Master of the House

Uncanny X-Men #15 – By Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (Designer) & Jay Gavin (Penciller)

This issue is really more science fiction than a super-hero story. It features the classic story of man’s creations overstepping and wanting to rule mankind. We’ll see this type of story told many times over the next several decades with creations like the Borg in Star Trek, the Cybermen in Doctor Who and, most notably, the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica. The Cylons are probably the best direct comparison to the Sentinels – created for protection and war, developed their own sentience and eventually sought to over throw their creators.

In this particular part of the story, we see the Sentinels in their headquarters and we are introduced to the Master Mold – the single gigantic Sentinel that directs all others. The Master Mold confronts it’s creator, Bolivar Trask, and threatens to destroy human cities unless he gets the secret of creating more Sentinels. This is a key aspect to this type of science fiction story – how does a machine propagate his race? If they are superior to humanity, they must be able to expand and reproduce.

Meanwhile, the X-Men are seeking to rescue Trask and stop the Sentinels. Iceman and Beast are captured in the first attempt to breach the outer defenses of the Headquarters. They are pulled inside, tossed into a glass cell, and gassed into submission. As the X-Men plan a second assault, the Master Mold decides he can better learn to defeat mutants by studying them. At the demand of the Master Mold, Trask hooks the Beast up to a psycho-probe and Beast reveals details of his life before he was recruited by Professor Xavier.

We really don’t learn very much about Hank McCoy’s early years, simply that he was always short and stocky and very intelligent. His agility developed around puberty, but his powers really manifested during a football game, during which he couldn’t resist kicking off his shoes and hanging from the goal posts by his feet after scoring a game-winning touchdown! We also get to briefly meet his parents and learn that his father worked as a laborer at an atomic project. Here we see radiation linked to the early mutants similar to Brian Xavier who worked with atomic weapons. The key factor in this scene is Trask realizing that the X-Men only want to help humanity, and that by trying to destroy them, he’s only created a deadlier enemy.

Professor Xavier shows some interesting uses of his own powers in this issue. First he blacks out a number of Sentinels using a bolt of mental energy. Essentially, he wipes their hard drives and deactivates them allowing the remaining X-Men entry into the headquarters. Then, through the psychic link he shares with all the X-Men, Xavier senses Beast relating his story. Xavier ventures out in his astral form, and uses his mind to dull the Beasts thoughts so he can’t give away any of the X-Men’s secrets. But the Master Mold detects his presence and uses electrical discharges to harass Xavier’s astral presence and drive him back to his body. We see Stan Lee making a lot of assumptions on the brain and electrical energy in this issue. Certainly pseudo-science at best, but makes the story fun and entertaining like Star Trek Technobabble.

The remaining X-Men rescue Iceman, leading to one of the funniest scenes in the book. As they seek to escape, Iceman creates a wall of ice to slow down the charging Sentinels. The section leader of the squad orders one of the other units to activate his boot jets and use its head as a battering ram to shatter the ice wall! Classic Stan Lee moment! The section leader then uses a “heavy gravity ray” to immobilize the X-Men.

The issue ends with Trask refusing to give up the secret of Sentinel creation and the Master Mold threatening to make him talk! Another classic moment!

With a great Science Fiction premise, some truly funny action moments and another excellent opponent, this issue of X-Men really has things moving and pushing this book to the top of the heap!

Note: This issue was reprinted in February, 1970 as the second story in Uncanny X-Men #68 (under a nicely recolored cover of this issue) and again in July, 1995 as X-Men: The Early Years #15 (cover by Adam Hughes).

Professor Xavier and the X-Men #17 – By Jorge Gonzalez and Chris Batista

Again, Gonzalez stays very close to the original story with his reimagining – in fact, more so then he has in the past. The biggest difference is that Bolivar Trask is the narrator of the story. This proves a bit interesting as we see his changing attitudes towards mutants as the issue moves along. Mostly Trask’s narration is exposition, but occasionally gives us a deeper look at his thoughts.

A couple of noted difference do arise in this version beginning with Professor Xavier only being able to temporarily disable the Sentinels controlling the weapons. I could go either way on this point, but I admit having a time constraint raises the tension a little like a good action movie. And Professor Xavier isn’t detected by the Master Mold until he attempts to manipulates its cognitive functions. I actually liked this take on the scene, since it shows Xavier’s increased desire to hamper the Sentinels as well as illustrates the fact that the robots don’t actually have psychic powers, but a physical countermeasure against them.

