Power Pack #12

History

Power Pack was conceived by Louise Simonson, who had spent years editing Uncanny X-Men at Marvel before turning to writing; she chose June Brigman as series penciler specifically for Brigman's facility with drawing convincing children. By issue #12 (cover-dated July 1985, released April 1985 per reading-order records), the series was under editor Carl Potts with Jim Shooter as editor-in-chief, and Simonson was deep into a partnership with Claremont — her former writer and close friend — that allowed her Morlock subplot to mesh seamlessly with ongoing X-Men continuity. The decision to hand the story's conclusion to Claremont in Uncanny X-Men #195 may have been editorially motivated (Ann Nocenti edited both books at this stage of the line), though whether the crossover was a mandate or a collegial arrangement between the two writers has never been definitively confirmed in published sources.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance of five Morlock characters in a single issue: Annalee (projecting empath), Ape (molecular shape-shifter), Erg (energy absorber/projector), Beautiful Dreamer (memory manipulator), and Tar Baby (adhesive secretion).
• Written by Louise Simonson with art by June Brigman (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), and Glynis Oliver (colors); edited by Carl Potts under editor-in-chief Jim Shooter.
• The story, titled 'Underground!', continues directly into Uncanny X-Men #195 (also July 1985, written by Chris Claremont and drawn by John Romita Jr.), making it the narrative lead-in for that issue.
• Annalee's motivation — replacing her four children murdered by the Marauder Scalphunter (first referenced in Uncanny X-Men #193) — connects this issue directly to the backstory that would eventually escalate into the 1986 Mutant Massacre crossover.
• Nightcrawler and Shadowcat (with Lockheed) guest-star, having been dispatched to the Morlock tunnels to deliver messages and gifts on behalf of the X-Men — a mission that accidentally places them in position to rescue Power Pack.
• Piper is noted by uncannyxmen.net as having appeared unnamed and indiscernible in Power Pack #11; this issue is his first clearly identified appearance.
• Beautiful Dreamer was adapted for Fox's The Gifted (2017), played by Elena Satine; the show's version was given the surname 'Simonson' as a direct tribute to the character's creator, Louise Simonson.
• Erg also appeared in The Gifted (Season 2, portrayed by Michael Luwoye) and as a non-speaking background character in X-Men: The Animated Series; the issue thus has an outsized representation in Marvel's animated and live-action adaptations relative to its profile as a Power Pack tie-in.

Cast · 18 characters

Full credits

Key issues in Power Pack

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#1 1st appearance — Alex Power

Variants (2)