Team » X-Men appears in 13419 issues.
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #41
Release Date- February 1968
Writer- Roy Thomas
Artist- Don Heck & Werner Roth
Major Notes
First appearance of Grotesk
Brief Summary
First Story
A ferocious monster like man is standing in a subway tunnel when he sees a train coming towards him. He is able to use his mighty strength to stop the train. By coincidence the X-Men Iceman and Beast are on the train on a double date with Zelda and Vera. The pair immediately leave the train to investigate what’s going on and they suit up and attack the man who caused the derailment. While they are fighting Beast calls the man Grotesque and the man takes it as his name and calls himself Grotesk. After a brief skirmish Grotesk escapes down another tunnel and blocks the way so that the two X-Men cannot follow. A short time later the pair are back in their civilian clothing and apologise to their dates because they must run back to the mansion. Beneath the ground Grotesk is remembering who he came to be. He was from a race of subterranean humans who had a mighty metropolis underground. They were planning to raise up from the ground and invade the surface but a nuclear bomb test caused their city to be destroyed. The radiation killed all the subterraneans save for their prince who instead mutated and became the man called Grotesk. He vows vengeance on the surface world for destroying his city and killing the woman that he loved. That night at the mansion the other X-Men are in the Danger Room training but Professor Xavier is pushing them harder and his temper has become short. Cyclops fails his training and gets a stern telling off before Angel and Jean begin theirs. The pair are able to succeed in their training but at a much slower pace than Xavier wanted and thus also gives them a scolding. At that time Iceman and Beast enter the Danger Room in their civilian clothing that angers Xavier further. The rule is to only enter the Danger Room in costume and he bans them from travelling to the city for a month. As Xavier wheels himself away he tells Jean to come along with him so that they can continue their experiments. When they reach his study Xavier apologies for the way he acted and that he wants the team to be perfect. He has told something to Jean that he has yet to tell the others but he wishes her to trust his judgement before they start the experiments. Meanwhile at Archer College in New York a scientist demonstrates an earthquake machine that he has created to a group of colleagues. The earthquake is felt by Grotesk who becomes enraged, he feels another one and decides to travel up through a tunnel to find where the tremors are coming from. While he is climbing he decides to use the weapon against humanity and destroy them. At the college the one of the scientist’s colleagues states that his earthquake device could destroy the world but scientist dismisses it as poppycock. The next day Beast and Iceman are finally able to inform Xavier about Grotesk and he sends the male X-Men down into the tunnels to find him but insists that Jean remained. A short time later the X-Men travel down the subway tunnel and find the tunnel that Grotesk used to escape. They find his lair but after an extensive search there is no sign of him. Cyclops and Beast remain in the lair for Grotesk to return while Iceman and Angel return to the mansion. At the college Grotesk has broken in trying to find the earthquake device. He finds one of the assistants and is able to take him away since the device is not there. At the mansion Iceman and Angel wish to speak to Xavier but he has left but they meet Jean and tell her what is happening. Underground Grotesk has returned to his lair with the assistant but before he can question him on the location of the device Cyclops and Beast arrive to confront him.
Second story
Xavier’s mental bolts are keeping Jack O’Diamonds back but the villain rips out a metal support beam which causes part of the roof to collapse. Believing that Xavier has been crushed by the debris Jack and the reluctant Scott travel to the building where Jack had his accident but they are confronted by a guard. Scott uses an optic blast to destroy the guard’s gun but it is only so Jack won’t hurt the guard. Jack makes his way into the building and begins to bathe himself in radiation in hopes to increase his powers. Meanwhile inside the other building the debris had missed Xavier and he goes outside to see soldiers making their way to Scott’s position. Scott uses an optic blast to keep the soldiers away so that they cannot be harmed and Xavier uses his mental abilities to knock the soldiers out. Inside the building Jack is continuing to bathe himself with radiation and when the process is complete he bursts through a wall to walk outside. Now his body is completely covered with diamond and he calls himself the Living Diamond.
My Thoughts
To start off I’m going to talk about Grotesk. Once again we have another species of intelligent human like species that live on Earth as well. There seems to be too many of these people to keep track of since we also have the Atlanteans, the Inhumans and many others introduced in this time period. It seems that so many of these species want to conquer the human race that it seems like a miracle that they have survived at all or even that these various species haven’t come into contact with each other before. That said once again it seems to be radiation that killed Grotesk’s people and turned him into a monster. I personally am getting a little bored with all the different radiation origin stories but it is a common theme in the 60’s. The vast majority of heroes and villains at the time had their origins in radiation save for a few of the Avengers. Thankfully it is an origin trend that has mostly been dropped by this day and age. I can understand why Grotesk is angry at the surface world but it could be considered to be karma. If his race hadn’t of been wiped out they would have tried to exterminate mankind. So maybe if they were nicer maybe karma wouldn’t of bit them on the ass. The issue shows that Xavier is a lot more short tempered then he normally is and I remember why but I won’t say for those who do not know what’s coming but it is a part of Xavier that has been there since the beginning. Even from the very first issue he was stern with his students and expected nothing but obedience. The Xavier of the future I feel is a lot more relaxed and lenient on his students where back then he was much of a hard ass on them. It also seemed too perfect that Beast and Iceman just happened to be riding on the train that struck Grotesk but then again there wouldn’t have been a story if it had happened, but I feel that these coincidences are a little too frequent for my taste. The scientist who created the earthquake device claims that it is only intended for good but there is a lot more evil that can be done with it and I thought he would have seen that. Maybe the scientist is like Doctor Doom in that he is so sure of himself that he couldn’t believe that the device would be used for evil. I also remember what the experiments were between Jean and Xavier and originally I thought it was the business that turned out to be Juggernaut but again I won’t ruin it for those who haven’t read the series. Let’s just say it’ll make Jean like the character we know and love today. For the second story I’m keeping my thoughts brief on this one but I was surprised that Scott would attack the soldiers like he did but I can understand him doing it to protect them. He could probably have used another way though. With Jack bathing himself in more radiation and becoming a living diamond he is now a lot more like Emma Frost than ever before. I wonder if Jack had stuck around what would have happened if the pair ever met up. I guess they would be a diamond couple but Emma’s vanity would make her believe that she is the only one who looked good in diamond. The ending to both stories leaves a reader keen to buy the next issue especially the text at the very end of the first story. ‘THE DEATH OF PROFESSOR X!’ I’m going to give this issue a 6 out of 10, the story was enjoyable but there is too much radiation origins for my liking like I stated earlier. But at least it isn’t completely ridiculous.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #42
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #42
Release Date- March 1968
Writer- Roy Thomas
Artist- Don Heck & Werner Roth
Major Notes
First death of Professor Xavier
Brief Summary
First story
Angel is angry because Jean refuses to aid Cyclops and Beast who are battling Grotesk. Despite his anger Jean continues to refuse telling them that she cannot leave. Angel accuses her of not caring and that Professor Xavier is really there but she is lying. At that moment Xavier does appear but agrees with Jean that she must remain behind and that Cyclops ad Beast can take care of themselves. After another outburst by Angel Xavier orders the X-Men to remain there and he orders Jean to make sure that the others don’t leave before wheeling away to his study. Iceman still has faith in Xavier but Angel is feeling less faithful. Meanwhile underground Cyclops and Beast attack Grotesk. Beast strikes him several times but Grotesk is able to shake off his mightiest blows. Cyclops is able to use an optic blast to blow up a piece of machinery behind Grotesk but the blast doesn’t harm the mutated man. But before the battle can go any further another earthquake occurs and Grotesk flees in search of the source. He throws down a gas pellet that masks his escape but the gas hardens like rock so the X-Men cannot follow. Cyclops and Beast return to the mansion where they update the other X-Men what had happened. Cyclops wishes to speak with Xavier but Jean does not allow him entry to his office. When he tries to enter she uses her telekinesis to push him away. But she receives a telepathic command from Xavier and she is ordered to bring the team to him. A short time later Grotesk crashes through a wall of place that he sensed the earthquake device. There he finds the device and a scientist operating it but as he attacks him his mask falls off revealing the scientist to be Xavier himself. Grotesk brushes Xavier to one side and reaches for the lever that will destroy the planet. Xavier uses mental bolts to try and stop Grotesk but he is able to resist the attacks and pulls the lever. The machine activates and the ground starts to shake violently. At that time the X-Men arrive and Angel is the first to battle Grotesk with orbs that generate sunlight. He uses them to blind Grotesk while the others attack. Jean sees to Xavier but he tells her to reverse the lever and stop the machine. Unfortunately when she tries the lever has been jammed and won’t move. The other X-Men continue to attack Grotesk while Xavier and Jean bombard the machine with mental bolts. They slow the tremors down but Xavier uses his full might to stop the machine. This doesn’t go unnoticed by Grotesk who incapacitates the other X-Men before moving onto the machine. He knocks Xavier to one side again so that he can get to the machine but as he foolishly tries to increase the power the machine explodes seemingly killing him and fatally wounding Xavier. The X-Men go to Xavier who is dying and he reveals to them he had sensed Grotesk and wanted to stop him before his time was up. He was suffering from an illness that he couldn’t cure. With his X-Men surrounding him Xavier dies and the upset mutants carry their leader away unsure of what the future holds for them.
Second Story
The Living Diamond is feeling a couple of aftereffects of his transformation but confronts Xavier. He uses his mental powers to slow the villain down but he cannot stop him. His salvation appears when Scott uses his optic beams to blast the Living Diamond. The blast only caused the villain to be wounded and both Scott and Xavier flee into a nearby building where Xavier has a plan to stop the Living Diamond. The room has a sonic vibration inducer that they hope will stop the Living Diamond. Xavier is able to telepathically upload the knowledge needed to operate the machinery but the Living Diamond breaks through the wall and makes his way towards Xavier. Scott is able to operate the machinery and the Living Diamond is trapped in a sonic field. Xavier tries to convince the villain to change his ways but the Living Diamond attempts to escape but his body is shattered before the eyes of the two mutants. Scott feels responsible for the death of the Living Diamond but Xavier tells him that it was self-defence and that it was the villain’s own fault for trying to escape. Sometime later Xavier and Scott return to the mansion where Xavier tells him that he is planning on recruiting more mutants to train and benefit mankind. Scott will be the first member and he is given his visor and costume which will hide his identity and help him control his powers. Xavier dubs Scott as Cyclops and a short time later Scott reflects on what has happened and he thinks that Xavier’s dream is worth believing in.
My Thoughts
As many of you know this issue is the first of many deaths of the X-Men’s mentor and namesake Professor Charles Xavier. The whole death scene was actually very well written and drawn and you felt the sorrow of the X-Men as they saw the man that they had seen as a father figure die before them. Most people know how it all ends and I have noticed something that will make the whole thing not make any sense but I will not discuss that for another three weeks or so. Xavier’s plan to draw Grotesk out with the machine I think was a little short sighted. If the machine was fully operation I thought Xavier would have added some kind of failsafe if Grotesk ever activated it which he did. The blast is also supposed to kill Grotesk as well but I’ve actually read that he returns in a few years time but this the last time he will ever face the X-Men and although he is part of an underground race his character has pretty much been forgotten nowadays. It would have been interesting to see if he could have become a major Fantastic Four or someone like that. He would have made a great ally for someone like the Moleman. The issue is also the first real time that any of the X-Men also speak up against Xavier and I think it does show some character but if Xavier was a complete ass he could wipe the memories of anyone who spoke up but I guess the X-Men are lucky in that respect. I also noticed in this issue that Jean doesn’t seem to go to college anymore and the reason hasn’t been explained. It’s like she was there for a certain amount of time and she’s just dropped out all of a sudden without any indication of whether she graduated or if she just left so that she could focus on being an X-Man again. I’m not sure if it is raised in any of the other issues but for now we’re pretty much left in the dark in that respect. For the second story we finally see how the Living Diamond ended and why he hasn’t been around to meet that other diamond telepath who is running around the X-Men. Many things about the story did make things fall into place but I feel that there could have been a better way of explaining Cyclops’s origin. Maybe have it like in a couple of the TV series where Xavier finds him at the orphanage and that he can’t open his eyes without fear of blasting people. The story does set up for more and over the issues we will be seeing the origins of the other male X-Men. They are necessary but in the age before Limited Series we’ll just have to deal with shorter main stories for these additional origin stories. In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. There was a lot of heart and emotion in the issue but a couple of the holes I’ve mentioned just makes it that little bit further way from perfection.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #43
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #43
Release Date- April 1968
Writer- Roy Thomas
Artist- George Tuska & Werner Roth
Major Notes
First issue to feature art of George Tuska. First time Jean has been revealed to have telepathy.
Brief Summary
First Story
Magneto is viewing the funeral of Professor Xavier on his screen and his happy that his enemy is dead but wishes that he had done the deed. The X-Men are present at the funeral of Xavier and each one is sad but some distance away Quicksilver is running towards the funeral. When he gets there he tries to stay hidden and he reflects that he and the Scarlet Witch have left the Avengers and re-joined Magneto. He is spotted by the X-Men who wish to speak to him after they have heard that he has left the Avengers. But before they can talk to him he races away before they can get an answer. The X-Men return to the service but the viewing Magneto is infuriated to see that Quicksilver tried to attend without his permission. After the service the X-Men return to the mansion and play a recording left in the event of Xavier’s death. When the tape is play Xavier reveals that he was dying of an illness that medical science and his mutant powers cannot cure. He tells the team that his sessions with Jean have revealed her telepathic abilities and that he knows that Magneto has returned. The X-Men know this already but they realise why Xavier had been pushing them so hard recently. Meanwhile in the ocean Magneto is standing on a rock formation near his base. He uses his magnetic powers to rip a nearby ship apart and then waits for the return of Quicksilver. Moments later Quicksilver does return and makes his way to the room where his sister the Scarlet Witch is held. But Toad spots him and hops away to report to Magneto. Rather than pursue him Quicksilver attends to his sister and he feels guilty for what has happened to her. She has lost her powers after a bullet grazed her head and Quicksilver collapses in grief. But their reunion is cut short as Magneto makes his appearance but before he deals with Quicksilver the villain punishes Toad for giving him demands. Quicksilver doesn’t deny that he left but denies that he is a traitor. After a few sharp words Magneto leaves knowing that a ship will be passing in a few days carrying a new super computer. But as he leaves to look over the sea he reveals that he is the cause of the Scarlet Witch’s loss of her abilities. A few days later the ship passes and Magneto uses his abilities to lift it out of the water. The X-Men are aboard the ship and abandon it quickly so that they can gain entry to Magneto’s stronghold. Magneto is angered to see that the X-Men have arrived but he is ready to deal with them. As the X-Men enter the stronghold they are attacked by Magneto and Toad who is able to somewhat restrain the team. Quicksilver enters the battle, he wishes to knock out the X-Men so that they can’t be harmed but Toad activates a battering ram that strikes the team. Cyclops is able to destroy the ram but Magneto activates the electrified floor that knocks the X-Men out and leave them at his mercy.
