X-Men (vol. 1) #98 (Apr. 1976):
“Merry Christmas, X-Men...”
by Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, Sam Grainger

X-Men (vol. 1) #98

Title: “Merry Christmas, X-Men...”

Medium: comic

Cover date: Apr. 1976

Publisher:
Written by: Chris Claremont
Art by: Dave Cockrum, Sam Grainger

53 characters in this story:

Character (Click links for info about character and his/her religious practice, affiliation, etc.)	Religious Affiliation	Team(s) [Notes]	Pub.	# app.
Cyclops (Scott Summers)	Protestant; mutant supremacist	Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy; Summers Rebellion...  The Twelve; X-Factor; X-Men		8,371
Marvel Girl (Jean Grey)	Episcopalian	Metro College; The Twelve...  X-Factor; X-Men		1,905
Professor X (Charles Xavier)	religious	Brotherhood of Mutants; Genoshan Excalibur...  Illuminati; The Mutant Underground (founder); The Twelve; X-Men (founder)		4,999
Wolverine (James Howlett / Logan)	raised Protestant; sometimes atheist; has practiced Buddhism; skeptical seeker	Alpha Flight; Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy...  First Flight; Secret Defenders; Team X; The Avengers; The Canadian Army; Weapon Plus; Weapon X; X-Force; X-Men; X-Treme Sanctions Executive		10,615
Storm (Ororo Munroe)	Goddess worship	black; Lady Liberators...  Morlocks (leader); The Fantastic Four; The Twelve; Weapon X (Exiles); X-Men; X-Saviours; X-Treme Sanctions Executive		5,068
Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner)	Catholic (raised Gypsy/Roma)	Excalibur; Neyaphem...  X-Men; X-Treme Sanctions Executive		4,345
Colossus (Peter Rasputin)	Communist atheist (former)	Excalibur; The Acolytes...  Weapon X (Exiles); X-Men		4,122
Banshee (Sean Cassidy)	Catholic	Factor Three; Generation X (teacher)...  X-Corps (leader); X-Men		1,340
Sentinels	anti-mutant robots	[1st app: The X-Men (vol. 1) #14 (Nov. 1965)]		245
Moira MacTaggert		[Charles Xavier's colleague, girlfriend]		243
Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters		[high school]		373
Dr. Peter Corbeau		[Starcorps/Starcore]		29
Steven Lang	anti-mutant	Phalanx; Project Armageddon (leader) [designed Mark III Sentinels]		26
X-Men		[1st app: The X-Men (vol. 1) #1 (Sep. 1963)]		9,958
Project Armageddon	anti-mutant	[Stephen Lang's govt.-sponsored anti-mutant effort]		2
Sentinels Mk III	anti-mutant robots	Sentinels		12
Sentinel A1	anti-mutant robot	Sentinels Mk III; Sentinels		1
Sentinel A3	anti-mutant robot	Sentinels Mk III; Sentinels		1
Sentinel A7	anti-mutant robot	Sentinels Mk III; Sentinels		1
Sentinel T-20	anti-mutant robot	Sentinels Mk III; Sentinels		1
unnamed technician (5-panel cameo, pg. 12-13)	anti-mutant	[tells Lang of high solar radiation levels]		1
Amanda Sefton (3-panel cameo, pg. 1-2)	Gypsy/Roma; sorceress	Excalibur; X-Men		117
Cerebro (3-panel cameo, pg. 16-17)  Cyclops searches for missing X-Men (captured by Sentinels) using Cerebro. Also, Cerebro intruder alert warns of somebody coming to X-Mansion (Dr. Corbeau). Cerebro seen, plus many spoken references.	N.A.	[Xavier's mutant-finding machine, given sentience by Bastion]		9
Betsy Wilford (3-panel cameo, pg. 1-2)		[dated Colossus]		10
Stan Lee (2-panel cameo, pg. 3, panels 1-2)  Jack Kirby (seeing Jean Grey kiss Scott Summers): "Hey, Stan, you know who they were? I tell ya, they never used to do that when we had the book." Stan Lee: "Ah, Jack, you know these young kids-- they go no respect."	Jewish	[principal Marvel Comics creator]		258
Jack Kirby (2-panel cameo, pg. 3, panels 1-2)  Jack Kirby (seeing Jean Grey kiss Scott Summers): "Hey, Stan, you know who they were? I tell ya, they never used to do that when we had the book." Stan Lee: "Ah, Jack, you know these young kids-- they go no respect."	Jewish	[artist; comic book writer]		62
Clark Kent (1-panel cameo, pg. 2, panel 3)  Clark Kent and Lois Lane (not mentioned by name) are seen in foreground of panel as part of crowd at Rockefeller Center.	Methodist / Kryptonian religion	Kryptonians; Super Friends...  The Justice League		13,409
