There’s so much to like within the 15-or-so years that Chris Claremont spent as the first author of the X-Males franchise (with the Darkish Phoenix Saga being maybe the obvious selection). There are additionally numerous excellent questions from that point interval. A few of them are continuity deep-cuts which have since been retconned or ignored. Others are deeper, extra primal questions which have haunted followers of the franchise for many years.
As an example: why the fuck did Cyclops ship Professor X a post-coital {photograph} from his honeymoon to Madelyn Pryor in Uncanny X-Males #178, and who the fuck took the image within the first place?!
Let’s zoom in nearer, in case you missed it:
That is bizarre, proper? Claremont’s run on X-Males definitely by no means shied away from queer or BDSM undertones — however that is Scott Summers, former chief of the X-Males, sending photographic proof to the one father determine he is ever actually identified to show that he did certainly have intercourse on his honeymoon. That is bizarre!
Over at AIPT Information, comics journalist Chris Hassan lately had the chance to interview Claremont about his upcoming Wolverine miniseries, Wolverine: Madripoor Knights, which celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the hirsute Canadian by re-exploring an iconic early collaboration between Claremont and Jim Lee. However Hassan additionally took the chance to deal with the elephant, err, attractive {photograph} within the room:
AIPT: Alright, properly lastly, a enjoyable query (I hope) and one thing I’ve seen X-Followers speak and surprise about for a very long time. In Uncanny X-Males #178, Professor X opens a letter from Scott Summers that features a image of Scott and Madelyne Pryor in mattress on their honeymoon. The query I am hoping you possibly can lastly reply is… who took that image?
Claremont equivocates for a second, reminiscing how he did, certainly, intend for Cyclops to discover a comfortable ending with Madelyn Pryor — earlier than editorial calls for led to the revelation that she was in truth a clone of Jean Gray created by Mr. Sinister particularly to breed with Cyclops’ DNA.
In different phrases, he dodges the reply. However Hassan, like all good journalist, persists:
AIPT: However Chris, who took the image?
However nonetheless, Claremont solely type of complies with this push:
Have you ever by no means seen the primary iteration of Star Trek, the place you’ve gotten little communicators the place the highest flips up and you’ll name anyplace? I imply, Scott might have had his tremendous secret X-phone plugged into the wall. It might have been the White Queen. They could have had a slight relationship. Perhaps it was Mister Sinister simply hanging round.Â
He then goes on about why Professor X’s telepathy didn’t detect the truth that Maddy was a clone, and returns to his passionate want to present poor Cyclops a contented ending.
And thus, the best thriller in X-Males historical past stays obscured as soon as once more. Alas!
X-Males Monday #228 – Chris Claremont Talks ‘Wolverine: Madripoor Knights’ [Chris Hassan / AIPT Comics]