont gone. Not only was the readership growing, but Marvel started publishing multiple issues during some months starting in 1988. Fans who dropped the series for good in 1980 or 1983 are good representatives of what folks who were reading it in the later 80s or early 90s were thinking. I read comics; I wasn't reading the behind-the-scenes articles. So I was genuinely shocked when I found out Claremont was out after adjectiveless X-Men #3. Of course, folks who dislike Claremont work from this period and that are entitled to their opinions. The point is simply that one's own personal taste/opinions and the views of the larger readership are two different questions. For instance, there are movies that I think are horribly overrated that the public (or at least movies nerds) love. In many recent Oscar ceremonies, the Best Picture winner was a movie I'd rate 8th, 9th, or 10th among the nominees. I stand by my personal opinions/preferences, but I don't delude myself into believing my opinion is the ascendant view. I have my Claremont pet peeves, but I would have preferred for him to continue as writer in 1991 rather than having him replaced.
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Post by spoon on Mar 27, 2024 20:22:34 GMT -5
The Epic Collection actually has a disclaimer about stereotypes. I'm guessing Xavier trash-talking the Apache to goad Thunderbird to join is part of that. Oh really?! Wow...I'm not sure it really needs that, but I guess Marvel/Disney need to cover their arse. To me, it just seems very much like usual Silver or Bronze Age comic characterisation of non-white Americans. I mean, every time they feature an English guy he either lives in a castle, is a Lord, or talks like a stereotypical cockney! But I suppose as older readers who are well versed in comic book storytelling conventions of the 60s and 70s we tend to just accept this aspect of old comics. But if you were, say, 14 nowadays and were reading Giant-Size X-Men #1 for the first time because you liked the X-Men movies you might think, "what the hell is this offensive stereotyping?!" Yeah, I was curious, because I don't think I've seen that in another Epic Collection. Like what in that specific volume goes beyond the typical level of stereotyping of the era? Speaking of stereotyping, Banshee's appearance in GSX #1 is much improved over his earlier appearances. His face in his first appearance in X-Men #28 really evokes bigoted newspaper/magazine cartooning of the 19th century where Irish people are given ape-like faces. What was Werner Roth thinking?
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Post by spoon on Mar 27, 2024 20:12:39 GMT -5
Jean's death wasn't Shooter's idea. He wanted her to be taken to a prison asteroid to be eternally tortured, prompting Byrne to say, "F**k that, I'd rather kill her!" Byrne said he plotted DOFP months before "The Fate of the Phoenix", with Rachel as Scott and Jean's daughter. When #137 was altered, she was too central to the story to eliminate, so Byrne retained her as a generic telepath, assuming Claremont would no longer connect her to Scott and Jean. Correct me if I’m wrong but really the only difference was the ending? This makes me wonder how would the last 45 years have been affected? The ending is main difference is the ending. It was totally redrawn with a different plot (Jean defeated and depowered versus killing herself). It's not the only difference. There's one panel earlier in the story where Angel was drawn in place of Gladiator and the dialogue consequently changes. There are also various rewritten dialogue earlier in the issue that doesn't really change the meaning much, but there are a couple places earlier in the issues where there are significant dialogue changes. First, as I mentioned in my original post on #137, the 2 or 3 pages dealing with each of the individual X-Men in turn on the night before the battle on the moon have significantly altered dialogue. Originally, most of the characters were thinking about themselves. In the rewritten version, their thoughts are more focused on Jean, and specifically how they feel morally about fighting on her behalf. The other part earlier in the issue where scripting significantly changed things was when Lilandra tells Beast and Angel that they aren't X-Men so they're free to go rather than participating the duel. In the published version in that moment they both confidently want to stay and fight. But in the Untold Story version, Beast has dialogue where he is going to take Lilandra up on her offer before Angel cuts him off. In thought balloons, Beast reflects that Angel foiled his plan. He was hoping to go back to Earth, so he could get the Avengers or other Earth heroes as reinforcements.
