Martinex1: Chris Claremont and John Byrne were hitting on all cylinders in the late 70s during their seminal run on Uncanny X-Men, reaching their apex in the Hellfire Club and the Death of Phoenix arcs. Supported by the inks of Terry Austin, the colors from Glynis Wein and the letters of Tom Orzechowski, the books were top notch. It was lightning in a bottle and the character interaction and subplot styles were often imitated as the Bronze Age started to wind down. Few could capture the magic of that series.
One of the most memorable pages came from X-Men #137, a double-sized issue cover dated September 1980. It of course depicted the tragic death of Jean Grey, the beleaguered and distraught Phoenix. Considering that the story culminates in the death of a fairly major heroic character, it interests me that the moment is handled in a mid-sized panel on a very busy page. There is a large amount of text as the last three panels have Cyclops verbalizing what just occurred. Those middle panels however are exceptional and memorable.
I am going to focus on those panels for the rest of the column, as over the years I have become more and more disconcerted by them. This short passage, at least for a while defined the Marvel approach. Stories were laced with tragedy and pathos. Even the word balloons quivered with the import. The colors were diffused as the bright light of realization as well as the physical blast struck. I believe this is a truly historical moment in comics.
Having said that, this is where I take a complete detour in my analysis. I have developed a strange perception of these three panels, over time I was distracted by some artistic elements. I could not look at these panels without thinking, "Ditko, Disney, and ACME." See if you are with me as I dissect this scene.
But my interpretation didn't stop there. The second panel with Cyclops agape reminded me of something else. It was the tongue and the open mouth. In my eyes it was cartoony in a way that super-hero comics tended to avoid. I know it is an artistic technique in which the bright light highlights certain features - and Byrne uses that technique often and well. But that mouth and the floating tongue seemed like something from a Disney film. Again, I could swear I had seen this before.
And then there was the third panel. An explosive blast disintegrates Jean Grey. The mighty Phoenix is felled. But somehow my view of it has shifted to Wile E. Coyote and the various contraptions that ultimately lead to his temporary demise.
Strange I know... a classic scene devolved to Ditko, Disney, and Wile E. Coyote. You may think I am off the rocker, and you may demand that Redartz take over permanently. But before you persist take a look at the following scenes that I have cobbled together and tell me then that I am not onto something.
Still not sure - okay here is another. Both Betty and Liz have those eyes and curvy eyebrows. This Disney villain shows a little more throat but you get the idea. And how many cannons and guns have pointed at Wile over the years? Still not convinced....
So that is my art critique for the week. Tell me that you won't look at this scene differently from now on! Only at the "Panel Discussion" on the BITBA site can you get such depth! Cheers all!
