Marvel Super Heroes Summer Special 1991, Marvel Super Heroes Fall Special 1991, Marvel Super Heroes Winter Special 1991, Avengers #333, Marvel Fanfare #56, Marvel Comics Presents #68.
Theme Music: Lazlo Hollyfeld – Buffaloallamericacity
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At the 8:24 mark did Jeremy say, “Dazzler and Longshart”?
Lol, what?? Having a previous knowledge of what a shart is, I would hate to experience a long shart. Poor, poor Dazzler… no amount of mutant spandex technology can save you from that fate. Against extreme temperatures and the effects of plasma energy, sure. But long sharts? Not a chance, honey.
Anyway, speaking of Dazzler and Long-SHOT, I place this 3-part Marvel Super-Heroes story between issues #230 and #231 of Uncanny X-Men. I remember at the end of #230 Wolverine gifts Dazzler with a motorcycle for Christmas (it’s the story where the X-Men find a cave full of the Reaver’s stolen loot and decide to return it to its original owners). Longshot suggests to Dazzler that they take a road trip with the bike and it’s implied that they ride off on it. By #231 they’re back with the X-Men. This is also when Colossus can’t easily change into human form (which he’s painfully reminded of in the opening scene of #231), so that aspect fits the continuity shown in the Marvel Super-Heroes Seasonal Specials.
Adjusted Outback timeline below:
– “Fall of the Mutants”
– X-men arrive in Australia, force Reavers through Siege Perilous, then explore Outback base
– Dazzler and Longshot road trip
– events of Marvel Super-Heroes Summer/Fall/Winter Specials
– Dazzler and Longshot return in time for Brood storyline
– first Genosha arc
– “Inferno”
– Rogue and Master Mold go through the Siege Perilous
– Nanny & Orphan Maker visit the Outback; Longshot goes crazy and disappears; Storm “killed”
– rest of team go through Siege Perilous
For all the perceived irrelevance of the B-side material I’m glad this Sentinel story exists. The Outback era is my favorite era of the team, and that era (naturally) has a finite number of adventures. This 3-parter was one that I never read before, and I probably never would have if you didn’t cover it. Was it ultimately that important to the main series? Nope. But it did give me another opportunity to spend some time with that team. So yeah, definitely a hidden gem for me. And as a bonus it made me go back and re-visit issue #230. A mostly forgotten issue, but I’ll be damned if it’s not one of the top ten or fifteen greatest single-issue X-Men stories I’ve ever read. The next time Marvel does another reprint of the X-Men’s Christmas-themed stories, I hope they decide to include that one.
Howdy X-friends, really glad you guys choose to cover this story. It was a really weird one that I do not know gave us much in the end but parts of it where fun. I have to say though if I do not read another Roy & Dann Thomas X-Men title I will not be sad. While I love Roy’s stuff from the Neal Adams days I think this collection of characters has passed him by. Reading this collection of books after re-reading his X-Men run 57-59 and Avengers 102-104, I would say this “trilogy” does not go out with a bang.
I agree with Close-shave Xavier that this is worth the read if for no other reason to get more “outback” content. As far as fitting this into the time line this pretty much qualifies as a “flashback” because it was published nearly 2 years after Longshot’s last appearance. So where exactly you choose to fit it in has some wiggle room. All in all this felt like a story that may have been written for an Annual (which I think would have worked better) or a Marvel Fanfare or maybe even a Marvel Comics Presents but just ended up getting shoved into this format.
On another topic of what you are covering, I can hear in Jeremy’s voice that he has little interest in covering such small insignificant appearances like the Avengers #333 appearance of Logan. I have to say I am in agreement that spending any time on those kinds of cameos will only increase your rate of burn-out. While what you guys are covering now probably seems like so much to cover, it will only get worse with coming up cross-overs like Infinity Gauntlet and War as well as Operation Galactic Storm (if you are keeping up with the Shiar) as well as more Annual Crossover madness. So you might want to consider dividing and conquering like you did with Dazzler and other ancillary titles. Just a thought for your own sanity.
Keep up the good work.