UNCANNY X-MEN #297: Up and Around

The song remains the same

Originally Published February 1993

Having defeated Stryfe and vanquished the evil 12-part crossover, this issue sees several X-Men in reflective mode, filling some downtime between crises. Original X-Men Archangel and Beast, for example, are spending their time rebuilding Harry's Hideaway, the eatery destroyed by the battle of Cyclops and Jean against the Horsemen -- which apparently happened a mere 48 hours earlier?? Busy day.

Rogue, who had been injured in battle with MLF'er Strobe in one of many moments we may have missed while barreling through the chaotic action, sits atop the mansion in contemplation as Gambit attempts to comfort her. She's a little torn -- not only has her temporary infirmity put her in "what is it all for" mode, she's ambivalent about Remy's affection: she wants to let him in, but, well, you know the drill.

 And on the ground below, Jubilee is enjoying that most 90s of pastimes, rollerblading (hopefully while listening to Toad the Wet Sprocket on a walkman) when she runs into the person she least expects to see, erm, standing before her:

I mean, I guess it would be unexpected if you weren't looking at the cover. Yes, for reasons of just go with it, the Professor has temporarily regained the ability to walk after his bout with the techno-organic virus. He's feeling some type of way with it, but Jubilee is all too happy to help him cross something off his bucket list.

Since this issue doesn't really have any plot -- no conflict, no badguy, just mutants in their feels -- it doesn't really stand up to my usual style of write-up, so from here on our I'm just kind of going to freewheel it.

Doing a breather issue after a big climactic battle is an X-Men tradition that Scott Lobdell proudly carries forward here, and I love to see it. From the time he arrived on the series it was pretty clear that Lobdell, at the very least, wanted to say something with/about each of the characters, and here he really has a chance to do that.

In the case of Hank and Warren, there's a chance to play around with the idea that these two men have been friends since they were teenagers. They have somewhat ambivalent nostalgia for what are perceived as the easier, more fun days of their youth. It's the kind of thinking that motivated the cringey early issues of X-Factor, but there's a point to it -- they characters have mutated (ahem) into forms hardly recognizable to how they started out, much the same way that many of us do, yet remained true to their core. All the better, Hank reminisces about a prank he pulled on Warren back in their school days. Talk about being X'd...

For Rogue, it's the same old song and dance -- some extremely valid self-pity that manifests her her pushing away someone she's starting to care about her and who seems to care about her. Something just works about the Gambit-Rogue dynamic, and while at its most carelessly drawn it can come off as Gambit being a pest and a harasser who doesn't know that no means no, at its most nuanced it feels more like that's merely his way of showing true affection and care for someone, unable to put aside his usual bravado and macho nature. Rogue always comes off as inviting his attention but having complicated feelings about it -- she likes being liked but feels it can't go any further than that, which makes it all the worse.

In the end, Gambit comes up with a modest gesture to signify that he's there for her.

And in the case of Jubilee and Xavier, it's pairing the youngest X-Person, the one who represents "youth culture" interacting with the usually stolid mentor figure on her terms. As you all know by now I have a huge amount of love for Jubilee, and it's a good thing I do because putting her in the position to represent "90's coolness" risks turning her into Poochie. I'll admit, it's a little corny, but that's part of the fun, and surprisingly enough when the story needs to get to its emotional beat at the end, it actually works.

In the end, they form something of a bond. When Xavier's walkabout is at its end and he starts to stumble, Jubilee is there to help after some consternation about whether such a big, important man could ever need her for anything.

Cue audience going "aww" as we fade to credits.

It's not a perfect issue -- the focus is on characters who were largely sidelined during X-Cutioner's Song, which is great for equity but means that there are characters like Cyclops and Jean or even Bishop whose feelings might be worthwhile to unpack some more, who don't appear. In fact, most of the characters to do appear don't even usually feature in Uncanny X-Men -- Beast, Gambit, Rogue and Jubilee are on loan from the other series.

Archangel's complicated feelings about leaving Apocalypse to die, finally enacting some form of revenge against the man who twisted him, is the most pertinent, and is handled pretty deftly and subtly, all things considered.

The struggles of the X-Men don't always relate to experiences one can have in the real world, but the fact that they have feelings about what happens to them and who they are is absolutely valid. Addressing that is what makes these characters, and these stories, who and what they are... moreso than teeth-gritting, gun-toting, blasty-hand, time-warping action.

This issue overall feels like something you have to try to write. It shows that Scott Lobdell might really be fit for this gig. Here, he understands the assignment, and possibly finds the voice of the book going forward.