publication date: March 1, 1982

pencil: John Romita jr e Jim Mooney

story: Roger Stern

colors: Robert Sharen

The Black Cat returns, escaping from the asylum in which they locked her up.
Spider-man is informed of her escape by Captain Jean Dewolff.
When they casually meet in the laundry, in plain clothes, they don't recognize each other.
When they later clash after a theft, the Black Cat shamelessly flirts with Spider-man.
She manages to escape him but gives him an appointment for the following evening at a masked ball.
Here they have the opportunity to fight side by side against other thieves, who are then arrested by Dewolff.
After the fight, on the roof, Spider-man and the Black Cat kiss.
Story with the first kiss between the Black Cat and Spider-man.
The narrative flows nicely.

publication date: February 1980

pencil: John Byrne

story: Chris Claremont & John Byrne

inks: Terry Austin

colors: Glynis Oliver

At the Hellfire Club, Colossus, Wolverine and Storm are locked in cages hanging from the ceiling, in their underwear, while Xavier is tied to a bed.
Jean Grey, at the nightclub, is approached by Jason Wyngarde, who drags her into a new illusion.
Here the marriage between them is celebrated, officiated by Sebastian Shaw.
At the end of the ceremony Jean Gray appears in a sexy Black Queen suit (copied in detail from a famous episode of the Avengers, an English spy series, where agent Emma Peel, played by Diana Rigg, wore it in the Hellfire Club).
Returned to reality, Jean is surprised by Cyclops making out with Mastermind.
Shortly after, Dazzler manifests his powers during the concert.
Kitty manages to warn Nightcrawler of what happened, so Kurt narrowly escapes capture.
Dazzler and the other X-men manage to defeat the armored agents who want to capture them, but Jason Wyngarde is now in unconscious control of Phoenix.
The quality of the Claremont cycle remains high.
Small graphic error by Byrne in this story: Ororo, locked in a cage, has a costume that goes from one piece to two pieces depending on the shot.
Probably the fault of the censors, since he must have hidden some lockpicks and it was not 'decent' to have them in his briefs!
original value as of 2021: $ 600.00

publication date: March 1980

pencil: John Byrne

story: Chris Claremont & John Byrne

inks: Terry Austin

colors: Glynis Oliver

Phoenix and Nightcrawler save Kitty from the chasing agents, who are taken prisoner.
Jean telepathically interrogates the agents, discovering the involvement of the Hellfire Club and Emma Frost.
Jean links reality to her illusions, but she doesn't tell anyone.
Meanwhile at the club Emma Frost is torturing Ororo, tied to a bondage-style cross.
Kitty takes advantage of the White Queen's distraction to free Wolverine.
The other X-men have managed to infiltrate and attack the club agents, while Emma Frost takes on Phoenix directly.
The quality of the Claremont cycle remains high.
The mischievous touches of Byrne and Claremont continue to appear in the subplot.
original value as of 2021: $ 600.00