X-Men Read Through

[a0040pc]

The very first post of this blog had the graphic novels I was going through. I not sure right now in exactly which order I'm going to read them all but I'm using www.uncannyxmen.net to look at all the different release dates and try and work it in there. Thank you for reading, I didn't know that people actually liked this blog since I wasn't really getting too much feedback but hearing words of inspiration makes me wanna continue this blog more than ever.

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #12
Release Date- July 1965
Writer- Stan Lee
Artist- Jack Kirby

Major Notes
First appearance of the Juggernaut

Brief Summary
The X-Men respond to Cerebro’s eardrum bursting siren as each of them enter Professor Xavier’s office. He tells the X-Men that Cerebro only makes that sound when it detects a very powerful being and that there is only one person that it could be. He then tells the X-Men to go outside the mansion and set up further defences. Iceman creates a thick wall around the mansion while Cyclops, Beast and Jean create a trench booby trapped with live electrical wires. Cyclops and Beast also create mortar like positions filled with grenades before the X-Men return to the mansion. Professor Xavier reveals that the menace is his own brother. He starts to explain that after his father died in an atomic blast in New Mexico his mother remarried a man named Doctor Marko who didn’t actually love her and only wanted her money. After a short while Marko’s son Cain from a previous marriage moves into the mansion and he has aggression. Back in the present Cerebro sounds again but even louder as the enemy draws near. The entire mansion shakes as the enemy breaks through Iceman’s extremely strong ice wall. Professor Xavier continues his tale as he tells them that his mother died and that he overhears Doctor Marko and Cain discussing about the death of Professor Xavier’s father. The young Xavier confronts the pair and in anger Cain topples over many test tubes filled with chemicals that are on a table nearby. The mixing of the chemicals causes a powerful explosion to occur. Doctor Marko is able to carry both Xavier and Cain out of the house but he succumbs to his injuries but not before telling Xavier to beware of Cain. Professor Xavier breaks his tale as the enemy falls into the trench and electrocuted but he is able to snap the cable without injury. Professor Xavier continues his tale on how due to his mutant abilities he excelled in school both athletically and intellectually. Jealous of all of Xavier’s trophies Cain begins to destroy them and Xavier is forced to defend himself. Sometime later Cain is driving Xavier in a car but he is driving erratically in hopes to scare his step-brother. Xavier uses his abilities to make Cain jump out just before they go through a detour but Xavier is in the car as it crashes. Xavier reveals that he was able to survive and that it didn’t cause him to become a paraplegic. At that time the enemy reaches the mortars filled with gas grenades. Although all the grenades release the sleeping glass it doesn’t stop him. Xavier’s tale fast forwards to the Korean War, both Xavier and Cain are serving in the army but Cain flees into a cave to hide out the rest of the war. Xavier tries to stop him but inside the cave Cain discovers the gem of Cyttorak that transforms him into a human juggernaut. The transformation initiates a cave in and Xavier is just able to escape but Cain is not so lucky. In the present the enemy destroys the mortars and the X-Men rise up a steel inner wall. Although the wall is strong the enemy is able to break through it easily and Iceman creates a wall that shields the X-Men from the flying metal shards. The enemy then breaks through the ice shield and the X-Men attack him. The enemy swats the X-Men away and he has Professor Xavier to himself. This is when Xavier fully realises that his brother Cain is the enemy and has become the Juggernaut.

My Thoughts
So this issue introduces a villain who will always be associated with the X-Men (although he has tussled with many of Marvel’s A-Team). Where villains like the Vanisher and Unus the Untouchable have failed the Juggernaut has succeeded. I don’t think the X-Men of today would truly be the same if Juggernaut wasn’t around. He’s a guy who actually took on the Hulk and matched him for strength. That is a feat that not many people can say. Professor Xavier’s backstory was very well written and it was funny to see Xavier actually being a sports star, physical activities isn’t really something that you’d associate with him but it was nice to see his youth. For Cain Marko aka the Juggernaut right from the get go you can see that he has some sort of aggression problem that his father seemed to ignore. I think if his father had taken more notice he probably would have sent him to counselling or something like that to try and control his anger. All this trouble would have been avoided. Also a sign of the times that this story was written shows that Xavier and Cain served in Korea. For those who don’t know their history the Korea War took place between 1950 and 1953, if the story had been written twenty years later most likely the brothers would have served in Vietnam. If it was today then most likely it would have been Afghanistan or maybe Iraq. If the Marvel timeline ran with the rest of us both Xavier and Cain would in their 80’s easily maybe even pushing into their 90’s. Through the issue the Juggernaut is shadowed so that you can’t fully see him and I think that the big reveal in the last panel was very well played out. It also makes the first time that a story is stretched over two issues, something that was quite rare back in the 60’s but extremely common today. If the story had been written today this would probably be a four or six issue story but back then they needed to compress the story as much as possible. It’s also a first that we’ve seen the X-Men so overwhelmed by a single opponent that the Juggernaut was able to swat them away. Too bad that the Juggernaut doesn’t have Vinnie Jones’s English accent and the famous line from both the movie and internet web series. Also in addition as requested I’m going to start rate the comics out of 10. For this one I give it a solid 8 because of the set up and the fact that it introduces such a classic X-Men villain who even at one point was a member of the team. Stay tuned for the next part of this epic tale.

Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #13

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #13
Release Date- September 1965
Writer- Stan Lee
Artist- Jack Kirby

Major Notes
First time a member of the Fantastic Four appears in an X-Men comic.

Brief Summary
Continuing on from the previous issue the Juggernaut is standing in front of Professor Xavier. The X-Men have been knocked down and Juggernaut uses aura of strength to push Xavier back. Professor Xavier attempts to attack Juggernaut’s mind but his helmet protects him from the attack. Jean lifts Juggernaut up in the air with her telepathy while Cyclops creates a deep pit for her to throw him into. With the moment of respite the Professor Xavier, Iceman, Angel and Jean retreat to Xavier’s office where he has an amplifier. He uses the amplifier to call out for help against the Juggernaut. In the pit Juggernaut begins to climb out and Cyclops fires his optic blasts to try and stop him. Juggernaut burrows underneath him and comes up from underneath. Cyclops and Angel attempt to attack Juggernaut but they are causing no damage. Professor Xavier’s mental cries for help reach a Teen Brigade and the thoughts of Matt Murdock aka Daredevil. He is too busy in court to be able to respond. Juggernaut continue to gets closer to Professor Xavier’s office so Beast and Iceman go out to try and slow him down. Juggernaut is able to subdue Angel and as he is going up the stairs but Iceman freezes them causing him to slip. Professor Xavier’s mental calls for help reaches Johnny Storm aka the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four but he thinks that it might be a trick because it is close to an important wedding. Iceman freezes Juggernaut in a block of ice but he is easily able to break free. Beast attacks Juggernaut and is able to loosen his helmet. Juggernaut is able to grab Beast’s foot and is able to seriously sprain it. Beast is still able to get away and Juggernaut follows, he accidentally breaks through into the Danger Room which Beast quickly activates. Moments later the Danger Room throws everything it has at Juggernaut but he is able to rip the equipment apart. A giant roller makes its way towards Juggernaut but he is able to stop it and throw it back at Beast. The X-Man is able to get out the way but hits his head and knocks himself out. Professor Xavier finally convinces the Human Torch that the call is real and he flies towards the mansion. Just when Juggernaut reaches Professor Xavier the Human Torch flies in and begins to attack the Juggernaut with little effect. Xavier mentally commands Angel to return to his office which he does with some effort. After his attacks fail Professor Xavier tells the Human Torch to blind Juggernaut which he does with a bright flare. With the Juggernaut blinded Angel is able to fly over and remove his helmet. Professor Xavier immediately attacks Juggernaut’s mind again and it takes two mental blasts to put the big man down. He then thanks the Human Torch for his assistance but then erases his memory before allowing him to leave. A short time later the male X-Men are all in hospital like beds recovering from their injuries while Jean nurses them back to health. Professor Xavier congratulates the X-Men but as they ask for a reward he tells them that they still need to clean the mansion up.

My Thoughts
This issue is the first one to be the second part of a two part story arc, something that was unheard of in the X-Men comics at the time. It just shows how deadly an enemy that the Juggernaut is if they felt that he needed two parts. The fact that everything the X-Men tried to do to stop the Juggernaut seemed to fail made the situation seem very dire for the X-Men. Never has a single opponent taken down the X-Men with such little effort. If the X-Men hadn’t been able to stop the Juggernaut there would have been absolutely nothing that could have stopped him. To watch the X-Men brushed aside like that just showed how powerful the Juggernaut truly was. If Daredevil had of actually come to help I don’t think he would have been much help. Because let’s face it Daredevil vs Juggernaut is an extremely one sided fight. All of Daredevil’s senses and agility would not have helped against someone with such raw power. He would have splattered him like a pancake but sorry I digress. I know that this little thoughts is a bit short in comparison to the others but there was so much action and not much I can really say about it. Kirby’s art was brilliant although it does look outdated nowadays but I don’t think there is a comic book artist who has not been influenced by him. All in all it’s a great issue and also sees the first time that any FF character appeared with the X-Men later on I will go through the Fantastic Four vs X-Men LS from 1987 but sadly that is some time away but it gives us something to look forward to. For this issue again I’d give it an 8 out of 10.

Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #14

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #14
Release Date- November 1965
Writer- Stan Lee
Artist- Jack Kirby

Major Notes
First appearance of Bolivar Trask and the Sentinels

Brief Summary
The X-Men are still recovering from their skirmish with the Juggernaut. Each of the X-men are going through their own personal theory. Cyclops is being tested for his optic rays, Beast is on crutches, Angel is placed in a harness and Iceman is in a special ice-intensifier. Each of the X-Men are nearly fully recovered from their injuries and Professor Xavier rewards them with some vacation time. At that time some distance away an anthropologist named Doctor Bolivar Trask announces to a press conference that mutants are a threat to humanity and that they will enslave the human race. Back at the mansion each of the X-Men are preparing to leave for their individual vacations. As each one leaves Cyclops hands Professor Xavier the day’s newspaper before leaves. Inside Professor Xavier reads the newspaper and finds the article about Trask’s claims about mutants. Knowing that this will make humanity believe that mutants are a threat he calls up the National Television Network and requests that he have a televise debate with Trask himself. The programming manager accepts Professor Xavier’s request. The next evening Professor is at the debate with Trask. He opens with telling everyone that that mutants are not a threat, this has a mixed reaction with the viewers. After Professor Xavier has finished Trask discredits his words and introduces his own defence against the mutant threat. A large metallic hand grab’s Xavier’s shoulder and he looks up to see a large robot. There are half a dozen of them and Trask introduces them as the Sentinels. Professor Xavier attempts to attack them with his mind but discovers that they are mechanical and that his efforts are futile. As Trask demonstrate the safety of the Sentinels they turn on him and hold everyone in the building hostage. Professor Xavier mentally calls out to his X-Men for assistance. Beast and Iceman are in their favourite coffee shop and Iceman is talking to a girl that he likes. Both the X-Men receive Professor Xavier’s mental command and leave much to the annoyance of Iceman’s girl. They go to a back alley and get changed into their costumes before making their way to Xavier’s location. Elsewhere in his home Angel hears the call and quickly leaves as well. In the TV studio five of the Sentinels take Trask away by flying through the roof. A hostage tries to run but Professor Xavier is able to use his mental powers to stop the man before he is blasted by a Sentinel. Iceman and Beast arrive and attack one of the Sentinels. Iceman checks the health of Professor Xavier but he is struck by a heat ray. A short distance away Cyclops is travelling by a cab to the TV studio but after some rough driving his glasses fall off causing him to blast a hole in the roof. He leaves the cab but the driver calls him a mutant and he is chased by a mob. Cyclops is able to get away and he changes into his uniform. When he arrives at the TV station he is almost flattened by a Sentinel but he is able to get out of the way. He and Beast attack the Sentinel but it topples over without being touched. Angel is flying some distance away and he sees the Sentinels and is attacked but an invisible force pulls him down on top of a train. The culprit is Jean who is on the train and she uses her telekinetic abilities to fly onto the roof. At the TV station Professor Xavier examines the fallen Sentinel and is able to read an mental image about a machine called Mastermold. Angel and Jean arrive and Xavier tells the X-Men that the Sentinels are the deadliest threat yet. Meanwhile some time later at the Sentinel’s headquarters the Sentinels are leading Trask into the control room and he protests all along the way. They detect the X-Men arriving in a Rolls Royce and ready their defences. When the X-Men arrive they see no fortress but then one lifts up from the ground and starts to fire at them.