Second Story
The story is an explanation of Cyclops’s powers. His optic beams are generated by his body absorbing sunlight and that he is able to block his beams by closing his eyes. When he uses too much power his body becomes weaker but his powers are growing stronger every day. Cyclops’s beam only produce force and not heat and can vary from microscopic lengths to great wide lengths. They are strong enough to stagger the Hulk and he can open his visor using a button in his glove.
My Thoughts
The issue makes the long awaited return of Magneto to the series but unfortunately there was an Avengers issue or two that should have been read before this but because they weren’t reprinted in the Essential Classic X-Men graphic novels I haven’t been able to read them. Shame really but again can’t really cry over spilt milk and I guess I’ll just have to get on with it. I feel that if this comic was written today that Magneto wouldn’t be so happy to see the death of Xavier. Now he would have probably shown much grief since they had been good friends at one point and still greatly respected each other. I think he would have been more angered that he died and I think he would have truly mourned him. This issue also reveals that Jean has telepathy and it was a long time coming in my book. I know that she originally had them from a young age but that Xavier had placed mental blocks on them until she was ready to unlock them and it seemed that their sessions had revealed them once again. It is interesting to see Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch back with Magneto but at this point I don’t think that anyone has used the idea of him being their father. It is common knowledge nowadays but with some of the things that Magneto is saying I think the writers haven’t used the idea yet. Hell we’re yet to even see what Magneto looks like without his helmet. I think at this point it is a great mystery of what he looks like without his helmet and I think that at that point they make him look like an older version of Quicksilver just to nail the fact that he is his father. I a little on edge the relationship between Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. They seem to love each dearly but I think if they had done it the wrong way it could have borderlined on incest and that would Lannister territory. Out of the both of them Scarlet Witch is best remembered but Quicksilver will always have his presence known in both X-Men and Avengers comics. The X-Men seemingly defeated at the end of the comic only highlights that against someone like Magneto they cannot let their guards down and the team looks seemingly doomed. Also noticed that the only member of the original Brotherhood not to appear in this issue was Mastermind but that is most likely because of his association with Factor Three and it seems to have broken ties with Magneto. Since the second story is only about Cyclops’s powers I’m not going to really comment on it, but I can say that it does answer some questions about the first X-Man. Finally I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10, the first story was good but I wish that the second had an actual plot.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #44
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #44
Release Date- May 1968
Writer- Roy Thomas & Gary Friedrich
Artist- Werner Roth & George Tuska
Major Notes
First issue to have material by Gary Friedrich. First modern appearance of Red Raven
Brief Summary
First Story
Magneto stands over the defeated X-Men and is about to deliver the killer blow. But before he can Quicksilver is able to convince him that they are more useful alive. Magneto agrees and hopes that the X-Men will join him after their heavy defeat but he places Quicksilver in charge of their captivity. Each of the X-Men are placed in a special type of restraint that keeps them from escaping. Several minutes later Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are watching over the X-Men. Quicksilver reveals to them that the twins are tired of being persecuted by the human race and only by siding with Magneto will they see mutants become superior. He and Cyclops have harsh words before he moves away along with the Scarlet Witch. Meanwhile Magneto begins to reconsider his decision to keep the X-Men alive and moves down to where they are being held. At that time Angel is able to grab a fancy torch just outside his restraints which he uses to free himself. He goes to release the other X-Men but there is no time so Cyclops commands him to fly to the mainland and inform the Avengers. The window is too small for Angel to escape through so he flies through the door knocking over Magneto who is on the other side. Quicksilver is soon dispatched to bring the X-Man down since he can now use his speed to fly for a short amount of time. He is able to fly in the air but is not agile enough to catch Angel and falls safely to the ground. Angel makes his way back to the mainland but finds himself flying against a headwind and is quickly tired out. He lands on a small rock so that he can recover and continue his flight but suddenly the rock raises up in the air and forms what seems to be a new planet. As he investigates the new island he finds a metal door open and when he goes inside he finds himself in a scientific complex. But before he can explore the complex he is attacked by a man called the Red Raven who can fly thanks to artificial wings. The two engage in combat and Red Robin wishes to keep the secrets of his people hidden and will stop Angel from leaving. But as Angel gains the upper hand Red Raven ceases the battle so that he can explain to Angel about his people. Red Raven had been in a plane crash that landed in the cloud kingdom of the Bird-Men. He had been the only survivor and the Bird-Men decided to raise him as one of their own. When he turned twenty one Red Raven discovers that he is human and that his people wish to invade the United States. He reluctantly agrees to help them but as they prepare for the invasion he uses gas to knock out his people and he places them each in a pod that keeps them in suspended animation. He was able to detach part of the kingdom containing his people and allowed it to sink into ocean along with himself. He and his people have been in suspended animation for twenty years so that humanity can better prepare themselves for an invasion. Red Raven trusts Angel since he himself isn’t human but he uses a stun ray to knock him out and leaves him on a raft in the ocean. He then places himself back in suspended animation and sinks the island again so that humanity has another twenty years to prepare. Eventually Angel wakes up and continues his flight to the Avengers Mansion.
Second Story
In his pre-X-Men days Iceman is walking his girlfriend home after watching a show where he is suddenly attacked by a gang. Their leader begins to walk away with his girlfriend against her will and he has no choice but to use an ice beam to freeze the bully in place. The gang members flee and so does Iceman’s girlfriend who is terrified of him. Iceman quickly goes home where he tells his parents what has happened. They plan to leave town but a lynch mob appears on their door step. As Iceman’s father tries to distract them a couple of them spot Iceman himself and attack him. Iceman defends himself by throwing snowballs at the mob but he is grabbed from behind by a few of them and bundled into a car. He is swiftly taken to a jail cell but a short time later Professor Xavier reads what has happened and informs Cyclops that they must go to him. Later in his cell Iceman is sitting on the bed when a strange force smashes the wall.
My Thoughts
So this issue re-introduces a forgotten hero from the Golden Age of comics called Red Raven. To tell you the truth I couldn’t remember a single thing about him. I’m guessing that he teamed up often with Captain America and that’s about it. The Bird-Men that he is an adopted member of really remind me of the Hawkmen from the Flash Gordon comics and at least they had Brian Blessed (DIVE MY HAWKMEN!). Yet again we have another species that origins are from Earth but they want to conquer the humans. Like that is original, it’s not like we’ve seen that a dozen times already. Red Raven’s origin is actually similar to that of Cyclops because he survived a plane crash where his parents were seemingly killed. Just wondering if this was used later on for Cyclops. The issue is mainly focused on Angel and to tell you the truth I’m not his biggest fan. In my mind he is the worst character in the team and that has been shown by his lack of appearances in the X-Men media appearances in comparison to the other members. I felt that his little meeting with Red Raven was pointless besides just re-introducing a forgotten character. There’s no doubt though that Angel is one of the best fliers in the Marvel Universe at that point in time but that’s about it really and I found it hard to believe that a device that would free him from his restraints just happened to be in arm’s distance but then how could the story have continued? Quicksilver although seemingly turning his back on humanity doesn’t seem to be all that bad of a character since he was the one who essentially saved the X-Men’s lives. He will definitely have more appearances in the X-Men series in comparison to his sister the Scarlet Witch. The vast majority of her development is in the Avengers comics and I find that a disappointment. She would have been great as a member of the X-Men but at the time I feel that Marvel wanted to keep the team as just the five of them much like the Fantastic Four. For the second story it was nice to see how Iceman started out and rather than being a hero he is just a normal guy who is has to reveal his powers to save his girlfriend. If he hadn’t of been a mutant I think his girlfriend would have reacted positively but with the whole theme of the X-Men comics she was scared instead. With the whole context of the series I’m not surprised that there was a lynch mob and I feel that if it was Iceman of today he would have easily have dealt with them without hurting them. However at this time in history Iceman doesn’t know his potential so I guess he can be forgiven for being overwhelmed. To finish off I’m giving the issue a 5 out of 10. The beginning and the Iceman story was good but the whole Angel and Red Robin part made me dislike the comic.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #45
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #45
Release Date- June 1968
Writer- Gary Friedrich
Artist- Werner Roth & George Tuska
Major Notes
None
Brief Summary
First Story
Several hours after Angel has left Cyclops fears that he has failed to alert the Avengers. Cyclops concentrates his optic beams on the metal shielding his eyes. After much concentration he is able to break through it and then he blasts his restraints so that he can free himself. He runs to find the other X-Men and does find Jean but she is unconscious so he leaves her for now but vows to return to her. While he is searching he is spotted by Toad and he runs to inform Magneto. Cyclops spots him and tries to chase after him but a metal door comes down in front of him. Cyclops is able to use his optic beams to stop it for a moment so that he can dive under. Toad has disappeared but there are several corridors in front of the X-Man and he begins to decide which one to run down. Meanwhile Angel is flying through the air on his way to the Avengers. He begins to recount his encounter with Red Raven and he reaches New York and makes his way to the Avengers Mansion. Back at Magneto’s secret island Cyclops wonders down a corridor but he is spotted by Quicksilver but the villain keeps himself hidden. He is able to use his speed to leap over Cyclops and appear in front of him. He wishes to talk to Cyclops but the X-Man is in no mood to listen and attempts to blast him but Quicksilver is able to get out of the way. Meanwhile Toad reaches Magneto and tells him about Cyclops’s escape. Magneto is enraged and punishes Toad for allowing it to happen but restrains from killing him. Instead the villain views the events on a computer screen and sees the battle between Cyclops and Quicksilver. Quicksilver is able to stop the fight for a moment so that he can explain that Magneto plans to start a nation for mutants where they can live without fear of persecution. Cyclops begins to believe what Quicksilver but he knows that Magneto doesn’t do things to benefit others. He has too much of Professor Xavier’s teaching in him and he declines Quicksilver’s offer. The villain is enraged by Cyclops’s answer and attacks him and they engage in combat again. Quicksilver’s speed keeps Cyclops from directly hitting him with his optic beams and the villain is able to throw granite in his eyes temporarily blinding him. Magneto who is viewing the events is happy to see Quicksilver winning but at that moment the Scarlet Witch enters the room. She is not herself since suffering an injury and is worried when she sees her brother battling an X-Man. Magneto assures her that he is fine and that if he were to lose he would be no use to him. The two mutants continue to battle and Cyclops is close to blacking out and in a last ditch effort he blasts a beam that ricochets off some machinery and strikes Quicksilver knocking him unconscious. Cyclops attempts to wake Quicksilver up so that he can ask where Magneto and the other X-Men are but then the Avengers turn up on the scene.
Second Story
Inside the jail cell Cyclops is trying to convince Iceman to come with him and outside another lynch mob want their hands on Iceman. Cyclops has no choice but to blast a hole in the wall and force Iceman to leave. When they get outside Iceman attacks Cyclops and freezes him over so that he can escape. As he flees he is spotted by the mob who start shooting at both Cyclops and Iceman. Cyclops blasts the floor underneath the mob while Iceman attempts to flee in a boat. Cyclops is able to jump onto the boat and they start to fight again. They land on a nearby pier where they battle for several more minutes before a man appears behind Iceman with a gun and threatens to shoot them both.
My Thoughts
To start off this issue mainly focuses on Cyclops who in my mind is the pillar of the X-Men. When people think of the X-Men they think of Wolverine first but definitely the next one along is Cyclops, the original and in some people’s opinions the best X-Man. His battle with Quicksilver is both well done and very entertaining although I’m not sure how he was able to be blinded by granite since his eyes are covered. Maybe some of the granite was stuck on his visor and prevented him from seeing properly. When it came to Cyclops’s escape I think that he should probably have done it sooner since he was practically in a life and death situation. I felt that he would have done it much sooner and tried to find the X-Men but then it would have drawn focus away from Angel in the previous issue (But that would have probably been a good thing). Quicksilver’s view on Magneto’s plan was actually very convincing and I can see how someone can be drawn into it. It kinda reminds me of the formation of Israel and the idea of Magneto forming his own country is used almost thirty years later. Unfortunately since I didn’t read the Avengers comics before this issue I’m somewhat in the dark about exactly what’s going on with her but we have been learning a couple of things thanks to this issue and the previous couple. It seems that she was wounded by a bullet scraping her head that has made her lose her mutant powers and making her seem more senile. The event seems to be what made Quicksilver break away from the Avengers and go back to Magneto but he doesn’t seem to be aware that it was Magneto that caused the injury. I think it was a plan to have the twins back in his control and I have to admit it seems to have worked very well for him. The Avengers appearance at the end of the issue only makes things more interesting since it is only the second time that they have appeared in the series and the finale to this arc is in the Avengers series which is practically unheard of in the X-Men series at this point in time. For the second story there isn’t much to say since it was only five pages long. It shows that Iceman wasn’t very trusting towards Cyclops and that they actually fought when they first met. I think there have been many times since when Cyclops has wanted to knock some sense into the joker of the X-Men. The mob seems to not wanna give Iceman a break and just want to kill him the poor lad, with all that I can see how he was mistrusting towards Cyclops and I’m somewhat amazed that he joined the X-Men and didn’t become an evil mutant like Magneto and his brotherhood. In conclusion I give this this issue an 8 out of 10, the issue was very enjoyable and I look forward to reading on.
Next Issue
Avengers (Volume 1) #53
This is a great cover.
With Xavier dead during this period, it's interesting to see Cyclops step into a more central role, especially in parallel with Quicksilver starting to see Magneto's side of things again; it makes it seem like these two could have replaced their mentors as rivals.
