Target: Rogue!

As the catalyst for a 40-issue stretch that shifted the X-Man, Storm, to operating in the field without the use of her powers--a period that for readers lasted over three years, but only a few months in X-Men time--Uncanny X-Men #185 has a good deal more to offer for those following the progress of Rogue, the newest X-Man who joined under protest and still isn't sure that she belongs in the company of heroes. Adding to her conflicting feelings is the fact that Charles Xavier hasn't been able to help her in controlling either her powers, or the emotions and memories of Carol Danvers which now permanently exist in tandem with her own, a failure which probably astonishes anyone familiar with Xavier's abilities; after all, for such a powerful telepath, who can manipulate thoughts as adeptly as you or I might rearrange furniture, isolating Carol's thoughts while giving Rogue's dominance should be child's play. This was the man who psychically kept Dark Phoenix in check within Jean Grey, for pity's sake.

So this story serves to put Rogue in perspective, for readers and for herself, in setting her on the path to becoming an X-Man in not just name but in deed. Crucial to that shift for the character are the actions of Storm, the X-Man who had strongly opposed Rogue's addition to the team (to the point of issuing an ultimatum) but has grown to care for the welfare of this young woman who has proven herself with them. Though the excellent cover by John Romita Jr. might have us thinking that, for Rogue, the feeling isn't mutual!

Adding to Rogue's complicated situation is that her accounts with the U.S. government are far from being settled, due to not only her free-for-all with the X-Men in the Pentagon but also her encounter with special operative Col. Michael Rossi which caused her to be framed for the murder of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Unknown to her, Rogue is now declared a public enemy, with the government taking off the gloves and instituting a full-scale manhunt--and thanks to a newly-designed weapon from their man, Forge (stepping aboard as a new character in the previous issue), the goverment now has the means to bring her down, and hopefully many more like her.

As we see, along with the facts the government has amassed on Rogue is a fair amount of speculation on her background and current associations, though it's not surprising to see a hawk like Gyrich fan those assumptions into building Rogue as a clear and present threat. Nor is it surprising to see Valerie Cooper being further developed as a non-sympathetic character and a hawk in her own right who sees mutants as a threat to national security and is eager to put Forge's prototype weapon to the test against Rogue. To her, Gyrich's mission is a no-brainer, while Forge's weapon presents the goverment with a clear path to success against the mutant threat.

Raven Darkholme, of course, is the shape-shifting woman known as Mystique, who works under the noses of those at the Pentagon and naturally wishes to derail the momentum that the government could potentially build here against the interests of mutants like herself. But she has another reason for opposing the mission: Rogue, who is as a daughter to her and who could be killed by Forge's untested weapon. On the other hand, the device may work--and Rogue's well-being could indirectly lead to that of Mystique, as well.

Mystique appears to have made her decision as to how best to help Rogue when, as Raven, she contacts Forge in an effort to have him intervene in the mission, which is now underway. To say that Forge is livid at the news that his weapon is being used without his knowledge or authorization is an understatement.

Meanwhile, Storm discovers that Rogue has left the X-Men during the night, without any word or disclosure of her destination. But as we've seen, Mystique has been busy putting others in play on Rogue's behalf, which now includes Storm and advising where to locate her--and that leads us to the banks of the Mississippi, a childhood haunt of Rogue's where she felt secure whenever the need arose to hide from the world. But on this lazy afternoon, she's joined by Storm--and the scene offers an opportunity for both Storm and ourselves to learn more of this girl who was shaped by a precious and unnerving childhood memory but is now in constant mental turmoil from a mistake that may well be with her for the rest of her life.

A slight misstep here as far as writer Chris Claremont staying in sync with Romita's art; it hardly seems that Rogue and Storm would be all smiles on such a touchy subject as Rogue's crime against Carol Danvers, as well as the fact that Storm was unable to forgive Rogue for it and expected to sign off on her joining the X-Men as if the incident never happened. It's just not possible to reconcile Claremont's dialog with the expressions in that particular panel, once the two have had a good laugh at the irony of Storm being the one to offer Rogue her earnest help.

That aside, the scene sets up a very real moment of bonding between the two, as Storm volunteers to let Rogue absorb her abilities and memories temporarily--a transcendent experience that not only proves to be transformative as to Rogue's outlook and her personal guilt, but also serves to build a level of trust with Storm that would later extend to the rest of the X-Men, as well. Unfortunately, swept up in the moment, she's never been more vulnerable to attack--and unfortunately, it's at that point when Gyrich and Cooper make their move.

Perhaps mindful of his orders from Cooper, Gyrich's first shot was fired using the weapon's minimal setting, yet the hit succeeds in only weakening Rogue and giving her a chance to evade further blasts. Another thing in her favor, and unknown to her attackers, is that the time she's spent experimenting with Storm's power over the weather allows her to use it effectively in order to save herself.

Yet there have been consequences to her actions, as a tugboat on the river falls victim to gale-force winds and crashing waves from the river. To save the boat's crew, she acts to help them--and only later discovers to her surprise that her instinct was born of her own thoughts, her "sense of honor and decency," as Storm put it. It's a scene that could easily be dampened by the possibility that it was Carol's thoughts and instincts that motivated Rogue to act as she did--but with Claremont's wish to make this a turning point for Rogue, the subject isn't broached. In any event, Rogue's realization has no bearing on the actions of the government operatives on the shore, who see her only as a target who is now sufficiently distracted--or, put another way, a sitting duck.

It's a disaster for all concerned--the crew of the tugboat, who miraculously survived the explosion of its fuel tanks (by reacting and jumping overboard at a split-second speed even Quicksilver would envy--I doubt they were even singed); Storm, who is now powerless; Rogue, who caught the full brunt of the discharge and fell in mid-channel, swept away by the current; and certainly Gyrich and Cooper, who have nothing to show for their efforts and now face the possibility that they've very likely turned the X-Men from being humanity's defenders to its enemies.

And Forge, whose weapon facilitated these events? He has a few choice words for Gyrich, who seems not at all moved by either his outrage or his arguments.

Fortunately, Forge has enough clout to keep Storm out of Gyrich's custody--her road ahead is going to be difficult enough as it is. As for Rogue, she's shown to survive in the next issue, and goes after Cooper with a vengeance only to learn of Storm's injuries; yet afterward, she makes her choice, and returns to the X-Men to stay and fight the good fight with her friends, come what may. And the neutralizer? You'd think that the government wouldn't give up on such a weapon; but presumably Forge reclaimed the prototype and kept a tight lid on its specs in order to avoid any reverse-engineering prospects that the government (or anyone else) entertained, making use of it only to combat the extraterrestrial race known as the Dire Wraiths.

Uncanny X-Men #185 Script: Chris Claremont Pencils: John Romita, Jr. Inks: Dan Green Letterer: Tom Orzechowski