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Post by spoon on Mar 27, 2024 16:35:32 GMT -5
I read a real Bronze Age classic for the first time yesterday, Giant-Size X-Men #1... It's a fun comic and I can see why it was such a hit back in 1975. The opening pages showing Professor Xavier getting the new team together -- which serve as a neat showcase for each new member -- were really enjoyable and might've been my favourite part of the whole comic. The new team itself hangs together pretty well, with the possible exception of Banshee who, I dunno, just seems a bit out of place. He seems older than the rest, so maybe that's it? The Japanese hero Sunfire also doesn't seem like a great fit, but I'm guessing he leaves the X-Men pretty quickly anyway. When Banshee first appeared during the Silver Age X-Men, it was clear that he was quite a bit older than the team, so playing into his experience is an angle that worked for the writing here. With Sunfire's attitude here, the burning question is why agreed to go on the mission in the first place. [/quote]Len Wein's plot is fairly basic and some of his characterisation of the ethnic, non-white American superheroes is heavily stereotyped by modern standards.[/quote] The Epic Collection actually has a disclaimer about stereotypes. I'm guessing Xavier trash-talking the Apache to goad Thunderbird to join is part of that. I'm interested in seeing how you think the team dynamics progress. Although I guess since you've read the Dark Phoenix Saga, you already have some basis for comparison. It gives one the impression the creators think islands float on the water. On the other hand, a mutant island is a novel concept. Maybe when Krakoa became this collective being, it involved the flora and fauna tearing off some rock and floating away. I like Cockrum's art on his first run more than on his second run. It may be because he had more time since the All-New, All-Different X-Men started out bimonthly. Cool. It's rightly classic material.
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Post by spoon on Mar 24, 2024 18:56:58 GMT -5
I'd have loved to have been there, but I was out gigging this afternoon and early evening. Bet it was a fun session (as always). I was only able to join the chat for about 35 minutes. It would've been great to talk to you about X-Men topics that came up in the Read Lately thread though.
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Post by spoon on Mar 23, 2024 22:20:26 GMT -5
I read Alien Worlds #2, the sci fi anthology series from Pacific Comics. It's been in my backlog of unread comics for a while. I decided to read it now in part because I enjoyed reading some of Bruce Jones's Ka-Zar comics. The cover feature is "Aurora" by Dave Stevens. The editorial implies that the story was drawn several years before (with Stevens credited for the story), so it sounds like Jones scripted the story years after it was drawn. The art is beautiful, whether it's the femme fatale protagonist or the alien sidekick. It's also something that was crying out for a follow-up rather than one and done.
The second story is "Vicious Circle" by Ken Steacy. I've read only a few Steacy stories, but it has his distinctive visual style. It concerns a space traveler who stumbles on a damaging, drifting spacecraft. It has a great twist. It's also wordless, except for sound effects. The drawback is that the lack of scripting leaves some confusion for me at the end. I think I know what's depicted by I'm not 100% sure. I think the final panel is supposed to be a conceptual draw like a splash page would be, rather than a depiction of a story event.
Finally, there's "A Mind of Her Own" both written and drawn by Bruce Jones. For someone I think of (in my admittedly limited knowledge) as primarily a writer, Jones is such a great artist. This story is somewhat horror-tinged with a twist. I saw the twist slowly creeping in, but that doesn't diminish the effectiveness of the story.
The house ads which run between stories rather than interrupting them rouse my curiosity about other Pacific titles like Ms. Mystic by Neal Adams and Edge of Chaos by Gray Morrow.
I also read Blue Beetle #1-2 and Captain Atom #87-88 from the Action Heroes Archives vol. 2, reprinting Charlton stories. Captain Atom #87 features a villain with the cheesy name the Fiery-Icer. The story in #88 is significantly better. It's a space travel story that has elements of hard science fiction in that it tries to grapple with the difficulties that extreme distances between planets would play in travel and communications. There's a cameo by two scientists named Andy Yanchus and Frank Justice. I know Yanchus was a color. It's ironic that his name is slipped into the story this way when there was a letterer credit but not a colorist credit. The lettering of this story (and several others in the HC) looks like typing, is in balloons that are too big, and is credited to A. Machine. So basically there's a credit for no actual human for lettering but not for the human colorist. The story has a Ditko-esque sort of moral toward the end, but the way the story plays out makes me question the ethical premise and its attitude toward life.
With Blue Beetle now in his own title and no longer a backup in Captain Atom, the page count seems a little light. It turns out that Nightshade was given the backup slot, but this HC didn't even bother to reprint those stories! That sucks. Is Nightshade not a Charlton action hero? Also, those stories were drawn by Jim Aparo. The silver lining is that I have one of the later issue, so I can at least read one of those Nightshade stories.
The Blue Beetle story in BB #1 has a solid plot, although there seems to be a retooling of Ted Kord's relationship to his assistant Tracey from the backup stories. The Ditko style of fight choreography really works well with Blue Beetle. The Blue Beetle story in #2 finally gives us the origin of this Blue Beetle with the adventure on Pago Island with the previous Blue Beetle Dan Garret. I read the post-Crisis version of the story of Pago Island many years ago, so it was interesting to see this version.