Matt Murdock (1-panel cameo, pg. 1)  Seen at bottom center on splash page as part of a crowd at Rockefeller Center. Not identified by name.	Catholic	Marvel Knights; Weapon X (Exiles)		1,801
Nick Fury (1-panel cameo, pg. 1)  Nick Fury and Contessa Valentina are seen in bottom left of splash page (not mentioned by name) as part of crowd in Rockefeller Center.	secular	black; S.H.I.E.L.D....  The Howling Commandos; The Ultimates		1,898
Lois Lane (1-panel cameo, pg. 2, panel 3)  Clark Kent and Lois Lane (not mentioned by name) are seen in foreground of panel as part of crowd at Rockefeller Center.	Catholic	Raleigh College [Superman's girlfriend, then wife]		3,859
Doctor Doom (Victor Von Doom) (1-panel cameo, pg. 1)  On splash page, drawn very small, Doctor Doom can be seen in background, ice skating in Rockefeller Center. This is just a humorous addition by the artist.	Gypsy/Roma; magic/mysticism	Fearsome Four; The Cabal		1,176
Contessa Valentina (1-panel cameo, pg. 1)  Nick Fury and Contessa Valentina are seen in bottom left of splash page (not mentioned by name) as part of crowd in Rockefeller Center.		Femme Force; S.H.I.E.L.D.		146
Chris Claremont (1-panel cameo, pg. 8, panel 3)  Chris Claremont and Bonnie Wilford (then his wife) are seen as part of NYC crowd watching Sentinel attack on X-Men.		[briefly became a Man-Thing]		7
Bonnie Wilford (1-panel cameo, pg. 8, panel 3)  Chris Claremont and Bonnie Wilford (then his wife) are seen as part of NYC crowd watching Sentinel attack on X-Men.		[comic book colorist]		4
Dave Cockrum (1-panel cameo, pg. 1)  Seen as part of crowd at Rockefeller Center. Not identified by name.		[comic book artist; soldier]		9
Julius Schwartz (1-panel cameo, pg. 2, panel 3)  Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Julius schwartz (not mentioned by name) are seen in foreground of panel as part of crowd at Rockefeller Center.	Jewish	[editor]		9
Lilandra Neramani (vision, pg. 11, panel 1)  Lilandra's face can just barely be seen through the visor of her space helmet in Prof. Xavier's vision or waking dream.	Shi'ar religion	Starjammers [Majestrix (empress) of the Shi'ar Emperium]		170
Shi'ar (vision, pg. 11, panel 1)  Prof. Xavier's has vision or waking dream, seeing a strange helmeted alien - a Shi'ar. Lilandra's face can just barely be seen through helmet visor.	Shi'ar religion	[alien race]		106
Santa Claus (someone disguised or dressed as, pg. 2, panel 2)  A street corner Santa Claus is seen at Christmas time in New York City, ringing a bell and collecting donations.	Christian			1,199
Errol Flynn (someone disguised or dressed as)  While enjoying himself in public in New York City, Nightcrawker uses his image inducer to make himself look like Errol Flynn.		[actor]		72
The Hulk (Bruce Banner) (mentioned, pg. 9, panel 2)  Quote: "Enter Peter Corbeau, PhD, DSc, twice Nobel Price-winnter and director of the UN's Project Starcore.*; [footnote] * As readers of the Hulk will no doubt remember-- Marv."	Catholic (lapsed)	Hulkbusters; Pantheon...  Secret Defenders; The Avengers; The Defenders; The Order; The Ultimates; Warbound; Weapon X (Exiles); X-Saviours		4,551
Havok (Alex Summers) (mentioned, pg. 2, panels 7-8)  Cyclops: "Strange man, Wolverine... We've been together almost a year... and I'm still not sure he'll work out... But then, I was sure about Alex and Lorna... and they tried to kill us." Jean: "Stop it! It's Christmas, Scott--and you've been tearing yourself apart over Alex for weeks... Can't you just this once give it a rest..."	Catholic (lapsed)	Academy of Tomorrow; Brotherhood of Mutants...  Dark Descendants; Magistrates; Old Landon College; Starjammers; X-Factor; X-Men [Cyclops' brother]		592
