Latest addition...

So I was reading Iron Man 68 from 1974 recently. This issue is Part 1 of a 3 Part story featuring Sunfire. Ive read these issues a couple times before and for the first time noticed that there was a footnote on the first panel where we see Sunfire...I really wish more comics today used footnotes to help tie everything into the big picture. The footnote reads...last seen in Avengers 117. Just when I thought I had identified every Xmen appearance from the time between teams I come across this beauty. Of course I was familiar with this book...its Chapter 8 in the Avengers vs. Defenders War, and I even own the hard cover trade of that storyline. I couldn't believe it when I read the reference...I pulled the reading copy I had and looked at the cover. Who is this mystery villain? Dont tell me thats Sunfire and I missed it. I opened it up, flipped through it, and sure enough...there he was battling Captain America and the Sub Mariner.

I quickly asked Gemma to please add it to the Xmen The Missing Years set, and to my surprise it appeared in the set within a couple weeks. Thank you SO much Gemma...with your grading responsibilities and growing list of new set requests, it means a lot that you squeezed this in there for me.

Unfortunately I didn't have the funds to buy the Avengers book right away, or Parts 2 and 3 from the Iron Man title that were available. This is why I had to part, at least temporarily, with a few of my Xmen books. So I essentially traded Xmen for Xmen appearances...I gave up my secondary goal for my primary goal. I can live with that. My books were just delivered by Fed Ex and I couldnt be happier.

Ive always thought Sunfire was a much underused character, and I dont understand why. He has a cool costume, cool powers, a temper, and a chip on his shoulder. Whats not to love? His appearances in Sub Mariner and Iron Man from the Bronze Age were great, but other than that he has been kind of an afterthought. Im very excited to see that he joined the ranks of the Uncanny Avengers. I think Wolverine said it best when answering why he wanted Sunfire on the team...Well, I for one like the idea of having a walking atomic bomb with me.

Thats what Im talking about.

Til next time...

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