X-Men #129 (Jan 80): God Spare the Child...Creative Team: (not listed in my copy, assumed to be same as previous)
Starting Line Up: Cyclops, Pheonix, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Storm, Colossus
Guest Stars: Havok, Polaris, Multiple Man
Synopsis: The X-Men are preparing to leave Muir Island. Banshee had previously decided to leave the X-Men since his powers still havn't recovered, so he's staying with Moira. Cyclops offers X-Men spots to Multiple Man, Havok, and Polaris. All turn him down. The X-Men return to New York. Their jet passes by a Hellfire Club jet with Jason Wyngarde aboard. He triggers another time shift for Pheonix. She's aboard a ship with Wyngarde sailing for New York where they are to be married. She half accepts is, half fights it. She believes the Pheonix power is causing her to relive the life of one of her ancestors. Cyclops appears as the captain of the ship and snaps her out of it. He tries to talk to her about it, but she turns into a talk about Colleen Wing. He says she was just a friend. He confesses the reason he couldn't grieve for her when he thought she was dead was because she was the only one he ever loved and if he let himself feel anything it would have killed him. The X-Men arrive, but realise someone has infiltrated the mansion. They spring in to action only to find Prof. Xavier back from the Shi'Ar homeworld. He takes over the training of the X-Men, much to Wolverine's dismay. He hates being treated like a kid and a rookie so he storms off. Cyclops tries to explain to Xavier that most of the new X-Men have prior experience and are used to working alone. He tried to get them to mesh like the old team did, but it isn't going to happen. Despite that, they still function well as a team. Xavier blames him of poor leadership and he desired to take control of the X-Men again. Before Cyke can argue, Cerebro detects two new mutants, one in New York, the other in Chicago. Xavier splits the team up to make contact with them. We find out that Jason Wyngarde is watching the X-Men as the Hellfire Club have spy taps in Cerebro and other X-Men systems, thanks to the Club's leader, Shabastian Shaw, henchman Warhawk from back in issue #110. The Hellfire Club plans to recruit the mutants before the X-Men do. In Chicago, the Club's White Queen, Emma Frost, heads to the home of 13 year old Katherine Pryde just as she's returning home early from dance class beause of her chronic headaches. Frost is pitching her Massachusets Academy to Kitty's parents. Frost creeps Kitty out, so she goes to her room. She starts having an intense headache and suddenly wakes up in the living room. Frost leaves just as Xavier, Wolverine, Storm, and Colossus arrive to pitch thier school. Wolverine senses something erie about Frost. Xavier talks to Pryde's parents while the X-Men go get an ice cream with Kitty. Storm reveals they know Kitty has special abilities and then reveals their identities as the X-Men. At that moment, three guys in large battle armor (very much like the Mandroids from the Japan saga in issues #118 & 119) and attack the X-Men. Kitty is knocked back and goes throgh the wall. The X-Men defeat their enemies, but are all mentally attacked by the White Queen. She takes them aboard she hovercraft, but Kitty phases through the wall and stows away.
Yeah, but is it good? This is the start of one of my absolute favorite story arcs. The Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club are a perfect evil mutant couterpart to the X-Men. They are a group of mutants who have used their powers to achieve financial gain and power in the business world. They then use their money, power, and mutant abilities to further their own goals of world conquest. It sould be noted that the Hellfire Club itself isn't evil, only the Inner Circle. The rest of the club, which is a take off on the Illuminate or the Masons, is just a club for well to do industrialists. Only the Inner Circle, made up almost exclusively of mutants, are evil. There's a lot going on here and little action, but it's got a good pace. The dialogue between Cyke and Jean as well as Cyke and Xavier is especially good. The problem with the X-Men cartoon is Cyclops was such a one-dimensional character, an anal leader. He's so well rounded here as a lover and a more easy going leader than Xavier. And Xavier's attitude here is a great allusion to the Xavier from the original X-Men series, a harsh taskmaster. He's soon going to realise he may be able to talk to teenagers that way, but not grown young men and women... and God knows how old Wolverine is supposed to be at this point.
Significata: Banshee leaves the X-Men. Wyngarde continues to force Pheonix into "time slips" and she's starting accept them more easily. Cyclops reveals his numbness from Jean's death was him trying to keep his sanity. It's also pretty much over with Colleen Wing, who we never see in X-Men again :) Xavier returns to Earth. He takes over training the X-Men and much to their dismay. Xavier and Cyclops argue over how it's best to train the X-Men. It's revealed the Hellfire Club is spying on the X-Men. The leader is named, Sebastion Shaw, just face not show (for some reason). The White Queen makes her first appearance and is revealed to run her own school. The first apperance of Kitty Pryde and it's revealed her power is she can walk through walls. She's already attracted to Colossus, and is starting to bond with Storm.