Nazis (mentioned, pg. 12, panels 5-6)  Jean Grey: "Where's your swastika, Lang? You don't look dressed without it." Dr. Lang: "I'm no... Nazi, Miss Grey. Just a man doing his duty." Jean: "Following orders, huh?" Lang: "If you like. You-- mutantkind are the enemy..." Captured by Steven Lang, Jean Grey asks him where his swastika is, saying he doesn't look dressed without it. Lang assures her that he is no Nazi, just a man doing his duty.	Nazi	[generic WWII Nazis]	, etc.	4,222
Polaris (Lorna Dane) (mentioned, pg. 2, panel 7)  Cyclops: "Strange man, Wolverine... We've been together almost a year... and I'm still not sure he'll work out... But then, I was sure about Alex and Lorna... and they tried to kill us."	Jewish Catholic	Academy of Tomorrow; Horsemen of Apocalypse...  Starjammers; The Acolytes; The Twelve; X-Factor; X-Men [studied geophysics in college]		464
U.S. Air Force (mentioned, pg. 10, panel 5)  Peter Corbeau: "Do me a favor, though-- Watch out for our tin playmate while I call in the Air Force." After a Sentinel attacks Prof. Xavier and Dr. Peter Corbeau on Corbeau's yacht, Corbeau tells Xavier to keep an eye on the Sentinel while he calls in the Air Force.		[military unit; pilot]		197
The Fantastic Four (mentioned, pg. 9, panel 4)  Peter Corbeau: "Blazes, man, I even ran a query thru the Fantastic Four and Avengers charts. The result was the same: nothing." Discussing his inability to locate the binary star system Prof. Xavier has been dreaming of, Dr. Corbeau says he even ran the query through the Fantastic Four and Avengers charts, but found nothing.		[1st app: The Fantastic Four (vol. 1) #1 (Nov. 1961)]		100
The Avengers (mentioned, pg. 9, panel 4)  Peter Corbeau: "Blazes, man, I even ran a query thru the Fantastic Four and Avengers charts. The result was the same: nothing." Discussing his inability to locate the binary star system Prof. Xavier has been dreaming of, Dr. Corbeau says he even ran the query through the Fantastic Four and Avengers charts, but found nothing.		[1st app: The Avengers (vol. 1) #1 (Sep. 1963)]		100
The United Nations (mentioned, pg. 9, panel 2)  Quote: "Enter Peter Corbeau, PhD, DSc, twice Nobel Price-winner and director of the UN's Project Starcore."		[1st app: Captain Marvel Adventures #78 (Nov. 1947)]		118
Fairies (mentioned, pg. 1)  Quote: "Christmas in the Big Apple... Midtown's a faery kingdom this year, a magic land of light and color, of carols begun in Saint Pat's and spreading out among the Fifth Avenue crowds..."	Faerie	[hidden race]		6
politicians (mentioned, pg. 1)  Quote: "Christmas in the Big Apple: A quiet time, for once--a time of joy and beauty, a time when people can relax, and forget about default and lay-offs and garbage and politicians who couldn't care less..."		[occupation]		1
Starcore (mentioned, pg. 9)  Narration: "Enter Peter Corbeau, PhD, DSc, twice Nobel Price-winner and director of the UN's Project Starcore." Peter Corbeau: "Face it, Charles, Starcore's charted over half the Milky Way... and your binary isn't anywhere to be found." Extended references to Starcore, as Prof. Xavier talks to his friend Peter Corbeau (director of Starcore) about how Starcore has mapped half the galaxy but has not seen binary star Xavier dreams of.		[1st app: The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #148 (Feb. 1972)]		1
Dejah Thoris (mentioned, pg. 9-10)  Peter Corbeau's yacht (which is destroyed in this issue) is named "Dejah Thoris."		Martian		179
Saint Patrick (Patrick) (mentioned, pg. 1)  Quote: "Midtown's a faery kingdom this year, a magic land of light and color, of carols begun in Saint Pat's and spreading out among the Fifth Avenue crowds..." "Saint Pat's" in this narration refers to Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, a cathedral named after Saint Patrick of Ireland.	Christian missionary/bishop			3

This publication is also known as: The All-New, All-Different X-Men #98 or The X-Men (vol. 1) #98.

Webpage for X-Men #98 (Apr. 1976) created 21 October 2013. Last modified 24 July 2014.

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