[Peter]

Mike Zeck returns as penciller as we continue our look at this Marvel event. In this issue: An Avenger dies! The X-Men strike! And Klaw!

Listen here.
http://www.comicgeekspeak.com/episodes/footnotes-817.php

[Ocean Doot]

Regarding the X-Men chronology questions brought up here (Storm's leadership vs. Cyclops ...)

The first time Storm became leader of the X-Men was in Uncanny X-Men 139, when Cyclops took time off to mourn Jean. When Cyclops came back in X-Men 150, things were kept pretty vague. Cyclops and Storm have a conversation in issue 154, along the lines of, "So who should be leader now, you or me?" And in issue 161 (the same one that first showed that Magneto and Professor X were once friends), Cyclops actually talks a little threateningly to Storm when she makes a bad command decision. He says something like, "Maybe I should take my old job back."

For a whole period from X-Men 150 to 167, it is kind of vague. Leadership seems to switch between the two characters from scene to scene.

Then in issue 168, Cyclops meets Madelyne Pryor. In issue 175, he marries her and in issue 176 it is pretty much official that he has quit the team.

Four issues later (issue 180), the X-Men (WITHOUT Cyclops) are kidnapped by the Beyonder. (Recall that in Secret Wars #2, Cyclops says that he was actually on his honeymoon, "not even in [his] costume" when he got kidnapped. So he was snatched separately from the rest of the X-Men.)

Which is a long-winded way of saying that Storm's declaration, "I lead the X-Men" (a common mantra of hers under Claremont's pen) is accurate for when Secret Wars is set.

Post-Secret Wars, Cyclops went back to being a married dude and Storm was definitively the leader for the next couple years or so. He came back in X-Men 199 and got all dickish, saying that he needed to take charge ... because Charles had vanished and Magneto was claiming to be Charles' replacement ... Then as Jamie noted, in issue 201, they fought a duel for the right to be leader. This was prime, "Cyclops becomes a jerk" material, with Scott ignoring his wife and newborn son and claiming that only HE could be the X-Men's leader during this crisis. What an ass!

[Ocean Doot]

Oh by the way, my own X-Men-history-pedantry aside, I really enjoyed the episode. Jamie D, thanks for explaining the story behind Rhodey's headaches. I have like two Iron Man issues from 1984 that my Uncle gave me years ago, and there are several references to the headache stuff. I always wondered what that was about!

SW was my first exposure to Klaw, and only recently did I read the first year or so of Dazzler and see the actual "Dazzler absorbs Klaw" story. It is one of the better stories from that run (which generally speaking sucks), and it is surprising to see the more sinister version of Klaw when one's first impression of him is the "Doom oom oom" version from Secret Wars.

You guys didn't mention what is to me the most unintentionally funny part of this issue: The villains go to those craters to ignite a lava explosion; the X-Men show up and fight valiantly to defeat them. They get hardcore, cutting off Creel's arm and slicing up Molecule Man. The villains run off, and the X-Men ... ignite a lava explosion! They do exactly what the villains would have done had the X-Men not shown up! Then as they're flying away, Cyclops or Professor X says, "This was our greatest victory yet." If you say so, guys. You did the villains' work FOR them.

No wonder nobody trusts muties!

[Brack]

As Jamie pointed out, this ditzy verison of Wasp isn't really explained when she returns, though she does behave slightly out of character for the era after Secret Wars when Vision simulates Starfox's powers in order to make her give up the Chairmanship to him during is plot of saving the world whether it wanted it or not.

I'm more inclined to put it down to the dodgy sexual politics that tends to crop up in Shooter's writing (the whole Ms Marvel/Marcus/Immortus Avengers #200 ickiness for example). I blame it on writing Legion of Super Heroes at such a young age.

[sickweeble]

As Jamie pointed out, this ditzy verison of Wasp isn't really explained when she returns, though she does behave slightly out of character for the era after Secret Wars when Vision simulates Starfox's powers in order to make her give up the Chairmanship to him during is plot of saving the world whether it wanted it or not.

I'm more inclined to put it down to the dodgy sexual politics that tends to crop up in Shooter's writing (the whole Ms Marvel/Marcus/Immortus Avengers #200 ickiness for example). I blame it on writing Legion of Super Heroes at such a young age.

Wow, well put! That's kinda what I thought.

[AdrienVeidt]

Other other suggestion: perhaps a mention of the Marvel Universe figure 2packs that're gonna start hitting the streets in a month or two with reprints of the SW comic.

I'm not sure if you Geeks keep up with the threads once you shunt them off to Archive Hell; so I'll addendum this idea here in this current-issue thread. How about after y'all finish #12, y'all segue straight into a World of Toys mini-ep about the Secret War line of old *and* the soon-to-be-hitting Hasbro 2packs?

[Hex]

Regarding Dazzler.

Back in Dazzler's series, Galactus recruited Alison to travel into a black hole in order to retrieve the rogue herald Terraxe.

yeah... I know.