My Brother, My Enemy!

OR: "Airport '76!"


By February of 1976, it was becoming clear that X-Men was the book to read, with new Marvel artist Dave Cockrum quickly gaining favorable word-of-mouth at achieving the impossible: helping to revive the dormant X-Men series and breathing new life into the team line-up (or, boiled down: making the X-Men sellable). There are a number of Cockrum-pencilled issues that I could wow you with to back up that statement, but this one always comes to mind for me:

A well-written story by Chris Claremont, to be sure--but to my mind it demonstrates so well Cockrum's feel for these relatively new characters as well as his ability to take a plot and make it explode into life visually, while dealing in a diverse group of characters like the X-Men in a way that helps to build our growing interest in them issue by issue. And as if Cockrum didn't have enough to do handling the X-Men, he also begins in this issue to deal in the Shi'ar, with a telepathic "dream" represented in a stunning two-page spread that's as much of an eye-opener to the reader as it is to Charles Xavier.

After a nightmare that awakens you screaming, I'm not sure the way to calm yourself afterward is to pour yourself a beverage that's loaded with caffeine, but what do I know. Yet the events to come aren't likely to bring Xavier any solace; in fact, even now, two former X-Men currently residing in the Diablo range in California will find themselves drawn into the conflict that has shaken him to his core.

The revisions of the X-Men continue, as Lorna Dane is now introduced as Polaris and upgraded with a dazzling new effect as well as a new costume. (Her magnetic powers had already been restored and enhanced during a link-up with Storm, designed to sever the Earth's magnetic force and nullify gravity in order to send the mutant island Krakoa hurtling into space.)  As for the identity of the attacker who obviously has plans for both Lorna and Alex Summers, the man known as Havok, that will remain a mystery for awhile, though his facade will be impossibly familiar to the X-Men. Regardless, it's clear that he's targeting Xavier, for reasons unknown--and it seems likely that both Polaris and Havok might well turn out to be his assassins.



Cockrum has already started us off with a bang--and given what we've seen of this as-yet unidentified alien race, it appears their activities will have ramifications for not only Xavier but likely the X-Men, as well, if Havok and Polaris are any indication. But if you hadn't yet guessed by its cover, this issue is slated to deliver an all-out battle--and after Cockrum has provided a few scenes of the X-Men seeing their mentor off at the airport as he heads for a vacation in the company of scientist Peter Corbeau, the action begins before you can say "bon voyage."

With Cockrum on the job, and the disaster-prone X-Men on the scene, it's safe to say that the planes and jetliners at this airport will either be scheduled for repairs or salvage operations after the day has run its course. And unless the X-Men act quickly, one of those jets--currently maneuvering like hell to get out of the line of fire--will be the one carrying their professor.

As Cyclops corrals and frantically questions his brother to get the answers behind his erratic behavior, a new player enters this drama--someone who not only bears an identity that can't possibly be valid, but who also appears to be more than a match for the X-Men.

Eric the Red (changed here from the original "Erik") was initially a disguise--a ruse adopted by Cyclops in order to infiltrate Magneto's base of operations and catch his subordinates off-guard, as well as free from his influence the captive Lorna Dane, who had been deceived into thinking she was Magneto's daughter. So it's understandable why Eric's reappearance came as such a shock to Lorna, and now to Cyclops. With both Havok and Polaris under his command, he also now demonstrates mind-control abilities as well as a level of strength and power that will become apparent as this fight goes on.

But what of Polaris? She's already taken out Jean Grey--but now that she's crossed the line and indulged in attempted murder, she's about to make a new enemy.

Cockrum, in perfect sync with Claremont, has now expertly steered this story to the point of having the X-Men begin to pick up the pieces and take on their enemies in earnest. Under assault on three fronts--Havok, Eric, and Polaris--there's a great deal hitting the reader from page to page... but that's the delight of having a page-turner like this in your hands, isn't it?

With Polaris and Havok under his control, Eric is clearly the main threat, to both Xavier and now to the X-Men. But the question that begs to be asked is: If Eric can bring two X-Men under his control, why is he stopping with the two in his thrall? Instead of engaging in a battle that has already resulted in the escape of his target, why wouldn't Eric now extend his control over the others, ending the battle here and guaranteeing that there would be no one left to save Xavier in a second strike? For someone who has planned so well behind the scenes, it doesn't make sense for Eric to be so short-sighted when the time comes for him to make his move.

Nevertheless, he's forced to deal with circumstances as they are, an assessment that also applies to the X-Men. Cockrum only handled inks for cover artist Rich Buckler's portrayal of brother vs. brother--but let's have a look at how he choreographs their struggle in the interior art. The story benefits from Claremont having no plans to have either of Eric's new lackeys break free from his control--but unlike Polaris, it's clear that Havok is of two minds when dealing with his foe.

Elsewhere on the tarmac, Colossus and Nightcrawler have their hands full with Eric, who thrashes them about as if they were annoyances. We would learn in time that Eric owes much of his strength and abilities to his costume; but in the here and now, he appears to be a major threat that may be too much for even Colossus to handle. (Nor does a massive jetliner fare any better.)

And then there's Polaris vs. Storm, a conflict of a different nature and no doubt a spectacular sight in the skies as well as on the printed page. And its outcome triggers a similar strike on the ground below that makes it painfully clear to Cyclops where Havok's loyalties lie.

The tide of this battle continues to shift back and forth, though Havok is temporarily distracted by the injured Polaris to take advantage of the confusion and turn his efforts elsewhere. In addition, unknown to Eric, Xavier had used his mental powers to summon Banshee and Wolverine to the scene, a move which now forces Eric to abandon the battle. But his departure with his two slaves sets up one last confrontation between Cyclops and his brother--and, as a result, an equally tense skirmish on the ground, as well.

Once the dust settles, the X-Men will continue to seek answers as to what exactly transpired here today, and, more importantly, why. But we can leap ahead ten issues and at least learn the mystery behind "Eric the Red," who turns out to be a Shi'ar agent in the service of his mad emperor, D'Ken.

It's unclear why Shakari adopted the Eric the Red identity (or how he even knew about it); he obviously felt that it was important to keep any information regarding the Shi'ar a secret from the X-Men in order to facilitate his mission for D'Ken, so perhaps Eric was a way for him to sow confusion in the team and give him something of an advantage in dealing with them, which worked all too well in the case of Havok and Polaris.

As for the talented Mr. Cockrum, he would have a distinguished run on X-Men. Coming up, we'll take a look at some of his stand-out work on the series.

X-Men #97 Script: Chris Claremont Pencils: Dave Cockrum Inks: Sam Grainger Letterer: Annette Kaye