X-Men Read Through

[AbnormallyNormal]

"Havok runs into the hut to change into his costume but by the time he returns Hulk has captured Lorna and jumped away."

That made me laugh lol ;-P

[a0040pc]

I says it like I sees them

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- Amazing Adventure (Volume 2) #11
Release Date-March 1972
Writer- Gerry Conway
Artist- Tom Suiton

Major Notes
Beast gains his more ape like appearance and blue hair

Brief Summary

The Beast

A creature with ape like features and blue hair covering his skin is watching what seems to be a guard entering a genetic research lab. After following him for some time the creature realises that the man isn’t a guard but a spy trying to steal the secrets of the facility. The creature confronts the spy who is absolutely terrified of him. The creature knocks the man down but he gets up and begins to fire a gun at him. The shots do hit the creature but it does little to stop him and he even speaks much to the surprise of the spy. Their fight takes them outside of the building where they are confronted by armed soldiers. The creature is able to leap away and hide but because the Spy shoots at the soldiers he himself is shot dead by the soldiers. The creature is saddened by the Spy’s death and wishes that it had never happened.

The creature enters the lab of Doctor Hank McCoy but as he enters he realises what the time is and he quickly moves over to a genetic indicator to check his energy level. Much as he fears his energy levels are too high and the process that has turned him into this creature is irreversible. Enraged he picks up a photograph in a frame and throws it at a wall causing it to smash. The picture is of that of the X-Men and the creature’s identity is revealed as Hank McCoy himself also known more famously around the world as Beast of the X-Men.

Beast’s mind begins to flashback to the events that led to these tragic events. Beast says his goodbyes to his friends the X-Men as he leaves to take a job at Brand Corporation where he can study genetic mutations. He is sad to go but feels that he can do good there researching mutant genetics and the rest of the team wave goodbye to him as he drives away.

When Beast starts at Brand Corporation he meets the beautiful Miss Linda Donaldson and the seemingly ill-tempered Professor Maddicks. Maddicks doesn’t want to work with Beast but is somewhat quelled when he heard that the two would be working separately. Over time Beast and Linda begin to date and after a short amount of time even fall in love with one another.

Beast is jumping around in his apartment with joy over falling for Linda. He is in his X-Men costume and decides to have an exercise by leaping over several nearby buildings. He even accidentally scares an unwitting man along the way.

Weeks later Beast is researching in his lab when Maddicks enters. Not willing to share the fruits of his research Beast tells Maddicks to leave but before he does Maddicks threatens Beast that he has a lot of influence in the corporation and that he can make life difficult for the young man. But over time Beast does develop a hormonal extract which is the chemical that causes mutations. He is unaware that he is being watched and as he runs to tell his superior he overhears Maddicks on the phone to someone. He tells the person that they need to break into Beast’s lab and take whatever he has created. They plan to raid the place in thirty five minutes, roughly that time after Beast has supposedly left his lab. Beast races back to his lab and begins to think about the next cause of action. He figures that he cannot reveal himself as Beast due to the fact that his build is very recognisable. He can no longer hide out at Xavier’s school either.

Beast looks to the chemical that he has just created and thinks that if he drinks it he will transform into something else and be unrecognisable. The serum is only supposed to last for a short amount of time so he doesn’t fear about remaining in the form for too long. With some reluctance Beast drinks the formula and transforms into a more ape like appearance but his clothes are destroyed in the process only leaving a loin cloth around his groin. With the transformation complete he thinks that no one will recognise him now and he leaps through the window to find the spy who will be raiding his lab. But after the events with the spy he discovers in his lab that the chemical has affected his metabolic time sense and that the hour will now last a life time.

