When I think back to the racks of newspapers, men's magazines, cigarettes and comic books that made up the business of one particular newstand kiosk in the mid eighties I will always remember the smell, like a mix of Wolverine's cigar and food court delights from next door I still smell cigars when I read a comic from time to time.  There, in 1985, I bought my first X-Men Comic Book, X-Men Annual #9, with artwork by Arthur Adams and story by Chris Claremont.  This remains one of my favorites to this day, and when I read it in stark black and white, reprinted in X-Men Essentials Volume Six, I was taken back to a time and place that I always seek to visit but only can when reading the very best comic books.  In that Annual I discovered a bizarre world of mutants and magick, X-Men and Asgardians, fighting in a cross between a fantasy story and an adult thriller.  I highly recommend picking up a copy of this reprint, The Essential Series is one of the best thing Marvel's done for fans since bringing Captain America out of the ice.

The motif of X-Men Annual #9 is unmistakably an exploration of seeming: just as mutants can appear human or seem out of place, so did all of the characters in #9 battle with adversity centered on some aspect of fitting in or appearing entirely incongruent with their surroundings.  It would be an understatement to write off such imagery as coincidental, Claremont is clearly exploring how magick can allow the New Mutants and the X-Men to stand out or blend in on a case by case basis with great results overall.

Wolfsbane finds herself in love with a near mirror image of herself, a personified half wolf prince who has no fully human form, scaring her into thinking she might be more wolf than woman.  Cannonball is accepted by a society of Trolls after he valiantly risks his own life to save members of the Troll King's family.  Sam's ability to blend in where rural charm is appreciated allows his characterization to continue defining him as an everyman with non-everyman powers.  Even Sunspot, who so loves living like a hero in the Asgardian Pubs that Wolverine has to pull him aside and put him in his place, learns a lesson, even if mutants are hated on Earth you still have to do the right thing.  For Wolverine, there is glory, and then avoiding celebrity and embracing responsibility, no wonder I liked the little guy right away.

The anthropomorphism that reflects the personification of human traits in gods and goddesses with human form takes perfect shape in Claremont's deft handling of Loki.  Portrayed as both the trickster god and the lord of lies, Loki can't seem to do anything but torture the X-Men, all allegorical representatives of different aspects of personality, and in Storm's part, even forces of nature.  Loki tries to set up Storm as Asgard's new Goddess of Thunder, to serve at Loki's side and allow him to defend his claim of regency when Odin and Thor return from fighting Hella in Hel.  She is so heavily besought by his magicks that she can barely perceive the truth, until Wolverine once more fights to clarify the situation, showing Ororo that the X-Men love her and would die for her, while Loki is a liar, "it's all he does."

In very quick order, Storm uses her new power to try and destroy Loki, but he had a hand in making the hammer she needs to control the weather and the weapon cannot destroy him. So in a sort of Deus ex Machina conclusion everyone is sent home by Loki, except they cannot keep any powers or magick items they earned in Asgard.  Mirage and Karma are exceptions to this rule meaning Mirage can keep her winged horse, and Karma can keep the weight off she shed fighting to survive in an Asgardian desert.  Some of this was just too convenient but after a story that takes 120 pages to reach this point, I fully accept that scheduling and demands of the media made this solution necessary.

All in all a tour de force, with incredible realistic artwork by Arthur Adams, a man of such skill and ability that he raises the bar for comic creators every time he puts pencil to paper.  If you have any question if these Marvel Essential Collections were worth the expense I tell you yes, even if it only fills in holes from your collection.  Be here tomorrow when I review one of the greatest Punisher comics of all time.  To steal the greatest tag line: excelsior! And Blessed Be.