Comic Browser:

#95
#96
#97
#98
#99
#100
#101
#102
#103
#104
#105
#106
#107
#108
#109
#110
#111
#112
#113
#114
#115
#116
#117
#118
Selector

The X-Men #100

Aug 1976
Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum

The X-Men #100 cover

Story Name:

Greater Love Hath No X-Man...


Synopsis

The X-Men #100 synopsis by Anthony Silvestro
Rating: 5 stars

At the end of last issue, the new X-Men came face to face with the original X-Men, as Steven Lang declares his victory and his plans for mutant extermination. A furious battle erupts as the original X-Men mean to kill the new ones. After getting kicked by Beast, Nightcrawler inquires to Cyclops as to why they are now fighting amongst each other, before getting put down hard with an optic blast. Wolverine tries to carve up Iceman before Angel throws him into Colossus. They retaliate with the “Fastball Special” as Colossus throws Wolverine at their enemies, claws out, before Colossus overcomes Havok’s energy blasts in impressive fashion! Storm tries to reason with Jean, inquiring why she’s turned against her friends. Jean replies with disgust, distracting Storm so Polaris can get the drop on her. Storm is rescued by a sonic scream from Banshee, who says they have to start working as a team.

Wolverine decides to get to the heart of the matter and heads straight for Professor X. Wolverine demands answers when Professor X suddenly stands up and knocks Wolverine to the ground with a punch! Wolverine is then assaulted by Jean’s telepathic powers. With his mind overwhelmed, Wolverine lets his instincts and senses guide him, finally realizing what’s really going on. He makes his way to Jean before plunging his claws into her, to everyone’s shock and horror! It is then revealed that the original X-Men were robots all along, a new breed of Sentinel, called the X-Sentinels. Steven Lang reacts with frustration and disbelief, detailing how he came across the notes for the Sentinels and planned to use the apparent X-Men themselves to destroy mutantkind, for the ultimate irony.

Having had enough, Cyclops blasts his way out of his confinement, before freeing the real Jean Grey, Peter Corbeau, and a still unconscious Professor X. Lang runs to his flying gunship and attacks Cyclops, as the video screens behind show the X-Men destroying the other X-Sentinels. Cyclops fires back at Lang and Jean jams his controls with her telekinesis. In an act of desperation, Lang turns the thrusters to maximum. This causes him to lose control of his gunship, however, and he careens right into the screen, seemingly dying in the huge explosion! The other X-Men locate Scott, Jean, and the others amid the chaos and realize that they’ve got to get off the base, which could blow at any moment!

They all make it to the shuttle they arrived in, but it seems all is in vain. Corbeau reveals that the computer designed to guide them through the solar storm was destroyed in the crash. The hole in the shuttle would make it impossible for him to fly the shuttle himself, as he would succumb to the radiation. With no pressure suits, there’s no one who could survive the solar flare and pilot the ship safely. With a heavy though determined heart, Jean realizes that she can do both. She psychically absorbs Corbeau’s flight knowledge so that she can fly the shuttle, while reasoning that she can keep the radiation out with her telekinesis.

Cyclops tries to talk her out of it and she’s forced to mindblast him to keep him from interfering. Wolverine as well tries to talk sense into Jean and she blows up at him, telling him to get into the life cell with the others. Finally, she says goodbye to Storm, before sealing the hole with her telekinesis and beginning the journey back to earth. Nightcrawler holds the desperate Cyclops back, tearfully admitting that it’s too late to stop. The longer the journey goes, the more difficult it becomes, before Jean’s shielding fails and the radiation starts to get through, as she cries out for Scott! To be continued!


 

Review / Commentaries


The X-Men #100 Review by (June 5, 2024)

Review: This landmark issue pits X-Man against X-Man in a sequence of truly pulse-pounding action (including the first Fastball Special)! Dave Cockrum’s art is at its best so far, with the action perfectly stylish and kinetic. The reveal that the original X-Men are actually a new variation of Sentinel should have been pretty obvious, as the new X-Men arrived with Cyclops, so either he switched sides immediately or the bad guy who was making Sentinels, gasp, made different looking Sentinels! We do get the first indication of Wolverine’s enhanced senses, as he uses them to determine that the Jean grey bot wasn’t really her. Wolverine’s powers have so far been ill-defined, and it’ll be awhile before they’re clarified, as even here it’s presented more as part of his animalistic nature than an actual power. Side note: the image of Wolverine getting knocked on his butt by the Xavier bot makes for a hilarious couple panels.

The real standout part of the issue, and what makes it a classic, comes at the end. After the villain seemingly dies (he gets better MUCH later), the base is going to blow and Jean realizes she’s the only one who can survive the raging solar storm and pilot the ship, by psychically absorbing Corbeau’s flight knowledge. With the others safely in the life cell, she pilots the shuttle until her shields fail and the radiation starts to come through, ending the issue on an emotional cliffhanger! Jean’s thoughts and fear of death as she bravely makes the journey are emotional and heart-wrenching. As many know, this moment will have reaching consequences on the series for years and years to come, the exact nature of which will be revealed next issue. From this moment on, Jean Grey, and the X-Men, will never be the same!

Comments: First occurrence of the “Fastball Special”, in which Colossus throws Wolverine, claws out, at an enemy. First allusion to Wolverine’s heightened senses. Though Steven Lang seemingly dies, he would be revealed almost 20 years later to have survived in a vegetative coma, making his return then.



> The X-Men comic book info and issue index

Elektra

Excelsioring your collection:
DIAMOND SELECT TOYS Marvel Premier Collection: Cyclops Statue, Multicolor 11 inches
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Main/1st Story Full Credits

Dave Cockrum
Dave Cockrum
Bonnie Wilford
Dave Cockrum (Cover Penciler)
Dave Cockrum (Cover Inker)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Annette Kawecki.



Characters

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Banshee
Banshee

(Sean Cassidy)
Colossus
Colossus

(Piotr Rasputin)
Cyclops
Cyclops

(Scott Summers)
Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler

(Kurt Wagner)
Professor X
Professor X

(Charles Xavier)
Storm
Storm

(Ororo Munroe)
Wolverine
Wolverine

(James Howlett)
Plus: Sentinels, Steven Lang.

Thor

The Marvel Heroes Library is a fan Marvel Comics site
Version 14.8.32 (Dec 7, 2024. VS22)

Copyright © 1997-2024 Julio Molina-Muscara (creator, webmaster)
Site content is a collective effort by the MHL team and Marvel aficionados

Characters are copyright © Marvel or their respective owners. All portions of this Marvel fansite that are subject to copyright are licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 unported license All rights reserved