As Beast’s mind reverts back to the present he is enraged at Professor Maddicks for causing the events that led to his ape like appearance and leaps towards where the man is located. Professor Maddicks is located in a building and is surrounded by armed guards who know that he was up to no good. Suddenly Beast breaks through the door and attempts to grab Maddicks. The guards try to overwhelm him but he brushes them aside. One of the soldiers fires at Beast but the bullets have no effect on him and he continues his attack. Beast is able to get his hands on Maddicks and he begins to strangle him. But he realises the error of his actions before it is too late. He realises that Maddicks is not to blame but it is himself who is at fault. He thought that he could wipe out his agony by killing the man but he realises that nothing would change.
Beast escapes the room but as Maddicks climbs to his feet he is confronted by a mysterious stranger. The stranger tells him that he has failed their master and that they are there to replace him. Maddicks pleads for his life but the stranger tells him that there is no excuse for incompetence. But as the killing shot is fired the stranger is revealed to be Linda Donaldson and she calmly walks away from the scene.

My Thoughts

I’ll start off with saying that this is an extremely important comic book for the character Beast. It actually changes him and the effects are still seen today as he is still walking around blue and furry, although his appearance has been altered a couple of times over the years (the more cat like form in New X-Men and his recent mutation into again looking more ape) it has basically stuck. If I had read the issue back when it was first released I would have thought that the transformation would have been temporary and that Beast with his great knowledge would eventually discover a cure. But the fact that it has remained just shows how important it is to the character. Beast is even more recognisable in this state rather than looking normal and many people who I have spoke to who somewhat like the X-Men but didn’t know the ins and outs didn’t realise that the character at one point actually looked human. There was a period where he did actually look human again during the mid to late 80’s but the fact that he changed back only showed that he was more popular this way rather than being human. In fact in almost all of Beast’s portrayals in media he is shown being blue and furry and in many of them he is never seen as looking human.

The issue itself is actually spoken from the second person POV throughout its entirety and it made the read almost feel surreal. It shows the torment that Beast is experiencing over what has happened to him and it shows great character as he realises that he will look this way for the rest of his life. He even has a chance to actually kill the man who he blamed for his predicament but he showed that the man prevailed.

His story into actually leaving the X-Men and becoming a full-fledged scientist was actually believable and it seemed to be what the character truly wanted. I feel that Marvel were trying to make him a breakout character since the X-Men series was cancelled and they wanted him to join the Avengers. They probably thought that being stuck in limbo was not right for character and the next few issues was to juice him up before joining the Avengers. I’d also like to point out that Beast doesn’t actually officially re-join the X-Men until X-Men (Volume 2) #1 that came out almost 20 years later. He has helped the X-Men out from time to time and even been part of the spin off series X-Factor along with the other original members of the X-Men he doesn’t properly re-join them until that issue.

The only thing I really didn’t get in the issue was about the whole clock thing. Maybe the serum had a different effect on him since he was already a mutant but that kind of went over my head. Maybe it’ll take someone more intelligent than I to understand it or even properly explain it to me but I thought that part could have been done better.
The ending to it felt really like a Cold War spy thriller where one spy kills another. The second spy being someone that you didn’t expect and it does set it up for further stories. It was a very interesting twist and had a hint of the Twilight Zone to it.

One other side note to me is that this is the first issue that I’ve reviewed that actually was in colour. The version that I read is from the Marvel Milestones series and this particular issue was released in 2005 along. I didn’t actually buy this for Beast but rather for Kitty Pryde since she has the second spotlight in the issue. Her showcase issue is Uncanny X-Men #153 but I will review that one in due time.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. This was both for story and historical significance although the whole clock thing did knock a couple of points off for me.

Next Issue
Amazing Adventures (Volume 2) #12

[JackalsIII]

I own this comic via Marvel Milestones: Beast & Kitty Pryde. It has Uncanny X-Men 153 - as the Kitty segment.

[a0040pc]

Yeah that's how I first read the issue. As I said I will review UXM #153 in due time (About 3 months by my estimation)

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- Amazing Adventures (Second series) #12
Release Date- May 1972
Writer- Steve Englehart
Artist- Tom Sutton

Major Notes
Features Beast and Iron Man

Brief Summary

Ironman: D.O.A

Beast is standing on top of a building watching over some armed soldiers who are looking for him. He begins to remember the events that have led to him gaining his more ape like appearance before feeling a mind probe. The probe is originating from Professor Xavier who is trying to reach out to his former student. At first Beast wants to be found by Xavier but he thinks that he can solve his problem by himself and angrily refuses him. Jean who is with Xavier at the time does want to find Beast but she is told after what happened in Las Vegas with the Hulk that there is a lot of anti-mutant hysteria and that they should lay low.