The backup stories featuring the Question are solid but not great, although the one in #1 is better than the story in #2. Vic Sage is portrayed as an incorruptible media figures (a counterpoint to the reporter Abby in Captain Atom's stories). He's very strident. He's like that friend who's so pushy in his political that even if his reasoning might strong on a particular issues, he might push people away with his style.
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Post by spoon on Mar 23, 2024 18:59:50 GMT -5
I have a Wolverine question. In the opening pages of Giant-Size X-Men #1, when Wolverine first appears, one of Claremont's captions says "The agent cipher-known as Weapon X...but better known to us as -- The Wolverine!" My question is, would Wolverine actually have been that well known to your average Marvel reader or X-Men fan on 1975 when that comic came out? I know he had appeared in a couple of issues of The Hulk the year before (#180 and 181), but had he been seen anywhere else prior to Giant-Size X-Men #1? Wolverine also appeared in Incredible Hulk #182. Like #180, where Wolverine had a cameo on the last page to set up #181, he appeared briefly at the beginning of #182 to wrap up events from #181.
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Post by spoon on Mar 21, 2024 20:25:17 GMT -5
I'm reading The Action Heroes Archives vol. 2. So far, I've read Captain Atom #83-86. Steve Ditko handles the pencils (sometimes with other inkers) on these stories. He's also usually credited with plot or "concept." Dave Kaler scripts the Captain Atom stories while Gary Friedrich scripts the Blue Beetle backups.
The Captain Atom stories here tend to run about 18 pages. This allows for real plots and real villains rather than the duplicative simple stories that predominated in Archives vol. 1. We have the return of the Ghost, plus Punch and Jewelee, and Iron Arms. Captain Atom gets his power reduced, which is kind of funny because the extent of his powers was nebulous to begin with. An interesting subplot has some of public turning on Captain Atom because they finally realize he's radioactive. There's some cool visuals, like Cap walking through a wall and getting stuck. We also get the return of Nightshade and a new costume for Cap.
The backup stories are the first appearances of the Ted Kord version of Blue Beetle. It's fascinating that these came out only a year or two after a series of Dan Garrett Blue Beetle stories (which I haven't read). The stories don't avoid the change. Rather, Dan Garrett has gone missing and the scripting implies that Kord know more about it than he lets on about it. Is it possible to be nostalgic for a story you haven't read before? My twin brother collected the post-Crisis DC Blue Beetle series, so I read a lot of them. So based on that, I love these stories. I've read a couple of Chartlon Blue Beetle stories after he gets his own series, but I hadn't read most of these backups before. I love Blue Beetle aircraft/watercraft, the Bug. It's very cool see the panels that show the path the Bug takes to leave his headquarters. The post-Crisis version was apparently more reboot than continuation since it seems both versions had a take on Pago Island, although so far I just have hints of the pre-Crisis version.
The downside in this volume is the casual misogyny. One thorn in Captain Atom's side is a shrill angry female reporter. It feels like the Ditko-esque message is critical of the press criticizing men of action. In Blue Beetle, Ted Kord actually laments that he hired a woman to be his secretary.
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Post by spoon on Mar 20, 2024 21:54:45 GMT -5
There's also an Epic Collection that covers #46-66. I'm speaking of what on the US market, as I don't know what's published in the UK versus what would be imported. All of the Epic collections are available over here in the UK. Not that I've bought that many, but I am in the process of replacing my Essential Daredevil TPBs with the Epic volumes. I really need that good old American comic colour! I'd love to replace my Essentials with color TPBs or HCs, but I have so many Essentials that it would hard to justify on a large scale. Interestingly enough, one of the few I did get in color is a Daredevil (Going Out West). I also bought Wolverine Epic Collections and an Avengers Omnibus covering issues I already had in Essential format.
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Post by spoon on Mar 20, 2024 15:22:45 GMT -5
I bought the Visionaries TPB back when it originally came out. It's nice to have all the Adams X-Men issues in one book. It skips over #64, where Don Heck does one heck of an Adams impression on Sunfire's first appearance. I remember there was some controversy because Neal Adams did not like the new coloring that was done on the TPB. It sort of uses color to provide texture, like shading. Whether you're a purist on something like that is up to the individual. There's also an Epic Collection that covers #46-66. I'm speaking of what on the US market, as I don't know what's published in the UK versus what would be imported.
