The cover of
Uncanny X-Men #394 is the most memorable aspect of the issue, Joe
Casey was right about that. As I said yesterday, it owes more to romance novel
covers than your typical superhero comicbook cover, and only really works if
you know the characters and their history. Jean Grey is married to Scott
Summer, but has always had a certain attraction to Wolverine. It had been
teased numerous times in the past with it made clear that the attraction was
larger on his part than hers, though still mutual. In the
Age of Apocalypse event where Charles Xavier’s son went back in
time to kill Magneto but accidentally killed Xavier, Apocalypse conquered North
America and, in that world, Jean Grey and Wolverine were together. It was the
last true outlet for this tension, allowing fans to see the two as a couple in
a setting that didn’t actively ruin the relationship of Scott and Jean, because
it was an alternate reality outside of continuity (though not entirely,
admittedly). Depicting Jean and Logan passionately kissing (and dry humping)
was a lurid attempt to garner attention, though, unlike many comics that try
the same trick, the moment depicted on the cover does happen in the issue, so
it’s not entirely a bait and switch.
While understanding the shock value of the
cover requires prior knowledge of the characters, the Ian Churchill-drawn cover
goes beyond that level of insight. Similar to the rest of the comic, it’s an
X-Men comicbook cover about X-Men comicbook covers. Specifically, it recalls a
trio of Andy Kubert X-Men covers that
all occurred during the same year, and all contain an element that this cover
plays off of.
X-Men #24’s cover depicts Rogue and Gambit in a slightly distanced
embrace, Rogue being held off the ground similarly to Jean. While they’re not
kissing, it looks imminent, suggesting a moment long teased in X-Men comics.
The romance between the two was always alluded to and danced around due to
Rogue’s power to absorb the memories, powers, and life essence of anyone she
made skin contact with, preventing her from all but chaste relationships. This
was contrasted with the overly flirty Gambit, who was meant to ooze charming
but kinda sleazy sexuality. They both clearly wanted each other but couldn’t
have one another much like Jean and Logan. What held Rogue and Gambit apart was
her powers, while Jean’s relationship with Scott always stood in the way of Logan.
The visual callback to a previous teasing ‘shock’ cover of a long-bubbling
romance that didn’t actually end with the payoff fans (possibly/supposedly)
wanted is the key element here.
X-Men #28’s cover depicts Sabretooth looming over Jean in a threatening
manner, not quite lifting her up (his right arm is positioned incredibly
awkwardly), but nearly doing so with his left arm raised high above, ready to
strike, while his mouth is open in a violent hissing/biting sort of look. In
this image and the issue, Sabretooth is a stand-in for Wolverine. At this point
in the X-Men’s history, Wolverine was gone, dealing with the aftermath of
Magneto ripping his adamantium skeleton out in Fatal Attractions, while Sabretooth was the prison/patient of
Xavier as he tried to rehabilitate the murdering flipside of Wolverine. In the
issue, Wolverine’s absence is deeply felt as Jean is close to marrying Scott
and various feelings are being second-guessed, heightened by that event and the
damage Wolverine recently suffered. The posing on the cover is much more
threatening than the embrace on issue 394’s cover, but the positioning isn’t
too far off. Despite Sabretooth’s clearly imposing violent nature, Jean doesn’t
actually look afraid. Startled, perhaps, taken off guard... but not afraid.
She’s not afraid of the wild, violent side of Wolverine. She’s poised and able
to handle it, confident in herself and her abilities. Despite the allure of the
less restrained Logan compared to the ultra-repressed Scott, she loves Scott
and remains committed to him. (And I’ll direct you to Kayleigh Hearn’s excellent piece at Shelfdust on this issue.)
Three covers by Andy
Kubert precede and inform elements of Ian Churchill’s Uncanny X-Men #394 cover. While Joe Casey suggested the concept,
Churchill’s execution in how the characters are posed recalls all three of
those covers, using not just the images but what they represent to give
additional meaning to this cover. It’s a cover aimed at X-Men fans who may not
immediately recognise the antecedent covers but, on some level, would make
those connections and let them reveal the various elements at play in the
cover. It’s far more than marketing shock value, it’s a cover that uses and
comments upon X-Men covers of the past.