My Thoughts
So this is where the threat of the Sentinels first came up. For those who have watched the recent Days Of The Future Past film this is where the X-Men first took on the Sentinels. Unlike in the film Bolivar Trask is much taller but hey who minds when he’s played by such a fantastic actor. Anyway back to the issue, I’ll first start on the cover. I noticed a mistake because the Sentinel on the cover has a backwards one number on its chest where the one on the inside of the issue is normal. I guess good old Jack got a little lazy there. It’s about time that the X-Men had some kind of holiday, I couldn’t imagine going to school day after day without having some kind of time off, that would be hell. With Trask many believe that he was always an inventor when he’s actually an anthropologist, its because of his lack of knowledge on robotic brains that led to the Sentinel rebellion. In many TV and film portrayals of him he is known as an expert in robotics in contrast to the comics, but I guess that just makes more sense. The Sentinels in this comic are also much smaller than they are depicted in future issues. Traditionally the Sentinels are about 50 feet tall but the ones in this issue are no more than 15 feet in height. Maybe it’s because they’re the Mark I model and the future Sentinels were bigger and improved. These ones can’t even detect mutant DNA (or else they would have seen that Xavier was a mutant). This is also the first issue where Jean Grey is able to fly, to tell you the truth I’m surprised that it took them this long introduce them. But I guess it’s a way that they can show her becoming more competent with her abilities and that she will one day become one of the most powerful mutants on the planet. It also seems that Iceman has no luck with the women, I can’t remember him ever having a relationship that lasted for very long and over the years he’s had a few flings amongst them being Polaris, Rogue and more recently Kitty Pryde. Guess that since he tries to date women but gets called away to a mission so often that its developed some kind of mental block. The word Mutie is also used for the first time in this issue, as many of you know the word will be used over and over again as mutant equivalent of the N word. All in all I give this a 7 out of ten. The story is good and it is a good introduction for the Sentinels but I felt that it could have been better. It is only the first part of three that back then must have felt like a twelve part story.

Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #15

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #15
Release Date- December 1965
Writer- Stan Lee
Artist- Jack Kirby

Major Notes
First appearance of Mastermold

Brief Summary
The X-Men men are trying to defend themselves as the earth beneath them moves. Angel is able to save Professor Xavier while Beast and Iceman are able to use their abilities to save themselves. The X-Men move to higher ground so that they can get a better view of the Sentinel fortress which is still firing at them. Iceman creates a flat ice disc with two large humps which he and Beast grab. Cyclops uses an optic blast to fire them at the fortress and Angel flies behind them. Beast and Iceman are grabbed by mechanical tentacles and taken into the base while the defences keep Angel out. The captured X-Men are sealed into a transparent cage and sealed in. they are then gassed as Trask watches on in horror at what is happening. He tells the Sentinels that he created them to defend the human race not enslave them. The Sentinels respond by telling him that humans are too weak to govern themselves and they must rule for their own sake. Trask realises what he has truly created and he is taken to Mastermold. Seconds later Trask stands in front of an enormous Sentinel called Mastermold who commands him to create more Sentinels or else he will destroy many cities. As Trask protests Mastermold reveals that he has captured two X-Men and that he wants to study them before destroying them. Outside Professor Xavier uses a mental blast to knock down the Sentinels in charge of the fortress’s turret guns. Inside the Sentinels take an unconscious Beast to Mastermold and Trask is forced to use a mind probe on the mutant. Beast begins to reveal his origins, Trask realises that the X-Men protect mankind and he sees the error of his ways. Back outside the remaining X-Men make their way into the fortress while Professor Xavier waits outside. Cyclops destroys one of the turret guns as they enter the fortress. They are spotted by a Sentinel but rather than being attacked the Sentinel leaves to inform his section leader and the X-Men follow. In another room Beast through the mind probe tells about when he first manifested his mutant abilities when he was a child. While he is speaking a Sentinel enters revealing that the X-Men have gotten into the fortress. Several Sentinels are dispatched to deal with them. Meanwhile the X-Men discover Iceman in the cage but they are confronted by a Sentinel. After a brief battle the Sentinel is defeated and the X-Men free Iceman but they have also set off the fortress’s alarms. Ignoring the alarm Mastermold allows Beast to continue his origin. In his high school years Beast excelled both athletically and scholastically. People begin to suspect that he is a mutant after seeing him play and this attracts the attentions of Professor Xavier. Outside Professor Xavier himself senses what Beast is saying and creates an astral form so that he can try and stop him from revealing too many secrets. He enters the base and bombards Beast’s mind so that he can’t speak. He then tries to attack Mastermold mentally but is repelled, his astral form struggles back to his body but he is getting weaker fast. The X-Men are confronted by several Sentinels who overpower them and they increase the gravity so that the X-Men are subdued. Mastermold demands that Trask build a thousand Sentinels but he refuses. Trask is seized by two Sentinels and the issue ends.