The end of the issue makes a little more sense as well. The X-Men prove they can easily dispatch a single Sentinel, but when the robots get together, they can create the Gravity Field that locks down their opponents. I like the idea that each Sentinel can be a “corner point” of the field, making the field more powerful with the more Sentinels feeding it! In the original story, the field was generated by a single Sentinal (granted, he was a “section leader), but that seems to unbalance the story too much.

In Beast’s flashbacks, we also hear the names of his mother and father – Norton and Edna – which we were not privy to in the original. Other than that, the story proceeds essentially the same as the original.

Chris Batista’s artwork is still in the more stylized sort that was growing in popularity in the late 90’s, but it exhibits some nice throwback to the 60’s era in spots that give the issue a more classic feel then others in this series. I don’t talk about covers a lot, but this issue features a stunning cover by Jim Calafiore. Very interesting perspective of Cyclops as viewed through a hole he just blasted in a Sentinel’s chest! The ink work is a little heavy, but it plays nicely into the style.

A nicely retold story for 90’s audiences too lazy to find the originals.

Up Next: Uncanny X-Men #16 and Professor Xavier and the X-Men #18

Sentinels of the Future

Uncanny X-Men #14 – By Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (Layouts) & Jay Gavin (Pencils)

With this issue, the X-Men mythology really kicks into high gear. Now we really begin to see the attitudes of normal people shifting against mutants. This type of mutant hysteria will become the foundation of the book in the future and drive so many storylines and characters in the entire run of all related mutant comics.

This issue takes place several weeks after the encounter with the Juggernaut and picks up and the end of the X-Men’s convalescence. Almost all of them suffered serious injuries at the hands of Cain Marko and Professor Xavier developed some interesting devices to help heal his students and nurture their powers. In fact, Professor Xavier is planning on sending the X-Men on vacation now that they’re feeling better. Warren gives Jean a ride home in his brand-new 1965 Mustang; Hank and Bobby head into Greenwich Village for a visit to the Coffee-A-Go-Go (where Bobby flirts with Zelda, and we’re treated to another performance by Bernard the beat poet); and Scott wanders off alone leaving even the Professor worrying about his loneliness.

No sooner have the X-Men begun their much-deserved rest, then anthropologist Bolivar Trask gives an interview that shocks the world – Mutants are waiting to conquer us all! The Daily Globe carries the story under the headline “Mutant Menace” (worthy of J. Jonah Jameson) complete with illustrations of what the world might be like under mutant rule. The “mutants” in the illustrations look more like Spock-eared aliens, but I’m sure it was enough to spark panic in the masses. Professor Xavier is so appalled, that he immediately calls the television networks and arranges a debate with Trask.

After the debate begins, Trask reveals his newest creation – the Sentinels! Within moments, these huge robots stop following Trask’s commands and take matters into their own hands. Determining themselves superior to humans, the Sentinels will protect them from mutants as they only the Sentinels can. The Sentinels grab Trask and are headed back to their headquarters to grow their army, but they leave one of their number behind to prevent the humans from interfering. Professor Xavier puts out a mental call to the X-Men.

Iceman and Beast have no trouble getting to the TV station following the Professor’s mental summons. A hard-driving taxi driver causes Scott’s glasses to fly off and the cab gets damaged by his optic rays. He barely escapes a mob caught up in anti-mutant hysteria before he arrives. The Angel confronts the squad of Sentinels, only to be rescued by Marvel Girl.

The group fights the single Sentinel remaining at the TV studio with little luck, only to have the robot collapse on its own muttering “Master Mold…” Professor Xavier can’t read its mechanical thoughts, but he does receive some information on where the others have gone. The X-Men follow that thought impulse to a pleasant little hill outside the city. Within seconds, the entire hill opens up, revealing a mechanical fortress below and begins assaulting the surprised X-Men with lasers!

This was another great issue by Stan Lee. The Sentinels are a scary, out-of-control menace that is equally a danger to humanity as they are to mutants. With their formidable size, strength and array of weapons, just a single Sentinel proves more than enough trouble for the team. As an emotionless opponent, they seem more then capable of eliminating all the X-Men and any mutants they encounter. And when you throw in the desire to “reproduce,” they become even scarier. At this point there are only a few, but major armies controlling humans and eliminating mutants would be a nightmare.

