The Uncanny X-Men #173
Published and © by Marvel, September 1983
Title: “To Have and Have Not”
Synopsis: Wolverine and Rogue battle with Viper and Silver Samurai – but another foe is pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Paul Smith
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Review: As with the previous issue (see review), the creative team borrows narrative and design techniques from the Wolverine miniseries to create a natural continuation of that storyline. There’s a lot of fine character work going on here: The debut of Storm’s punk look, Madelyne Pryor meets the X-Men, mental manipulations by a sinister foe. But central to this issue is Wolverine’s outing with Rogue, another example of a young, female hero finding an unexpected mentor in the no-nonsense Canadian warrior. Add in a battle – and some excellent fight choreography – against Viper and Silver Samurai, and this outing is another winner.
Grade: A
Second opinion: “Both Uncanny X-Men #173 and the previous issue make for one of Claremont’s best small-scale stories in the entire run.” – Jason Powell, “The Best There Is at What He Does: Examining Chris Claremont’s X-Men,” 2016 … “Rogue and Wolverine make for a wonderful team, and Claremont is right to sense that they’d have chemistry right off the bat.” – John Jackson Miller, The Comics Buyer’s Guide to the X-Men (Comics Buyer’s Guide Presents), 2003
Cool factor: Storm’s new look marked a major evolution for the character …
Not-so-cool factor: … but fans at the time had mixed reactions (Little Me was appalled!)
Notable: First appearance of Storm’s mohawk look.
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a 75¢ Canadian variant of this issue. … According to MyComicShop.com, there is also a Mark Jewelers variant.
Character quotable: “Hullo, Kitten. My apologies for being late.” – Storm, making an entrance
A word from the editor: “Comics is a short form – and we deal in symbols. Storm, the serene, controlled weather goddess, had a billowing cape and long, flowing hair. But this wild Storm needed a new look – and she got one. We were expecting outrage! And we got it!” – Louise Simonson (né Jones), in “Not To Be Missed,” a 2014 essay collected in “Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Vol. 3,” 2015
Editor’s note: This review was written June 8, 2024.
