The X-Ceptional Artistry of Dave Cockrum

Taking a look at X-Men #97 couldn't help but remind me of artist Dave Cockrum's initial stay on the title--an assignment which, in tandem with writers Len Wein and Chris Claremont, helped to reignite the team and define the "new X-Men" not only for those readers who rediscovered the book after its overlong hiatus, but also for new readers who responded to a diverse, secluded group of heroes and their struggle to exemplify and defend one man's dream of coexistence.

As I reacquainted myself with Cockrum's work on that issue, I found myself sifting through my memories of his contribution as a whole during those formative two years--and it seemed appropriate as a follow-up post to gather a few samples that, for me, highlighted his outstanding work on X-Men during that time that contributed so definitively to the imprint he left on Marvel Comics.

Mr. Cockrum passed away eleven years ago to the month, at the young age of 63. His legacy includes not only the respect and admiration of his peers, but a body of work that more than speaks for itself.

Mr. Cockrum's portrait by Michael Netzer

With all due respect to Mr. Wein and Mr. Claremont, I found myself wishing that these samples you'll be seeing could have been presented without the presence of dialog, captions, or narrative. If you concentrate and simply focus on the art, it's possible to mentally occlude those elements yourself, providing you with a completely different perspective of the work--as if you were seeing it solely through the artist's eyes. How delighted his writers must have been after pulling his sheets from a flat envelope and looking them over--all the makings of a brand new X-Men story, waiting to be inked (if Cockrum hadn't done so himself) and brought to life.

Of course, the finished product held its own rewards for the reader--particularly when we saw, unveiled, the new team of X-Men, and their deadly antagonist, the mutant island known as Krakoa (in this case, inked by Cockrum himself).

Looking through this issue after so long, I was reminded that it was only due to Krakoa's telepathic prodding that Xavier ventured out to gather a new group of mutants that would return and attempt the X-Men's rescue. Now it finally made sense; otherwise, why would Xavier and Cyclops have taken precious time locating, collecting, and training a new group of mutants, when it was clear that the original team needed immediate rescue?

And speaking of training, Cockrum provides an excellent montage of the X-Men learning the ropes, as they segue to their first issue in the regular title--drilled by their stern and relentless taskmaster, Cyclops.

But tragedy strikes very early in this nascent group, as we come to the unforgettable sequence where the hot-headed Thunderbird loses his life--and Xavier, his first X-Man.

Soon after, Cockrum tackles his first anti-mutant epic, as Project: Armageddon, under the fanatical direction of Steven Lang, reaches its climax when the "X-Sentinels," modeled after the original X-Men and Professor X, are turned loose on the new team.

Lang suffers the consequences of his misguided mission, and the X-Men prevail--only to see Jean Grey transformed to Phoenix following the crash of their space shuttle. While Jean recuperates in the hospital, Xavier sends most of the other X-Men on a well-earned vacation at the ancestral home of Sean Cassidy (the Banshee) in Ireland--and Cockrum changes the mood of the story, both brilliantly and beautifully.

In the following issue, we gain insight into the life of the beauteous Storm, who grew up a thief on the streets of Cairo after the death of her parents and then traveled by foot to the Serengeti by the time she'd reached her early teens. Her origin is capped by an exquisite one-page profile of the girl known as Ororo, who unknowingly awaits a greater destiny.

From beauty to bitterness and vengeance, Cockrum reintroduces Magneto to the book. Reverted to childhood but restored by Eric the Red, he faces a team not yet prepared to counter him--and his intentions leave no doubt that the X-Men face their gravest threat.

And Eric the Red has been busy. While Magneto clashes with the X-Men, Eric hopes to catch Charles Xavier off-guard in New York alongside his new ally, Firelord. It's an opportunity for Cockrum to offer our first look at Phoenix in action--and Firelord learns a thing or two about how a true creature of fire deals with a foe.

Though while Firelord was getting bounced all over Washington Square, Cockrum had a little bit of fun putting himself and Claremont literally in the line of fire.

The encounter with Firelord and Eric leads the X-Men to a world where the mad Shi'ar Emperor, D'Ken, seeks to usurp the power of the M'Kraan Crystal, putting the entire universe in danger of destruction. To stop him, the X-Men must get past the Shi'ar Imperial Guard--and Cockrum shows all at once that while the X-Men may be in over their heads, they have every intention of seeing this through, whatever the odds.

And just when it appears that the Guard is on the cusp of overwhelming their terran foes, another memorable band of characters make their first appearance--the Starjammers, whose flamboyant leader would turn out to be none other than Cyclops' father.

Cockrum left the book with that issue due to his other commitments at the company (though his work appeared briefly in an inventory story three issues later), but would return recharged three years later to pencil new adventures of the X-Men before finally closing out his run on the title in 1982--stories which included the return of Arcade, Magneto, and of course the Starjammers, as well as the team's first encounter with Dr. Doom. If you'd like to read more on Dave Cockrum, a good place to start would be a portion of his interview with Jon Cooke in the 1999 issue of Comic Book Artist magazine; and of course there's no shortage of his work across the Marvel spectrum here at the PPC.