More importantly, we see the first real hatred and fear of mutants. In previous issues, there have been one or two quick comments, but the hysteria is seen here for the first time. This is the true horror of the issue – the apparent racism and scapegoating of mutants. This will become a mainstay of this series in later years and this is the first building block in the foundation.

This is really a very important story in the history of the X-Men series and everyone who’s a fan should read this. I’m glad I’ve finally gotten the chance and will continue to recommend it to all readers.

Note: This issue was reprinted in February, 1971 as the first story in Uncanny X-Men #68 (Cover by Jack Kirby) and again in June, 1995 as X-Men: The Early Years #14 (Cover by Larry Stroman).

Professor Xavier and the X-Men #16 – By Jorge Gonzalez and Nick Gnazzo & Anthony Castrillo

This is a pretty good example of a reimagining of this story. Gonzalez sticks with a lot of the original material and actually modernizes it by expanding on certain elements and Gnazzo and Castrillo update the look of the Sentinels for a 90s sensibility.

There is no newspaper interview in this story. The interview with Bolivar Trask is set up as a network news piece from the very beginning. Trask has his say on mutant issues, and then the announcer bring in Professor Xavier as an expert to represent the other side of the issue. This actually works out better in my opinion then the original. It just seemed very self-serving of Xavier to call up the networks and demand a debate. He’s not hiding any agendas there!

The other thing that made this initial debate so much more interesting is the fact that Trask brings up the issues of Magneto and the threats posed by other mutants. Xavier must counter that argument by saying “normal” members of society are also criminals – not just mutants. He also says that’s why the police force and the Avengers are around. The debate is much more well-rounded and interesting here.

Trask makes a big mistake by having his Sentinels break through the roof of the TV station! They’re here to protect mankind, but destruction of private property isn’t a big deal. The Sentinels are very menacing from the first appearance here. They’re even bigger than in the original story and their emotionless exchanges are equally scary.

After this, the story continues on very much like the original with a few notable differences. First off, there is no mention of the Juggernaut or the injuries the team sustained battling him. Of course, in this series, that took place TWO issues ago, since the Stranger story was placed between Juggernaut and the Sentinels. Also, Cyclops doesn’t have his “eye-wear malfunction” that causes a mob to chase him in this issue. He does make a reference to “car trouble” so we can assume it still happened, but this time it was all “off camera.”

Finally, Gonzalez obviously didn’t feel that facing off against the emerging fortress was a good enough cliff-hanger. He actually pulls in several pages from the following issue to arrive at a more typical ending – the team unconscious and apparently defeated, and Trask being dragged before the as-yet-unseen Master Mold. I don’t see it as much of an improvement. If anything, it makes the ending of the issue more clichéd.

Overall, I really enjoyed this reimagining and thought it brought some much-needed clarity to the debate scenes. The action sequences were quite a bit like the originals and I did find a somewhat dynamic flair to the Gnazzo/ Castrillo artwork. This one is worth a read.

Next: Uncanny X-Men #15 and Professor Xavier and the X-Men #17

Sibling Rivalry

Uncanny X-Men #13 – by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (Layouts) & Jay Gavin (Pencils)

Part two of this story brings the threat of the Juggernaut home to the X-Men. Juggernaut is within inches of achieving his goal of killing his step-brother, Professor Xavier, and the X-Men have proven unable to stop him. The issue opens with a classic splash page from Kirby illustrating the Juggernaut looming over a cornered Professor X, starting off the story with the right amount of tension.

Professor Xavier retreats with Marvel Girl to his study where he begins to assemble his “mento-helmet.” He claims this device will essentially “super-charge” his mental powers, but it will take some time. This device looks like the helmet apparatus that will eventually become part of the Cerebro systems. Up until now, we’ve only seen the chaotic inner-workings of the device and the desktop control panel, but no helmet. Professor Xavier must incorporate this device into Cerebro to enhance his powers to better locate mutants.

Meanwhile, the remaining X-Men fight a delaying action, keeping Juggernaut from reaching the Professor. Nothing they do can slow him down – Iceman tries to encase him in blocks of ice, Cyclops uses his eye-beams at full force, and Angel and Beast do their best in directly and indirectly confronting the unstoppable villain. Eventually, Beast takes center stage luring the Juggernaut into the Danger Room and unleashing the rooms various threats against the enemy. During the confrontation, Juggernaut not only succeeds in breaking Beast’s leg, but also about runs him over with a “ten ton” barrel of steel.

