I hate to speak ill of other people’s hard work, so you’ll only find me pointing out the good stuff, whether it’s movies, books, television, etc.
But let’s start in the wonderful world of comic books, with UNCANNY X-MEN #172 & 173. (There will be SPOILERS, but these books did come out in 1983.)
There’s a lot going on in these two issues, which primarily serve as a follow-up to the excellent WOLVERINE limited series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.So it continues that story, continues the evolution of Storm (prepare to see her as you’ve never seen her before -- with a mohawk!), teases the mystery of Madelyne Pryor a bit more (yes, Cyclops, dating an exact look-alike of your dead ex sounds like a swell idea and can’t possibly hurt the poor girl in any conceivable way), and establishes Rogue as one of the X-Men.
It’s all good and fun. This is Claremont at the peak of his writing, and the art by Paul Smith is smooth and clean, with a nice flow to it. Frank Miller’s a tough act to follow, but Smith does a superb job.
Where these issues really excel, however, are with the Rogue bits.
The rest of the X-Men begrudgingly accepted her membership at the insistence of Professor X. Wolverine was busy in his own series at the time, so he only learns of this at the beginning of #172. (This was before he figured out how to be in five places at once.)
The X-Men -- especially Wolverine -- still aren’t happy with Rogue, but Wolverine’s fiancée, Mariko, doesn’t judge her and accepts her unconditionally.
After the X-Men are poisoned, Wolverine and Rogue are the first to recover. Wolverine heads off to confront the Silver Samurai, and he reluctantly takes Rogue along as a sidekick, but he still doesn’t like her or trust her. She’s still the cocky kid who hurt his friend.
And Rogue indeed behaves like a cocky kid at first, going so far as to tease Wolverine with a near-kiss. Not something a girl should be doing when her slightest touch steals powers, memories, and health.
But when the villain Viper takes aim at Mariko with a powerful laser gun, Rogue does something heroic for the first time. She swoops in front of the blast and takes it, giving Wolverine time to get Mariko to safety.
Rogue had gotten used to being invulnerable, but this thing actually hurts. But she holds her ground, taking the punishment. After all, Mariko was the only one who was actually nice to her.
By the time Viper’s gun overloads, Rogue’s in terrible shape. She might even be dying. Wolverine offers to let her take his healing factor, even though he’s badly wounded himself. She tries to refuse, but he insists.
He allows her to absorb his powers, which takes place in a minimalist panel with unusually restrained narration for Claremont. Nothing overwrought. No corny “And in that moment, Rogue became -- an X-Man!”
No. Whereas Professor X told everyone that Rogue is an X-Man in #171, Wolverine’s actions now show us she’s earned her place.
And it ultimately happens because someone showed her kindness, thereby motivating her to be a better person, which in turn allows Wolverine to forgive her. She's not beyond redemption after all.
The moment is so great, the first X-Men movie adapted it, which means it now has a score.
These issues don't always make the “best of” lists, but they showcase some of Chris Claremont’s stronger writing. This is UNCANNY X-MEN in its glory days.
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