X-Men #100 (Aug 76): Greater Love Hath No X-Men...
Creative Team: Chris Claremont, writer; Dave Cockrum, artist; Annette K., letterer; Bonnie W., Colorist; Marv Wolfman, editor
Starting Line Up: Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Banshee, Storm, Colossus
Guest Star: Marvel Girl
Synopsis: The new X-Men (Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Banshee, Storm, and Colossus) and battling the old X-Men (Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl, Havok, and Polaris) with Xavier cheering on the old. The battle is intense with old X-Men winning. The new are unable to figure out why the old X-Men want to kill them, especially Xavier, Cyclops, and Jean. Wolverine eventually goes nuts and threatens Xavier to tell him what's going on or else. Thing don't seem quite right when Xavier gets out his wheelchair and decks Wolverine harder than he should be able to. Wolverine is about to get Xavier back when Jean mind blasts him. That's when it all dawns on him, and he KILLS JEAN! The new X-Men are horrified at what he's done until they realise she, as well as the rest of the old X-Men are just robots. Lang, watching on a view screem with the captive Xavier, Cyclops, Jean, and Dr. Corbeau, curses the new X-Men for being able to destroy one of his X-Sentinels. Lang then reveals how his Project Armageddon came to be. He was a government agent hire to study and learn about and control mutants. He used Bolivar Trask's old Sentinel plans to make new, albeit inferior, ones. But he didn't want to study mutants. He wants to destroy them. Cyclops finally manages to break free. He frees the others then goes after Lang (the view screen now showing the new X-Men mopping the floor with the X-Sentinels). Corbeau tries to escape on a floating chair, but Jean jams the controls and the chair flies into the viewscreen and explodes. Lang is apparently dead. The entire team finally rejoins then head for the shuttle. The problem is Corbeau is the only one who can fly the shuttle, but the hull breach is so great that the radiation from the raging solar storm would kill him in an instant. Jean then absorbs all of Corbeau's knowledge of flying the shuttle and volunteers. She claims her telekinetic power can sheild her from the radiation long enough to get them back to Earth (everyone else would be able to stay in the ships shielded 'life cell'), but she would most likely die. Cyclops protests, so she knocks him uncoscious with a mental bolt. Wolerine tries to stop her too, but she just yells at him. Storm says her tearful goodbye and they all go into the life cell. Cyclops comes to and and the rest of the X-Men have to hold him back. Jean flies to shuttle towards Earth, but she's overwhelmed with solar radiation.
Yeah, but is it good? Oh Hell yeah. The battle between old and new X-Men had been the dream match up the moment the new were introduced. The actions is intense and exciting the whole way through. The whole issue has a sense of such urgency. You can feel the despration of the characters and empathise with them. Lang is so easy to hate as well that it actually feels good when Cyclops loses it on him for being such a nazi. You also don't feel bad when he meets his demise. And unlike X2, Jean sacrafising herself here MADE SENSE. I hate how she "died" in X2. She didn't do anything outside of the Blackbird she's couldn't have done inside. Here, she NEEDED to fly the shuttle solo since she's the only one other than Xavier who could absord Corbeau's knowledge AND protect herself from the radiation, even if for a short time. I think we all know where this story is going :)
Significata: The new X-Men finally fight the old X-Men, even if they are robots. Banshee mentions for the first time that new X-Men don't fight well as team, but as strong individuals. Dr. Stephen Lang dies (as far as I know). Jean sacrafices herself for the team. Cyclops objects until unconciousness. Wolverine objects until he realises it's useless. Jean dies?
