Take a trip down memory lane as we revisit what comes naturally for the X-Men…saving the world. After almost 80 issues (each) of Uncanny X-Men and X-Factor separate, revisit the event that brought them all together for good and led to the blue and gold teams of the 90’s!
“The Muir Island Saga”
Uncanny X-Men 278-280, X-Factor 69-70
Released: July 1991 – September 1991
Authors: Chris Claremont, Fabian Nicieza, Peter David
Artists: Paul Smith, Andy Kubert, Whilce Portacio, Steven Butler, Kirk Jarvinen
Inkers: Hilary Barta, Scott Williams, Joe Rubinstein
Colors: Joe Rosas, Glynis Oliver, Dana Moreshead, Steve Buccellato
Letters: Tom Orzechowski, Michael Heisler
Publisher: Marvel Comics
What You Need to Know:
Everything for the past 78 issues of Uncanny X-Men has pretty much been leading to this. So instead of bogging you down with years of details that might come into play with this crossover, you just need to know that Professor Xavier (whose legs were healed and he could walk) went into space to save his life. During his absence, the original five X-Men formed X-Factor and the other X-Men eventually splintered apart. Some have found their way back together, but many are still on their own, including Colossus and Rogue.
Meanwhile, the Shadow King has begun an infiltration of the astral plane which has led to his takeover of Muir Island and all its inhabitants.
The X-Men went into deep space to rescue Xavier. But once that threat was over, Xavier discovered the manipulations of the Shadow King and returned to Earth with the X-Men… a place he hadn’t been in 77 issues.
What You’ll Find Out:
Uncanny X-Men #278: The Battle of Muir Isle
The Shadow King is fanning the flames of hatred across the world. He may not be creating racism and bigotry but he is definitely turning it to his advantage and with subtle manipulations, making it worse.
The X-Men, meanwhile, prepare for an insertion into Muir Island. On the Island, the mutants there are wholly under the influence of the Shadow King. The X-Men attempt a silent insertion, but one by one, they are picked off. Legion downs Storm and Psylocke, Siryn takes out her father Banshee, Multiple Man overpowers Gambit, Rogue takes on Wolverine, and Amanda Sefton snags Jubilee.
Xavier arrives at his demolished school (destroyed long ago), but before he can enter, he is nearly run over by a car. He finds the driver, thrown clear of the wreckage, to be Stevie Hunter, a long time friend of the school. The Shadow King speaks telepathically, laughing at his triumph over the X-Men. Then Xavier sees the individual who caused the car to crash…
It’s Colossus, under the Shadow King’s direct control.
Uncanny X-Men #279: Bad to the Bone
With a red hot Colossus controlled by the Shadow King after them, Xavier and Stevie run towards the demolished school. They reach the basement door and climb through just before Colossus catches up. Xavier leads Colossus through the halls, trapping him in the Danger Room. Unfortunately, Colossus has spent most of his adult life battling through this room and nothing seems to stop him. But it does slow him enough for Xavier to go on the offensive. And with an incredible struggle, Xavier is able to finally break the Shadow King’s hold.
On Muir Island, three other X-Men are on the hunt: Gambit, Jubilee, and Wolverine. They’re not on the hunt for the King, though. They’ve all been corrupted by the Shadow King and so they are on the hunt for Forge. After some squabbles between them, they go their separate ways. This enables Forge to get the drop on Wolverine, placing a strange metal device on Wolverine’s forehead which causes him excruciating pain, but also blocks out the Shadow King’s mind control. But Wolverine isn’t the only threat out there. Rogue arrives, ready to do some hurting. Forge pulls out a special rifle and blasts her.
Xavier and Stevie help a weak Colossus make his way into town. They encounter a mob chasing a young black child for no apparent reason other than he is a different color. Xavier backs them all down, but the Shadow King laughs at them. His hatred will spread across the globe and Xavier is powerless to stop it. Xavier knows he needs help with his X-Men defeated. He needs his original students.
X-Factor #69: Clash Reunion
After some much needed emotional healing after the loss of Cyclops’ son, X-Factor has responded to a summons to Washington by Valerie Cooper, the government liaison to all things mutant. There’s a small scuffle outside that X-Factor easily dispatches and then they find out who really called them there: Charles Xavier.