Early in the issue, Juggernaut's powers and defenses are a bit further defined. When Xavier initially tries to blast him with mental energies, Juggernaut admits the powers granted him by the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak cause his body to produce waves of force even when he’s not moving. This field around him comes into play several times throughout this issue. The Temple of Cyttorak also gave him his costume and helmet. The helmet protects him from all manners of psychic attack, rendering Xavier’s standard abilities almost useless. I know the helmet become his Achilles Heel over the years, but I never remember the field being mentioned later. It’s a nice explanation for the power and could certainly be a mutant ability that was unclear last issue.

Using the “mento” helmet, Xavier reaches out to the Human Torch and calls him to the X-Men’s aid. The young Fantastic Four member helps frustrate and distract the Juggernaut while Xavier readies his final moves. Xavier orders the Angel to swoop in and tear the protective helmet from Juggernaut’s head. Xavier himself follows up with a pair of powerful mental blasts, knocking out the human powerhouse and ending the threat.

Of course, Xavier wipes the memory of this event from the Human Torch’s mind. Even though the teams have met previously, the Professor was not actually present. His desire to keep his involvement with the X-Men a secret makes this little indiscretion a necessity. I am curious when it becomes widely known that Xavier is the X-Men’s leader.

I found this two-parter to be the best X-Men story to date. It featured a villain that was compelling not only for his powers, but his link to one of the main characters. The emotional involvement in this component of the story was compelling and the reader could completely understand both Xavier’s and Marko’s side of the issue. The fight scenes were very interesting and built nicely one upon the other. You really get the sense that the Juggernaut is unstoppable and the X-Men simply do everything they can to prevent his forward momentum.

This is truly a classic of the Silver Age and it’s obvious why reprints decided to start here instead of earlier in the run.

Note: This issue was reprinted in December, 1970 as the second story in Uncanny X-Men #67 (cover by Marie Severin) and again in May, 1995 as X-Men: The Early Years #13 (Cover by Ken Lashley).

Professor Xavier and the X-Men #14 – by Jorge Gonzalez and Eric Battle

Unlike the previous two issues, this one follows very closely to the script of the original – to the point of exact dialogue being brought forward.

As I said, the story follows the original very closely, but this time, Gonzalez chooses to have the story narrated by Marvel Girl. I suppose he just felt it was “her turn” because she adds very little to the story in this role. A lot of her insights were simply box text in the Stan Lee script and any new commentary adds very little to the story. It would have been more effective to be in Xavier’s head during this issue. Being privy to his thoughts and feelings would have been intriguing and added so much more to the context of his relationship with Cain Marko.

The issue’s artwork is very stylized almost to the point of over-exaggeration, but it does add some excitement and energy to the visuals. Battle’s interpretation of the Human Torch is a little strange – he actually looks a lot more like Frankie Raye when she became Nova. Not a bad interpretation, just unusual. I actually think a lot of his action sequences are great and some of his images of Juggernaut are outstanding.

As we’ve seen in previous issues, the action quotient is amplified from the very beginning. Juggernaut actually tosses Xavier around in the beginning of the issue, even though he never touched the Professor in the original. Juggernaut swat down the Angel, barrels through Cyclops and tosses Beast around like a rag doll.

Ironically, one change to this version is Juggernaut doesn’t actually break Beast’s leg here. The panels where he actually snaps his lower leg are left out, and the Beast is hurt a little later. Beast states that he has “sprained” his leg clearly, but shortly after, Jean says she feels his seriously injured. And in spite of his valiant efforts, Beast doesn’t even get the credit for having loosened Juggernaut’s helmet, but Xavier takes the credit claiming HE loosened it telekinetically.

Xavier also doesn’t bother to wipe the Human Torch’s memory in this version. Most likely because everyone in the 90’s knew Professor Xavier was the leader of the X-Men and it would only have confused the issue.

In general, this is one of the more faithful reimaginings, and as result makes it pretty worth reading. It was a nice update to a great story. I just wish previous issues would have been handled similarly.

Next: Uncanny X-Men #14 and Professor Xavier and the X-Men #16

Unstoppable

Uncanny X-Men #12 – By Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (Layouts) & Alex Toth (Pencils)

Now this title is really starting to move for me! This was a really exciting issue that features a lot of back-story for Professor Xavier. After 11 issues and some cameos and cross-overs, we’re all dying to know more about the characters in this book. Starting with Xavier is a great move because it will all help lead us to why he founded the X-Men to being with.

This issue picks up exactly where the last one left off – with Cerebro literally screaming a warning that a ultra-powerful opponent was identified and on the way! Xavier seems to know who this is and urges the X-Men to bolster the defenses of the mansion. Iceman builds up a second wall of ice around the campus; Cyclops digs a ditch inside the walls where Beast lays a thick electrical cable and Marvel Girl hides under yard waste; and Angel helps Cyclops assemble mortars as a last line of defense. Then, the unknown enemy comes even closer – pounding on the outer ice walls.

At this point, Professor Xavier decides he needs to relate the story of his childhood to his students. Somehow, this story has a bearing on the incredible powerhouse they will be facing. There are several things revealed in this story that I never knew about Charles Xavier. I never realized he wasn’t born a mutant – or at least they give the idea here that he wasn’t. His father worked on nuclear weapons in New Mexico while he was young and he attributes his abilities to the radiation present in the area. His father died in an nuclear blast at the facility and his mother married Kurt Marko shortly after. In a rather clichéd storyline, young Xavier wasn’t well-liked by Marko or his son Cain. Some things I found surprising were Xavier’s exploits in sports – as both a quarterback and a track star. Of course, he used his mental powers to reach the pinnacle of these sports, but I just never saw the character doing that. Kind of a fun idea.

Cain confronts his father about Brian Xavier’s death during a quarrel over some money and young Charles overhears. Cain has a tantrum and smashes some beakers and test tubes causing a chemical explosion and fire. Kurt Marko drags both boys to safety and with his dying breath confesses that Brian Xavier’s death WAS an accident, but he could have saved him if he’d not been cowardly.

The boys grow up competitive and contentious. While serving together during the Korean war, Cain Marko seeks shelter in a cave during an artillery barrage. Inside, he finds a temple to Cyttorak, the god of Dark Magic. He picks up a gemstone, reads the inscription, and releases Cyttorak’s curse – becoming the juggernaut of dark magic.

I thought this was great as Charles Xavier refers to the “Crimson Bands of Cyttorak” on a few occasions here. This is one of the powers that Doctor Strange is known for calling on to bind his enemies. I’m not sure how much Cyttorak has been defined as yet over in Doctor Strange’s adventures, but this is another fine example of Marvel becoming that all-inclusive Universe.
The issue cuts between phases of the flashback, and the unknown enemy defeating defense after defense outside the mansion. This technique really built up the suspense and made the reader really hunger to see this new villain, while getting important information about a main character! Brilliant story craft by Lee here.

The only thing that sticks out to me in this story is the fact that Cain Marko is NOT a mutant. At least he’s not revealed as such in this issue. Even so, Cerebro – the mutant detector – is going crazy at his approach. Why would it detect him if his powers are based in magic? Does Cain Marko harbor a mutation that hasn’t been spoken of yet? Is that what enables him to actually contain the power of the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak?

The issue ends with Juggernaut bursting into the mansions and facing off against Xavier and the X-Men in a wonderful cliff-hanger! Kudos to Stan Lee for such an amazing introduction to this character and storyline!

Note: This issue was reprinted in December, 1970 as the first story in Uncanny X-Men #67 (cover by Marie Severin) and again in April, 1995 as X-Men: The Early Years #12 (Cover by Adam Hughes).

Professor Xavier and the X-Men #12 & 13 – By Jorge Gonzalez and Duncan Rouleau (issue 12) & Nick Gnazzo (issue 13)

As with issues 4 and 5, this title has decided to expound on the original material in Uncanny X-Men #12 and expand it to two issues. However, by doing that, Jorge Gonzalez separates the story between the flashback story (covered in issue 12) and the current continuity (covered in issue 13). I suppose Gonzalez or editor Kelly Corvese decided modern audiences might like a simpler retelling. My opinion is that changing the story this way weakens the tension and spoils the reveal of the Juggernaut himself. True, he is shown in the final splash panel of issue 12, but it’s not as powerful as the slow build-up used by Stan Lee as we see the shadowy figure breaking through all the defensive emplacements finally to be revealed looming over Professor Xavier.

In general, the flashback contains the same material as the original, but in the moments before Cain Marko grabs the ruby of Cyttorak, Charles Xavier reveals his psychic powers to which Marko jumps to the conclusion Xavier is a mutant. The re-imagining also gives us an almost Hulk-like transformation page where Marko changes into the mammoth Juggernaut. Again, I thought this was revealing a little too much too soon. I liked Kirby’s shadowy change, where you weren’t sure exactly what was happening to Marko.

