PSA Monday: Heroes for Hope starring the X-Men

January 23rd, 2006

Filed under: Comics, Medicine

cover, Heroes for HopeIn 1985, Marvel Comics published a comic to raise money for famine relief in Africa. Conceived by John Starlin and Berni Wrightson, Heroes for Hope starring the X-Men was a “jam” book, with dozens of different writers and artists contributing pages of stories.

So, 1985 in X-Men years…what does that get you? Well, Storm is in her powerless punk princess mode, Wolverine is still in his brown costume. and Magneto’s there in his ridiculous purple costume with the giant M on it. Rogue, Colossus, and Nightcrawler are present, as well as Shadowcat in her blue costume that she wore for about six issues. Rachel Summers is also on the team in that red and yellow I’ve-got-a-bird-on-my-chest-why-are-you-staring-at-my-breasts monstrosity. Yep, the X-Men I grew up with!

The writers are the A-list of established pros and up-and-comers from the ’80s, along with a few surprises. Stephen King writing a Marvel Comic twenty years before last year’s big announcement? It’s in here. Alan Moore writing the X-Men? It’s in here too. Other writers of note include Stan Lee, Chris Claremont, Harlan Ellison, Mike Grell, Steve Englehart, Bill Mantlo, and many more.

The list of artists is stellar as well. John Byrne, John Buscema, Berni Wrightson, Brian Bolland, Gray Morrow, Steve Rude, Howard Chaykin, Bill Sienkiewicz, Walt Simonson, Richard Corben, Mike Kaluta, “Charlie” Vess, Frank Miller and other talented artists leap off the pages.

And as for the comic itself? It sucks. The X-Men are attacked by some sort of ancient and primeval hunger/despair entity, first at the mansion in Westchester, and then later in Africa. They aren’t defeated by it, but nor do they triumph; in fact, there is no change in the status quo between the first page and the last, except that now the X-Men know that hunger is bad.

I give Marvel and the writers and artists involved credit for trying something different and donating time, effort — and one presumes money — to a good cause. It’s just a shame that the book had to be so forgettable given the talent involved.

Tags:

11 Responses to “ PSA Monday: Heroes for Hope starring the X-Men ”

  1. lilacsigil
    January 24th, 2006 at 2:26 am

    Sweet memories! This was my very first comic. How it reached a second-hand shop in rural Australia I will never know, but it set off an 18-year X-Men obsession. It also fed my clown fears.

  2. Scott
    January 24th, 2006 at 8:06 am
    Official Comment

    That was definitely a weird scene: an evil clown, fetish Storm, and a mountain of cream pies. I’m still not sure what to make of it.

  3. Jer
    January 24th, 2006 at 8:59 am

    Was the evil clown scene the part written by Stephen King, by any chance? He would have been working on his novel IT at around the same time.

  4. Scott
    January 24th, 2006 at 9:01 am
    Official Comment

    Stephen King (with Berni Wrightson) wrote the Kitty Pryde/Famine scene.
    The clown scene was written by Chris Claremont (with art by Bolland). The fetish Storm should have given it away…

  5. Mikester
    January 24th, 2006 at 12:11 pm

    As bad as this was, it’s like Shakespeare compared to DC’s Heroes Against Hunger. Hunger? It’s all the fault of an evil alien. You also get Crying Luthor, to boot.

  6. Oliver Townshend
    January 24th, 2006 at 2:02 pm

    That’s JIM Starlin, not John. As I remember the Alan Moore stuff was incredibly insightful and intersting and pity it was only a page or two.

  7. Dan Jacobson
    January 24th, 2006 at 4:53 pm

    Wow, so this is like the comic version of Band Aid? I can just see Storm swooping down saying, “There WILL be snow in Africa this year!”

  8. Nik
    January 24th, 2006 at 5:58 pm

    Yeah, this was pretty darned bad. Yet what a lineup of talent, to produce such manure of a story!

    And for some reason that blue Shadowcat costume remains my “definitive” Kitty Pryde outfit, why I have no idea…

  9. Brandon
    January 24th, 2006 at 10:07 pm

    Didn’t Shadowcat wear that blue costume for years in Excalibur? It’s been a while since I read it, but since it was the only X-book I ever read, I hope I’m right.

  10. JD
    January 25th, 2006 at 9:52 am

    She kept it in Excalibur until #71, so yes you’re right.

  11. Superhawk
    February 10th, 2006 at 12:31 pm

    Yes, Kitty Pryde remained in the blue outfit the longest. Every other costume came and
    went pretty quickly.

    The costumes that DIDN’T last long in that group of X-Men were the red/white tunic
    Colossus wore, and Rachel’s red-and-yellow outfit. I actually thought that Rachel
    costume was pretty cool. Why didn’t she wear that in ‘Excalibur’ instead of the
    spiky ‘Hound’ monstrostiy? And doesn’t Rogue look cool in green and black? Don’t you
    love how utterly 80s her costumes from that time were?

    And, when given the choice between a retarded-looking bright blue and yellow outfit and
    a subdued brown and black outfit, does Logan chose the former? “I’m a sneaky one-man killing
    machine with ninja training…hmm, I think I’ll wear the most garish costume this side
    of Captain Ultra.” Makes NO sense to me. I cringe when I see Wolverine running around in
    those colors. Putting him back in the old yellow-and-blue suit was done during the 90s, in
    one of the most derided eras of the X-Men. Why has this awful change stuck after all these
    years?

Leave a Reply

« Trivia, Rounds 7 through 10 Wesley Needs a Doctor »