Article: Review : Uncanny X-Men #139

[DelBubs]

You can view the page at http://www.alphaflight.net/content.p...anny-X-Men-139

[Flightpath07]

nice review!

[Phil]

I've always liked this issue (& #140) because it doesn't seem quite as action packed as #120-121.
Reading Claremont's classic X-run a lot of my favourite moments were the downtime bits, when there wasn't a massive battle with villain of the month, and the characterisation was allowed to grow.

The Claremont/Byrne Wolverine & Nightcrawler is probably one of my fondest memories from the run (after AF, naturally) and this issue really works for me. The panel Del highlights is a great example of that. They work together so well.

The introduction of Heather is great and the family aspect of the team really begins to shine through already.

I'm pretty sure I'd read Machine Man #18 before reading this, so while Shaman & Snowbird aren't my favourites from the team it was good to see the more mystical elements of the team together in this issue. And a well written Wendigo is always a good, fun tale.

The start of the Raab/Cassaday X-Men/Alpha Flight series really reminds me of the Kitty aspects of this issue. I always hoped that was intentional.

[Le Messor]

Yeah, I'd forgotten about Shaman's bangles, too! Maybe if he spent more time walking like an Egyptian?

Didn't Snowbird drop Anne McKenzie after #6?

As you say, there's never a better AF artist than Byrne.

Reading Claremont's classic X-run a lot of my favourite moments were the downtime bits, when there wasn't a massive battle with villain of the month, and the characterisation was allowed to grow.

I think of it as 'come for the action, stay for the character'. I've always loved that they have those moments, and entire issues where there's no battle - though, of course, I wouldn't want the whole thing to be done that way.
That's kind of coming back in a little lately, btw. Not as well done, but what is?

- Le Messor
"I would sooner be notorious than unknown."

[DelBubs]

I just had a quick glance through #6 and there is nothing there that suggests that she was going to drop the Anne Mackenzie personna. She just stopped. I personally think it may give her character more depth if that side of her was used more.

[Flightpath07]

Remember when Oeming wanted to do a private persona for Beta Ray Bill in Omega Flight? And due to cutbacks and interference, he had to all but drop it?

I'm not drawing any parallels (if I were, they'd look like this; = ), this part of the conversation just made me remember that.

[DelBubs]

I think with Snowbird it's more likely the case that after #6 Byrne never found a need to use her Mackenzie personna, it's not like she could go back to being a Mountie, and writers after that just saw her as Snowbird nothing else.

[cmdrkoenig67]

...But remember Anne Mackenzie was also a falsehood, a creation of Mac Hudson, Dept H and Narya...I doubt there was much to her anyway (only enough to satisfy her superiors in the RCMP). Mac thought she needed a civilian identity, so he and Dept H created one for her.

Good review, Del.

Dana

[DelBubs]

Thanks Dana.

That's probably where my view is coming from. At the time the Alpha characters hadn't had their origins fleshed out. We have Aurora in 120-21 being fun loving and upto her origin issue Snowbird could well have been Anne Mackenzie who just happened to have super powers. To be honest I'd forgotten about the invented personna to hide her true identity, good memory.

[Le Messor]

What I was thinking of was:

But Anne McKenzie is fast becoming a liability to...

(#6, p5.)

Then her conversation with Doug in #15 reads like a goodbye; both to him and to Anne. (No, not Buffy Anne, Narya Anne. Nar-nar, Narya-Anne... now I'll play the ashtray!)

By #16, she's returning to Doug with no sign of her being Anne (though he does keep calling her that).

So, that's my version of logic.

- Le Messor
"I would not allow this employee to breed."
~ alleged evaluation