As happened with much of Marvel, the timeline is moved forward as well. Instead of Marko and Xavier fighting in Korea, this time they fought in Viet Nam. The Asian settings of the wars is easily interchangeable, however the time between the war and the issue dates is very different. When the original tale was written, the Korean war had been over about 10 years – the reimagining was written about 25 years after the end of Viet Nam. This dramatically changes the ages of Xavier and Marko. Not really relevant to the story, just something that stuck out to me.

Issue 12 ends with a one page version of a shadowy Juggernaut bursting out of a ship and beginning his journey to the school. The final, full-page panel gives Juggernaut the though-monologue threatening to kill Charles Xavier. *YAWN* The original told it so much better to end up in a similar place.

The X-Men set up the defenses in issue 13. Doing much of the same things they did in the original, the team bustles about the outside of the mansion preparing for the imminent arrival of Juggernaut. The focus is put a little more onto Iceman, who is also the narrator of this particular issue.

Gonzalez does a nice job of using the voice of the youngest X-Man to get across some of the fear that all of the characters are feeling. He also conveys some of Iceman’s youthful bravado in a couple of additional scenes – in one, he initially confronts Juggernaut alone. He is quickly overmatched and has to MELT his own icewall to escape unharmed. I don’t think I’ve seen Iceman melt anything before, but I assume this can be looked at the same way we’ve seen the Human Torch draw power out of fire.

Juggernaut cuts through the defenses just like in the original, but Gonzalez actually leaves the last line of defense – the steel “airlock-type” doors – out of the story entirely. This gives him a little more time for the first time the whole team takes on Juggernaut. In this version, Professor Xavier has holed-up in the control center for the Danger Room, and the X-Men face-off against Juggernaut in their training room. This doesn’t seem to make any difference as nothing from the Danger Room is brought into play accept for some type of ray gun in the initial few panels. The X-Men use very little teamwork trying to subdue Juggernaut and they pay for it by getting their butts soundly kicked! This issue ends with Juggernaut hovering over Xavier ready to kill him.

In general, making the original store two issues doesn’t play as well as the simpler, more tension-filled story. While we do get a few interesting extra scenes featuring Iceman in the second issue, we also get more room for longer exposition and a slightly longer fight.

We also get more of the Juggernaut which isn’t a bad thing. And some of the art from both Rouleau and Gnazzo gives us some fun splash-pages and big panels of the villain. The artwork gives the impression of the massive size and power of this guy. I think it makes him scary in ways that the story has dropped the ball on.

Up Next: Uncanny X-Men #13 and Professor Xavier and the X-Men #14

The Stranger Among Us

Uncanny X-Men #11 – By Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

This issue is a major turning point in the history of the X-Men. Stan Lee wraps up his original concept for the book here and sets the table for new adventures and adversaries for everyone’s favorite mutant teens – and really begins the journey to becoming the X-Men we think of in the 21st century.

The story begins straight-forward enough, with Professor Xavier detecting the presence of a new mutant. Here he unveils a new device – the Radar-Image Beam – which will use radar waves to create an image of the new mutant detected by Cerebro. But the mutant’s power is so great, that it disrupts the image and the team must be sent out to search for him.

The Stranger is the powerful character that the team is after. Dressed in a suit and white lab coat, he heads out into the city. Soon he runs into Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants who encourage him to join their ranks. Magneto and Mastermind demonstrate their powers on him, but the Stranger quickly turns the tide on them by blasting off the metal Magneto wrapped him in and turning Mastermind into a lifeless statue of “solid matter.”

The X-Men arrive on the scene only to be attacked by Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch as the Stranger makes off with Magneto and the Toad. After a brief altercation, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are subdued and they finally decide they’ve had enough of Magneto and vow to leave the Brotherhood and head back to Europe.

After determining there is nothing that can currently be done to aid Mastermind, the X-Men and Professor Xavier head out after the Stranger. They finally face-off with him in a park, where he has Magneto and Toad wrapped in anti-magnetic material. He identifies himself as an alien who seeks out mutant on other planets and brings them back to his homeworld for study. He then leaves the planet, with Magneto and Toad in tow, vowing never to return.

The issue ends with Cerebro buzzing wildly and the promise of a powerful mutant more dangerous than any they’ve ever faced.