Beast begins to think about how he can continue on with his life and he leaps to the public library and picks up a book about the Art of Make Up. He then makes his way to a costume shop and picks up modelling wax and a wig. He notices how comfortable he is in his new form in opposed to the time that he was with the X-Men.
When Beast returns to his apartment he uses the modelling wax to create a mask with the exact likeliness of his old face along with latex, human looking gloves. Next he uses straps to try and hide his build but that process is more difficult than he planned but he is eventually able to succeed. After he has completed his task Beast climbs into bed and falls asleep.

The next morning he returns to Brand Incorporated in his disguise and a couple of his colleagues comment that they missed him yesterday. He just comments that he had a cold before returning to his lab. He is so fixated on finding a cure to his condition that he angrily rejects visitors but eventually his boss calls him telling him that a V.I.P is coming to his lab. Beast cannot refuse him and allows the visitor to come.

A few minutes later Beast’s boss comes down to his lab along with Tony Stark who people do not suspect is Iron Man and his fiancée Marianne Rodgers. Tony comments how he is looking into his company Stark Industries looking into other fields and he says that he is impressed with Beast’s genetic research. At that moment Linda Donaldson enters the lab to ask Beast out for lunch and he introduces her as his assistant. They don’t suspect that she is a spy and she is glad that the creature didn’t find her the previous night or else her cover would have been blown.

Linda sees that Beast is busy and leaves but Marianne picks up some bad vibes from her and tells her fears to Tony. Beast overhears and reacts with anger causing the couple to leave. But Tony Stark believes her intuition since she has telepathic abilities and decides to visit the site later as Iron Man. Beast himself decides to catch up with Linda so that they can have lunch together. He wants to kiss her but because of his rubber mask he doesn’t want his secret to be revealed.
That night Beast takes off his disguise and tries to vent his frustration of the day by having some exercise. The disguise was very uncomfortable and he feels more at home in his natural form rather than being disguised. He reaches Brand Corporation where he is confronted by Iron Man. The Avenger wants to talk but Beast is convinced that he is after Linda and wants to defend her as best as he can. Beast is in no mood to listen and strikes Iron Man causing the pair to engage in combat. As Beast begins to get an advantage Iron Man is able to blind him with a bright light from his chest piece. The dazed Beast is beaten down by Iron Man but during the fight Beast could actually feel himself losing his mind and becoming more animalistic.

At that point a group of soldiers arrive with Linda. But when they realise who he is they stand down and Iron Man begins to think that Linda is actually a good person and that Marianne might have gotten things wrong. But suddenly Beast attacks Iron Man from behind and the soldiers begin to shoot him. Their bullets do strike Beast but he heals from them instantly. Fixated on Iron Man Beast leaps towards him and tackles the Avenger. He vows that after he has killed Iron Man that he will kill the rest of them as well. He begins to choke Iron Man as he gives into his bloodlust and then throws the Avenger to one side. He then swats away the other soldiers but when he checks on Iron Man he sees that he is dead. Realising what he has done Beast leaps away thinking that he has truly become a monster.

But at the scene Iron Man is completely thin and it seems that Beast had been in a trance for some seconds before jumping away. Linda asks him if he will go after Beast but Iron Man declines. He says that he saw the human part of him while they were fighting and that Iron Man would only complicate things further.
In the nearby woods evil mutants Mastermind, Unus and the Blob are there carrying out their plan. Mastermind is the one responsible for Beast thinking that he had killed Iron Man and now that he thinks that he is a killer Mastermind is convinced that Beast will join the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

My Thoughts

I’ll start off by saying that this issues shows something about Beast which is rarely touched upon. The issue shows that he is struggling with the animalistic side of himself and this is something that really isn’t shown in the comics anymore. Now when most people think about an X-Man fighting their animalistic side they would automatically think of Wolverine. But in fact it seems that Beast has his own demons although nowadays it has mostly been ignored whether it is because Beast has somehow conquered that side of him or they just choose to ignore it.