My Thoughts
Well this is another interesting issue. As stated at the beginning of the post this issue is the first appearance of Mastermold the granddaddy of all the Sentinels. As everyone knows not only is he the biggest Sentinel he is also the most powerful. Kind of missed him in the new film but at least we have him in the comics. Not only is this comic a second of the X-Men’s first three part story line but it also gives us a back story of Beast. I admit that he’s not my favourite X-Man in the world but he is an essential part of the team, especially at this early point in the series. It was interesting reading about his origin and I feel that if he hadn’t of showboated like he did at his football game he probably would have gone unnoticed. If he had never been picked up by Xavier his life could have been very different, he could have been a professional NFL player with the mind of a scientist. Alas for us that would have been far less interesting. I also don’t get how exactly Professor Xavier’s telepathy can affect a Sentinel. They have no minds so a mental attack shouldn’t even damage them. There was some explanation that the attacks were electrical but I still don’t get it. But in the future they haven’t had anything like that so maybe people saw some sense. I’ve also seen another issue with the numbers on the Sentinels. Some have numbers while others have letters, I can understand them having numbers rather than an individual letter since there are only twenty six chapters in the traditional alphabet where with numbers you can just keep going. Maybe one set of Sentinels are specifically built to travel while the lettered Sentinels remain at the base at all times. Trask kind of remind me of Doctor Frankenstein in the fact that he tried to create something beautiful but instead created a monster. Although in the issue he sees the errors of his ways it seems to be too little too late. If Trask hadn’t of given into his own persecutions the Sentinels might not have been created but at least he did since it gave us so many great stories over the years. I feel that Stan Lee’s writing in this one is better than in previous issues and the story flowed smoothly in my opinion. The art by Kirby definitely made the comic stand out and although it looks a little shabby in comparison to today’s comics it is still a marvel to view. Too bad the great artist is no longer with us but his legacy lives on. I’d give this issue a solid 8 out of 10.

Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #’16

[AbnormallyNormal]

After having recently gone on a reading spree through uncanny x-men from #1 through... I think #135 or so right now. #1 through #66 are definitely pretty weird and different compared to #93+ but meh. There are some good ones, and its "important" at least for historical purposes to check out the first ever intro's of epically famous characters and storylines (Juggernaut, Sentinels, Magneto of course). Definitely some of these chapters were essentially horrible filler though.... I think #49 or so through 66 were at least a significant improvement, just artistically as well as plot wise. My main criticism of UXM 1 through 66 would mainly be "Writers not taking material seriously enough, not developing things more slowly, and way too many villians of the week". Pretty much

[a0040pc]

Thanks for reading my friend. I have read through all of these before and I've even been asked if I just skipped ahead to GSXM #1 but I'm not going to. But I will skip ahead of the reprinted stuff though although I am really looking forward to UXM #129 since I'm an uber Kitty Pryde fan. One last thing does anyone know where I can get the two Ms Marvel comics that debuted Mystique, the originals are expensive and I didn't wanna get the Essential Ms Marvel. Is there a smaller GN with the issues reprinted

[Gus]

According to the UHBMCC, it's only collected in the Essential, but if they ever do a second Masterworks, it would be in that.

[a0040pc]

According to the UHBMCC, it's only collected in the Essential, but if they ever do a second Masterworks, it would be in that.

Thanks for that but since I will be most likely reaching that issue in three months and the Master Works doesn't seem to be coming out any time soon I might have to skip it. Unless I'm able to get the originals for dead cheap which I doubt very much. I thought for the first appearance of such a major character that it would have been reprinted more often but alas that is not the way the world works.

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #16
Release Date- January 1966
Writer- Stan Lee
Artist- Jack Kirby

Major Notes
Last appearance of Bolivar Trask

Brief Summary
Professor Xavier has gotten his astral form back into his body and watches as the fortress lowers back into the ground. He drags himself to a nearby road and is able to use his mental abilities to stop a car when it approaches him. Inside the fortress the X-Men are trapped within a dome that has an increased gravity field within. Each of the X-Men attempt to break the dome but each of them fail due to both the increased gravity and the fact that the dome is made out of a super strong substance. They decide that it is best to wait for an opportunity to present itself. Meanwhile Mastermold further orders Trask to create more Sentinels and he demonstrates a disintegrator ray that he has built in. He uses it on a nearby machine and it disappears instantly and he threatens to use it on a city if Trask further refuses. At the TV station Professor Xavier arrives to examine the Sentinel that toppled over during the X-Men’s first battle with the Sentinels. There are police around it also taking evidence and they allow him a few moments to examine the Sentinel. He discovers that interference came from a giant crystal that is located outside a tower just across the street. When the police realise what has caused the Sentinel to fall Professor Xavier tells them that they must destroy the source of the Sentinels or else mankind is doomed. Back at the fortress Beast is taken to his friends so that he can be terminated along with them. As the dome is deactivated the other X-Men time their escape perfectly and they attack all nearby Sentinels. At first their efforts pay off but they are struck with a stun ray and incapacitated but just as the Sentinels prepare to strike the killer blow they all begin to deactivate. Above the fortress several helicopters are flying the large crystal over the base, Professor Xavier is inside one of the copters but the fortress initiates its defences. It begins to create deadly turbulence and as the crystal gets closer the other Sentinels deactivate and the defences go offline. The X-Men recover from the stun ray and with all of them now reunited they move forward to confront Mastermold but the lights go out as all electricity is being diverted. Inside his control room Mastermold is supervising Trask creating more Sentinels. Knowing that the machine will continually create Sentinels without end and that they will enslave the human race Trask grabs a weapon and begins to smash the controls. This sets off a chain of explosions that ripple through the entire fortress. The X-Men arrive too late and the explosions continue and they immediately begin to evacuate the crumbling fortress. They have to dodge fires, explosions and falling debris and with all their skills they reach an exit. Professor Xavier is blocking the police from seeing the X-Men escaping as each of them make it out before the fortress is completely destroyed. As they begin to think about how the explosions began it is revealed that Trask been killed destroying Mastermold, but there is a new threat to the X-Men at the mansion.