Issue Information
Title- Avengers (Volume 1) #53
Release Date- June 1968
Writer- Roy Thomas
Artist- John Buscema
Major Notes
Featuring the X-Men
Brief Summary
Starting from the end of X-Men #45 the Avengers (Consisting of Goliath, Wasp, Hawkeye and Black Panther) arrive to see that Cyclops has knocked Quicksilver unconscious. Cyclops believes that these Avengers are robots sent by Magneto to trick him. He attacks the Avengers and is able to stun him and he escapes so that he can find his missing teammates. He is confused with why they attacked him if they were the real Avengers. An hour earlier Angel reached the Avengers mansion and since he is in a rush he tries to gain access to the mansion by sneaking in but the security systems pick him up. He is trapped behind a row of laser bars but when the Avengers see that it is him they release him. Angel explains to them that the X-Men are being held captive by Magneto and that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch have sided with him. The Avengers agree to help and they travel to Magneto’s island but find his base has gone missing. They are confused with what is happening when Wasp spots an electronic bug attached to Angel’s wing. They think that he is working for Magneto and restrain him. The Avengers leave Angel shackled in their Quinjet and land in the ocean. When they gain access to the base they find Cyclops battling Quicksilver and this only furthers their belief that the X-Men have sided with Magneto. Jumping back to the present Magneto sees that the Avengers have gained access to his base and that everything is going to plan. He reacts negatively towards Toad when he questions his plan and at that moment the Scarlet Witch arrives. As Toad cowers in fear of Magneto Scarlet Witch comforts him as best as she can. After the battle with Cyclops the Avengers begin to fight amongst themselves in frustration before Wasp is able to bring them back to their senses. Magneto is happy to hear the Avengers fighting and begins to activate his machine that he has planned to use all along. The restraints that the X-Men were held in also lowered their mental resistance and Magneto’s machine brainwashes the team into thinking that the Avengers are their enemies. When the X-Men find the Avengers they engage in combat and the two teams are evenly matched. Eventually the Avengers are able to restrain the X-Men while Magneto’s control of the team starts to break. Magneto is enraged by this and discovers that Angel has escaped the Quinjet and has tampered with his machine. When Magneto questions how he escaped the Avengers break through the wall and reveal that they knew that Angel wasn’t working for Magneto and that everything from tying him up to fighting each other was a ruse. Magneto attacks the Avengers and orders Toad to pull a lever that will detonate part of the fortress. But tired of being punished by Magneto and not rewarding his loyalty Toad pulls the switch that will detonate the entire island in one minute. Magneto flees down a hatch before both the X-Men and Avengers along with Magneto’s henchmen flee the island. Toad, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch flee on a non-metal jet and when Magneto attempts to climb on board but Toad stomps on his fingers and he falls into the ocean. Before he can be rescued the island explodes with everyone else at a safe distance. Both the X-Men and the Avengers wonder if he has been killed or if he will return.
My Thoughts
So I’ll start by saying that this is the first non X-Men comic that I’m reviewing for this blog and it won’t be the last. Although there have been a couple of other comics that the X-Men have appeared in like Fantastic Four this was the first reprinted in the Essential Classic X-Mens. Anyway back to the issue itself, finally the Avengers have appeared and seem to be coming to the rescue but all is not what it seems. I was impressed to see Cyclops actually hold his own against those that are supposed to be Earth’s Mightiest Heroes although it can be attributed to them basically taking a dive so to speak. The Avengers team actually doesn’t feature many of their most memorable members such as Thor, Ironman and Captain America but it is still a well round team. Personally my favourite member of that team was Wasp although I preferred her when she was in her Giant-Woman persona that wouldn’t occur for close to four decades later. Magneto’s constant abuse against Toad was eventually going to come back to haunt him, if he had shown Toad some level of respect then there would have been no doubt in my mind that he would have blindly obeyed him no matter what. But there is only so much a person can take before they fight back. I give Toad full credit for standing up for himself and it was nice seeing the Scarlet Witch showing him some compassion, he might be a lowlife but even so he deserves some happiness. Maybe the image was the basis of the Toad/Scarlet Witch relationship in the X-Men Evolution TV series although in that it was pretty one sided. I did feel that the X-Men’s turn was a little sudden and I thought that there could have been some indication earlier on but that’s the problem when you have more than one writer on a story. Also it is explained an issue that I picked up earlier with how Angel was able to escape, it turns out that Magneto actually let him escape so he must have planted that torch that Angel used to escape. I did feel when I read X-Men #44 that it was just a plot hole but it actually makes sense now reading it here. The issue also makes the second time that the Avengers have taken on the X-Men but this time they seem to get the upper hand on the merry mutants. We can forgive the X-Men this time since they were mind controlled but this is far from the last time we’ll see the teams square off and during this blog we might see it a few more times. We do have X-Men vs Avengers but that isn’t until almost twenty years after the release of this comic. To finish off with I’m giving this issue an 8 out of 10. It was a good story and great to see the X-Men and Avengers in action.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #46
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #46
Release Date- July 1968
Writer- Gary Friedrich
Artist- Werner Roth & George Tuska
Major Notes
None
Brief Summary
First Story
After their last encounter with Magneto the X-Men are standing over the grave of their mentor Professor Xavier. They each begin to think about what will happen now that their mentor is gone but their peace is suddenly disturbed by FBI Agent Duncan who has been working alongside Xavier for some years. He wishes to speak with the X-Men and Cyclops tells him to meet them at the school. But when they reach the mansion lawyer Foggy Nelson is there to read Xavier’s will to the X-Men. As Foggy reads the will he reveals that Xavier has left his mansion and his possessions to the X-Men to further benefit the school. The X-Men are overcome with sorrow for the loss of Xavier. After the reading has finished Foggy leaves and the X-Men turn their attentions back to Agent Duncan. But at that time in the endless realm of the Crimson Cosmos Juggernaut is still floating in nothingness. He is suddenly pulled away from the dimension and reappears in Xavier’s lab. Juggernaut realises that Xavier must have pulled him out using a machine so that he can still try and reform his brother. Juggernaut destroys the machine and then makes his way through the mansion in search of Xavier. At that time the X-Men suit up and find the Juggernaut crashing through the mansion. They are confused with how he has come here but they engage in combat with him with little success. Juggernaut demands to know where Xavier is and when he hears that he is dead he doesn’t believe it and retaliates in anger. Iceman is able to freeze Juggernaut over but he is easily able to break out and he continues his search for Xavier. He runs into Agent Duncan and demands to know where Xavier is. He throws Agent Duncan through a window before making his way outside. Eventually he reaches the grave of Xavier and is infuriated with the fact that his revenge has been taken away from him. Angel is the first to reach Juggernaut but before he can be killed Jean turns up and pushes Juggernaut away. The other X-Men arrive and attack the Juggernaut and he is finally weakened by mental attacks by Jean. In desperation he grabs onto Angel and holds him hostage but before he can deliver the final blow he disappears back into the crimson cosmos. Not only was Xavier’s machine on an automated timer he also installed a failsafe in case the Juggernaut was uncooperative. With the Juggernaut gone the X-Men returns to Agent Duncan who informs them that they have to split up and be placed across the country so that they can better help new mutants and not draw any enemies. The X-Men reluctantly agree and slowly each one packs their things and leave the mansion thinking that the X-Men are no more.
Second Story
Cyclops and Iceman are surrounded by a mob who intend to kill them. But the sheriff turns up demanding that they must disperse so that proper justice can be carried out. The mob are in no mood to listen to reason and they subdue the sheriff before tying up the two mutants. Rather than resist the pair allow themselves to be captured and just before they are hung Xavier mentally commands them to escape. Without a second thought the two break free and take on the mob in non-lethal manners. They are able to escape from the mob and make their way towards Iceman’s house. They are able to travel by a quicker route and get there first before the mob do but Xavier has erased the mob’s memories and that of Iceman’s parents. They have agreed to allow Iceman to join his school under the belief that it is a simple boarding school. Iceman is happy to join and it is the beginning of the X-Men.
My Thoughts
To start off with it was a very enjoyable issue seeing the return of the Juggernaut. The opening couple of pages was moving with each X-Man thinking about their futures without their mentor. Although we all know now that he will return but at the time that was all a big hush so people would think that he was gone forever. One big thing I did notice during their battle was that Jean was able to attack his mind while he was wearing his helmet. That shouldn’t have happened since his helmet protects him from mental attacks. It might have lessened the impact since she probably could have shut down his mind. But maybe that is because she is still inexperienced with her mental powers. It would explain that but not why she was able to hurt his mind. The issue also features Foggy Nelson who is actually a friend and co business partner with Matt Murdock the amazing (and in my opinion the mediocre) Daredevil. I can see why he was needed for this issue since he is also a lawyer and it was an opportunity to let the X-Men readers know who he is. I still somewhat find it foolish that Xavier would try and cure the Juggernaut after what had happened the last couple of times but that could be because he was captured by Factor Three when they last fought with his brother. But even so I would have thought that he would have seen the Juggernaut as a lost cause but I guess it just shows that Xavier is willing to give any a second chance (and a third, and a fourth). Seeing Juggernaut’s reaction to Xavier’s death was actually what I expected since I’ve noticed that if a hero dies their villains are enraged that it was not them who had done the deed (Unless said villain actually killed the hero). Also the end of the story Jean comments that she has been with the X-Men for years and although there have been five years since X-Men #1 came out normally time moves a lot slower in the Marvel Universe. I would have thought that maybe only a year had passed but I guess we’ll never know. For the second story that was also enjoyable and I preferred it more than the other origin chapters so far, it showed the first time that Cyclops and Iceman teamed up together. It is the beginning of the formation of the X-Men, previously it had really just been with Cyclops but now that Iceman has joined it is starting to look more like an actual team. This will only lead to the next three X-Men joining. To finish off I’m giving this issue a 7 out of 10, the story was nice and flowing but the whole helmet business kinda spoilt it a little for me.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #47
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #47
Release Date- August 1968
Writer- Gary Friedrich & Arnold Drake
Artist- Werner Roth
Major Notes
First issue featuring script by Arnold Drake
Brief Summary
First Story
Iceman and Beast are walking down the streets on their way to their double date but they are thinking about what had happened to the X-Men. They are both extremely saddened by the break up of the team and whether or not it was the best idea. Meanwhile in the East Village Theatre an audience of people are watching a hypnotist named Maha Yogi who used to go under the name of Warlock. A few minutes later Iceman and Beast have met up with their dates and have gone to the box office to buy tickets for Maha Yogi’s last performance but discover that it is completely sold out and they travel to their favourite coffee shop. Inside the theatre Maha hypnotises the entire audience to be his slave and that they will leave with no knowledge of what has happened until he gives them a mental command. He plans to build a psychic army while he travels from city to city. Meanwhile at the coffee shop Beast is having a drink until he is slapped in the back of the head by the leader of a gang. Beast decides to ignore him but the gang leader strikes him harder knocking the X-Man off his chair. Iceman freezes over the circuit breakers causing the lights to go out. Without anyone able to see them the pair easily dispatch the team using their mutant abilities. A short time later Iceman and Beast leave the shop with their dates and travel back to the box office to see if there are any cancelations. To their luck there are four tickets available and they quickly buy them and enter the theatre. When the show starts the pair recognise Maha Yogi as Warlock and quickly slip away to get into costume. At that time Maha hypnotises the audience but before his work is completed he is confronted by the costumed Iceman and Beast. They engage in combat and Maha uses his mental powers to make Iceman believe that he is being buried alive in snow. Beast tries to break the illusion and when he grabs the villain Maha uses his powers to attack his mind. With Beast weakens Maha causes three sandbags to fall upon him but this causes Beast to strike out. This frees Iceman of the illusion and he uses his powers to knock over some floodlights which disorientate Maha. He tries to attack Iceman with all of his power but his attacks are reflected on an electrical box and that further disorientates him when it explodes. Maha’s connection with the crowd breaks freeing them of his influence. Beast rips a curtain and covers Maha with it while Iceman uses a tape recorder on full volume to deafen the villain. Maha cannot take the bombardments any longer and surrenders to the incoming cops. A few minutes later Iceman and Beast change back into their civilian clothes and meet with their dates again. Originally their dates are upset with them walking out again but when they offer to take them to a fancy restaurant they forgive the pair and walk away not knowing what has happened.
Second Story
Iceman begins to explain about his ice abilities. He demonstrates the various uses of ice in combat like hail stones, boomerangs and shields. He also explains that he can create ice ladders and mountains. His powers are derived from the moisture in the air and that he has to change out of his civilian clothes before icing over or else they would be shattered. He shows that originally he was covered by snow but through training he can cover himself with ice. He wonders what would happen if he ever combatted the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four and how he would fair in outta space. He is not sure of the outcome but he is willing to find out.
My Thoughts
So this issue features the villain Maha Yogi who for those of you will remember is Warlock who the X-Men fought in issue #30. In my opinion this story wasn’t much better than the other one but at least with this one I didn’t spot a major, major flaw with the plot. I could understand his plan to build an army but we are left in the dark about the reason why. Also I spotted that we aren’t given the exact method that he was going to call upon his so called sleeper agents but if his plan had gone further we might have seen what he would have done. The issue highlights Beast and Iceman with the other members of the X-Men featuring only in a thought bubble. I’m not sure if this was to try and improve the pair but I felt that the story lacked that special feeling with the other members absent. I feel that this story could have made a good feature in a limited series maybe but since it is an age where limited series are non-existent it had to be crammed into the main series. Since once again I didn’t particularly like this story all that much I’m keeping my thoughts short on it. The only fight I did actually like in this issue was when Iceman and Beast took on the gang and they used their brains to defeat them without revealing their identities. I’m wondering myself just how long this will go on for now, we all know that the identities of the X-Men will be common knowledge soon but I’m just waiting for it to happen. The fight with Maha Yogi or Morlock or whatever he calls himself was a little too sketchy for my liking (couldn’t think up of any other words for it). I feel that the X-Men could have ended it relatively quickly but it was stretched out to fill pages. For the second story like the one from a few issues earlier there is no plot to it, only trying to explain the powers of Iceman. Many of it were things that we already knew but it would be a good brush-up for someone who hasn’t really read the series. It does explain a few things but that’s about it. In all I’m only giving this story a 4 out of 10. The primary story was disappointing and the second didn’t have a plot.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #48
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #48
Release Date- September
Writer- Arnold Drake
Artist- Don Heck & Werner Roth
Major Notes
None
Brief Summary
Beware Computo-Commander Of The Robot Hive
Jean is modelling in New York City and she is really popular with the photographer. She thinks about what has happened over the last couple of weeks with the X-Men but she loses her concentration when a floodlight begins to fall. She secretly uses her telekinesis to stop it from striking the ground and a member of staff is able to grab it. A few minutes later Jean is being congratulated by Mr. Dane one of the owners of the studio and he offers to take her to dinner. At that moment Cyclops enters and is not happy with him flirting with Jean but before he can let his emotions overcome him he is surrounded by models who have taken a fancy to him. Jean is overcome with jealousy and decides to escort Cyclops out of the studio before anything else happens. Meanwhile somewhere underground a giant computer named Computo awakens three hive like robots and sends them to the surface to strike the final blow. A few minutes later back on the surface Cyclops and Jean leave the studio and she asks him what his cover is since she is a model. He reveals that he has become a radio reporter and he takes her to the station where he broadcasts from. As he shows her around the recording studio outside a delivery of hi-tech equipment is being delivered but suddenly the three hive robots appear intended on stealing it. They attack the delivery men and are able to shatter one of the trucks using only sound. Cyclops and Jean hear what is happening and suit up and engage in combat with the robots. Cyclops is quickly able to destroy one of the robots with an optic blast but when he fires at a second the robot bloats up and incapacitates him with mighty roar. He then intends to use its bloated body to crush the X-Man but Jean is able to use her telekinesis to keep it in the air before Cyclops destroys it with a well placed optic blast. The final robot escapes but Jean is able to use her telepathy to pick up its thought waves. The thought waves lead the X-Men to a sand pit and they are able to find a tunnel that leads underground. As they follow the tunnel they come across Computo punishing the robot for its failure. The robot is destroyed while the two X-Men secretly watch but then they are picked up by the security system and Computo orders all its hive robots to attack the pair. As the robots attack Cyclops and Jean are destroying them but there are too many of them so Cyclops blasts Computo seemingly destroying it. The robots fall down since there is nothing controlling them. The two X-Men are surprised to see the villain Quasimodo walk out of the wreck but before they can capture him he escapes and activates a lever that fills the room with water. Using her telekinesis Jean and Cyclops are able to escape and wonder if it is the last that they have seen of Quasimodo.