Forge explains to Rogue and Wolverine how he was able to free them from the Shadow King’s control. But just as he finishes, his proximity alarms blare and Banshee attacks. Rogue attempts to distract him and that she does, but Banshee easily knocks her down with a scream. Still, it gives Forge time to first blast him with a gun to temporarily disrupt control and then inject him with a serum that does it permanently. Banshee then explains what he knows of the King’s plans: the Shadow King is creating prejudice and hatred throughout the world (worse than what already exists) and using Polaris to absorb all that energy to make him more powerful.
X-Factor prepares to make an assault on Muir Island while Professor Xavier, Valerie Cooper, and one Jacob Riesz (who is actually the Shadow King’s current human host but nobody knows that) stay on a shielded submarine. The original X-Men encounter Gambit, Jubilee, Moira MacTaggart, Psylocke, and Multiple Man but easily take them out. Legion, however, is another story, as he pops up to attack them…and he may be more than they can handle. And as Legion attacks, Jacob Riesz makes his move, preparing to strangle Xavier. As Xavier calls for help from Valerie, the Shadow King laughs, boasting that Valerie has been under his control for months. But suddenly, Valerie changes shape, becoming Mystique and blowing Riesz’s head off.
The shock disrupts Legion and allows X-Factor to explore deeper into the island where they find the nexus…with Polaris at the center of it. But before Beast can figure anything out, Forge and the free X-Men arrive, warning them that breaking the connection may kill Polaris. And as Beast and Forge try to figure out what to do, Legion reappears, this time as the new host of the Shadow King, and he explodes the island.
Uncanny X-men #280: One Step Back – Two Steps Forward
Charles Xavier and a pair of SHIELD agents trudge through the demolished Muir Island. They are stopped by Legion/Shadow King who is telekinetically holding all of X-Factor and the free X-Men. With a simple thought, he kills the two agents and then proceeds to gloat over the fallen Xavier. But before he can kill his father/old enemy, he is blasted by a lightning bolt as Storm, who had been recuperating from her injuries sustained a couple issues ago, flies onto the battle field. Before she can finish the job, though, Legion retreats into the tunnels beneath the surface.
There, Legion prepares a retaliatory strike, sending the remainder of the islanders and X-Men still under his control after the free mutants. Up top, Cyclops and Xavier have devised a plan. Xavier, with Jean’s help, will enter the astral plane and confront the Shadow King. Half of the mutants will stay behind to protect Xavier’s defenseless body while the other half will seek out the nexus on the island and try to disrupt it.
Xavier arrives on the astral plane, clad in armor conjured from his imagination but finds Shadow King similarly dressed but towering over him. The King calls forth flames that immediately begin to cripple Xavier’s legs, shattering them on the plane. And as they break on the plane, his body convulses in the real world, breaking there as well.
The other X-Men and X-Factor make their ways through the tunnels, coming across several, including Madrox, Siryn, Moira, and Gambit. Wolverine beats Gambit one on one, settling a rivalry. Banshee is taken down by his lady love, Moira, but Forge saves him, freeing Moira from the King’s control. Wolverine knocks out Jubilee while Rogue and Beast tag team Guido.
Jean and Storm watch as Xavier’s body is continually crushed. So they do the one thing they can do to protect him. Jean takes all of them (Storm, Colossus, Archangel, Cyclops) inside the astral plane to battle the King. But their powers are near useless as they are physical. All seems lost until the other X-Men reach the nexus. Forge gets an idea to force Psylocke to use her psychic knife on Polaris. It works, the link is completely disrupted and the Shadow King is seemingly destroyed, his body disintegrating on the astral plane and Legion collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.
X-Factor #70: Ends and Odds
Xavier isn’t waking up. In a hospital bed next to his son who is also comatose. His mind his probing his son, trying to find any sign that Legion is still alive, that anything is left of his son’s mind. Several sit by his side as the rest of the two teams and the Muir Islanders try to figure out where to go from there.
Some just kind of wander aimlessly. Rogue finally gets to see her foster mother (Mystique) and reconcile. Wolverine tells Jubilee he doesn’t want her tagging along anymore. She…doesn’t take it well. Guido enjoys the view of Polaris when Valerie Cooper brings up a government mutant team. They’re not too thrilled about working with Freedom Force, but Cooper wants a brand new team.
Inside Legion’s head, Xavier continues to search for any sign of his son. Jean shows up, having traveled there herself. She’s brought friends: Xavier’s original students. Cyclops tells Xavier that he’ll never walk again, but that finality is enough to snap Xavier out of his dream. He won’t believe in never and opens his eyes. Unfortunately, Legion doesn’t appear that he ever will.
Still, now they’re left with fourteen X-Men…and no idea what to do with them.
