X-Men: Muir Island Saga Legacy | Full Event Review! | Krakin' Krakoa

The X-Men’s Muir Island Saga is a less frequently discussed early 90s crossover, most commonly seen as propulsive tissue driving towards 1991’s X-Men #1 relaunch, and the penultimate transition of the Chris Claremont era of X-Men to the Jim Lee, While Portacio, et al era beginning in full. Indeed, if you look at Marvel’s X-Men Milestone trade collections, the Muir Island saga is not included. Nonetheless, it’s a fascinating time period for Marvel’s mutants, an intriguing culmination of Chris Claremont’s plans for The Shadow King, and a crossover with some shockingly relevant connections to the Krakoa era of X-Men.
Today I'll Answer:
+ What are the essential X-Men comics to read during this time period?
+ What is 1991’s Muir Island saga, and what’s it’s impact on characters like Shadow King and Moira MacTaggart today?
+ What’s Legion’s role in the saga?
+ Theories and Predictions for what’s to come!
Spoilers for discussed comics may follow!
For the full Hickman era X-Men reading order:
www.comicbookherald.com/the-c...
For the full X-Men comics reading order:
www.comicbookherald.com/the-c...
For all Comic Book Herald X-Men videos:
• X-Men (Krakin' Krakoa:...
The build to Muir Island is honestly a long time coming, beginning in the gap years between 1989’s Inferno event and the 1991 X-Men #1 relaunch by Claremont and Lee. All sorts of mysterious pieces are laid out during this build, most notably a consistently brash and changed Moira, and the development of the Shadow King inhabiting the body of FBI agent Jacob Reisz, second in command to Freedom Force governmental mutant liaison, Valerie Cooper.
Up front, the fact that the Muir Island saga is a lite crossover - between Uncanny X-Men #278 to #280 and X-Factor #69 to #70 - is a bit deceiving, as there’s actually a much lengthier “Shadow King Saga” in play across a wider stretch of preceding issues. I really think Muir Island reads a lot better with this context, and Claremont’s building, or at least it certainly did for me. Truly you can see plenty of the build both in Claremont and Lee’s debut of Gambit in Uncanny X-Men #266 or even in the Louise Simonson / Rob Liefeld work debuting Cable on New Mutants 87 to 90, with Moira’s presence.
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About Comic Book Herald:
My name's Dave, and Comic Book Herald is a labor of love designed to help new, lapsed, and curious comic book readers explore and enjoy the wonderful world of comics. I've been developing reading orders, chronology guides, and detailed comics recommendations since late 2011. Comics can be confusing and intimidating; I try to help.

[@210SAi]

I really enjoy these succinct reviews of throwback X-men events. I hope you plan on doing Mutant Massacre, Phalanx Covenant and Brood Saga

[@YTLawnGnome]

I think he already did Mutant Massacre. Very recently as well.

[@210SAi]

@@YTLawnGnome did he? I don’t recall ever seeing Dave’s review...I’ll have to go back and review the playlist and past videos

[@quinnbarlow4326]

I miss these stories and outfits

[@acevsknight6194]

This is a very underrated story.

[@Jumpoable]

It was so epic. The teams were so fractured, but finally all got together just in the for the 90s.

[@donaldsherrod5446]

I love that you covered this story CBH. Claremont planted this seed with the Shadow King long before it's crossover-climax and then the X relaunches. I didn't catch it from the very start of Shadow King's influence but I did read a few back issues that showed his presence around that Australian Outback/X-Tinction Agenda time period and it was a little creepy knowing X-affiliates were slowly being taken over...all behind the scenes. (Would've loved to seen a return of Amanda Sefton along with Lorna Dane's super-strength powers on top of her magnetic ones but that's just me.) Again, good work.

[@jacobgoldberg4249]

Can't wait for you to go over more 90's X-Men events. I'm currently trying to navigate my way through that particularly confusing time period and having these videos will certainly make things easier.

[@GothicXlightning]

that beautiful priceless and unique 90s Art style one of the things that made X-MEN so memorable and Majestic at the same time

[@christopheouvrard8548]

So happy that Hickman is coming back to the dead-end that was Destiny's death. The X-Men issue#20 seems to indicate that Hickman also want to build on Destiny's prediction that Mystique and Forge future will be in linked, further that the short relationship they had.

[@kyzmet27]

Deathbird, not Deathstrike.

[@bradonbriffa9690]

Makes you think about current shadow king. Maybe as he's bringing together the young mutants like Charles did but in a dark sense preying on thier insecurities.

[@TreFKennedy]

My favorite X-men story, it’s amazing there aren’t more vids on the Muir island saga

[@Jumpoable]

If you're tying Muir Island Saga to Krakoa, you forgot an important detail. Destiny died here, supposedly killed off by Legion. Did Moira have anything to do with it...?

