Uncanny X-Men #192 (Apr 85): Fun 'N' Games!Creative Team: Chris Claremont, writer; John Romita, Jr. & Dan Green, artists; special thanks to Steve Leiahola; Glynis Wein, colorist; Tom Orzechowski, letterer; Ann Nocenti, editor; Jim Shooter, editor-in-chief
Starting Line Up: Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Shadowcat, Rogue, Rachel
Guest Star: Magik
In New Mutants #26: Gabrielle Haller's autistic son begins exhibiting telepathic, telekinetic, and pyrotic powers; Prof. X and the New Mutants come to help; Wolfsbane encounters Rev. Craig again; Emma Frost gives Empath an ultimatum; Magneto and Aleytys begin a relationship.
In Kitty Pryde & Wolverine #6: Wolverine vs. Ogun
Synopsis: Nightcrawler, the newly appointed leader of the X-Men (since Storm lost her powers and is leaving), Colossus, and Rogue are having a training session outside at night. Nightcrawler manages to outsmart them both and dunk them in a lake. Nightcrawler then asks Rogue is she also gained Ms. Marvel's precognitive 7th sense. Rogue doesn't believe so, so Nightcrawler tries to get her to use it by teleport-tickling her. It works, and she clocks him. She appologizes, but he makes a joke about kissing her, which makes her really mad and she flies off. Nightcrawler realises that was a horrible thing to say since Rogue cannot kiss people without stealing their energy and memories. As he and Colossus go to appologize, something falls from the sky, causing a blinding flash of light. It makes a huge impact near the heroes. Meanwhile, Xavier and the rest of the team wait for Wolverine and Shadowcat's flight from Japan. Xavier scans people's thoughts on mutants for a class he's teaching at Columbia University. Magik tries to smuggle Lockheed into the airport. Rachel is off alone, also hearing the anti-mutant thoughts. She starts to have a flashback. In it, she's dressed as a hound and it being saved by the future Katherine Pryde. They sneak into the base containing Project Nimrod. Kate uses her codeword "Dark Phoenix", which causes Rachel to travel back through time. Rachel then realises it wasn't her, but Kate who sent her back through time. Rachel is snapped out of her flashback by Shadowcat (Kitty's new codename), who recognises Rachel from the Days of Future Past story. Back at the crash site, Nightcrawler and Colossus check out the crator and find a tree and a deer frozen as techno-organic beings. The two remember the story of how Warlock came to Earth - He was fleeing his father, Magus, who intended to kill him. They assume Magnus has reaches Earth. Rogue wakes up after being knocked out by the impact to find Magus standing over her. She at first mistake him for Warlock, revealing to Magus she knows him. He demands to be taken to his son. They battle. Nightcrawler and Colossus arrive to help. They heroes don't fare too well. Nightcrawler tries teleporting away with only a portion of Magus' living circuity body. It causes him enough pain that Rogue can get close enough to absorb some of his power. She temporarily becomes a techno-organic being. Magus isn't beaten, but impressed by their efforts, so he leaves them without further harm. The rest of the X-Men arrive, but Magus is already gone. Nightcrawler has doubts about his leadership because of this. A cop arrives, but Xavier mentally shields them and makes the cop forget about the distrubance. Once the X-Men leave, Magus takes the life of the cop as energy. Magus plans to continue his hunt for his son. Weeks later, Xavier is finishing his lecture at Columbia for the evening. He walks alone to his car, but is assaulted by anti-mutant students. He tries to mentally stop them, but there are too many and they severly beat him. They leave him in a puddle of blood and take off. A figure steps out of the shadows and pulls Xavier back in with him.
Yeah, but is it good? Certainly much better than that drizzling shit from the last two issues. Finally! A Nightcrawler story! Hey, not only that, but he's now team leader. That's twice Wolverine was passed up for the position, but that's the way he'd rather have it. One fight in and Nightcrawler is already doubting his abilities to lead. Which is natural and fits the character. I guess no one can ever live up to the Cyclops standards of leading. This feels like, and is, just a set up for an upcoming New Mutants story, so it's pretty forgettable stuff, but a fun enough fight. It's about damn time Wolverine and Kitty, now called Shadowcat (a codename that will be used) returned. Shawdowcat is more mature now, though, so the spunky role has to be passed on to the older Rogue or Rachel. Which is fine. You can't remain a child forever, especially when you're a veteran X-Men. Xavier begins his second teaching role, a real one, at Columbia, and already he gets into trouble with it. Damn drunken frat boys.
Significata: Nightcrawler appointed new team leader. Storm plans on leaving soon. Wolverine & Shadowcat return. Magus arrives on Earth.