This issue is Stan Lee taking apart his original concept of X-Men vs. Brotherhood on a consistent basis, interspersed with “mutant of the month” stories like the Unus story or even Blob, and trading it for the more traditional model followed by the Fantastic Four or Spider-man. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch join the Avengers in the same month they leave the brotherhood – bringing their popularity another book in the growing Marvel Universe, and preserving the balance of characters in the X-Men.

Lee also temporarily removes the rest of the Brotherhood from the picture by having Mastermind frozen in stone and Magento and Toad whisked away from the planet altogether. This opens up more possibilities for this book then before. We’ve recently been treated to the Savage Land and the conflict with Lucifer (along with some history of Professor X), which have been enjoyable departures from the “same ol’” stories with Magneto. Those original stories were kind of dull and repetitive. I’m glad to see Lee breaking out of the rut and moving in a new direction.

I’m very excited to see what’s coming around the corner and where this book is headed now!

Note: This issue was reprinted in December, 1970 as the second story in Uncanny X-Men Annual #1 (Cover by Jack Kirby) and again in March, 1995 as X-Men: The Early Years #11 (Cover by Larry Stroman).

Professor Xavier and the X-Men #15 – By Jorge Gonzalez and Nick Gnazzo.

Yep, number 15. For some reason, the powers that be at the time decided to run this story out its original order and placed it AFTER the next storyline. Since it’s a reimagining of the original #11, I’ll add it here.

As far as the re-imaginings go, this one is similar to those that have been before it. It covers the basics of the story, but makes some changes that I didn’t think were really necessary. First off, it puts the Stranger in his “super-hero” costume, not the simple suit and lab coat from the original. While this makes him more dynamic and recognizable, I liked the simple charm of him attempting to fit in at first. In fact, Gonzalez completely eliminates all scenes before the Stranger stumbles upon Magneto. And this time, the Stranger is summoned by a pulse that Magneto sends out to draw the alien to him. These changes only allow for Gonzalez to have more page-space to add material that wasn’t in the original.

Magneto is the narrator of this issue, and spends the first several pages ruminating about recent defeats and back-handedly introducing the characters of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. There’s nothing really new here, and he again refers to himself as Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, a name not yet introduced in the classic book. Magneto’s narration doesn’t really add anything to the story, except at the very end. When being whisked away by the Stranger, his thoughts read, “…my arrogance…has cost me…everything!!” Nice for him to admit that, even to himself.

Other than that, there aren’t too many other diversions from the original. Xavier only uses a 90’s version of Cerebro in the beginning of the story – no Radar-Image Beam – and later Xavier is seen in his 90’s “hover-wheelchair” as opposed to a simple one.

One thing I noticed, is that Gnazzo’s art is a lot more fun in this issue. He uses more dramatic poses and includes a lot more detail in his panels. He actually uses background art and dynamic angles to add tension and intensity to the story. For the first time, I wanted to see more of his art. Now that I’ve seen him grow his talent through this book, I’m curious what else he’s done.

As a re-imagining, this book is fine – bringing the look and feel into the 90’s and matching the imagery with comparable costumes and articles of that time. Still, I don’t think it adds much to the original and I’d still encourage readers to check out the Lee/Kirby version.

Up Next: Uncanny X-Men #12 and Professor Xavier and the X-Men #12 and #13

Jay and Julie & Julia

I almost forgot that I promised to blog something when I finally saw the movie that sort of back-handedly inspired me to do this project - Julie & Julia (now available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Sony Pictures). When I started this project I mentioned that I'd heard of the movie and the story behind it, but hadn't seen it (Blogging my way back to comics) - now I have and thought I should comment.

First off, I guess I should say I really enjoyed it. Sometimes I can be such a "girl" and actually enjoy the occassional "chick flick." This was one of them. I really empathized with Julie Powell, working a sort of thankless job in post-9/11 New York City and wanting to be creative. Unlike Julie, I'm not really a frustrated writer, but I have other creative talents that I haven't been using, so I completely understand her.

I didn't really empathize initially with the Julia Childs character, but I liked her relationship with her husband and I'm a big fan of Stanley Tucci anyway. What I could absolutely respect about her, though, was the fact that she wanted to do SOMETHING with her days, instead of the nothing that was expected of a typical housewife of her period. I want to do SOMETHING myself.

So, I found myself captivated with these women as Netflix streamed me their stories.

