TITLE: The Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, Issue #162
YEAR: October 1982
COMPANY: Marvel Comics
Written by Chris Claremont
Pencils: Dave Cockrum
Inks: Bob Wiacek
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
If you are a fan of the “Uncanny X-Men”, could you remember the first issue you have ever purchased?
For me, it was “Uncanny X-Men” issue #162 featuring Logan on the front cover. And I actually can remember my thoughts after I read this issue but first, let’s discuss what this issue is all about.
This issue is part of the famed Chris Claremont/Dave Cockrum run and continues the Brood storyline which began with issue #161.
Wolverine awakens and finds himself in a Brood jungle, far from home. While fighting huge plants, one gasses him and he thinks of him riding with his beloved Mariko, until the Brood comes and blasts her to death.
This leads to Wolverine trying to exact revenge on the Brood but he falls and gets caught in a web.
He then recalls what led him to his current predicament and being caught in a stasis bomb setup by Death Bird.
Logan recalls being taken as prisoners and seeing Kitty being taken away and awakens him from him being unconscious and stuck in the web and trying to fight other creatures that were preying on him.
He starts to hallucinate, at times wanting to give up and even thinking about Kitty and killing her, so she doesn’t have to be tortured or killed by the Brood. But he contemplates why he would have such a thought. What has the Brood done to them.
He recalls Lilandra’s imperial guard, Fang being transformed into a Brood and being hunted by the Brood and now, he must do all he can to survive. But then he remembers his body being inputted with a strain that would transform him into a Brood. But will he transform into one?
I remember reading this as a kid and not knowing a thing about the X-Men, I was intrigued. But at the same time, I was wondering where the other X-Men were?
I remember reading this and seeing so many scratches on Wolverine’s skin and the final page that almost look like he had Brood skin.
But it would kick my reading adventures off and wanting to reading anything that pertained to the “Uncanny X-Men” for years to come.
I really didn’t know how special the Claremont/Cockrum collaboration was until I was near graduation from college and seeing how the “Uncanny X-Men” stories and other writer/artist collaborations were so-so at times.
But I was enjoying “The Uncanny X-Men” and this issue was responsible for making me interested, but it was not the issue that made me become an avid reader. I will discuss which issue made me an X-Men fan in a future post.