What Just Happened?
This was the very first cross-over I ever owned of the X-Men. Uncanny X-Men #279 was the second X-Men comic I ever owned (#275 was the first). While I have replaced some of the original comics I bought as a child, X-Factor #70 is still the original (and it shows as the inside is almost free of the spine). So looking back at this story was a pretty big deal.
See, the X-Men had been split for many years. Angel hadn’t been part of the X-Men since issue #148. Iceman and Beast since #94 (although they had each returned for a quick guest role). Jean since #138 (we’ll ignore the fact that it wasn’t really her). Xavier left at the end of issue #200. Cyclops was the most recent to have left the team in #201. And so, here we are, 77 issues later (with 69 issues of X-Factor under our belt). The two teams had met once before, during Inferno, but when Inferno wrapped up, they went their separate ways. The Muir Island Saga was the first attempt to bring them back together as a single team.
At the time, I couldn’t grasp the enormity of this event. I hadn’t been reading X-Men since #201. Definitely hadn’t been reading since #94. Bringing them back together wasn’t a big deal for me.
But imagine having been a fan all those years. Watching the team fracture and have their own stories to tell, rarely interacting (although early X-Factor and Uncanny X-men at the same time certainly made attempts to tie into each other) must have been irritating. To have them so close. And then almost 80 issues later, we finally get them together again, in preparation for what would be the biggest release in comics ever (X-Men #1).
It’s just mindblowing when you put it in perspective.
It’s not just that, either. At this time, Claremont was the only author to have written Uncanny X-Men since #94. It actually saddens me knowing that #279 would be his last Uncanny X-Men story. And it’s also frustrating that a story he had spent so much time preparing for (as is usual for Claremont, he’d been dropping hints for about 20 issues) he only writes the opening two issues. I don’t know if he was fed up with the editor by then (he and Bob Harras had a falling out over Jim Lee which resulted in Claremont finally leaving) or if he was just too involved in preparing X-Men #1, but we definitely see a shift in storytelling from one book to the next. Some might prefer it. Uncanny #280 definitely had less exposition.
This story would also see another, slightly less momentous, occurrence, and that is Peter David’s first issue of X-Factor. That’s right…he didn’t start X-Factor with the new team, but rather closed out the old first. Of course, he’s laying the groundwork as we see the first attempts by Valerie Cooper to establish the new X-Factor as government agents. She even recruits Guido (it’s so easy to forget that at this point, he didn’t go by “Strong Guy”) and Polaris. It’s still plenty witty (Forge handing Colossus a dustpan and broom was fan-friggin-tastic) and sometimes even thought provoking (Xavier’s navigation of the mindscape is really great to read) and even though it doesn’t really match the rest of the story, it’s forgivable because he was responsible for writing an epilogue to a story he probably had very little input into. On top of that, it was great to have a full epilogue, a way to wind down, to prepare for the future.
The Muir Island Saga, at its heart, was meant to bring the X-Men and X-Factor back together again, not just literally, but figuratively as well, as they were brought home to do what they do best: combat bigotry. The X-Men have always stood for generic minorities combating racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. where ever they find it. And it’s easy enough to fight something you can’t punch. And ultimately, you can’t punch bigotry. In the Muir Island Saga, they, luckily, get a face to it with the Shadow King, who ramps up the hatred across the globe. And maybe that’s a cop out as it’s not truly fighting the idea of racism as the X-Men often find themselves dealing with, but fighting a supervillain. Yes, it’s a particularly nasty supervillain, but it’s still a supervillain all the same. It’s his powers that are making people hate.
The art suffers from what many crossovers suffer from: too many artists, and not all of them are enjoyable. The quality varies from book to book, even from issue to issue. The only artist who handles two issues is Andy Kubert and even his work in 280 is broken up with another artist. We get so much inconsistency that reading it in a single sitting isn’t as much fun as it should be.
It’s a good crossover…just not great. Almost like Claremont didn’t get to tell the story he wanted to tell with the Shadow King (and I wouldn’t be surprised at all at that). Still, it holds a special place in my heart as (1) the first crossover I ever read and (2) the reuniting of the X-teams. But ultimately, to enjoy this arc, it’s best to keep it in perspective. Remember what came before it, remember what comes after it. I think that makes it so much more enjoyable.
Rating: 8/10.
Final Thoughts: It’s a major event for the X-Men with almost everybody from the creative teams and almost every X-Man ever joining in. It’s definitely a great read, even if it does encounter some speed bumps.
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