[@maryse8]

Great retro-review CBH. Could you possibly do a deep dive into the Destiny Diaries, which appear to going to have a deep impact on Hickman's X-books going forward?

[@ryangriffiths5179]

The Muir island saga and following new x-factor series is why I voted for strong guy to be an xmen. Unfortunately Polaris got the job.

[@jacobgoldberg4249]

We need to see what Strong Guy is doing, he's the best.

[@blakekwamin7400]

i enjoy covering different x-men eras. especially when Im getting new marvel legends

[@LikaLaruku]

I'll have to read this some day before I re-read the modern storyline.

[@jefferysummers830]

CHRIS CLAIRMONT

[@itzzzsss]

2:09 that old lady with a mirror mask. Had no idea what her character name was until I had a Lucid Dream about her giving a piece of little 3D model of people and a place, that was shaped into a pie. Someone called out her name Irene. She was talking to Capt. America (Steve Rogers) in a panic and handed the model to him. I happened to hover over them cloaked

[@baked_fa5]

I was thinking about grabbing the Milestone copy of this and here we are

[@jaimec1596]

Pretty sure the game was X-Men Legends. There were 2 of them and then they made Ultimate Alliance 1 and 2.

[@goodapples.]

Is Apple podcasts the only way to hear them? No iPhone here

[@jefferysummers830]

Back when the ORIGINAL writers were still doing their thing. ⚡✌⚡

[@hotpocketpete5256]

It's so awesome what Hickman has done... HOX/POX makes you look back and question everything...

[@GreyEyedAthena]

278 to 270?

[@michaelbaker8375]

Think he meant to say 278-280.

[@fishin4bass2002]

The problem with reading 80s- early 90s marvel is you realize how bad marvel comics is today. Writers actually kept up with, Continuity, characters acted consistent in every comic, characters were relatable and seemed realistic. There wasn’t a bunch of childish Disney humor either.

[@fishin4bass2002]

@Shin Shaman you can only retcon so many times before it ruins everything. They need to reset the universe at this point. Writers don’t know how to write without undoing the past. They want to build their own world. The problem is the world has already been created, so you have to create new things unless you wanna go back into the past and change everything which is what many are doing. That’s stupid. It would be like going back in our world and changing our history constantly. You can add things that people didn’t know about but you can’t completely change things time after time.

[@trealsteve]

There wasn’t any of the utterly horrible influences from the equally horrible “FOX-Men” films either.

[@trealsteve]

@Shin Shaman Retcons aren’t the problem. It’s the frickin deaths and resurrections. It’s a one trick pony nowadays that was played out twenty years ago. I blame the resurrection of Jean Grey in the 80’s for this mess. The stakes are non-existent now.

[@trealsteve]

@@fishin4bass2002 Facts. Funny thing is, they keep using the same people for the same damn things. Hickman and writers after him need to really take notes from what Claremont envisioned for the X-Men. They were really people to him that had dreams that went beyond Xavier’s. Like starting a family or really integrating into human society. Examples of this are Scott and starting his family with Madelyn, Jean/Phoenix right before the Proteus Saga, Logan’s attempted marriage to Mariko, Xavier’s marriage to Lilandra and short retirement (before UXM #200 lol), Sean’s retirement and betrothal to Moira, Alex and Lorna’s multiple attempts to retire, and Kitty enrolling in college. Nowadays it’s reusing characters that clearly should be retired by now and resurrecting everyone like death means nothing. Even X-Men: The End shows that our favorite Mutants move on from being lifelong soldiers. Claremont was great at creating and reintroducing characters into the X-Men. Even elevating characters that were D-List. It’s a shame that characters like Bishop, Forge, Gambit, and many other unique characters constantly get sidelined, written poorly or straight up “killed” just to keep bringing back Scott and Jean. LMAO. Logan is one thing (although I think he should be doing something else than constantly being shoved in every Marvel comic book team known to man including the X-Teams), but Scott and Jean should be retired Imho. They’ve definitely earned it. Lol. In fact, everyone who was in Giant Size X-Men #1 should be retired. Even if they get brought back every once in a while for an adventure or extra backup, their official status should be retired.

[@fishin4bass2002]

@@trealsteve problem is current writers don’t know how to write. They have to use popular characters because no one would buy their crap otherwise. Claremont had his flaws, I think there were plenty of times where he made it really vague about what happened. And some of his problems were solved in dumb ways that felt they were rushed and too convenient but other than that his work was good.

[@batboy9997]

It just dawned on me.... Michael Fassbender should play Professor X in the MCU