Marvel Team-Up #100

History

The issue was written and co-plotted by Chris Claremont throughout, with Frank Miller handling both the script and pencils on the lead story and John Byrne penciling the backup, all edited by Denny O'Neil under editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. The credits page acknowledges Ithacon '79 — an Ithaca, New York comics convention — as an inspiration for the Karma story, suggesting the character concept was developed or presented there roughly a year before publication. Miller's contribution to the lead story came just one month before his landmark first full run as writer-artist on Daredevil, placing this issue squarely at the hinge point of his early Marvel career; he and Claremont would reunite a few years later for the seminal Wolverine limited series. The Claremont/Byrne backup has the feel of a story developed during their concurrent Uncanny X-Men collaboration, and was later described by at least one reviewer as resembling an inventory piece from that run.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance and full origin of Karma (Xi'an Coy Manh), a Vietnamese-born mutant with mind-possession abilities, created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller; cover-dated December 1980.
• First appearances of General Nguyen Ngoc Coy (villain), Tran Coy Manh (villain, also dies this issue), Leong Coy Manh, Nga Coy Manh, Colonel Coy Manh, and Father Michael Bowen — establishing most of the supporting cast that would follow Karma into the New Mutants era.
• First meeting of Storm (Ororo Munroe) and Black Panther (T'Challa) — the backup story 'Cry…Vengeance!' by Claremont and John Byrne reveals they knew each other as twelve-year-olds in Africa, a relationship later used to justify their 2006 marriage in Reginald Hudlin's Black Panther run.
• The issue is double-sized (52 pages), structured as two complete stories: the lead (Frank Miller art, Bob Wiacek inks) and the backup (John Byrne art, Bob McLeod inks), both written by Claremont and edited by Denny O'Neil.
• Karma's debut preceded the New Mutants' team formation by roughly two years — she joined the team in Marvel Graphic Novel #4 (1982) as its first recruit, with Reed Richards personally directing her to Professor X.
• Karma is among Marvel's earliest openly LGBTQ+ characters, though that aspect of her identity was not confirmed on-panel until decades after her debut.
• The issue acknowledges Ithacon '79 (a 1979 comics convention) for inspiration in the credits, suggesting the Karma concept was in development well before the 1980 publication date.
• The issue has been reprinted multiple times, including in the New Mutants Epic Collection: Renewal, the New Mutants Omnibus Vol. 1 (2020), the Black Panther Epic Collection: Revenge of the Black Panther, and the Marvel Universe by Frank Miller Omnibus.

Cast · 32 characters

Full credits

Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers