X-Men Read Through

[a0040pc]

Hi everyone. I wanted to start a little blog here because in about a month I’m gonna start re-reading X-Men comics from 1963 to about 2000 although I will most likely have to stop Uncanny X-Men around 1991. Each day I will read one issue and give everyone my thoughts and people can comment if they like. I’m going to start at the very beginning and work my way through. I am using the Essential X-Men graphic novels but I will be reading all the other X-Men related Essentials (Wolverine, X-Factor, Dazzler) and numerous side appearances, spin off material and LSs. Here is a short list of what I will be going through and I’m guessing that it’ll take at least a year if not longer.

A list of what I’m going through.

Essential Classic X-Men Volumes 1-3

Essential X-Men Volumes 1-11

Numerous X-Men one shots and specials (Mainly from 80’s)

Essential X-Factor Volumes 1-5

Essential Wolverine volumes 1-7

Essential Dazzler volumes 1 and 2

New Mutants Classics Volume 1-7

Excalibur (Entire run plus all specials and guest appearances)

Practically every X-Men limited series from the 80’s including both Secret Wars series. (Only X-Men LS from that era is Wolverine and Havok Meltdown)

Marvel Comics Presents #1-#50 something.

Entire Fatal Attractions and Age Of Apocalypse storylines.

Numerous guest appearances by X-Men members (Mostly focused on Kitty Pryde but a few Nightcrawler appearances and the team in general. Also includes Avengers Annual #10 and King Size Hulk #1 which reprints the very first appearance of Wolverine)

There are most likely others that I’ve missed out but I will probably get to them eventually. Hell people can post different things that are relevant that I might have missed. I was even thinking about reading the Marvel Transformers series while I go through these since I loved that series and it is within the timeline.

It’ll be an adventure and I hope that people will go along for the ride.

[Lockheed]

That sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun! I recently re-read the entire Excalibur series again plus all of their guest appearances and specials. What a weird and wonderful series that was. I haven't read the classic Dazzler series. Is it worth checking out? I'd be happy to share my Excalibur reading list if you want to make sure you found everything.

[JackalsIII]

That sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun! I recently re-read the entire Excalibur series again plus all of their guest appearances and specials. What a weird and wonderful series that was. I haven't read the classic Dazzler series. Is it worth checking out? I'd be happy to share my Excalibur reading list if you want to make sure you found everything.

Good luck with the blog, a0040pc!

Lockheed, I read all of Excalibur a few years ago and it was glorious! The specials and annuals were the weakest part, that and the West Coast Avengers guest appearance three issues that hurt my eyes. The fill-ins during Cross Time Caper also hurt my eyes.

Dazzler the Series, I only own four issues of and I liked what I read. 1, 2, 38 and 41

[a0040pc]

That sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun! I recently re-read the entire Excalibur series again plus all of their guest appearances and specials. What a weird and wonderful series that was. I haven't read the classic Dazzler series. Is it worth checking out? I'd be happy to share my Excalibur reading list if you want to make sure you found everything.

I think I already have all the guest appearances but you can still send me your read list. I might have missed one or two so at least then I'll know what I'm missing thanks to you. The Dazzler series was a bit of a hit and miss but it wasn't too bad. The first part of the series is like a realistic hero trying to make ends meet but the last part is more like a typical superhero comic.

Good luck with the blog, a0040pc

Lockheed, I read all of Excalibur a few years ago and it was glorious! The specials and annuals were the weakest part, that and the West Coast Avengers guest appearance three issues that hurt my eyes. The fill-ins during Cross Time Caper also hurt my eyes.

Thank you my friend. There was still a couple that I wanna get from the 70's that weren't reprinted in the Essentials like the X-Men's guest appearance in Iron Fist, the first appearance of Mystique, Lady Deathstrike. I recently bought the first appearance of Sabretooth (reprinted), Marvel Team Up Annual #1 (Spider-Man's first team up with the new X-Men), Bizarre Adventures #27 (Has a great Nightcrawler story along with Jean Grey and Iceman). I want to finish off reading A Song Of Ice And Fire first and I'm just over 200 pages from finishing the series. I will be posting it here unless there is a reason that I'm not allowed to but I'll try to update on a daily basis when I start but for the first couple of months it will only be about the Original X-Men until I reach Giant Size X-Men #1. Also the only thing I have to disagree with you on about the Excalibur stuff is that the first three specials I thought were really good (The Sword Is Drawn, Mojo Mayhem and Weird War III).

[a0040pc]

Just to let everyone know that if everything goes to plan I should start this little read through on Tuesday. I'll start with the world famous X-Men (Vol 1) #1 and should finish off at Wolverine (vol 2) #148. I might have a few after that but I have about 18 months until I get there. If things go to plan it should take me just over two months before I reach Giant Size X-Men #1, just over a month after that until I reach UXM #129 (The first appearance of my favourite X-Woman Kitty Pryde and the first X-Men comic of the 80's). I'll probably spend close to a year reading comics from the 80's since there are close to 130 issues of UXM, about 70 issues of New Mutants, about 15-20 Limited Series from between 2 to 12 issues each, ten UXM annuals, about 5 UXM specials, all X-Factor comics from that decade, numerous side appearances from the X-Men during that decade, Excalibur #1-17 (the rest are the 90's). Then after I've read X-Men (Vol 2) #1-#3 I might stop for a few weeks and read the X-Men Forever series because despite what people think I really enjoyed the series. Eventually all I'll be reading is Excalibur and Wolverine comics (Shame that there will be no more Essentials).

I hope that you enjoy the ride and my views and comments on each comic and hopefully you might learn something new while we go.

[a0040pc]

I finally begin


Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Vol 1) #1
Release Date- September 1963
Writer- Stan Lee
Artist- Jack Kirby

Major Points
The issue is the first appearance of the X-Men team but also the first appearances of Charles Xavier/Professor X, Scott Summers/Cyclops, Bobby Drake/Iceman, Warren Worthington The Third/Angel, Hank McCoy/Beast, Jean Grey/Marvel Girl, Eric Lehnsherr/Magneto and the Danger Room. It is also the first issue written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby

Brief Summary
The issue opens up at an exclusive school with Professor X meditating before he calls his X-Men through telepathy. Cyclops, Iceman, Beast and Angel all answer the call and prepare for their daily lessons. Each X-Man seemingly pass their lessons with flying colours before Professor X tells them that a new student is joining the school. A short time later a young woman named Jean Grey arrives at the school and Professor X reveals to her that she is a mutant along with himself and the other X-Men. He also reveals that humanity is not ready to accept mutants into the world and that his school was a safe haven for mutants where they could learn to control their superhuman abilities. Meanwhile near Cape Citadel in Florida the super powered villain known as Magneto uses his magnetic powers to take over base so that he can use its weaponry to destroy humanity. The army based in Cape Citadel are not equipped to combat someone who can use their weapons against them. He also creates a magnetic barrier around the base so that no one else can enter. Professor Xavier sends the X-Men to Cape Citadel so that they can combat Magneto and end his threat to humanity. Cyclops is able to use his optic blasts to break through the barrier so that the team can get to Magneto. Although the villain is staggered at first he quickly recovers and takes the fight to the X-Men. Only through the combined might of the X-Men are they able to defeat the villain. In a last ditch effort to destroy them Magneto uses his magnetic powers to throw a tanker of jet fuel at the team. Only the quick thinking of Iceman save the team from certain doom as he creates an ice shield around the team thus saving them from the explosion. Seeing that he is unprepared Magneto flees and the X-Men are unable to prevent his escape. Both the military and Professor X congratulate the X-Men for saving the base, for this day they are heroes.

My Thoughts
So this is where it all began, the infamous X-Men #1. Well it was written in the sixties so the text used is a little cheesy but all in all a good start. This is the most reprinted issue from the original X-Men series and also the most duplicated cover. God knows how many different versions of this cover have appeared over the years. Professor Xavier did seem very strict in this issue but that’s just so that his students remain disciplined. He also explains that he is possibly the first mutant on the planet, we know nowadays that this isn’t the case but at that time that’s just what he thought. Iceman looked strange at the beginning because rather than the traditional iced over look that he has today back then he looked more like a snowman. At one point in the issue he even puts on a carrot and a few buttons so he can look like a traditional snowman. From the get go he’s portrayed as the class clown and it’ll live with him for the vast majority of his career. When I first read this issue some years ago I couldn’t get over the fact that Beast looked normal. I first saw him in the classic X-Men The Animated Series and he was blue and fury, back then he looked normal and to me it didn’t seem right. He didn’t seem to be that much of a beast, just a man who was strong and agile with big hands and feet. Cyclops is called Slim rather than Scott and that was strange to me because I’ve always known him as Scott. I’ve never been the character’s biggest fan but this issue showed that he had the potential to become the leader that we all know and love today. With Angel this is all long before his manipulation by Apocalypse so the only thing special about him is that he has wings. He is portrayed as a rich boy and he is definitely the most unremarkable of the team but unfortunately his wings mean that he still stands out. It was touched in an issue of Ultimate X-Men how Christians reacted when they saw him and took him for a biblical angel. I doubt anything like that would have been possible to print during the sixties with the comic book code. At this point in her history Jean Grey only has telekinesis and has absolutely nothing to do with the Phoenix force. As we all know she has the potential to be the most powerful mutant on the planet but for now she is just another student for Xavier, how the other go crazy around her is typical for a comic of that time. If it were written today I think the men would have been a bit more subtle but it was still funny to see how she rejected them. Magneto was interesting in this issue and not just because it was his first appearance. His lines were cheesy but hell it’s better than ‘Welcome To Die’ and ‘I am Magneto master of magnets’. He is definitely one of the coolest X-Men villains and possibly the greatest villain in comic book history since his hatred is somewhat justified. You can’t blame a man who saw his family destroyed by the hatred of others want to make sure that his own species doesn’t face the same fate. Although it is the first issue it is not my favourite but is a very good starting point. Quite a lot of times the first issue or episode of a series is not fantastic but in this case the series it definitely picks up later on. How much later on is up to many people’s opinions. For now I am happy to spend a bit of time in the more innocent stories of the sixties.

Next Issue
X-Men (Vol 1) #2

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #2
Release Date- November 1963
Writer- Stan Lee
Artist- Jack Kirby

Major Notes
This issue is the first appearance of the Vanisher

Brief Summary
After receiving a mental command from Professor Xavier the X-Men hurry back to the mansion. Along the way Cyclops and Iceman prevent a group of construction workers from being crushed by a falling wall. Beast uses buildings and his dexterity to travel the distance. Angel and Jean Grey use a train where Angel becomes popular with the ladies. When they finally arrive at the mansion Beast, Angel, Iceman and Beast go through rigorous training after Professor Xavier has told them about a new mutant menace known as Vanisher. A short time later the Vanisher robs a bank and uses his teleportation abilities to escape before he can be captured by the police. Sometime later the Vanisher tells the Government that he will be stealing top secret plans from them but he does not steal them straight away. Professor Xavier sends the X-Men to Washington DC so that they can prevent Vanisher from stealing the plans. Despite their best efforts the Vanisher escapes with the plans. Later the X-Men return to the mansion and argue amongst themselves about their failure but Professor Xavier becomes the voice of reason as he tells them that they did well considering their youth and lack of experience. At the same time Vanisher also offers to sell the plans back to the Government for ten million dollars. The next day Vanisher is on the lawn outside the White House along with an army of tommy gun wielding thugs but the X-Men are already there waiting for him along with Professor Xavier. As the Vanisher approaches Professor Xavier he uses his telepathic powers to wipe Vanisher’s memory and shortly after the X-Men are able to defeat the army of thugs. Professor Xavier congratulates the X-Men before telling them that the human mind is the most powerful weapon a person can wield.

My Thoughts
Does anyone remember the Vanisher? Only those who read the X-Men comics do. During the original run of the X-Men there were many villains that were introduced that have stood the test of time. Unfortunately the Vanisher is not one of those. His costume in this issue makes him look like a cobra but he is the first teleporting mutant introduced in the series paving the way for others like Nightcrawler and Blink. There is no reason given for why the X-Men were in costume at the start of the issue when they were outside, maybe they were on another mission I’m not sure. It was also funny to see Beast walking up a wall much like Spider-Man and it seemed funny to see Cyclops and Iceman reach the construction yard just when the wall was falling. It was like they had timed the entire thing. Also this issue states that the X-Men have a good relationship with the government and even Professor Xavier contacts a FBI agent directly. There is no way that the government would support the X-Men in anyway nowadays, not like they would with the Avengers or the Fantastic Four. Also in this issue we see Beast uncharacteristically overconfident which leads him to losing the top secret documents to Vanisher so I’m thinking that this is what led him to his more passive personality. At one point in this issue Professor Xavier is referred as Doctor X. I believe that Doctor X is actually the name of the main bad guy in the Action Man series. The issue is from the 60’s so back then they had to fit a lot more in an issue in comparison to today’s. Nowadays one part stories in a main series is quite uncommon, back then practically all issues back then were one shot stories. There were a few that were two part and even the odd three part stories. Back then a three part story was probably like a twelve part story now. At

Next Issue
X-Men (Vol 1) #3

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #3
Release Date- January 1964
Writer- Stan Lee
Artist- Jack Kirby

Major Notes
The first appearance of Fred Dukes/The Blob.

Brief Summary
The X-Men are in the middle of training session before Professor Xavier interrupts the session because he can sense another mutant. He sends the X-Men into New York in their civilian clothes so that they can find the mutant. The X-Men split up so that they can cover more ground. After a couple of false alarms Cyclops stubbles upon a carnival where he discovers the mutant that he has been looking for. A sideshow freak called the Blob demonstrates his mutant abilities to a crowd by making six men try and move him. The men are unsuccessful and a further demonstration of his abilities has a man fire a rifle at him but the bullets harmlessly bounce off him. After the show Cyclops approaches Blob to come and join the X-Men. At first the Blob rudely denies the request but when Jean shows up he is more than happy to go with the X-Men. At the mansion Professor Xavier tests the limits of the Blob’s strength and durability. After the tests are finished Professor Xavier offers Blob a place on the team which he refuses rudely. Professor Xavier decides that he must wipe Blob’s memory so that he can’t tell anyone about their location or identities. Despite the best efforts of the X-Men the Blob escapes and returns to the carnival. Now knowing that he is a mutant Blob takes over the carnival and makes the carnies his own personally henchmen so that they can attack the mansion and steal more secrets and technology. Professor Xavier senses the attack from afar and the X-Men engage in battle with the carnies on the front lawn of the mansion. Although the X-Men put up a good fight the carnies are able to overwhelm them and they enter the mansion to take down Professor Xavier. Although he is alone Xavier is not helpless and he uses his telepathic skills to help the X-Men escape. With the X-Men free they engage in with the carnies again but this time they are able to defeat them. With the Blob and carnies in close enough range Professor Xavier uses his telepathic skills to wipe their memories and they leave the mansion without a fuss. Blob returns to the carnival as a sideshow freak with no knowledge of the X-Men or what had happened at the mansion.

My Thoughts
An interesting issue with some things that raised my eyebrow. First off that Professor Xavier is in love with Jean Grey. That I had actually forgotten from the years after I read it but it does make it interesting. Professor Xavier and Jean had always seemed to have a father/daughter relationship rather than lovers. Also he’s much older than her so it would probably have been looked down upon if they got together (Like Colossus and Kitty Pryde’s relationship during the 1980’s). Also in this issue it shows Blob being far more intelligent and a bit shorter than future depictions. In this issue he is about six feet tall where now he is normally portrayed as being around eight. He seems to be quite intelligent and is able to lead a group of carnies to the mansion. He is normally depicted as stupid and easily outsmarted. They did get his mannerisms and aggression right and it is easy to see how he was a threat to the X-Men. The men of the X-Men are constantly fighting over Jean in this issue and it is also the first time that Cyclops is called Scott. We all know that Cyclops and Jean will eventually get married but for now he is too shy to talk to her. One last thing is that Professor Xavier seems to be very strict. I’ve never remembered him being so strict and quick to discipline the X-Men. They have certainly toned that down in more recent years.

Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #4

[lastplaneout]

Great start! I'll definitely be following!

I started my own read through about a year ago and have just now gotten to the present (or close to it at least). I think that the '60s and '90s can both end up being a little bit of a slog at times, but the '70s and '80s are just go from strength to strength. I didn't keep notes during my reading, and I kind of wish that I had now. So, I'll be very interested to see your opinions and get a refresher.

[a0040pc]

Thanks for reading. I wasn't sure if anyone was but as you can imagine it's, going to be a bit of a while before we get to the good stuff. Also I've been recently buying side appearances from the 70's. I need to buy a couple of Ms Marvel comics (The first appearances of Mystique) and the issue of Iron Fist where he fought the X-Men

[lastplaneout]

One of the fun things about a project like this is looking at all of the plot threads that got left dangling. When I started my read though, I hadn't read anything from 1963 until 2012 or so. So, when I reached the "Professor X loves Jean Grey" plot point I said to myself, "I'm glad they never developed this plot line any further, because it's gross." Of course, I was in for a surprise when I reached Onslaught.

[JackalsIII]

Thanks for reading. I wasn't sure if anyone was but as you can imagine it's, going to be a bit of a while before we get to the good stuff. Also I've been recently buying side appearances from the 70's. I need to buy a couple of Ms Marvel comics (The first appearances of Mystique) and the issue of Iron Fist where he fought the X-Men

Plus Iron Fist 14, which is Sabretooth's first appearance! I'll be curious how much Mystique's and Sabretooth's first appearances cost nowadays. Mystique's has to be expensive.

Keep track of the view count, that'll be your best estimate of how many people are reading each new post. We got some lurkers amongst us.

[a0040pc]

Thanks for that. I actually recently bought a reprint of Iron Fist 14 so I'm fine for that one. I really can't wait to get to the eighties

[JackalsIII]

Thanks for that. I actually recently bought a reprint of Iron Fist 14 so I'm fine for that one. I really can't wait to get to the eighties

Reminds me of early Uncanny X-Cast episodes when they use to talk about how they will never get to the 90s and now five years later (they are not the fastest at turning out episodes) they finally got to the Genosha storyline in the 90s.

[a0040pc]

I'll have to watc those at some point