My Thoughts
Although Bolivar Trask only lived for three issues I don’t think any one person has impacted so much on the X-Men like he has. Although this is the last issue that he lives in there is no doubt that his legacy will prevail. The only real sad thing about it is that he sacrificed himself to destroy the Sentinels and yet they still return. If he knew that he probably would have thought that his sacrifice would have been for nothing, but he still saved the human race from enslavement. I believe that Trask has appeared in many X-Men animated series, films, games and in other media and I don’t believe any other X-related character has done that based on how many appearances they had. Magneto has obviously appeared in hundreds of comics but Trask has only appeared in three alive. There have been other continuities of him but the regular version has only really appeared in these three. Hell he’s even appeared in the Ultimate Spider-Man game even though he has nothing to do with Spider-Man. Also it seemed weird to me that the Sentinels’ transmission could be blocked by that crystal and that it just happened to be across the street from the TV studio. I’ve never seen a building have a crystal like that on its side and I don’t believe any do but I might be mistaken for that. It all seemed a little too perfect and farfetched for my liking and this is from someone who reads, watches and writes a lot of science fiction and fantasy material. I could believe if the TV signals interfered with the Sentinels but I giant crystal just sitting on a building I find hard to believe. It was interesting to see the X-Men helpless as they were in the dome and if the Sentinels had left them in there, there would have been nothing that the merry mutants could have done to save themselves but alas if you ended the X-Men there then we wouldn’t have the mythos we know and love today. For this issue I still give it a 7 out of 10 simply because the story was good but the whole crystal business just lost those few marks in my book.

Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #17

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #17
Release Date- February 1966
Writer- Stan Lee
Artist- Jack Kirby

Major Notes
Last issue to feature the art of Jack Kirby

Brief Summary
The X-Men are tended to by military and medical personnel just outside the destroyed Sentinel fortress. The General in charge admits to Professor Xavier that he was wrong about the X-Men and that they are heroes. Iceman and Beast’s injuries are so severe that they immediately leave for hospital but Xavier telepathically tells them to keep their identities secret. En route to the hospital Iceman has gone into shock and when he actually gets to the hospital doctors aren’t sure what is exactly wrong with him due to his genetic makeup. He becomes delirious and speaks what seems to be gibberish to the doctors. After seeing Iceman Xavier goes to Beast and discovers that his injured foot is healing. In another room Angel is on the telephone and discovers that his parents are coming to the mansion for a visit. He is able to pass the phone to Xavier in hopes that he can talk them out of it but they are adamant in coming to see their son. Xavier instructs Angel to fly to the mansion before his parents arrive and also because he can sense something menacing there. Angel makes the flight and arrives but an unseen stranger watches him. When Angel enters the mansion he is attacked by an axe lifted by an unseen force. Several other metallic objects fly towards him. He hears a voice and flies towards it but he flies into a mirror that suddenly appears and is knocked out. Back at the hospital Cyclops is refusing to allow his eyes to be examined and Xavier comes in and after a small demonstration of Cyclops’s powers the doctor sees why he had refused. Afterwards Xavier tells Cyclops that he has lost contact with Angel and they both quickly leave the hospital in Xavier’s car and return to the mansion. When they enter Cerebro is detecting a powerful mutant but before they can find out who it is Xavier is wrapped up in metallic wires and when Cyclops attempts to blast him free an invisible shield appears blocking his blast. The lights go out and Cyclops is attacked by the mysterious stranger. Despite his best efforts Cyclops is defeated by the stranger. Back at the hospital Beast has recovered from his injuries and Jean is worried about the others. After a quick check up on Iceman the pair leave and return to the mansion. When they enter the mansion the slip after discovering that the walls and floors have been covered with a wax like gloss. Despite their best efforts they cannot stop themselves and Beast becomes trapped in a room and the doors quickly shut behind him. Jean tries to open the doors but is confronted by the stranger who she recognises. She tries to push him away but she is weakened by odourless sleeping gas and falls unconscious. At the hospital Iceman’s condition worsens and doctors begin to think that he won’t make it. Back at the mansion the X-Men are placed in a metallic hot air balloon by the stranger and he uses his power to lift them into the air. Shortly afterwards Angel’s parents arrive at the mansion and when they ring the doorbell the door itself is opened by Magneto himself.

