X-Men #72

Writer – Joe Kelly 

Artist – Carlos Pacheco 

“Life Lessons” 

One of the best parts of X-men books and comic books in general are the seemingly quiet issues that take place after a major crossover event. Just when you think the heroes might get a chance to catch their breath and find time to relax and unwind, the rug gets pulled out from underneath them. Case in point – X-Men #72. 

Following Operation: Zero Tolerance, The X-Men have new members adjusting to life at the mansion. Joseph (a seemingly amnesiac Magneto), Maggott, Dr. Cecilia Reyes, and Marrow. Marrow gets the main spotlight of this issue as Wolverine tries to teach her the ways and means the X-men stay true to their mission and how their views on humanity differ from those of the Morlocks. For the other new faces, Joseph is helping Beast repair the damage done to their abode as Maggott and Dr. Reyes sit and get to know each other. What they don’t know is that Magneto is back and causing trouble once more. There goes that rug. Isn’t Joseph really Magneto? You’ll get your explanation a few issues down the line. 

When perusing the dollar bins at Eide’s Entertainment, I grabbed this comic as soon as I came across it. I actually have this issue back home at my Mom’s house. I remember buying it but this might be the first time I’ve read it. 

This was my era of X-Men growing up as a teenager. I remember having a job and using my pocket money to keep tabs on the Onslaught crossover. I would continue to dip in and out of X-Men and Uncanny X-Men when I had the money, time, and ability to find the issues. Back in 1998, my hometown had a local comic shop called Villains and Victors I would frequent and Waldenbooks was still at the Fairlane Village Mall. If all else failed, I could go to Renninger’s Farmers Market AKA The Auction and visit the comic book guy’s stand and find the comics I was looking for there. 

I first cut my teeth on Pacheco’s art on Fantastic Four. I loved his renditions of Mister Fantastic and The Thing. He was going places and he graduated to the big time with the Merry Mutants. His art style is easily recognizable and one that takes be back to the good old days. 

The battle between Marrow and Wolverine is the highlight of this issue and their fight doesn’t end the way you think it does. I remember Wizard Magazine highlighting this issue back in the day and their commentary on this slugfest. 

This era of Marvel Comics is a favorite of mine and I know this is going to sound ultra nerdy but one of the reasons why is the fold out cover that would be included in every comic. It would run down the characters featured in the issue and a detailed recap of the previous events in the issue beforehand. This is the accessibility old comic readers talk about and how things have changed between now and then. If you want to feel really old, the cover price of this issue — $1.99!

In case you were wondering – the in-house advertisements in this issue include – Men in Black on VHS, Beast Wars Transformers for PlayStation, Sonic R for Sega Saturn, and Choose Your Own Nightmare from Multipath Movies. 

If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read my review. The question I have for you, dear reader, is – what era of X-Men was taking place when you were a teenager and did you read the line of comics during this timeframe? 

Next Issue – Back to the Sewers!