Second Untitled Story
Beast begins to explain about his mutant abilities and natural skills. His agility allows him to bounce off walls and escape danger while his dexterity allows him to climb up buildings like Spider-Man. He can also jump off tall buildings and land on his feet without injury. His strength allows him to take down powerful opponents and although his feet are large he can use them as if they were his hands in activities such as writing. His intelligence also allows him to build contraptions that Thomas Edison would be proud of and he explains that his speech is thanks to reading works by famous writers like Shakespeare and Plato. With all of his talents Beast is not sure what route to take in life but before he can decide he leaps over several cars so that he can reach the X-Copter and embark in another mission with the X-Men.
My Thoughts
This issue was alright and for my thoughts I’ll start with the first issue. It is a great issue for seeing the start of one of the most popular and longest relationships in the X-Men series. It was funny to watch as Cyclops and Jean got jealous when their other halves were receiving some attention from the opposite sex. For the moment at least Jean won’t really have any rivals for Cyclops but there will be some time down the line. I actually noticed that the man who chatted up Jean was called Mr. Dane and I’m just wondering if he is related to a certain other Dane who will be appearing in either this issue or the next one (I can’t fully remember but I’m gonna find out very shortly). The whole thing with the Computo was quite confusing at times and it is never really explained why it had wanted the equipment in the first place but there is no doubt in my mind that it would be bad news for the people of Earth. I also noticed that the robots called themselves Cybertrons and although these have been forgotten for all of you Transformers fans out there you’ll know Cybertron as the home world of the Transformers. I’m not sure if the creators knew about this or if they used the name anyway and Marvel weren’t really fussed about it. Again there has been given no explanation to why Jean is no longer in college and her relationship with Ted Robots has been completely dropped. It would have been fun to see it develop into a love triangle that could have led to much tension between Ted and Cyclops. There will be other love triangles later in the series so I can wait for it. I noticed that for being hi-tech robots they seemed to be destroyed pretty quickly during fight and I wonder if maybe Computo should have made them a bit stronger before sending them out. I know that Computo was really Quasimodo but with the amount of super beings running around (Especially in the New York area) he would have thought it highly probable that his forces would run into a super being while attempting such a robbery. But then make it too hard for Cyclops and Jean they are defeated and that’s the end of them. It was also interesting to see that Cyclops once had a career in radio and I’m beginning to wonder what would have happened if he had stuck with that instead of being an X-Man. I can imagine him saying something like ‘Hi New York this is Scott Summer your voice of the breakfast hour. Over the next hour you’ll be hearing the likes of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones along with your requests. And if you see Spider-Man swing by just phone the station and you could win fifty dollars.’ For the second story in this issue once again it is just an X-Man explaining their powers and this time it is the turn of Beast. He explains things that are pretty much common knowledge even at that point in the comics and nothing new is revealed. Where previously Cyclops and Iceman had indulged in the source of their powers (i.e. Sunlight and moisture in the air) for Beast there is nothing of the sort. It was fun to see how he explained his powers and intellect but I didn’t think that it would be all that necessary. If they had done it say half a decade later we would have seen him as blue and furry but alas that is still some time away (But not much my loyal readers). In conclusion I’m giving this issue a 6 out of 10, the first story was enjoyable but I just wish that the second had an actually plot instead of explaining things that we already knew.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #49
P.S Thanks to oldnightcrawler's suggestion I will now be putting the story title along with the summary. All suggestions to improve the blog will be taken into consideration and implemented where need be.
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #49
Release Date- October 1968
Writer- Arnold Drake
Artist- Don Heck & Werner Roth
Major Notes
First appearances of Lorna Dane/Polaris and Mesmero
Brief Summary
Who Dares Defy… The Demi-Men
Angel has flown through the open window of the now abandoned X-Mansion. When Angel enters he begins to remember the good times that the X-Men had in this mansion but all that’s left now are memories. He is there to recover some vital equipment in the late Professor Xavier’s lab and he stumbles across Cerebro. He discovers that it has detected a large concentration of mutants on the move. Angel quickly concentrates on contacting Jean through telepathy and since she is close by she is able to pick up his message. She relays the message to Scott before sending it to Iceman and Beast who are on the opposite side of the country. At that time Iceman and Beast are skydiving and the message distracts Beast for too long and he cannot open his parachute in time. Iceman is able to use his abilities to save his teammate although he does hit the ground hard. At that time in a mysterious mansion in San Francisco a group of strange beings known as the Demi-Men respond to a mutant known as Mesmero and they are all loyal to Magneto. Using an amplifier created by Magneto Mesmero is able to use his hypnotic powers to awaken latent mutants in San Francisco. They all start heading towards the mansion and one of these latent mutants is a woman called Lorna Dane and as she mindlessly crosses the street Iceman is there to save her from being run over. She seems to come to her senses but has no idea why she walked out into the road in the manner that she did. Iceman takes her away so that she can get her head straight The X-Men rendezvous at Hank’s apartment and he is angered that Iceman as brought along Lorna. She is sleeping in another room but before the conversation can go any further the other X-Men arrive. Angel informs them that Cerebro couldn’t get a direct location of the mutants due to the distance but Hank has built a smaller portable mutant detector which the X-Men begin to use. They fly over the city in a jet when they see the Demi-Men walking in the park. As the X-Men land they are attacked by the Demi-Men and they both engage in combat. After the X-Men begin to get the upper hand the Demi-Men incapacitate Angel before fleeing and the others tend to his aid. At Hank’s apartment his mutant detector is detecting a mutant coming closer towards him and Beast turns around to see Lorna Dane who doesn’t recognise him and especially in his costume. He also notices that her hair is now green and she tells him that she dyes her hair but it had washed out while she took a shower. Beast decides to keep her in his apartment until the X-Men arrive. They discover that Lorna is a latent mutant and they are also able to pick up the location of the Demi-Men who they also know are loyal to Magneto. The X-Men leave while Iceman stays behind to safeguard Lorna and they travel to the mysterious mansion. With them gone the apartment is attacked by Mesmero and the Demi-Men. Iceman puts up a brave fight but he is overwhelmed and placed under Mesmero’s hypnotic control. Lorna thinks that they are here to attack her but instead they begin to prayer to her and she is left in confusion.
A Beast Is Born
Taking place roughly a year before the birth Beast his father Norton McCoy was an engineer at a local nuclear power plant. He moves to the small town with his wife shortly after their wedding and he starts his job. One day one of the reactors is about to explode and Norton risks going to the observation deck of the reactor to manually lower the rods into place. While he is doing this his body is bombarded with radiation and he falls unconscious. Thankfully a few employees are able to take him to the hospital and when he shows signs of recovery his wife demands that he finds another job. A few months later Mrs McCoy tells her husband that she is pregnant but the doctor warns them that due to Norton’s exposure to radiation there might be an abnormality with the baby. Nine months later Hank is born and they notice that his hands and feet are very large and even after only a few weeks he shows signs of his mutant abilities.
My Thoughts
So this issue introduces another new X-Men character who although she is not as well-known as many of the other X-Men to me she is no less important. The mutant known as Lorna Dane or better known to the rest of us as Polaris will be a character who will have a memorable but troubled life in the X-Men series. In this issue we actually don’t know what her mutant abilities are and the only reason that we know that she is a mutant is because of her exotic green hair. Her introduction in the issue was actually not what I really expected for the introduction of a new mutant. Rather than seemingly discovering her mutant powers and going on some kind of rampage or crime way instead she just steps out into the road and is saved by one of the X-Men. She is under hypnosis at the time but still it seems a little normal but it is nice to have a break away from the norm every once in a while. The issue also marks the first time in a few of the issues that we actually have all of the X-Men appearing in the book rather than just having the story focus on one or two members. To me that’s a good thing since none of these characters at the time appeared in any other books the fans of those characters would have to wait before seeing them again. Of all the careers that Iceman and Beast could have picked they decided to do skydiving, to me that seemed to be a little too out of the norm for my liking. Surely Beast’s intellect could have got him a high paying job somewhere and Iceman could have made a great ice cream salesman since he wouldn’t need a freezer. The issue also introduces the minor X-Men villain known as Mesmero who unlike many of the other minor villains from the sixties has actually lasted in the comics. Although he isn’t seen too often when he does something big normally happens like in this issue and the next. He is not the first character to have hypnotic powers but he is definitely one that has been used several times over the last four and a half decades. Despite seemingly perishing in Avengers #53 Magneto seems to be alive since he has Mesmero and the Demi-Men working for him but how he survived has yet to be seen (Or even for him to be seen). For the second story again Marvel keep going with the whole radiation angle and by this point it is getting a bit old and stale. It is an angle that has been overused for the origin of almost every superhero in the Marvel Universe at that point (Barring Ironman who actually has no powers). The story itself was short but is the platform for telling the origin story of Beast. Although he is not my favourite X-Man many readers would probably have wanted to read this story and to see how he gained his mutant abilities. The only thing I’d have to say about it is that normally mutant powers activate in teenage years but it seems in Beast’s case they started right from the get go. In all I’m giving this issue an 8 out of 10. It sets up for much bigger things but it still lacked a few qualities that would make it a perfect 10.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #50
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #50
Release Date- November 1968
Writer-Arnold Drake
Artist- Jim Steranko & Werner Roth
Major Notes
Landmark 50th issue and first issue to feature art by Jim Steranko. First appearance of the infamous three dimensional style X-Men logo.
Brief Summary
Hail, Queen Of Mutants
Lorna is hypnotised by Mesmero before she and Iceman are placed in coffins and snuck onto a truck. The Demi-Men disguise themselves as undertakers so that they can leave the building without drawing any attention to themselves. They drive to a fantastic citadel in the desert where they strap Lorna to a large machine that will awaken her latent mutant powers while Iceman is incarcerated. Oblivious to what has happened the other X-Men enter Mesmero’s mansion and attack the Demi-Men who are inside. As the battle rages the X-Men gain the upper hand but Jean receives a telepathic distress call from Iceman and she mentally commands the X-Men to throw the fight. They allow themselves to be knocked out by a gas attack and the Demi-Men do not suspect that they threw the fight. Shortly later at the citadel called Mutant City the process with Lorna is almost complete and Mesmero is excited to see the end results. He sees her being a goddess and Iceman who has been shackled to another machine right next to Lorna cannot try and break free or else she would be destroyed. As the process nears completion a few of the Demi-Men arrive declaring their victory over the X-Men and they have brought the team along so that Mesmero can decide what to do with them. After the process is complete Lorna steps out of the machine and the Demi-Men along with Mesmero begin to hail her. A seemingly brainwashed Lorna declares herself as the daughter of Magneto and she is the queen of mutants. With the X-Men now where they want to be they begin to attack the Demi-Men as Iceman breaks free of his restraints now that Lorna is no longer in the machine. Lorna starts to power-up her newly acquired magnetic abilities but rather than using them on the X-Men she uses them on the Demi-Men and is able to knock them all out. The effort also knocks Lorna out but Angel is able to save her from falling to her death. Mesmero still remains but when they attempt to attack him the metallic floor begins to raise up in front of them. They stop dead and know of only one person who can perform such a feat. There is a mysterious man in the shadows and as he walks out the team realise that they are seeing Magneto.
The Boy-This Bombshell
As Beast grows up he shows signs of both incredible strength and agility and when he reaches high school the football coach notices his abilities and soon makes him the star player of the team. During one of the televised games Beast is once again leading his team to victory but outside the stadium a group of masked thieves. They knock out the woman at the box office before stealing the money but as they escape the police show up and chase the thieves onto the pitch. Beast sees what is happening and is able knock out two of the thieves by throwing his helmet at one and kicking the ball at the other. The last remaining thief threatens to detonate a grenade but Beast is able to climb up the field goal and leap onto the thief before he has a chance to carry out his threat. Beast is hailed a hero but his actions have been watched by two mysterious strangers.