My Thoughts
So this is the final issue that featured Jack Kirby and it is truly the end of a good run for a fantastic artist. If you were to look up the greatest comic book artists of all time he would definitely be up there with the greats. For the issue itself I liked how they kept Magneto’s identity hidden until the very last page. For anyone who hasn’t read the issue but read the ones before they probably would have suspected but wouldn’t have known for sure until the last page. It is the return of the greatest comic book villain of all time (Yes he’s better than the Joker) and although his plans have been a bit cheesy at this point and in the near future eventually he will be viewed as the master that he is. I also found it odd that Beast was able to recover from his injuries so fast, I didn’t realise that his abilities gave him a healing factor as well although it is not as powerful as Wolverine’s that’s for sure. It is also very unlucky for the X-Men to face the Sentinels and then face Magneto in the space of a single day, hell it even seems like a long day at that. Even if the day was forty hours long I still don’t think that they would have had time for everything. That’s Marvel floating timeline for you. Magneto must have been at the mansion for quite some time to be able to set up the traps that he had used to capture the X-Men and it reminded me a little of the Home Alone film franchise. Too bad he wasn’t facing home invaders, could you imagine what a young Magneto would have done to those two in the first couple of films? Instead of paint cans on string it would just be the cans themselves flying in their faces. Sorry I digress and although my views seem to be shorter and shorter there isn’t really much more I can say about the issue. I’ll finish by saying that I’d rate it a 7 out of 10.

Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #18

[AbnormallyNormal]

I just realized something: Master Mold totally looks exactly like Galactacus doesnt he? That cover at least seems more like it belongs to a Fantastic Four issue since they have the more "way out there" cosmic characters and all that stuff , along with absolutely cooky robots invented by Dr Doom and so forth. I dont know something about it just seems too "cosmic" for X-Men which has always been more of a character/relationship focused storyline. It was also kind of funny how the way Sentinels were originally portrayed they talked to one another like regular human beings LOL. So different from like a "robot machine code" communication we're more used to later on. Also their size was kind of way off from later on as well but I digress.

[a0040pc]

Yeah these Sentinels couldn't even detect mutant DNA. A trait that many believed that they had from the get go

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #18
Release Date- March 1966
Writer- Stan Lee
Artist- Jay Gavin

Major Notes
First issue to feature the art of Jay Gavin

Brief Summary
The X-Men are trapped in the balloon going higher and higher into the air. They are unconscious and seemingly helpless to escape their doom. On the ground Magneto gloats that he has defeated the X-Men and uses his magnetic powers to lift the mansion off the ground before putting it back down. He enters the mansion thinking that he has been victorious and destroys Cerebro. Moments later Angel’s parents unexpectedly arrive and he takes them inside. He uses his abilities to make them tired and they go upstairs to one of the dorms. At the hospital the doctors use an untested device to inject Iceman with a drug to help improve his health. It seems to work for the moment but only time can tell whether it is effective. In the balloon Professor Xavier is the first to wake up but he has been fitted with disrupter that blocks his telepathy. Using all of his mental might he is able to free himself and he uses his powers to wake the other X-Men. They begin to devise a plan to escape but Cyclops cannot use his optic blasts to penetrate their floating prison since they would instantly lose oxygen and suffocate. At the mansion Magneto uses his magnetic powers to create a large device that will duplicate the cells found in Angel’s parents. Since they gave birth to a mutant he plans to use their body cells to create an army of mutants under his command. Back in the balloon while scanning for Magneto Professor Xavier discovers that Angel’s parents have been captured. He is forced to contact the injured Iceman who has recovered somewhat due to the drug. He quickly leaves the hospital and journeys to the mansion. From scanning Magneto’s memories Xavier discovers that Magneto escaped the Stranger by using a derelict ship and then using his magnetic powers to return home. Toad is originally accompanied him on the Stranger’s planet but Magneto leaves him behind. Professor Xavier concentrates to create the most powerful mental projection he has ever attempted and he tells the X-Men that their best hope is Iceman. Back at the mansion Iceman arrives and sees Magneto inside. Magneto has begun to create his army of mutants but the process suddenly stops. He discovers that Iceman has created an ice shield around Angel’s parents so to block the scanner. Magneto retaliates by surrounding Iceman with metallic objects. Iceman creates a slide to get past Magneto ad he is able to trick the villain into falling down an ice tunnel. The tunnel leads out of the mansion and into an large igloo. Iceman intends to escape but Magneto uses his powers to seal up the only exit . In the balloon Cyclops uses a very thin optic beam to punch a small hole in the outer wall of their prison and they quickly begin to fall to the ground. Before they hit the ground Jean uses her telekinesis to slow their decent and they land safely on the ground. They escape from their prison and confront Magneto. After a short battle the Stranger comes after responding to Xavier’s mental call and Magneto flees so that he cannot be recaptured. After Magneto have fled the X-Men enter the mansion and discover the mutant clones in their pods but they quickly disappear. Iceman has stopped the scanner altogether making the machine useless. Sometime later Angel’s parents wake up with no knowledge what has happened and they enjoy a meal with the X-Men (in civilian clothing) suspected absolutely nothing.

