X-Men Vol 1 99

X-Men #99
Previous Issue	X-Men #98
Next Issue	X-Men #100
Alternate Covers
1 2
Art by: Dave Cockrum and Irving Watanabe
Art by: Dave Cockrum and Irving Watanabe
Cover Date	June, 1976

1. "Deathstar, Rising!"
Appearances · Synopsis
Writer(s)	Chris Claremont
Penciler(s)	Dave Cockrum
Inker(s)	Frank Chiara
Letterer(s)	Irving W. Gaspar Saladino
Editor(s)	Marv Wolfman

 You know nothing! She is our friend, our comrade in battle -- she could be... dead! And you act as if you do not even care! Well, Colossus cares!! 

—Colossus

Appearing in "Deathstar, Rising!"

Featured Characters:

• X-Men
  • Cyclops (Scott Summers)
  • Storm (Ororo Munroe)
  • Wolverine (Logan)
  • Colossus (Peter Rasputin)
  • Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner)
  • Banshee (Sean Cassidy)

Supporting Characters:

• Jean Grey
• Dr. Peter Corbeau

Antagonists:

• Sentinels Mk III
  • Sentinel L-1 (First appearance; dies)
  • Sentinel R-71
  • X-Sentinels (First appearance)
    • Professor X (First appearance)
    • Cyclops (First appearance)
    • Marvel Girl (First appearance)
    • Beast (First appearance)
    • Angel (First appearance)
    • Iceman (First appearance)
• Stephen Lang
• Black Tom Cassidy (First appearance) (Cameo)

Other Characters:

• Judge Robert Chalmers - (Appears on screen)
• Roger Grimsby (First appearance)
• Geraldo Rivera (First appearance)
• Starcore personnel
  • Hilary (First appearance)
  • Dmitri (First appearance)
  • Colonel Kutuzov (First appearance)
• Project Armageddon personnel
• Mr. Flaherty (Sean Cassidy's lawyer) (Death)

Locations:

• Sentinel Space Station, refitted from a S.H.I.E.L.D. space platform
• Westchester County, New York
  • Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
• Cape Canaveral, Florida
• Dal'Roon (First appearance), Ireland

Items:

• Cyclops' Visor, version 2
• Cerebro

Vehicles:

• Starcore space shuttle

Synopsis for "Deathstar, Rising!"

Continued from last issue...

Having attempted an escape only to find themselves in space, Banshee, Wolverine, and Jean Grey are rescued by Sentinels under orders to keep them alive. They are contained in environmental bubbles and brought back aboard the Project: Armageddon space station where Stephen Lang tells them that escape is impossible. On Earth, Cyclops uses Cerebro to try and track the missing X-Men, finding no trace of them on Earth, confirming Peter Corbeau's theory that the Sentinels that captured them had ventured into space. On an evening of increased anti-mutant hysteria, which included riots and the fire-bombing of a pro-mutant judge, Peter Corbeau uses his connections with NASA to launch a Starcore shuttle into space, under the pretense of examining the coming solar storm, but in reality it is a cover so the X-Men can go on a rescue mission of their comrades in space.

Aboard the space ship not all of the X-Men are comfortable with their situation; Storm struggles with her claustrophobia and Colossus loses his cool, changing into his metallic form, destroying his space suit while shouting out the name of his brother Mikhail. He explains to Nightcrawler that his brother was a Russian Cosmonaut who was seemingly destroyed when his space ship exploded. Cyclops is also worried about Jean's safety after the two of them are finally becoming romantically involved after so many years of repressing their feelings. As the space shuttle piloted by Peter Corbeau blasts off into space, a solar flare is detected at the Sun monitoring satellite known as Starcore One, with a direct course for Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth in the village of Dal'Room, Ireland, a solicitor named Flaherty rushes to the post office with an important letter for Sean Cassidy that needs to be rushed out to the United States right away. As he goes back out into the storm, he is confronted by a man who is Sean's cousin. When this man learns that he is too late to stop the warning to be mailed out to Sean, his cousin blasts him with an energy bolt from his cane, killing Flaherty.

While in Earth orbit, the space shuttle approaches the space station that is operated by Project: Armageddon. Detecting the X-Men's approach, Stephen Lang sends out his Sentinels to destroy the shuttle. Their initial attack ruptures the hull of the ship, sucking Storm out into space. With Colossus at risk of suffocating, they ram the shuttle through the hull of the satellite so that they can board the station. Storm meanwhile is alone against a group of Sentinels and finds that she can control solar winds and cosmic energy in space, and uses these powers to defend herself against her robotic attackers. While inside the spaceship, Colossus, Nightcrawler and Cyclops manage to hold their own against the Sentinels that have come to stop them. Colossus is particularly savage in battle, believing that Storm was killed. However, when they finish destroying the Sentinels, Storm arrives alive and well, much to the Russian mutant’s joy. Cyclops is contacted via telepathically by Jean who tells him that Wolverine and Banshee are being held in the cell block while she and the Professor are being held in the main mission. Wanting to save Jean on his own, Cyclops orders the other X-Men to go and rescue Banshee and Wolverine.

Blasting his way to the main mission of the satellite, Cyclops easily overpowers Stephen Lang and is about to beat him to death until Jean stops him. Before Cyclops can act any further, someone strikes him from behind. As Lang drags Cyclops away, Jean turns around and is shocked by who she sees. Moments later, the other X-Men arrive in the main mission they are confronted by what appears to be the original X-Men: Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast, and Iceman all led by Professor X who demands the original X-Men to kill the new team.

This story is continued next issue....

Notes

• This issue is reprinted in many other comics and books, see references for more info.

Trivia

• There is a panel that simulates a newscast, with reporters named Roger and Geraldo. They are patterned after ABC New York journalists Roger Grimsby and Geraldo Rivera.
• During an acrobatic battle move, Colossus and Nightcrawler make reference to Olga Korbut.
• During the shuttle launch, Colossus refers to his brother Mikhail, an early Soviet cosmonaut.
• Gaspar Saladino lettered items on page 1 and was not credited in the comic.
• There was a coloring error on pages 1, 10 and 11. The blue and yellow color plates were interchanged.
• The address of Professor X's school is shown to be "1407 Graymalkin D[rive], Scarsdale, New York"
• According to this issue, in space, Storm can shoot out "solar" lightning and create gusts of wind.

See Also

• 14 image(s) from X-Men Vol 1 99
• 8 reprint(s) of X-Men Vol 1 99

Links and References

• The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators - accessed on 04/19/2009
• The Official Marvel Index to the X-Men #5 - See for further referencing
• The Official Marvel Index to the X-Men (Vol. 2) #2 - See for further referencing