Something else much like Wolverine Beast seems to have healing powers which I think again have mostly been forgotten. At this moment in time they seem to be even more powerful than Wolverine’s since he instantly recovers from bullet wounds, something that takes Wolverine a few additional seconds if not minutes. In theory if they had kept this they would have made him more powerful than Wolverine himself. Maybe Beast was the prelude to what was going to become the most recognisable character of the X-Men franchise.

About the issue itself it was good and does have a very horror kind of feel to it which was popular at the time. Beast’s appearance in these issues are more monstrous than he does in future ones, from the text I somewhat think that maybe they wanted to turn him into a full on monster since he is losing his large vocabulary. I think that maybe his appearance was also based on the popularity of the Planet Of The Apes film series which was really big at the time. Marvel probably decided that they needed their own ape character and rather than creating a new one out of thin air that they would take one of their limbo characters and do it instead.

Iron Man’s role in this was somewhat needed but not wholly necessary in my view. I didn’t realise that he was engaged to someone but I could have seen it happening and the fact that his fiancée has powers as well only makes it more interesting. The fact that she was able to pick up on Linda was impressive but made me wonder why she didn’t pick up on Beast. Maybe her powers work differently and because I know nothing about the character I can’t really elaborate.

The appearance of the Brotherhood at the end was very well placed but I am surprised that Mastermind called them the Brotherhood of ‘Evil’ Mutants. I would have thought that they didn’t view themselves as being evil much like other terrorist groups do. I don’t think they would have ever considered themselves as being evil but just making mutants superior. In their mind that wouldn’t be evil but just nature.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. Still a good read but not quite as good as the previous issue.

Next Issue
Amazing Adventures (Second Series) #13

[AbnormallyNormal]

They brought back the grey fur in mid 1990s during Age of Apocalypse for Dark Beast

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- Amazing Adventures (Second Series) #13
Release Date- July 1972
Writer- Steve Englehart
Artist- Tom Sutton

Major Notes
Briefly features Patsy Walker aka Hellcat

Brief Summary

Evil Is All In Your Mind

In the woods the Brotherhood of Mutants consisting of Mastermind, Blob and Unus are seeing an illusion of the Beast. Mastermind goes over how he used his illusion abilities to make Beast believe that he had killed Iron Man. He wishes to control Beast and bend him to his will.
Moments later Beast is travelling through the wood when a wall of fire suddenly appears in front of him. Instinctively he runs away from the fire. He is forced towards the Brotherhood and after a brief scuffle they are able to subdue him. The fire was merely one of Mastermind’s illusions and the villain attempts to recruit Beast to the Brotherhood. He explains how mutants are superior to humans and that by ruling that there would be peace for both humans and mutants. Beast’s mind is a mess and in his confusion he agrees to join the Brotherhood. His memories are lost in his confusion.

Beast is taken to a nearby carnival where the Brotherhood are operating from. He explains that it is a haven for people with physical abnormalities and that he will simply seem to be a sideshow freak while they pursue greater goals.

Meanwhile at Brand Corporation Captain Baxter arrives with his wife Patsy so they can find out what exactly is going on there. They are allowed in and are met up with the company’s owner. They walk towards the lab and the owner begins to explain about the appearance of Beast and the murder of Professor Maddicks. They travel to Beast’s lab and find that he is missing, they suspect that he has been met with foul play.

They move onto the office of Beast’s assistant Linda and she is surprised to see them. When Captain Baxter is introduced at first she thinks that her cover has been blown but when she finds out that Beast is missing she is somewhat relieved. But she will have failed her mission if Beast is killed or has gone missing. She acts like she is truly concerned about him and she answers a couple of routine questions before Captain Baxter and the others leave.

A short time later Baxter and Patsy travel to Beast’s apartment unaware of the various masks and make up accessories inside. No one answers the door and Baxter is on the verge of entering using a skeleton key but Patsy stops him since they don’t have a warrant. But while they leave their apartment their conversation is overhead by a mysterious woman and as they drive away the woman steps out from the shadows but she fears that if Beast is missing then her life might be over.