If it's like what I've seen in other reprinted editions I'm in full agreement with Adams on the colouring. I don't see it as being a purist, just a spontaneous reaction: I don't like the way it looks.
True. I just meant that it's up to confessor how much he just wants to read the stories versus a certain version of coloring. I think Adams's problem with it was both: he felt it change the art from what it originally was but also didn't like how it looked. I ended up buying the Epic Collection as well, so I have the Thomas/Adams X-Men stories with two different styles of coloring.
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Post by spoon on Mar 20, 2024 13:27:20 GMT -5
I think a collection of X-Men #50-59 would be an interesting read, but it's a bit of an arbitrary cutoff. It starts in the middle of an ongoing storyline, I guess because #49 doesn't have Steranko interior art and #50 does. Also, stopped in #59 just takes you a bit into the Neal Adams run, but it's around when one arc is wrapping just as another one is starting. Yeah, the selection of issues in that collection does sound a bit random. I am a big fan of Steranko's artwork though, so that's definitely a good reason to pick it up. Maybe I need to get this in conjunction with the X-Men Visionaries: Neal Adams collection that EdoBosnar mentioned, just to finish up the Adams part of the story. I bought the Visionaries TPB back when it originally came out. It's nice to have all the Adams X-Men issues in one book. It skips over #64, where Don Heck does one heck of an Adams impression on Sunfire's first appearance. I remember there was some controversy because Neal Adams did not like the new coloring that was done on the TPB. It sort of uses color to provide texture, like shading. Whether you're a purist on something like that is up to the individual. There's also an Epic Collection that covers #46-66. I'm speaking of what on the US market, as I don't know what's published in the UK versus what would be imported.
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Post by spoon on Mar 20, 2024 9:55:36 GMT -5
Speaking as a fan of that era of X-men, God Loves, Man Kills is definitely worth a read, although it's an out-of-continuity story. The Marvel Chronology Project places Marvel Graphic Novel #5 in continuity after the first 21 pages of Uncanny X-Man #168. Around Uncanny X-Men #167 and #168 is one of those great spots to slot in graphic novels, annuals, guest appearances, etc. for continuity purposes, because if you move a story a little earlier or later you run into trouble fitting it with events in Uncanny.
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Post by spoon on Mar 20, 2024 9:21:56 GMT -5
There's lots of more recent X-Men I haven't read, and I rarely re-read any post-Claremont stuff (as in after his first run). However, I do know this was revisited. I know for sure it was a big part of the story in X-Men Unlimited #4 in the early 90s. That was a quarterly usually with a single big page count story, like an annual on steroids. Prior to that I don't recall it come up. I might need to re-read the Brotherhood story from around #177-178, because I can't remember whether it's mentioned there. Oh, OK....I was thinking that this was something that would've been resolved or answered during Claremont's run. In the next dozen or so issues, I think I assumed. Claremont is famous (or infamous) for dangling subplots, so something that is briefly teased in one of his issues could be resolved in the next issue or it could be years later. Since you enjoyed some of the John Byrne's stuff, I would recommend the rest of Byrne's run and Dave Cockrum's first run that proceeded it. So that would be Giant Size X-Men #1 and X-Men #94-143. I re-read all of it other past few months. Also, you may like the later stories that involve Rachel starting around Uncanny X-Men #188. The From the Ashes TPB reprinting #168-176 is also worth checking out. I have actually picked up the "Second Genesis" collection, which collects Giant Size X-Men #1 and X-Men #94-103, and I'm planning to read that soon. I'll have a look at the From the Ashes collection too. God Loves, Man Kills is excellent. I highly recommend it. I consider it in continuity, and I think Marvel does as well, so I wouldn't worry about that. I'm not sure what the rationale of considering it out of continuity is, since it does contradict continuity. It has a more mature tone, and it's not referenced in the regular monthly issues of the time, but I don't think that makes it some What If/Elseworlds. I believe in the 2000s, it got referenced in other X-Men titles. I think a collection of X-Men #50-59 would be an interesting read, but it's a bit of an arbitrary cutoff. It starts in the middle of an ongoing storyline, I guess because #49 doesn't have Steranko interior art and #50 does. Also, stopped in #59 just takes you a bit into the Neal Adams run, but it's around when one arc is wrapping just as another one is starting. The general consensus of Silver Age X-Men is that it's strong in the beginning and the end of the era, but long doldrums of mediocrity in the middle. A collection with #50-59 would be when quality is picking up again toward the end of the Silver Age X-Men.
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