Random back Issue #11 - Uncanny X-Men #140

Yeah, you might want a different plan than "agility and martial arts" against Furry Hulk, Kurt.

This is the second half of "Kurt and Logan's Excellent Canadian Adventure". Logan went north to try and bury the hatchet with Guardian (still James Hudson and not Heather), and got roped into bringing down the Wendigo. Naturally Kurt found him first. Lucky guy.

Logan ends up tracking the Wendigo, and temporarily stops him, but gets caught off-guard while escorting a woman and her baby, and soundly beaten. Shaman can't get the job done, and neither can Guardian, so it falls to Snowbird to take care of business. By transforming into an actual wolverine and ripping the Wendigo up. She almost loses herself to the creature's nature, but Logan manages to talk her down.

(Many years later, during Frank Tieri's run on Wolverine, she'd just go ahead and transform into an actual Wendigo, since it also qualifies as a Beast of the North.)

After all that, the Wendigo is turned back to human, and promptly arrested, since he became the Wendigo willingly, he's responsible for its crimes. Alpha Flight gets disbanded, and Kurt questions Logan on whether he should be held responsible for all the people he killed. Logan's response is essentially those were sanctioned kills, and that he never killed anyone who didn't attack him with a deadly weapon first, so it's OK. Of course, once he gets his own book, he'd start killing more people than some small wars, but que sera, sera, right?

In other developments, Angel doesn't think Wolverine should be on the X-Men because he's too much of a loose cannon. Just wait until someone mutilates you by giving you blade wings, and see how pleasant you are to be around, Warren.

There's also a subplot about Storm not liking Kitty's dance instructor, Stevie Hunter. I have no recollection of how that plays out, so I'm guessing Stevie's a Hellfire Club plant. We do get to see Storm dismiss this poor sap, so her day wasn't all bad.

The first letter is from the President of the New York City Council, reminding people that they should get vaccinated, because the Marvel heroes' powers are no match for polio or the measles. I feel like the angry Canadian with the healing factor would disagree. The issue after this is the start of the barely-remembered "Days of Future Past" storyline, which would have no lasting repercussions on the X-Men lore, and definitely would not spawn decades of homage comic covers and storylines.

[12th longbox, 14th issue. Uncanny X-Men #140, by Chris Claremont (writer), John Byrne (plotter/penciler), Terry Austin (inker), Glynis Wein (colorist), Tom Orzechowski (letterer)]