My Thoughts
In all this was an enjoyable issue. The story didn’t take me that long to read in comparison to the previous ones since there were a couple of pages that were a single panel while there was actually a double page splash. Because of this and a few other factors this issue only took me half the time to read in comparison to many of the earlier issues. This issue is also the first appearance of the infamous X-Men three dimensional logo that was used for the next four and half decades until only being replaced recently by a logo that looks more like the original (And in my mind an inferior design). The issue was great from the get go as there was suspense and drama as the reader saw Lorna become the Queen of Mutants and declared the daughter of Magneto (Although it wasn’t revealed until three and a half decades later than she actually was). She had the right look to be named a goddess with her long green hair and her outfit but despite everything Lorna showed that she hasn’t been corrupted by the sudden influence of power. The Demi-Men’s salute to her reminded me much of the Nazi salute and I question if that would be allowed in a comic book of today. I think it was intentional to try and mirror these so called Demi-Men and the mutant city to Nazi Germany. I also think that the issue shows that Jean’s powers are increasing since she was able to receive Iceman’s distress call through telepathy and the fact that she was able to communicate with him from one side of the country to the other. In comics recently I don’t think Xavier has even been able to do that and whenever he did need to do it he had to use Cerebro. Maybe it’s a little thing that’s been overlooked or maybe it shows that Jean is a far more powerful telepath than him although he is supposed to be the most powerful telepath in mutant kind. I can also see the start of the relationship between Lorna and Iceman that will lead to the love triangle that we’ll see in later series with a character who will be introduced very shortly to the series. The reintroduction of Magneto at the end of the story would have taken the reader by surprise since they thought that he died in Avengers #53. I guess that you can’t keep a good villain down. The second story was more enjoyable than the other X-Men back stories. It shows Beast before he became an X-Man the only real issue I have with it is that it shows him developing his mutant abilities at a very young age rather than at the start of his teens much like other mutants. I believe that nowadays a mutant doesn’t start developing their abilities until the hit puberty although some do have abnormal appearances from birth (Like Nightcrawler). It was fun to see Beast take down three thieves using football paraphernalia although you can tell that the issue is dated since the helmets that they use do not resemble those of today’s game. There is also an added mystery at the end of the issue about who the two mysterious strangers who have taken an interest in Beast but I guess we’ll find out about them in due time. In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. It was very enjoyable and I would recommend it.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #51
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #51
Release Date- December 1968
Writer- Arnold Drake
Artist- Jim Steranko & Werner Roth
Major Notes
First appearance of Eric The Red
Brief Summary
The Devil Had A Daughter
As Magneto announces his return he offers his daughter Lorna a choice between siding with him and ruling as the Mutant Queen or to side with the X-Men. Iceman steps in the way and is livid that Magneto has given her such a choice and the other X-Men try to restrain him. Iceman doesn’t care if he is destroyed. Cyclops strikes Magneto and the villain orders Mesmero to take out the X-Men. The Demi-Men start to engage in combat with the X-Men while Iceman rushes to Lorna’s side. He quickly freezes the floor that the Demi-Men are on and their feet are frozen to the floor. The feat takes a lot out of him and the Demi-Men begin to overwhelm the X-Men. They place a metal helmet over Cyclops so that he cannot use his optic rays and fire shards of spikes at Beast. As Jean keeps the Demi-Men away from the weakened Iceman Cyclops is able to blast his way through the helmet and with the X-Men regrouped attack Magneto. The villain uses his powers to surround them with thousands of small pieces of metal. The X-Men use all their powers to keep the metal at bay and Cyclops unleashes a powerful optic blast to break through the wall created by the shards. But as Magneto continues the assault the X-Men decide to retreat since they are at a disadvantage of both power and numbers. Before they try the Demi-Men form a ring around them and when Cyclops tries to knock one down his punch is reflected back at him. Angel is wrapped by steel cables and Cyclops has to resort to blasting some of the ceiling upon Magneto and the Demi-Men. The X-Men take the opportunity to escape but Lorna uses her own magnetic powers to prevent Magneto from being crushed. The X-Men are able to break through a wall and enter a rocket which takes them safely away from the Mutant City. Magneto is enraged that they have escaped and commands the Demi-Men to find and kill the X-Men. Sometime later at the X-Men’s temporary base in San Francisco Cyclops and Iceman have heated words after Iceman is deemed too weak to enter battle for a while. Iceman is overcome with emotions and goes to punch his leader but the other male X-Men break the pair up. Jean tries to calm them down with words but Iceman is still irate and leaves, the others let him go so that he can have time to cool off. The X-Men believe that Lorna has sided with Magneto at this point. Several days later just outside of the Mutant City two Demi-Men pick up a mutant signature on their R-Scope but the ground beneath them breaks apart. The cause is a mutant named Erik The Red who allows the Demi-Men to flee so that they can tell Magneto that he is coming.
Lure Of The Beast-Nappers
After seeing Beast’s actions on the football field a villain named El Conquistador takes a particular interest in him. He sees Beast as a tool to use for his plan of world domination. He calls his followers and orders them to capture Beast so that they can rule the world. A short time later as Beast walks home from his game a truck almost runs him over but he is able to leap over it. But as he dodges the vehicle he is set upon by the followers of El Conquistador but they are unsuccessful in their attempts to capture him. The villain himself appears and knocks Beast out with a strange stun device. At that time Iceman of the X-Men investigates Beast’s home only to find it empty and signs of a struggle. He reports back to Professor Xavier who tries to deduce where they could have been taken. A short time later Beast wakes up in El Conquistador’s hideout and discovers that his parents have also been kidnapped. The villain gives him the option of serving him and letting his parents live or refusing and watching his parents die.
My Thoughts
Right from the get go this issue was action upon action. It’s even obvious to someone like Daredevil that Iceman has feelings for Lorna and it makes me a little sad because I know that they won’t actually be together. I wonder myself what would have happened if Iceman and Polaris had actually become a couple that lasted. I could see their relationship as one of the foundations for future X-Men comics but sadly it is nipped in the bud really quickly. I believe that this is also the first time I’ve actually seen the X-Men make a retreat in such a manner. When most people think of someone running away they automatically think that the person is a coward. But in reality many times it’s because the person can see no chance of winning and instead flees to fight another day. It was the same with the X-Men, not only were they fight Magneto who basically had control of all the metal in the city but also he had an entire army at his side and that’s extremely difficult to combat when there is only five of you. The rocket that took them to safety did seem a little too convenient but I guess it’s how the Demi-Men travel around. The issue also shows realistic tensions within the team that makes the whole thing that little bit more believable. In truth no team is truly perfect and things like this can happen from time to time. Although at the end of the little exchange between Cyclops and Iceman the latter seems to just walk away from the X-Men and the reader is left wondering if he will come back. Although Mesmero was commanded to take down the X-Men he only actually appeared in one panel and even then he was running so maybe he hung back and let the Demi-Men do all the work. To me that sounds likely because that would be the kind of character that he is. Also his powers aren’t very good for a situation like this. He would have to get up close to an X-Man before using his powers and since the majority of them can strike from a distance it would make him practically useless. Lorna seems to be an innocent bystander in all of this and she even seems to be sympathetic towards the X-Men and I can see why they think she has sided with Magneto since he did save him but that could be because she didn’t want him to be destroyed. She’s a girl in a lot of turmoil and the reader can only hope that she makes the right decision. At the end of the story we meet a character called Erik the Red who I already know who it is but it is still an interesting character who will play a minor role in one of the most important X-Men stories of all time. For the second story we are introduced to another villain who has been lost throughout the years. El Conquistador is only ever seen in Beast’s origin stories and never heard or seen of again. You can tell that he is based on the Spaniards who conquered most of the Americas and like other megalomaniacs he plans to dominate the world much like a couple of hundred other villains in the Marvel Universe. The ending to is seems to leave it on a cliff-hanger but we already know that Beast won’t join him and the only question really is will Beast’s parents survive. A few issues ago it did promise Angel’s origin story but for some reason they decided to go with Beast first. Maybe they felt that he was a more popular character at the time. In conclusion I’m giving this issue an 8 out of 10. The series is starting to pick up again and it makes me feel a little sad knowing that it will end soon (Before restarting again).
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #52
Yeah it was Jim Sternako sorry that I didn't mention it before.
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #52
Release Date- January 1969
Writer- Arnold Drake
Artist- Don Heck & Werner Roth
Major Notes
None
Brief Summary
Twilight Of The Mutants
Erik the Red is seemingly captured by Demi-Men but he is able to break free. He engages in combat with the Demi-Men and Mesmero. Seeing that he is outnumbered Erik The Red blasts the ceiling which traps his enemies before he makes his way towards Lorna who is in another room. Lorna has seen what has happened and moves to engage Erik, she has sided with Magneto because he is her father and he feels that she must since they share the same blood. When Erik does reach her instead of attacking her and trying to take over from Magneto he pledges his loyalty to him which takes Lorna by surprise. A wounded Magneto accepts Erik’s pledge and he even becomes the temporary leader until Magneto himself has recovered from his last encounter with the X-Men. Meanwhile in the city Jean receives a mental command from Cyclops that it is time to execute Operation Twilight. Jean relays the message onto Beast and Angel who are nearby, they regroup and travel to the Mutant City. Inside the Mutant City itself Mesmero and the Demi-Men have been freed from the rubble but Mesmero doesn’t trust Erik and he vows to settle their differences when the crisis is over. The X-Men sneak around the facility and are confronted by Erik but rather than attack him Jean hugs him since he is really Cyclops in disguise. The X-Men quickly set a trap for the Demi-Men but it is accidentally set off by Iceman who was returning to the team. The electrical shock that he experienced has knocked him out but before they can set the trap up again the ploy is discovered by Mesmero. The X-Men combat the Demi-Men and they gain the upper hand, at the same time Mesmero and Jean have a standoff testing their mutant abilities against each other. Magneto sees what is happening and orders Lorna to destroy the X-Men, she quietly obeys but when she moves towards the team she is stopped by Iceman. She realises that he and Bobby Drake are the same person but Iceman also has another revelation. Before he came to the Mutant City he stopped by Lorna’s parents house and discovers that her real parents died in a plane crash when she was a few weeks old. Lorna is overjoyed to find out that she is not the daughter of Magneto but is angered by the lie. She moves away from Iceman so that she can have some time with Magneto. As the battle between the X-Men and the Demi-Men rages on Lorna knocks down all the Demi-Men with her magnetic abilities. Magneto flees but he activates the city’s self-destruct systems and the team is able to get out in the nick of time. Lorna returns to New York with the X-Men and they feel things are getting back to normal.
The Crimes Of The Conquistador
Beast is incapacitated by El Conquistador and takes him to the villain’s lair. When he awakens he is given the choice of serving him. Beast initially refuses but when he sees that El Conquistador has his parents he reluctantly agrees. At the Mansion Iceman reports that the McCoy house was empty and Professor Xavier uses a primitive form of Cerebro to detect Beast’s whereabouts. Later Beast is able to sneak into a military compound to steal a top secret nuclear reactor. He is able to get in without being seen but as he tries to escape he is spotted by some guards. Beast has no choice but to take them down and return to El Conquistador. The villain is delighted that Beast has succeeded but he goes back on his word about releasing Beast’s parents and he strikes the young mutant down.
My Thoughts
Another quite fun issue that I enjoyed. The whole persona of Erik the Red was actually well played and it was almost impossible to tell that it was actually Cyclops in the guise. He doesn’t even use his optic blasts at all and instead shoots energy beams from his hands. The origin of these beams were never revealed in the issue but most likely I think that they are a construct of Beast since this is before the X-Men had Forge as their technology expert. The whole trap business I think was a little iffy and was doomed to fail from the start but it was still enjoyable to watch the large battle. Jean’s standoff with Mesmero was memorable and is a sign of things to come from the woman who will become one of the most powerful mutants on the planet. The last several issues have been a big step away from the whole Factor Three business because it is best not to strike the same hammer over and over again if you know what I’m saying. Although in this issue it has been stated that Magneto isn’t really Lorna’s father the truth will be revealed in the mid-2000s. It makes things interesting having a member of the team with the exact same powers as their primary enemy. I could see how it would work and makes the whole line up a little bit more exotic than just the same five people on the team. The X-Men will eventually get an Avengers style line up where it is changing constantly as characters come and go although up to this point the only additional member of the X-Men was Mimic and even then he only lasted couple of issues. That’s one thing that the Fantastic Four somewhat lacked, because they’ve had the same team for over five decades it can lose its fizzle after a while but the difference between them and the X-Men was that the FF were a family (along with the Thing). The X-Men are just five teenagers who have been brought together by a man with a dream (A positive dream that isn’t part of a cult). Before the end of the original series I know that there will be one more X-Man added along with Lorna but I cannot fully remember how he is introduced so I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out. One thing I did have an issue with was that when Magneto activated the self-destruct systems he told the X-Men that he had done it. If there were no alarms they probably would have been none the wiser and it would have been the perfect opportunity to eliminate the X-Men once and for all if he had kept his mouth shut. For the second story the whole thing felt like something that has been used over and over again in storytelling. Basically the villain kidnaps people important to the hero thus forcing the hero to do the villain’s dirty deeds. I can’t give them credit for originality but it was still a relatively good story. The next issue will conclude Beast’s origin story and my current Essential X-Men, since it is in black and white it can sometimes be a little difficult to tell Jean and Lorna apart but I think I can adapt. In conclusion I’ll give the issue a 7 out of 10, an enjoyable read but I did feel that there was something missing.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #53
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #53
Release Date- February 1969
Writer- Arnold Drake
Artist- Barry Smith & Werner Roth
Major Notes
First issue to feature art by Barry Smith
Brief Summary
The Rage Of Blastaar
The villain Blastaar is flying through space greatly angered that he cannot land on Earth or else he will explode. He is extremely frustrated and swears revenge on the people of Earth. At the mansion Jean is using one of Professor Xavier’s mind machine. Unfortunately the machine overloads sending energy up into the sky and blasting a hole in the roof. The explosion stuns Jean and Cyclops and Beast come to her aid. The energy beam draws Blastaar towards Earth and as he enters its atmosphere he discovers that he hasn’t exploded. He sees this as an opportunity to exact his revenge and is drawn to the origin of the energy. This leads him to the X-Mansion and Beast is the first to confront him but Blastaar blasts him away. Iceman and Angel hear what is happening and rush the aid as Cyclops tries to help the still stunned Jean. Blastaar confronts Cyclops but before he can attack him Iceman and Angel appear and tackle the villain. Angel is taken down and Blastaar makes his way onto the roof of the mansion. Cyclops is forced to attempt a tricky manoeuvre where he uses his optic rays to lift himself onto the roof before attacking Blastaar. Jean and Iceman tend to the injured Beast. He is not too badly injured and Jean has an idea to rid themselves of Blastaar. A couple of minutes later Iceman creates three men made out of ice and Jean uses her telekinesis to make them move. On the roof Cyclops cannot hold Blastaar back for too much longer but before he gives out the three icemen appear and attack the villain. Blastaar is able to destroy these icemen but he begins to glow brightly as he gloats. He starts to disappear since he is made out of anti-matter and Xavier’s machine is now destroying him. In seconds there is nothing left of Blastaar and Jean is upset that they had to do it. Cyclops tells her that Blastaar will remain as long as evil lives in the hearts of men.
Welcome To The Club, Beast!
Beast lies unconscious on the floor while El Conquistador powers up the solar device that he has stolen. Beast starts to regain consciousness and attacks El Conquistador but the villain is able to repel the attack. Beast attempts to flee but a door closes in front of him, he looks done for before the X-Men blast through. El Conquistador’s minions begin to attack the X-Men but the team are able to repel them. El Conquistador sets the machine to explode destroying the planet along with it. But instead of the energy going into the earth the villain receives them instead and the building explodes after the X-Men have fled. Xavier is waiting for them outside and he has already freed Beast’s parents. The young mutant agrees to join the team and learn about his mutant abilities.
My Thoughts
This issue in my mind wasn’t as good as the last couple of them. Blastaar isn’t really a guy that you’d associate with the X-Men and to my knowledge this has been the first and only time that he has ever faced the team. He’s made up of anti-matter but I don’t know a whole lot about him because he’s somewhat of a minor villain. His battle with the X-Men was fun to read but it was hard to follow sometimes. I also noticed that Angel’s costume looks a little different in this issue, not sure if he’s actually changed it or if it is just an artistic error. Iceman did say something very sexist in the issue and I think Marvel would have gotten in trouble if they had written that today but it wasn’t that big of a problem back then. This issue also marks the end for me of Essential Classic X-Men volume 3 and starting tomorrow I’ll be on volume 3 before we finally move onto the really good stuff. For the second story it was somewhat fun seeing exactly how Beast joined the X-Men and we see the end of El Conquistador and now I see why he hasn’t appeared in any comics since. One thing I really did pick out was that Xavier said he used his telekinetic abilities to backfire the solar device. To my knowledge the regular version of Xavier didn’t have telekinetic powers, a few of the alternate versions have him with some telekinetic abilities but not up to Jean’s level. I’m not sure if this is an error or if he really does have some telekinetic powers. It seems too perfect sometimes how Xavier wipes the memories of people so that they can’t remember what has happened. It seems like the answer to all of the X-Men’s problems is to simply wipe the mind of the enemy and innocent bystanders. It seems too much of an overused plot device, but I guess if he stopped doing it then people would ask why he has stopped. In my opinion this issue is only really a 5 out of 10. Definitely under par and I hope to see an improvement soon.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #54
This was such a great cover I tried to find a better scan.
I think it's this last stretch of the 60's X-men I like the most, but I feel like that has as much to do with the art getting better.
Something it reminded me of was this great series called X-Men/Spider-Man (or X-men and Spider-man, technically), from 2009. It's a 4-issue miniseries that sees Spider-man teaming up with the X-men of four different eras (1969, 1987, 1994, and 2009), this era being the first, and are connected by a series of mysteriously related conspiracies. It's really great stuff for fans of Spidey or the X-men.
And it's got some pretty cool art.
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #54
Release Date- March 1969
Writer- Arnold Drake
Artist- Don Heck & Werner Roth
Major Notes
First appearances of Abdol aka The Living Pharaoh aka The Living Monolith and Alex Summers aka Havok
Brief Summary
Wanted: Dead Or Alive
Cyclops is about to be arrested by two policemen for murder but he has no idea what they are talking about. His mind flashes back to a few hours earlier when he and the other X-Men visited Landon College. Cyclops has secretly had a younger brother named Alex who is graduating from the college. Alex meets the team before quietly making his way to his dorm so that he can prepare to go out and celebrate. When he enters he is attacked by two men wearing ancient Egyptian style clothing. They take him by surprise and knock him out, they escape with him and when the X-Men investigate they find that he has been taken. Jean begins to scan the room for the last brainwaves of the people who took Alex. A short time later Alex is placed on a slab looked on by the villain known as the Living Pharaoh. He reveals that the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt were mutants and he plans to use Alex’s blood to rule over the world. But before he can plunge the dagger into Alex the X-Men arrive and take on the Living Pharaoh’s minions. They then move onto the Living Pharaoh who is able to fend them off but he eventually they begin to overwhelm him he throws down a gas grenade and begins to release more of his minions. The X-Men combat the minions but during the fight Angel’s wing is pinned to the wall by a spear. He is freed with the help of Beast and Cyclops takes on the Living Pharaoh alone who is able to fire an energy beam from his hands. Cyclops begins to weaken so Jean tries to attack the Living Pharaoh with her telepathy. But he is able to force her brainwaves back at her and suddenly there are violent sound vibration. The X-Men are unable to prevent the Living Pharaoh and his minions from escaping but Cyclops is more concerned with Alex. He frees his brother and reveals that he is the leader of the X-Men. The team leave Cyclops and Alex alone so that they can talk things out. They begin to talk but the Living Pharaoh reappears and uses a strange artefact and his own mutant abilities to knock the brothers out. When Cyclops awakens he is confronted by two policemen who attempt to arrest him for murder. Cyclops sees the dead body of the Living Pharaoh close by but he cannot see Alex. Reluctantly he attacks the policemen so that he can escape and find his brother. The X-Men hear about Cyclops on the radio and they cannot believe what they’re hearing. Below the Living Pharaoh’s hideout Cyclops is searching through the tunnels trying to find Alex but he is confronted by the villain himself who turns out not to be dead. The Living Pharaoh intends to kill Cyclops.
Million Dollar Angel
A childhood Angel has climbed a tree on his father’s property and has found his father’s missing golf balls in a bird nest. He falls out of the tree but is saved from harm by landing in the swimming pool. Angel is sent to his room while his parents think about what they will do with him. They decide to send him to private school where he begins to excel in sports and academics. The other students notice that he has very large shoulder blades and one night he wakes up to find a large feather on his back. When he investigates he discovers small wings on his back. He is able to get himself into his own private room sometime later where he discovers that his wings have grown. He smells smoke and realises that the main dorm is on fire. He quickly launches out of the window and flies for the first time. Before he goes to the rescue he picks up some rope along with a wig and a nightgown to hide his identity. He then flies to save those trapped and when everyone is rescued he flies away to safety. He returns under his normal guise and sees the good that he has done.
My Thoughts
I’ll start off by saying that this issue was a big improvement on the previous one and is also one of some significance. This issue was the first appearance of Cyclops’s brother Alex which you might all know as Havok. Although he is not as well known as many of the other X-Men he is still a very important one nonetheless not just for Cyclops but for the franchise in general. Although you don’t actually see what his mutant powers are in this issue he is in my mind possibly one of the most destructive mutants in the comics. His ability to generate waves of plasma might be powerful enough to destroy practically anything. I’m not sure if there would be any kind of limit to his power but we’ll find out over the series. The issue also introduces the minor X-Men villain named Living Pharaoh also known as the Living Monolith. He is a powerful mutant but hasn’t made all that much of an impact on the X-Men series but I see him as being the stepping stone towards Apocalypse. Many people would think that the X-Men’s first ancient Egyptian enemy was Apocalypse but it is actually the Living Pharaoh and if they had used him right he could have been a major thorn in the X-Men’s side. His powers aren’t fully shown in this issue and from the looks of it he has several powers that have not been explained just yet. I think the issue could have been done a little better if they had introduced Alex earlier in a minor way and then fully using him in this issue. His sudden appearance like this seemed to be a little forced and I feel that they should have slowed the pace down. The opening page sets up the entire issue and the cliff-hangar draws the reader in as they see that the Living Pharaoh is still alive and if Cyclops will be proved innocent of his murder. For the second story it was fun to see the start of the X-Man Angel although he is my least favourite of the original X-Men, but I guess even he deserves his own origin story. Angel’s fearlessness of heights seems to have started from early childhood before his mutant powers were even manifested. I think if this was real life there would have been a lot more hysteria over his appearance for those who believe he is an actually angel. The point was made in the character’s introduction in the Ultimate X-Men series but it was funny to see not as many people really noticing the biblical implications. To finish off I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10, overall very enjoyable but could have been a bit better.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #55
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #55
Release Date- April 1969
Writer- Roy Thomas
Artist- Don Heck & Werner Roth
Major Notes
Alex is revealed as a mutant.
Brief Summary
The Living Pharaoh
Cyclops has confronted the Living Pharaoh who he thought that Alex might have killed. The Living Pharaoh asks him if he wants to join him in his plans of world conquest. Cyclops refuses and the pair engage in battle. On the surface the police are searching for Cyclops but they find that the Corpus Delicti has disappeared as well. Above them the X-Men are flying over and Jean is attempting to detect Cyclops with her telepathy. She is able to pick up something and the team race towards the signal. Below the ground Cyclops and the Living Pharaoh are still fighting and they are evenly matched. The Living Pharaoh resorts to striking the X-Man with his artefact knocking him out. At that point Jean loses her contact with Cyclops and the team begin to fear that he has been killed but they suspect that he has merely been knocked out. Minutes later the unconscious bodies of Cyclops and Alex are taken away by the Living Pharaoh’s minions. They are placed in ancient Egyptian coffins and they are taken to JFK airport. The minions and the Living Pharaoh disguise themselves as regular people and board a plane to Egypt with the coffins entering the cargo bay of their private plane. When Cyclops awakens he finds that he is wearing a skin tight hood that is blocking his powers. The Living Pharaoh tells him that it is impossible to remove. As the villain leaves Cyclops is able to find Alex locked in one of the coffins. Meanwhile the X-Men are following after Jean picks up Cyclops’s brainwaves once again. This doesn’t go unnoticed by the Living Pharaoh who opens the door of the plane and fires an energy beam at them which causes them to fall from the sky. Only Angel is able to save the team by using his wings to safely land them in the ocean. Sometime later at the Pyramids of Giza Cyclops and Alex have been brought within the tomb and the Living Pharaoh uses his artefact to begin to fill the chamber with water. The villain leaves and Cyclops feels that the chamber is filling with water. He begins to slam his head on Alex’s coffin and is able to break through. The brothers dig their way out and are confronted by the Living Pharaohs minions. The Living Pharaoh himself finds out about their escape and orders them to be killed. The brothers are doing well against the minions but when the Living Pharaoh himself arrives he is caught by Angel who flies him on top of the pyramid. The other X-Men arrive and are able to deal with the minions. On top of the Pyramid the Living Pharaoh commands his artefact to strike the X-Men down but Alex lifts his hands towards him and shoots a beam of energy towards the villain. This knocks the Living Pharaoh off of the pyramid but Angel is able to save him from falling. The villain commands his minions to flee and the X-Men discover that Alex is in fact a mutant.
Where Angels Dare Tread
Angel is flying over a criminal gang and fires gas canisters that knock out all but one of the gang. He radios the police before confronting the last gang member. Angel is able to knock him out and when the police arrive they find the unconscious bodies of the gang leaning on a wall with a halo drawn on it. Angel returns to his apartment and recounts what he has done since leaving private school. The news of Angel reaches the ears of the X-Men and Professor Xavier detects that he is a mutant and the team leave to try and recruit him. The following night Angel once again goes out on patrol and confronts a criminal gang and they shoot the gas gun out of his hand. The gas knocks them out and Angel is able to grab his gun and fly away. When he reaches his apartment he discovers that the X-Men are inside and they offer him a place on their team. But he turns them down and states that he works alone.
My Thoughts
To start off with this issue was a little hard for me to follow but it might be because I was watching Monty Python at the time. So far I still have no idea why the Living Pharaoh even wants Cyclops and Alex and why he was willing to kill them in the manner that he did. I don’t see what the point was of trying to drown them in Egypt rather than just killing them stateside unless there was something I missed. Other than that the issue was actually pretty enjoyable but I did notice that the Living Pharaoh’s clothing had changed a little between issues because I noticed at the very end of the last issue he was wearing sandals but at the beginning of this one he was wearing boots. I’m just guessing that this is an artistic error. It is also not explained how the Living Pharaoh was able to fake his own death. Surely the policemen would have checked that he was dead before trying to arrest Cyclops for his murder. I’ve heard some misguided theories that policemen are stupid but even they will have some common sense. I also don’t exactly know how the X-Men were able to find Cyclops and Alex in Egypt, they probably could have figured out that was where they were going but there was no guarantee but even if they had somehow gotten their jet out of the ocean, gotten back to the mansion, used Cerebro to detect Cyclops and Alex and then to get to them in the nick of time I just don’t see them having the time to do it. But what’s time in comic books? The second story showed something that none of the other X-Men did before this time. It shows Angel actually becoming a costumed vigilante and taking down crime himself, it was an interesting twist and I noticed that it was set in the winter of 1963. If it was in the real world you would have been either at the end of the year when the X-Men had just been introduced or at the beginning of the year. Since I can’t see something christmassy I’m guessing it is at the beginning of the year. It also shows that Angel was much like Spider-Man at the time with that he feels better working alone rather than with a team and I’m interested in seeing how he changed his mind. We’ll probably find out over the next couple of issues. To finish off I’ll give it a 5 out of 10, I would have given it a much higher rating but the plot holes for me just kind of stopped me thinking much about it.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #56
@hysteria: see, if you had checked out X-men: Children of the Atom you would know what changed Angel's mind about working alone ;)
I won't spoil it for you though..
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #56
Release Date- May 1969
Writer- Roy Thomas
Artist- Neal Adams & Werner Roth
Major Notes
First issue to feature art by Neal Adams
Brief Summary
What Is… The Power?
The Living Pharaoh has been captured by the X-Men and they are flying over an ancient temple. As they land they discover that no one is around but at this moment Alex is still terrified after discovering his mutant abilities. Cyclops tries to calm him down but the Living Pharaoh mocks him about the power.
Suddenly Jean senses trouble and the doors to the temple fly open and the group is attacked by the minions of the Living Pharaoh. Their quick attack leave the team stunned but after a moment they are able to fight back. The Living Pharaoh orders his minions to ignore the team and concentrate on capturing Alex and taking him away. The minions obey and while the X-Men are distracted load the still stunned Alex on a hovercraft and fly away.
Iceman sees the Living Pharaoh attempting to escape and he thinks that without his artefact that he is powerless. He fires an ice beam at the villain and is surprised to see the Living Pharaoh shoot an energy beam from his hands that melts the ice.
The Living Pharaoh flies away with Alex in the hovercraft and Angel tries to fly after them. But as he gets close several concussion missiles knock him out of the sky but he is still able to recover and land safely.
The team regroups and Jean is able to make a mental connection with Angel who is still chasing the hovercraft. He flies towards an identical temple where the hovercraft has landed and sneaks inside to find Alex while the rest of the team track his mental brainwaves.
Inside the temple Alex has been hooked up to a machine and he lies in a pod while the Living Pharaoh explains that their abilities are connected to each other, when Alex’s powers surfaced the Living Pharaoh’s began to diminish. Their powers come from cosmic radiation and as he shuts the pod Alex’s power starts to transfer into the Living Pharaoh and he begins to glow brightly as Alex looks on in fear.
Angel flies out of the temple as the X-Men arrive but no sooner has he done this the Living Pharaoh explodes out of the temple. He has grown considerably in size and has a more monstrous appearance and as he grabs Angel he calls himself the Living Monolith. A combination of attacks do topple the colossal being but he is not injured and Jean is powerless to stop him from grabbing her.
Inside the ruined temple Alex is running out of oxygen in his pod. He tries to use his strength to break out and when that fails he starts to concentrate on using his newfound mutant powers to break free. But the power that he is feeling flow through him is getting stronger with each passing second.
Outside the Living Monolith still handles Jean as the others look on in horror but suddenly the villain begins to shrink and Angel is able to save Jean before she hits the ground. Within moments the villain is normal size again and loses consciousness as the temple behind him completely collapses. The team fear that Alex has perished but they see him stagger out of the rubble but he won’t let any of them near him as his eyes glow bright and he declares that he cannot control his power.
The Flying A-Bomb
Angel is infuriated by the two X-Men inside his apartment and tries to attack them. The X-Men defend themselves while trying to convince him that they do not wish to hurt him. Cyclops does blast the ceiling causing a small amount of debris to fall on Angel but this does not calm him down.
Meanwhile Professor Xavier senses what is happening and desperately tries to mentally contact Angel. He is able to patch through and at first Angel thinks that his is going crazy. But Xavier reveals that the vial that he confiscated from the crooks a few hours earlier is actually a nuclear explosive. He commands Angel to destroy it without damaging the city.
Angel is commanded to fly high in the sky where the freezing temperatures would deactivate the explosive. Angel begins to freeze over as he flies higher and when he is high enough he snaps the vial without it exploding. He begins to black out and falls towards the ground but his is able to recover in time thanks to the encouraging words of Xavier and he is able to save himself.
A short time later Angel meets up with Xavier and the other X-Men and agrees to join the team. His aggression was due to the gas that he used to knock out the thugs but the other X-Men still believe that he has an inflated ego.
My Thoughts
To start off with this issue was more enjoyable than the last, I found the story easier to follow and I really liked the art of Neal Adams. I admit that I don’t remember much of his art but I know that it is very popular and judging from what I read in this issue I can see why. It was fantastic and really made the issue come alive and I thoroughly look forward to seeing it in future issues.
I did notice one fairly big plot hole in the fact that in issue #54 the Living Pharaoh was willing to kill Alex when he had this machine in Egypt that would drain his power and turn the villain into a god. I’m not sure if he could have done it if Alex was dead but that is never explained so I’m hoping that this isn’t really a plot hole but it was just more convenient for him.
The fight between the Living Monolith and the X-Men was actually very well done and to my knowledge this is the first time that the team have ever really fought a giant enemy like this. They have fought Sentinels but they were much smaller at this period and they never physically fought Mastermold. The part where the villain actually grabs Jean reminded me very much of King Kong and I was somewhat expecting him to climb up a nearby pyramid while Angel flies around him carrying Cyclops who is firing his optic blasts. But that would have been a little too obvious maybe.
The whole thing about Havok’s powers being linked to cosmic energy I found to be a bit too confusing in my books. It has a very Fantastic Four feel to it and if I really wanted to read that I would have stuck with FF. Maybe there should be some kind of deeper explanation but I hope that happens at a later date.
For the second story that was also quite enjoyable and it is explained how Angel seemed to be so aggressive towards the X-Men. The gas that he was using somehow made him more aggressive rather than knocking him out like it did the crooks but maybe it reacted differently because he’s a mutant but that unfortunately is never explained.
One thing I did notice was if it was freezing temperatures that they needed to stop the explosives then they didn’t have to fly it miles above the ground. They had a walking freezer standing right there and they could have used him to stop the vial from exploding. But then it wouldn’t highlight Angel and since it is his origin story no other character can look like the hero.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. The story was really good but the holes did set it back a little but other than that it opens things more for the future.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #57
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #57
Release Date- June 1969
Writer- Roy Thomas & Linda Fite
Artist- Neal Adams & Werner Roth
Major Notes
First appearance of Larry Trask
Brief Summary
The Sentinels Live
Lorna Dane is inside her apartment in Manhattan and she is dressed in a green costume. She feels that her magnetic powers are beginning to fade and suddenly she feels the apartment begin to shake. Almost immediately she sees two giant Sentinels break through her walls and she screams out for help but there is no one there to help her.
Meanwhile in Egypt the X-Men have subdued the Living Pharaoh but they see Alex cowering in fear by the ruins of the temple. He tells the team to back away and explains how he concentrated his power to escape from his pod but he also destroyed the temple in the process. He is terrified that he will kill someone with his power but then a policeman mounted on a camel arrives to the scene along with some backup. Using his influence as a top archaeologist the Living Pharaoh is able to convince the policeman that the X-Men were the ones responsible for the destruction of the temple. As the police go to arrest the team Alex panics and blasts them before fleeing. The X-Men subdue the rest of the police but Alex still runs away, enraged fires a powerful blast at the policemen that defeats them utterly.
Moments later the X-Men are flying over in their jet trying to find Alex but there seems to be no sign of him. Alex himself is hiding in a cave and is glad that the X-Men can’t find him. But as he wallows in his own self-pity he is confronted by a Sentinel and he is unable to stop himself from being captured. Above him the X-Men are still searching for him and they decide to use the Cerebro systems in the jet to try and track him. But they get a picture of Lorna’s apartment and it has been trashed beyond recognition. Iceman begins to panic and the team decide to split up, Iceman and Beast return to the US to find Lorna while the rest stay behind to find Alex.
But at that time a stranger is monitoring them through a strange device and he detects that the team have split up. But later on Iceman and Beast arrive at Lorna’s apartment in Manhattan. There is no sign of her but the police arrive and places the pair under arrest. Iceman freezes over their guns and one of the policemen throws a chair at them as they try to escape through the window. The chair knock Beast off balance and he begins to fall from the window. Iceman follows him and is able to save him by creating an ice pole that he can grab and slide to the ground safely. They flee to Cyclops’s apartment where they switch on the TV to see if there is any news of Lorna’s disappearance. Instead of news about Lorna’s disappearance the TV shows an attorney general explaining the dangers of mutants. The son of the late Bolivar Trask, Larry is there supporting his claims. Larry explains how his father built the Sentinels to defend mankind and how he was killed by the X-Men. He doesn’t realise that his father was killed by the Sentinels but behind the two X-Men a giant Sentinel is peering at them through the window as Larry declares that the Sentinels live.
The Female Of The Species
Jean begins to explain about her powers and how they are useful in every day life such as cooking, cleaning, escaping from being tied up, opening locked doors and escaping danger. She also demonstrates that she can use her telekinesis to fly and use her telepathy to bring even the mightiest men down to their knees. She even uses her telekinesis to stop a thief from stealing a woman’s handbag and she shows that her looks turn the heads of men.
My Thoughts
Well to start off with the style of the issue is an improvement on the last few and the story really flew off the page for me. The writing of Roy Thomas and the art of Neal Adams really seem to complement each other as this was a very enjoyable read. It deals with the welcomed return of the Sentinels and I admit that it was brave to bring them back but I felt that it was very well done and has not diminished them as a threat at all.
Alex’s fear is very understandable since most people would be terrified to find that they have the power to destroy an entire building. His fear seemed to have led him to run but I think that he would have definitely been better off if he had stayed with the team, but I guess the fear that he might destroy them would lead him to run.
The issue also makes the first time that we’ve seen Lorna Dane since the whole business with Mesmero and the Demi-Men, to me it’s been a long time coming and I feel that they should have had her in the series before now but I guess that she’s needed time to adjust with everything that’s been happening to her. I guess that finding out that you’re a mutant does take some getting used to.
Also this issue marks the first appearance of Larry Trask, the son of the late Bolivar Trask and unfortunately he doesn’t know that the Sentinels were the true threat not the X-Men. I’m hoping that he sees the errors that his father did but a part of me thinks that he will make the same mistakes again and will pay for it with his life. In situations like this unfortunately the apple doesn’t fall too far away from the tree.
Also I did notice that the Sentinels did look a little bigger in this issue in comparison to their first appearance and in my mind this is leading to the Sentinels that we all know in the future. They seem to be more formidable than before and I hope to see a good battle between them and the X-Men and that a giant crystal doesn’t defeat them again.
The second story is just an explanation of Jean’s powers and we’re not told anything that we really didn’t know before. The only real thing I did notice was how Jean was able to move quickly thanks to her telekinesis but I don’t think she has anything on fellow mutant Quicksilver.
I did notice that the issue was written by Linda Fite and to my knowledge this makes the first X-Men story to be written by a woman. It’s fitting that a story about a female superhero to be written by a woman.
The issue also marks the end of the two story issues that have been happening for the last twenty issues or so. In a way it is a bit of a shame but it means that the main story can be focused on more and I think that’s a good thing.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10, the first story almost blew me away but the second story did let it down a bit since it had no actual plot but was more of an explanation of a hero’s powers.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #58
@hysteria: I'd never really thought about it before, but the return of the Sentinels with Larry Trask is kind of the same premise as the return of the Green Goblin with Harry Osborn, with the heroes being blamed for the death of the original of each by their son.
Nice job with the pacing of this entry, by the way; I think it's probably the best one you've done so far.
anyway, here's some more scans to show how great the art starts getting in this period. I think it's just gorgeous.
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #58
Release Date- July 1969
Writer- Roy Thomas
Artist- Neal Adams
Major Notes
None
Brief Summary
Mission: Murder
Iceman and Beast are suddenly attacked by a Sentinel while they are watching a report of the TV. On the TV itself Larry Trask is still explaining that mutants are a threat and that he was able to improve his father’s designs of the Sentinels and now they can adapt in the field. As he is speaking Iceman and Beast are fighting for their lives but the Sentinel is adapting against them with each passing more moment. Beast is wrapped up in a metal coil while Iceman tries to recover and on the TV Larry explains that he can remote control the Sentinels can be remotely controlled by a special helmet that he has designed. Iceman creates three ice models of himself to distract the Sentinel as he searches for Cyclops’s miniature TV sender and he throws it at Beast. When he catches it Iceman freezes the coil and Beast is able to smash it with his strength. Iceman creates an ice dome so that Beast can escape and contact the other X-Men. Beast escapes the apartment but feels guilty that he is leaving Iceman behind and when he reaches the ground he changes into his civilian clothing and sees the Sentinel flying away and carrying Iceman.
Meanwhile in Egypt Angel returns to Cyclops and Jean after a failed search for Alex. He is surprised to see that they are in their civilian clothing and he sees that Beast is on their miniature TV sender. He tells them that the Sentinels have returned and captured Iceman. Before they can formulate a proper plan Beast signs off so that he can try and rescue his missing friend. Angel is infuriated that Iceman has been captured and despite the pleas of Cyclops and Jean he flies away intending to fly back to the States and take down the Sentinels.
At that time in a secret location Judge Chambers calls Larry Trask about their televised interview and he is beginning to think that mutants are not all that bad. Larry tries to convince him that they are as dangerous as he says. As he puts the phone down he moves over to a steam chamber which is housing Iceman. As he is released Iceman makes a lunge at him but he is caught by a guarding Sentinel. Iceman discovers that he can’t ice up and Larry reveals that his powers have been nullified by the steam chamber for four hours. Iceman’s actions have been recorded so that the world will see that mutants are truly a threat. Larry swore revenge on the X-Men three years ago with the death of his father and he will make them pay.
A short time later Iceman is taken to another room where he sees a man wearing a strange costume and a woman lying on a table. He realises that the man is Alex and that he has been called Havok. When he mentions that the woman has green hair Iceman realises that it is Lorna and he rushes over to her side as she wakes up. Alex reveals that his suit helps to measure his power and that he has struck a deal with Larry Trask. Iceman responds with anger as Lorna tries to keep him back. Havok had made the deal so that the Sentinels would leave Lorna alone but as a Sentinel approaches it handles Lorna. Havok is angered that the Sentinel isn’t letting Lorna go and he begins to power up and blasts the Sentinel. Larry arrives and is surprised to see the Sentinel damaged but he uses a device that enters Havok’s mind through a jewel on his forehead. Due to the anti-polar bands on her arms Lorna cannot use her magnetic powers to help him. Havok fears that if he falls then the Living Monolith will walk free. Larry laughs at him and states that the Living Monolith is not a threat.
On a TV screen it is revealed that the Sentinels have been carrying out search and capture missions across the country. And at that time in Egypt the Living Monolith is discussing about the X-Men being dangerous along with high ranking officials. He suddenly begins to grow and transform and states that he no longer needs the officials. Two Sentinels suddenly appear and bathe the Living Monolith with a foam like substance that prevents him from absorbing cosmic energy and he shrinks back down to normal.
Over the Atlantic Angel is being chased by two Sentinels and he is captured. On a nearby plane he is seen by Cyclops ad Jean who are unable to prevent his capture. One of the Sentinels does detect the both of them on the plane but they choose to take Angel away instead.
At the Mutant City a Sentinel breaks in fixated on capturing Magneto and Mesmero. Mesmero tries to attack the Sentinel with his hypnotic powers but it is immune to him. As he rushes to Magneto for safety the villain is fired upon by an energy beam and Magneto falls apart since he is only a robot. Mesmero is astonished to see that he has been led by a machine for months before being captured.
At his secret location Larry is disappointed that Magneto has not been captured but at that time Judge Chambers arrives while a Sentinel detects another mutant presence within the base. As Larry greets the Judge he shows him Iceman, Havok and Lorna are in suspended animation in pods. The Judge asks if this is humane and Larry reacts angrily and states that his Sentinels will work alone if need be. Larry sees the other X-Men travelling towards the base but he pays them no mind. He is wearing a necklace that was given to him by his father when his mother died. He is sworn to wear it always but at that time Banshee arrives and tries to subdue the Sentinels. He was captured in Ireland but now has escaped but he is knocked out by a sonic scream by the Sentinels. Angered by what has happened Larry orders his Sentinels to destroy all mutants which causes Judge Chambers to strike him and remove his necklace. Larry begins to see that he was wrong to order the murder of the mutants but he is quickly picked up by one of the Sentinels. They will still execute all mutants and they ignore Larry’s pleas and reveal that the mutant that they detected was him after his necklace has been removed.
My Thoughts
Again another fantastic issue. The story itself is very free flowing and makes the reader want to read on further. To tell you the truth while I was reading it I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen on the next page and the plot twisting ending only makes the read want to read the next issue.
Again the art really made the action jump off the page and my only regret is that I’m reading these issues in black and white rather than colour but it doesn’t take away the feel of the issue. One real drawback to reading in black and white is that sometimes it can be hard to tell characters apart (Like Jean and Lorna) when you can’t see the colour of their hair. But for me it was still the cheapest way to get the issues.
Larry Trask’s character seems to be complex and it shows that he is somewhat hot headed but I don’t think he is as evil as he makes out to be as he showed some regret when ordering the murder of the mutants. The revelation at the end was a shocker but I somewhat saw it coming since there had to be a reason why he was told to never take his necklace off. I can’t remember exactly what his mutant powers are but I have a feeling that we’ll find out in the next issue.
Although it is stated that Angel has never flown cross Atlantic but he has flown over great distances before. When the X-Men were captured by Magneto he did fly to the Avengers mansion over a long stretch of ocean. Others have made that trip like Storm did in a future X-Men annual and I’m not one hundred percent sure that he would hack such a journey. He would have to travel a great distance over either Africa or Europe to even reach the Atlantic and I think it would be too much, even for him.
This issue is also the first time that Alex has worn his costume and gone under the name of Havok and it also shows the start of his relationship with Lorna. It might not be the most famous relationship in the X-Men universe but it is no less important and has lasted for over four decades. I’m highly surprised that they’re actually not married yet but I think there has been a whole big deal about that.
I was also surprised to see that Cyclops and Jean were flying in a commercial plane to travel back to the States. I would have thought that they used the jet that they had been using to travel around Egypt but I guess maybe they ran out of fuel and had to travel like a normal person instead.
In conclusion I’m giving this issue a 9 out of 10. It was one of the most enjoyable issues of the series and it makes me somewhat sad to know that the original series is coming to an end shortly.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #59
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #59
Release Date- August 1969
Writer- Roy Thomas
Artist- Neal Adams
Major Notes
First cameo appearance of Karl Lykos aka Sauron
Brief Summary
Do Or Die, Baby
In a jet over the Sentinel’s secret base Cyclops, Jean and Beast are flying over while the mini Cerebro in the jet detects the missing mutants. They realise that it is a trap as a missile destroys the jet just after the three mutants jump out. The three of them begin to fall to the ground and only after careful commands from Cyclops can Jean safely bring all three of them to the ground.
Inside the base Larry believes that he has killed the X-Men but he is still confused with why he has been called a mutant. The Sentinels tell him that they must carry out his last order as a human and that was to capture and destroy every mutant on the planet. Judge Chambers reveals that Larry had predicted his own mother’s death a few hours before it happened and Bolivar had created the medallion to erase his memory of the incident and to nullify his mutant powers. The judge had carried on this lie in the mistaken belief that he could protect Larry forever now he sees that he has doomed all mutants. Larry is swiftly knocked out by the Sentinel and then taken to a chamber like the other mutants as Judge Chambers protests.
Meanwhile around the country other mutants are being captured like Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Toad, Unus, Blob and Mastermind. At that time Judge Chambers looks upon the chambers as the Sentinels detect another powerful mutant signature in the south sector and they begin to mobilize.
Just on the outside of the north sector the three X-Men are able to find a way into the base but they are spotted by a Sentinel. Before the unit can alert the others the X-Men attack it with much ferocity and they are able to destroy it. They hide as they hear a jet approaching which contains Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Toad, the three Brotherhood mutants are temporarily left alone in the jet as the Sentinel pilot prepares to have them transferred. At that time the X-Men sneak onto the jet and release their three enemies and borrow their costumes. The jet flies to the nerve centre of the base and as the Sentinel tries to take the mutants away he realises that they are not the same ones who have been brought in. Cyclops unleashes a devastating optic blasts that destroys the Sentinel after Beast has staggered it. At that time two more Sentinels arrive and attack the fleeing mutants.
At that time Larry is seeing what is going to happen to in the near future and he begins to realise that he truly is a mutant but there is nothing he can do to free himself. Using only his eyes he directs Judge Chambers to a handgun like weapon on the side but it seems to be a dud. Nothing seems to happen but Judge Chambers is directed towards Havok by Larry’s eyes and the judge thinks that Larry wants him to kill him but he refuses to carry out such an action.
A few yards away the Cyclops and Jean are racing past a Sentinel and Beast drops a piece of heavy machinery on top of him. He tells the pair to run as he keeps the Sentinel occupied while they stop the rest of them. When they get near to where their friends are being held there are two Sentinels guarding the entrance. Since Jean is wearing the costume of the Scarlet Witch she is able to topple the two Sentinels since they are adapted for the Scarlet Witch’s hex powers. She stays behind to keep them busy as Cyclops enters the room. At that time Judge Chambers fires the gun towards Havok which reacts with the jewel on his head and wakes him up. The Sentinel inside the room notices this and blasts Judge as Cyclops watches in horror. The Sentinel realises that it has harmed a human and at that time Cyclops blasts the chamber holding Havok. Now that Havok is free he blasts another approaching Sentinel with a plasma beam completely destroying it.
Seconds later more Sentinels arrive but rather than attacking Cyclops and Havok they tend to the injured Judge Chambers. Their first priority is to protect humans, not attack muants. The energy within Havok is building up and Cyclops states that it is the Sentinels’ fault that it is happening. He tells the Sentinels that humans are all results of mutations and thus can only protect humans by neutralising the source of mutations. The energy within Havok has built up to an unstable level and he runs away as he begins to explode.
The Sentinels all mobilize together and fly away to the source of all mutations which is the sun itself. They fly into the star with absolutely no fear and are completely destroyed by the searing temperature of the sun.
In the base the team find the unconscious body of Havok lying amongst some rubble and they need to get him to a doctor. A few minutes later Cyclops calls a former colleague of Professor Xavier named Doctor Karl Lykos who is looking at a man in a piece of apparatus strapped to the wall. As he agrees to meet with Cyclops the man strapped to the wall’s head slumps over as he loses consciousness.
My Thoughts
To start off with this is probably the best issue I’ve read so far in the series and it really got the reader to feel the dread of the situation. At times you might have even thought that the mutants were actually close to their own doom and it reminded me of the Days Of The Future Past story which is still more than ten years away.
The art was still absolutely fantastic and it was like the panels themselves were jumping out of the comic. Neal Adams is a fantastic artist and his style is somewhat similar to art that I saw in the old Transformers UK comics and I think that his art would have influenced the artists of that series. I can see why people hold him in such high regards. He is definitely one of the best artists I’ve ever seen.
About the issue itself the story was fantastic and I can’t really find much fault in it. The peril that the characters were feeling were nothing short of breath taking. If you didn’t know that they would survive the whole experience and since there were probably rumours at the time that the series was going to be cancelled the series would have come to a fitting end at this point. Mutants are being captured everywhere and it seems that the race itself would be wiped out.
I also noticed that Iceman and Angel didn’t really appear in this issue but I don’t feel that the issue lost anything about having them in the background. Their only appearance was them in their chambers and that was it but I don’t see any way that their involvement in the battle would have improved the issue. It was also good to have a nod towards other mutants that the X-Men have tangled with before and as far as I know this might actually be the last appearance of Unus the Untouchable in the original series. Unlike the other mutants involved in this issue (besides Larry of course) that don’t make an impact in the future X-Men comics. The rest will feature very much in the future of the series and one in particular will be at the centre of what’s been voted as the greatest X-Men story of all time.
I did notice that the fate of Larry Trask isn’t actually explained in this issue and I think that it’s somewhat a shame that he is not featured in the series afterwards but he is one of those kind of characters that can only really be used once and then pushed aside in the future. But still it would have been nice to see him later on.
The whole protecting humanity thing for the Sentinel’s reminds me of the first law of Robotics from I, Robot. I’m surprised that they didn’t shut themselves down after harming Judge Chambers. But I guess that flying into the centre of the sun does have the same effect.
The issue also marks the first cameo appearance of Doctor Karl Lykos aka Sauron who will make his full appearance in the next issue. Although a relatively minor character his appearance at the end of the issue draws the reader in further and will make them wanna read the next issue. Definitely if it is anywhere near as good as this issue.
To finish off I’m giving the issue a perfect 10 out of 10. It was a great finale to the story and I literally can’t think of anyway that it could have been better.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #60
@hysteria: nice. is this the first issue you've given a 10/10?
this cover's definitely one of my favorites so far.. it seems so epic that it almost seems incongruous with the more cartoony corner box (although I kind of like the juxtaposition).
I think you're probably right about this being more of an influence on Days of Future Past than Lee & Kirby's original Sentinels story, at least in style and tone.
I think your observation about Iceman and Angel is pretty spot on as well, which seems to be the natural progression of the characters as Cyclops, Jean, and especially Beast really start to jump out as the main characters (and the only ones to have any relevance when the series was revived).
Speaking of Beast being more of a main character, it's interesting to see how differently Neal Adams interprets the character as more long and lanky than both his predecessors and most artists that would come after him. It reminds me more of the Beast from the :First Class movie, actually.
Yes that was the first comic that I've actually given a 10 out of 10.
Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #60
Release Date- September 1969
Writer- Roy Thomas
Artist- Neal Adams
Major Notes
First full appearance of Karl Lykos aka Sauron, Lorna Dane officially joins the X-Men.
Brief Summary
In The Shadows Of… Sauron
Minutes after the end of the last issue Larry Trask is in shock and entered a catatonic state. Judge Chambers turns down the X-Men’s proposal to leave with them so that he can see it Larry. He places the necklace around Larry Trask’s neck again so that he will forget what has happened and once again seem like a normal person. He agrees to release the captive mutants and the X-Men fly away in a jet and head towards the residence of Doctor Karl Lykos so that Havok can receive treatment. Inside Cyclops explains to the other X-Men that Doctor Lykos was a friend of Professor Xavier’s and they worked on a Project Mutant together. He is the only doctor they can trust at this moment in time. They offer to drop Lorna off at her apartment but she no longer feels safe there and agrees to join the X-Men.
Sometime later at the residence of Doctor Karl Lykos the doctor himself is finishing off with a patient when Cyclops and Jean arrive with Havok in their civilian clothing. Quickly Doctor Lykos examines Havok and determines that his injuries are not life threatening but he does need treatment. He tells Cyclops and Jean to come back later tonight and they reluctantly agree and return to the mansion.
When they return to the mansion they find the other X-Men engaging in a Danger Room session while Lorna watches on. She has a quick chat with Jean and she uses her magnetic powers to activate another obstacle for the X-Men to overcome. At that time Cyclops changes into his costume and joins in on the exercise. As The X-Men practice they wonder how Changeling and Magneto were able to avoid the Sentinels and at that time at the Sentinel’s base the other captive mutants are freed by Judge Chambers.
At the residence of Doctor Lykos, Karl dismisses his nurse for the night before looking over the unconscious Havok. He begins to wrestle with his doubts as he begins to remember an incident that happened some years prior. Karl was on a hiking expedition with his father and a man named Herr Anderson with his young daughter Tanya in Antarctica. During the expedition Tanya goes missing and the others look for her. Karl finds her in a cave and she is being attacked by a group of pteranodons. He tries to fight them away but sustains injuries in the process. As the pteranodons flee Karl’s father and Herr Anderson appear and take the children to safety. Karl’s injuries are severer and he begins to recover but when he touches his dog he feels himself absorb some of his energy. After his father died Karl lived with Herr Anderson and Tanya but his need to absorb energy grows as he ages and soon he has to leave to try and find a solution to his problem. He is in love with Tanya but does not want to be with her until he has made something of himself and gains a PHD and tries to find a cure.
As Karl stands over Havok he begins to absorb his energy in the hopes that mutant energy will solve his absorption problem. He had only worked with Xavier to find a mutant to absorb but as he gains Havok’s energy he begins to transform into a man/pterandon hybrid and his mind is warped and evil. He takes the name Sauron after the main antagonist from the Lord Of The Rings book series and flies to find more energy to absorb.
At the mansion a news reports about an incident involving a winged mutant. Angel tells the team that they should investigate but Cyclops prefers them to stay low and allow the authorities to hand things. Angel is angered by this and changes into his old Avenging Angel and flies away to find the culprit much to the protests of the other X-Men. The team do decide to go after him though.
In the skies Angel does meet up with Sauron who is flying close by. Angel is extremely confident until he looks into Sauron’s eyes in which his face suddenly turns to one of complete horror.
My Thoughts
To start off with the issue was still a good read but not as good as the previous one but that was to be expected. In every series whether it be a TV, comic or book series it is impossible to have every part as good as another. Don’t get me wrong this was still a good comic book but not as good as the conclusion of the last story arc.
I’ll start by saying that Sauron seems to be somewhat of a tragic character and a somewhat reluctant villain. Karl doesn’t absorb energy because he’s evil, he does it because he needs to. In a way it reminds me of Galactus where he doesn’t eat planets because he’s evil but because he needs them to survive. With trademark and copyright laws I’m surprised that Marvel were even allowed to call him Sauron. It’ll be like me creating a villain and calling him Darth Vadar because I like Star Wars. But even so I am a fan of Lord Of The Rings and already this Sauron has actually done more in this one issue than the LOTR Sauron did over the space of three books. The whole looking into his eyes business really reminds me of Ghost Rider and I wonder if this was where the idea for his Penance Stare came from.
I know that the final fate of Larry Trask will be revealed in a few Avengers comics but unfortunately I won’t be reading those since they’re not reprinted in the Essential Classic X-Men graphic novels. It is a shame since I would have liked to have seen what happened to him but since he hasn’t appeared for a numerous amount of years I can only guess that he was killed off. I’m also guessing that the story takes place between the cancellation of the original X-Men series and the formation of the All New All Different X-Men. But there are still twelve comics that will be touched upon in that period in this blog.
The issue also marks when Lorna finally agreed to join the X-Men. An action I think should have been done sooner but better late than never. I’m just disappointed that we don’t have much time before the series ends which is in an additional six issues after this one. Her career with the team has been a little spotty and I feel that she is more associated with some of the spin off series like X-Factor and I think that she would make a great X-Man if she stuck around for longer. To my knowledge her tenure as an X-Man has never lasted more than a year or so.
Again in this issue we see Angel as the Avenging Angel and a part of me isn’t very keen on seeing this side of him but I do admit that his costume as the Avenging Angel is much better than the one that Jean designed for him. He is still the weakest X-Man in terms that all he can really do is fly, that’s about it. He can’t blast someone from a distance or move things with his mind. Out of all the X-Men I can see why he is the least remembered of the original line-up.
When the mutants are released I did notice that Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Toad had their clothes back and I do somewhat wonder where they had the time to exchange their clothes again with the X-Men. There were some minutes between the two issues so there probably was a window of opportunity but it makes me wonder what exactly were they wearing when the X-Men borrowed their clothing. Maybe something that wouldn’t pass in the Comics Code.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. Very enjoyable but not quite up to task as the previous issue.
Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #61
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