Outside a townhouse in the Upper East Side the Brotherhood along with Beast are preparing to sneak in and steal the largest diamond in the world. It is Beast’s responsibility to actually get the diamond and Mastermind explains that it is all part of a greater plan. He does plan to sell it to jewellers and that they would examine the real diamond but actually take away an illusion. Beast begins to have second thoughts but Unus and Blob move closer to him and a combination of their powers launches him into the air. With great acrobatic skills Beast is able to make his way through a window and sees the jewel behind a painting. It is placed behind electrical beams and with much concentration Beast is able to put his hand through the gap and grab the jewel. But throughout the process he begins to suspect that what he is doing is wrong.

When Beast leaps back outside he lands on a wire and tells Mastermind that there is no good cause to steal such a diamond. In anger Mastermind conjures up an illusion of a great monster which forces Beast to the ground. By doing this Mastermind has dropped the illusion which kept the team invisible and people around see them. Mastermind creates another monster which frightens people away and masks their escape.

The Brotherhood and Beast return to the carnival and while the Brotherhood examine the diamond Beast’s memories fully return to him and he attacks them. Blob and Unus once again combine their powers to launch Beast directly into the air and through the roof of the caravan that they are in. But when Beast lands he destroys the caravan before confronting Blob and Unus again. He sees that he is no match for them in a straight up fight. He lures them both into a cage and when both evil mutants are inside he is able to knock over Unus onto Blob and then lock the door. Due to Unus’s powers the pair are bouncing inside the cage and are incapacitated.

Beast turns his attentions are turned to Mastermind who has fled into the woods. When Beast confronts him Mastermind attempts to create more illusions but the X-Man sees through him and begins to step closer. Mastermind begins to lose his mind as Beast rips his cloak and shouts ‘ANY MORE TRICKS MASTERMIND?’ Mastermind is now defeated and is nothing more than a gibbering wreck. Beast sits his defeated enemy at a lamppost and calls the police to pick him up. While Mastermind continues to gibber away Beast calmly walks away leaving his enemy to the authorities to deal with.

My Thoughts

This issue had the interesting twist of having Beast temporarily lose his memories and join the Brotherhood. Having Mastermind lead the team wasn’t exactly the best choice in my view. I’m not faulting the writer for this at all and was probably done on purpose to show how incompetent he was as a leader. Mastermind is more of an underling rather than a leader and although his powers are impressive he himself is a weak willed man and can be easily defeated if you get past his illusions. (Reminds me a bit of a lesson from Enter The Dragon).

Beast does show his acrobatic skills quite well since he was able to leap into the building and steal the diamond, something that practically no one else (maybe Spider-Man) could do. Although he is very confused at the start of the issue it is good to see that he was able to snap out of it and realise that what he was doing was wrong. His tenure with the Brotherhood was short and hardly memorable but he is the first member of the X-Men to have had some ties with a villainous group despite the briefness of his membership.

The issue also features two B characters from the back pages of Marvel. Captain Baxter better known as the future Villain Mad Dog and his soon to be ex-wife Patsy Walker who many know as Hellcat. Many people don’t realise that Patsy has been around since the 40’s or 50’s when Marvel mainly did romance comics. Back then she wasn’t a superheroine but merely a woman looking for love and competing against a rival. But I won’t go into much detail about her since this is an X-Men blog.

I can’t actually remember who the mysterious woman is who appears but I now that she plays a pivotal role in some of the future issues of Amazing Adventures and has some ties to Beast afterwards. It will be nice to be reintroduced to her and find out more about her background and why exactly she wants Beast.

The final battle between Beast and the Brotherhood was well thought through but I’m not sure how Beast was able to touch Unus as he leaped over him and knocked him into Blob. Maybe because he wasn’t trying to punch him maybe he was able to get through Unus’s force field. The last bit with Mastermind only furthered my belief that Mastermind is a weak man. Although for now he seems to be mediocre he will raise up during the X-Men’s most infamous adventure but that is still a few years away from now.

In conclusion I’m giving this issue an overall 6 out of 10. It wasn’t as exciting as some of the other issues but it was satisfactory.