My Thoughts
Well I’ll start out with saying that this comic was available with the Marvel Legends Iceman figure that was released some time ago. It is a great comic for spotlighting Iceman and is a must have for any Iceman fan although it would probably be expensive to get the original. From the beginning it looks like Magneto has finally beaten the X-Men but as you know in most stories the good guys win (Not always the case in A Song Of Ice And Fire). Even though Magneto calls Iceman the weakest of the X-Men that is definitely not the case since he is an Omega level mutant meaning that he has unlimited potential. In the future we will see Iceman perform feats that will cement him as being an extremely powerful mutant but for now I’m content with watching him battle Magneto with ice slides and giant igloos. Although they seem somewhat childish to me but that what the character is like, to me he is a big kid or hasn’t quite grown up yet. It’s a statement that has been told to him by many women in his life. Magneto’s plan to create an army of slaves wasn’t too far out but I think it’s something that he would never do today. Also using Angel’s parents rather than one of the others did make me wonder. At this point in time all Angel can do is fly, there are more powerful mutant parents that he could have used but I can see why he used Angel’s. They were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. If Magneto hadn’t of been able to manipulate the mutant clones himself there would have been no doubt in my mind that all Magneto would have had was mutants with wings. Although there are some uses to that but for physical might they were probably not up to the challenge, any military force would have been able to shoot them down. The issue is also the first to feature Jay Gavin as the main artist and although I don’t know much about him I have to say that I enjoyed his art, the copy that I’m reading is in black and white due to it being in an Essential Marvel graphic novel rather than a coloured version but to me the price is important. Let’s say it’s much cheaper than getting the Masterworks. In comparison a Masterworks GN has 9 or 10 comics in it and is hardback and costs about $50, an Essential which is in black and white and paper back with 20-25 comics only costs about $25, you can all do the math with that. I digress further though and back to the issue at hand. The X-Men’s escape from the balloon was well thought through but I felt that they could have done it earlier. It would have saved some further trouble and would have been able to assist Iceman earlier on. Hell he probably wouldn’t have had to leave the hospital. The only reason why Magneto had defeated them was because he had the element of surprise. If they were to fight again he would have been defeated in my books. Cerebro is also destroyed in this issue and I’m hoping that it leads to the creation of the Cerebro that we’re more familiar with. I can’t fully remember what happened with it but I will find out over the next few days. I’m giving this issue a solid 8 out of 10 for both execution and showcasing Iceman as a capable member of the team.

Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #19

[Limerick]

hi,good luck with your effort to read and post on the X Books.A similar thread existed in the old forums which was started by the poster David R. and continued by myself and other posters.I think it reached about Uncanny #300 or so before it ran out of steam.Unfortunately,that whole thread was deleted with the re-booting of the forums which is a great shame as it contained multiple informative posts by a variety of posters and was a great source of information about the various issues.

What attracted my attention was your reference to Jay Gavin.Actually,he doesn't exist!'Jay' was actually Werner Roth.He used a pseudonym as he was working a lot for D.C. at the time and didn't want them to know he was moonlighting for Marvel.He would later go on to work on the X-Men under his own name.He is one of my all time favourite X-Men artists although I recall reading somewhere that Roy Thomas was later critical of his work on the X-Men.I think that 'Jay' and 'Gavin' were actually his kids names but I might need to check that on Wikipedia to confirm.I'm pretty sure I remember reading that a couple of years back.

Again,good luck with your mammoth task.I probably would advise saving your posts in some format,even just cutting and pasting to e-Mail,in case there is another traumatic event on the forums resulting in the loss of your thread.