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Selector

The X-Men #110

Apr 1978
Chris Claremont, Tony De Zuniga

The X-Men #110 cover

Story Name:

The "X"-Sanction!


Synopsis

The X-Men #110 synopsis by Anthony Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

This issue starts off with the X-Men playing a friendly game of baseball. After a bit of shenanigans, everyone decides to take a break and Moira MacTaggert goes to check on the phone repairman they’re expecting. She answers the door and is shocked by the man’s unusual appearance but chalks it up to plastic surgery. When her back is turned, the man shoots Moira with a tranquilizer dart and goes to access the school’s computer system. The man, called Warhawk, then receives a mental message from his mysterious master, telling him that he is indebted to them and that he best not fail, lest he suffer the consequences. Warhawk is none too pleased at being used as a servant but gets to work on his task anyway.

After their game, Cyclops tells the other X-Men that they’ve got a workout in the Danger Room scheduled, and for everyone to prepare. Meanwhile, Jean Grey wheels Professor X back inside, while worrying about her recently obtained Phoenix power, feeling she can’t really talk to anyone about it all, and worrying that her power may be corrupting her. Just then, Warhawk appears and tranqs both Xavier and Jean, as Jean notes that she couldn’t respond for some reason. In the Danger Room, the X-Men are about to start their session, when Cyclops receives a telepathic burst of pain from Jean, signaling that she and the Professor are in danger! The door to the Danger Room then slams shut, locking them inside, and flinging Colossus back when he tries to break the door down. Cyclops realizes that the safety locks have been disengaged, causing the Danger Room to attack them with everything it’s got!

Nightcrawler gets stunned by a battering ram and is saved by Storm before he can be crushed against the wall. However, the two of them are then captured in a strong net where they’ll quickly run out of air. Colossus throws Wolverine up to the trapped heroes, allowing him to cut the net perfectly so as to free Storm and Nightcrawler without hurting them. On the way down, Wolverine also pushes Cyclops out of the way of an attack, as even their shared affection for Jean won’t let Wolverine just let Cyclops die. Cyclops hit the panic button, to no effect, and realizes they’ll have to access the control panel directly. Cyclops orders Nightcrawler to teleport with Wolverine, to access the controls from outside, while Nightcrawler worries what the strain may do to them. Nightcrawler takes the leap anyway, and the strain of the shared teleport indeed ends up leaving both heroes unconscious, right outside the Danger Room entrance.

Back in the Danger Room, Storm gets trapped within a metal box and Banshee warns Cyclops that they have to get her out, as her claustrophobia may cause her to crack. Things continue to go poorly for the X-Men, as sound dampeners nullify Banshee’s powers, causing him to fall to the ground hard, and Colossus gets covered in a sticky substance that starts restricting his movements. Outside the Danger Room, Wolverine has regained consciousness and slashes across the controls, shorting the whole thing out. However, he’s then attacked by Warhawk and the two engage in an epic fight, in which Wolverine cuts a tranq dart in half in midair. The fight goes on until the other X-Men bust out of the Danger Room. Warhawk makes to escape using a gas bomb he prepared, but it turns out that Nightcrawler sneakily grabbed it during the confusion, before throwing Warhawk over to Colossus to finish off. Afterward, Warhawk is picked up by the police and the X-Men are left wondering who could have sent him and why, determined to be prepared for whatever may come!


 

Review / Commentaries


The X-Men #110 Review by (July 3, 2024)

Review: The X-Men get trapped in their own Danger Room which is honestly just a really cool idea! Having to battle the traps they usually train against, cranked up to eleven, really puts the pressure on. The villain behind all this, Warhawk, is less interesting, however. He was a minor bad guy that initially fought Iron Fist and was made to sabotage the X-Men’s HQ and gather information on them by some unknown master. The fact that he is so unremarkable is actually by design, even pointed out by Jean, making this another example of Claremont’s early setup for a later payoff, as Warhawk’s master, or rather masters, will be revealed in time as part of a much grander plot! Wolverine gets a couple of particularly good moments this issue, first by saving Cyclops from getting killed, showing his honorable side, despite being his rival for Jean’s affections. The second is a cool moment of cutting a tranq dart in half in midair when fighting Warhawk! Even Warhawk is stunned! Throw in some more building tension with Jean worrying about how her Phoenix powers are affecting her and this made for a very solid issue.

Comments: First occurrence of the X-Men playing baseball, which will go on to become a recurring pastime. First time Nightcrawler teleports with one of the X-Men, Wolverine in this case. Jean Grey officially rejoins the team this issue. Guest art by Tony DeZuniga.



> The X-Men comic book info and issue index

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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Tony De Zuniga
Tony De Zuniga
Andy Yanchus
Dave Cockrum (Cover Penciler)
Terry Austin (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)
Phoenix
Phoenix

(Jean Grey)
Professor X
Professor X

(Charles Xavier)
Storm
Storm

(Ororo Munroe)
Wolverine
Wolverine

(James Howlett)
Plus: Warhawk.

Thor

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