Next Issue
Marvel Team-Up (Volume 1) #4

[JackalsIII]

Yeah that's how I first read the issue. As I said I will review UXM #153 in due time (About 3 months by my estimation)

You did type that, sorry, I must have overlooked that line.

Three months, that's a commitment!

[a0040pc]

You did type that, sorry, I must have overlooked that line.

Three months, that's a commitment!

Three months is nothing. I'm planning on having this blog last for 2 years. Eventually I'll get to Excalibur and the Wolverine solo series along with New Mutants and X-Factor.

[JackalsIII]

Three months is nothing. I'm planning on having this blog last for 2 years. Eventually I'll get to Excalibur and the Wolverine solo series along with New Mutants and X-Factor.

That would be amazing!

[a0040pc]

For X-Factor I am only going to #70 and New Mutants #54. I do have some odd New Mutants issues mainly either part of an epic storyline (E.G. FOTM, Inferno, XA) or featuring Kitty Pryde

[Goggindowner]

I actually just reached the point in my read through where New Mutants starts. Been going back and forth, but I think I'm gonna pick it up.

[AbnormallyNormal]

I have devolved guys. I got "stranded" on my read-through around 1985/1986. Couldnt bear to keep up with New Mutants and I started hardcore skimming through XFactor issues lol. Also I've been checking out like collections for storylines later on just out of curiosity. I'm probably only at Uncanny 210s still sadly enough.

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- Marvel Team-Up (Volume 1) #4
Release Date- September 1972
Writer- Gerry Conway
Artist- Gil Kane

Major Notes
Features the X-Men

Brief Summary

And Then… The X-Men!

Peter Parker is asleep in bed and having a nightmare about the villain Morbius. He is crying out in his sleep and he suddenly wakes up and sees his friend Harry Osborn standing over him. He is concerned about his friend since he has been feverish, he recommends taking Peter to a doctor but he is assured that all he needs is rest. After he forcefully makes Harry leave the room Peter changes into his Spider-Man costume so that he can locate Morbius who has been laying low since their last confrontation. He knows that most likely Morbius will turn up at the office of Professor Hans Jorgenson.

At that time at the office of Hans Jorgenson the Professor is looking over some notes that could lead to a cure for leukaemia but the effects on the patient is unthinkable. He begins to think whether this has a link to his missing student Michael Morbius. Suddenly Morbius breaks through the window and confronts Hans. He recognises the vampire as his student but is knocked out before he can do anything about it. Morbius picks up Hans and flies away so that he can make him find a cure for his condition since the possible leukaemia cure is what turned him into a vampire.

Below Hans’s neighbour hears the commotion and she leaves her apartment and walks up the stairs to talk to him. At that time Spider-Man arrives in the office and begins to look over Hans’s notes. When the neighbour makes it to the office and sees Spider-Man she faints leaving the wall-crawler no choice but to flee.

The next morning at the X-Mansion Professor Xavier is reading the front page of the Daily Bugle which states that Spider-Man has kidnaped Hans. He is a dear friend of Xavier’s and he uses his telepathy to tell the X-Men to assemble. Angel and Iceman are in the middle of a training session, Jean is reading a book and Cyclops is taking a walk through the garden. Xavier does reach out to Beast but because of his current activities he cannot attend and so only four of the X-Men turn up Xavier’s study.

When the team is assembled Xavier explains that his friend Hans has seemingly been kidnapped by Spider-Man and that the team have to find the costumed superhero and bring him back to the mansion. The X-Men agree and they must also not harm him if possible. As the team leave Xavier sits there hoping that the values that he has taught them will make them good people.

Seven hours later Spider-Man is web-slinging through New York, he is still unwell and his fever is getting worse. He is suddenly attacked by Angel and then eventually Iceman. Spider-Man is able to fend off both of the X-Men but on a nearby roof Cyclops fires optic beams at him but he is able to dodge them. After taking down Iceman, Jean is able to trap Spider-Man in a telekinetic bubble but he suddenly collapses and the team become concerned for his health.

