Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #230

Issue Date: 
June 1988
Story Title: 
´ Twas the night ...
Staff: 

Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Glynis Oliver (colorist), Tom Orzechowski (letterer), Ann Nocenti (editor), Tom DeFalco (editor in chief)

Brief Description: 

The X-Men return the treasures that the Reavers have stolen to their rightful owners. Rogue starts to befriend Gateway.

Full Summary: 

The X-Men have settled in, Madelyne studied and mastered the Reavers‘ computer system and uses it to monitor an X-Men training session. Storm, in a new costume (all black head to toe, with lightning symbol on the chest, and a black cape with yellow borderline) observes from the sky. Rogue has to fight the other X-Men, but she has got no chance; Madelyne locates her with the computer sensors, Havok nails her with a plama burst, Psylocke confuses her senses, Dazzler shoots her of the sky with a photon blast right into arms of Colossus,who holds her till Wolverine surounds her neck with his claws. Madelyne is glad that she finally has a worth to the team. Longshot was supposed to take part in the training session, but he kept hearing voices, that is why he stepped into a cave. There he discovers more stolen treasure by the Reavers. Reaching out with his psychometric powers each item starts to “tell“ him it‘s origin. He collapses due to sensory overload.

A few days later. Dazzler is annoyed how dirty and full of rubbish the old Reavers hideout is. Storm uses her weather powers to create a monsoon flood, that washes everything out of the building besides the basic structure, Havok disintegrates the piles of rubbish. For the whole time Gateway sits on top of a hill near the town and watches. Rogue decides to try and communicate with him, she offers him food, and starts to talk to him, yet he does not respond. Longshot finally awakes. He explains what the treasures “told him“ but the X-Men are sceptic at first. Rogue retrieves a single item of the cave, and Longshot uses his powers once more while Psylocke connects all their minds, that the others can witness the experience. Touched by the sadness of the “items“ they decide to return all of them to their rightful owners; every item is “read“ by Longshot, who is monitored by Betsy. Madelyne uses the computer systems to locate the owners. After everything is catagolized the X-Men ask for Gateways help to travel around the globe and he opens his teleporting portal for them.

Because they do not want to be recognized the X-Men place the items secretly in the rightful owner’s places. Storm flies over Salem center and watches the New Mutants singing christmas songs. It saddens her to cause so much grief, but the X-Men decided to “stay dead“ and use their status to surprise their villains. The least Storm can do is create a beautiful christmas weather. Finally after all traceable items have been returned, the X-Men realize that it’s christmas. Storm and Wolverine present Alison a gift, a bike, one of the treasures without any rightful owner, which she earlier wanted to have already. Rogue heads once more to Gateway on the hill and gives him a piece of cake and a flute as a present. The aborigine then gestures her to sit next to him, while he plays a tune.

Characters Involved: 

Colossus, Dazzler, Havok, Longshot, Psylocke, Rogue, Storm, Wolverine (all X-Men)
Gateway, Madelyne Pryor (X-Men allies)
Cannonball / Samuel Guthrie, Magik/Illyana Rasputin, Mirage/Danielle Moonstar, Sunspot/Roberto DaCosta, Warlock,Wolfsbane/Rhane Sinclair (all New Mutants)Magneto/Eric Magnus Lehnsherr “Michael Xavier“ (current headmaster of the school)

Story Notes: 

none

Issue Information: 

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