Sometime later the still unconscious Spider-Man has been taken back to the mansion where he is being examined by Xavier. As the X-Men’s mentor probes Spider-Man’s mind he learns that the true enemy is Morbius and that Spider-Man is innocent of in the kidnapping of Hans. He also discovers that Spider-Man is dying due to toxin in his blood that was part of a cure for when he had six arms. Morbius is the key to the cure and the team have to find him immediately.

Back in New York Morbius is hiding out in an abandoned building. Hans is still unconscious and Morbius is tempted on feeding on him. But he knows that he needs Hans alive so he goes out into the night to find prey. After a short while he discovers two low lives in a back alley. He attacks them and as he starts to feed on them the screams attract the attention of Angel who is flying close by.

Angel immediately flies down to the ground where the other X-Men are waiting and tells them what he has heard. The team race to the alley and when they arrive they discover Morbius still feeding on one of his victims. The team engage in battle with the Morbius but the vampire seems to be fending them off. Eventually however the team do begin to get the upper hand so Morbius grabs Jean and holds her hostage. He threatens to kill her if they get any closer but Cyclops fires an optic beam that ricochets off a mirror and strikes Morbius without harming Jean. It is enough to knock the vampire out and through Xavier’s instructions Jean scans his mind and discovers the location of Hans. Angel is ordered to take Morbius back to the mansion while the others find Hans.

Sometime later Spider-Man wakes up in the mansion and sees that he is hooked onto a machine along with Morbius. At first he is confused but the now conscious Hans explains that the toxins in Spider-Man’s systems was killing him, only through Morbius’s blood, Xavier’s equipment and his own intellect that they were able to save the hero. Spider-Man thanks the X-Men for their efforts and they tell him that it was Jean who was the true hero since she was the one who was able to locate Hans. Spider-Man rushes forward and gives her a kiss before bolting out of the window while the X-Men watch on.

My Thoughts

This is the first of about five issues of Marvel Team-Up which will be reviewed in this blog. For those who don’t know the series it was basically Spider-Man teaming up with a superhero or team in each issue. The majority of the stories were only an issue long while some lasted longer. Over the run Spider-Man teamed up with the most A and several B characters from the Marvel Universe. As far as I know he teamed up with the X-Men at least three times during the series and with several individual members (Including Nightcrawler and Kitty Pryde which will be reviewed in due time). I don’t think he ever teamed up with Wolverine by himself at any point but they have had plenty of team ups since.

The issue itself wasn’t absolutely spectacular but it was still enough to be an entertaining read. It is not the first time that the X-Men have tackled Spider-Man but this issue didn’t seem to have the team teaming up with him. It was more like a case of mistaken identity and then the X-Men had to save Spider-Man’s life. I wish that it had of been a proper team up rather than the latter but at least it showed that the X-Men were still together during their cancellation years although the fates of Lorna and Havok remain uncertain since neither of them are in the issue. Maybe they’re still travelling back from the events of Incredible Hulk #150.

I did notice that when the X-Men were suited up that they were wearing their original costumes rather than the newer, individual costumes. I seriously think that this is an artistic mistake but I can’t see how that could have happened since the team haven’t worn the costumes for 4 years by that point. Maybe since they are wearing them in the reprinted X-Men comics that they wanted to link the two series up. I did think that Jean’s hair was a little too straight but again this is artistic preferences.

The whole story wasn’t too bad and it gives the feeling that Morbius is another reluctant villain. I know that in the future that he’ll be considered a hero but for now he is giving into his hunger. I only really know the character from the 90s Spider-Man animated series.

I also considered just how many friends Xavier had. He seems to have many in all different types of places. It just goes to show that he is a popular guy and that he knows that if he needs help with anything within a certain field that he has a friend who can help him out.

I do question why Angel was topless through the majority of the issue when the others were wearing their civilian clothes. It could be so that he could actually use his wings since he wasn’t wearing a costume that had holes in the back. It does have a very Hawkman feel to it and I’m glad that the look didn’t last although his body did remind me a bit of Arnie.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 6 out of 10. If it had been a proper team up I think it would have been better.

Next Issue
Amazing Adventures (Volume 2) #14