I have to say that I haven't been as dedicated or tenacious as these women when it comes to writing this blog. Julie wrote and cooked every day. EPIC FAIL for me. I do read every day, just not comics, and not the X-Men. I've decided I will be better about this and will commit to at least one post each week. Yeah, each week. I know I'd never do one each day. While I'm saying one a week, I'm hoping to have more then that.

Now, unlike Julie's goal to cook every recipe in one year - I'm just going to keep writing. Heck, Marvel is still producing like 10 X-Men-related books each month. I'll have enough to write about for the rest of my life and MORE! Lately, I've really picked up steam on this little project and I've really enjoyed reading and writing about the last few issues. I've peeked ahead a bit and I'm very excited about what's coming up too! I can see the foundations of MY X-Men being laid here.

While I may not have to de-bone an entire duck, I do worry that there will be some spin-offs and storylines that will be about as savory as the removed entrails, but I will handle them and write about them and tell you what part they play or where they went wrong in the overall Universe of the X-Men.

And unlike the ladies in the film, I don't expect to get hundreds or thousands of readers, publish a book of my blogs, write my story and sell the movie rights to Disney (but I'd take a job offer!) - I just want to have some fun, spark some thoughts (and maybe discussion), and cook my way through one of the most popular comic book series of all time.

Thanks for joining me!

What Savage Land

Uncanny X-Men #10 – By Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

After many cross-overs and guest appearances, Stan Lee actually pushes out the borders of the Marvel Universe with this issue of X-Men by introducing Ka-Zar and his pre-historic world. Eventually, this world hidden under the Antarctic ice will be known as the Savage Land, but it is not named in this issue. This “new world” is destined to become an important place in the universe and will be visited by many heroes and villains outside of the X-Men, but they will always have ties here.

The Savage Land, and Ka-Zar himself, are really just Stan Lee’s riffs on the Edgar Rice Burroughs creations of Tarzan and Pellucidar. And of course, Burroughs owes his own inspiration to Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth! In Burroughs’ books, Pellucidar is a world inside a hollowed-out earth with a tiny sun at the center and populated by all manner of primitive creatures and dinosaurs. While we’re not given exact descriptions of the Savage Land here, we know that it’s under the Antarctic, has a high enough “ceiling” to allow the Angel to fly and mountain ranges to exist, and has a similar population to that of Pellucidar. Also, Burroughs published his final Pellucidar story, Savage Pellucidar in 1963. I’m guessing Stan Lee was a fan.

Ka-Zar himself exhibits many of the traits of Tarzan as well. From the simple loincloth, to the broken English speech patterns, to the animal companion (this time, a sabertooth tiger), Ka-Zar is definitely the Marvel Universe’s answer to Burrough’s creation. Nothing beyond his name and some of his abilities are revealed in this issue, but there are many more aspects of the Tarzan character that Ka-Zar will adopt in the future. I’ll save those for another day, and focus more on the story and the importance of this expansion of the universe.

For me, this story was a breath of fresh air for the series. We finally see Lee breaking new ground (literally!) here and taking the X-Men beyond evil mutants and establishing their place in the world. This story is a wild romp that does the Burroughs tradition proud – all the staples are in place! Angel gets immediately and unexpectedly attacked by pterodactyls; Marvel Girl gets captured by savages and subsequently offered as a sacrifice (along with Angel) to a Tyrannosaurus Rex; Ka-Zar roars to call up a herd of mastodons to break through a wall; and just the image of the “swamp men” riding feral sorts of Ostriches was a lot of fun!

There’s nothing ground-breaking or original in the story, and we know Lee lifted Ka-Zar and his new world from Burroughs, but by adding this type of place to the universe is very important and opens up all sorts of future adventures for all of Marvel’s heroes. All Marvel characters will end up visiting the Savage Land for one reason or another, and that introduces more readers to the concepts that Burroughs created. While new readers may not have read the Burroughs originals, it exposes them to this type of world and maybe they’ll seek those stories out. I’ve never actually read a Tarzan novel…maybe I’ll pick one up.

What amounts to one short adventure for the X-Men, becomes a significant moment in the growth of the young Marvel Universe.

Note: This issue was reprinted in February, 1995 as X-Men: The Early Years #10. Cover by Lee Weeks.

Professor Xavier and the X-Men #11 – by Jorge Gonzalez and Nick Gnazzo

Again, 90’s audiences were treated to a somewhat lack-luster retelling of the original tale. This time, Gonzalez chose to tell the story from the viewpoint of the Angel. While this really adds nothing to the main story, it plays up the romance in the X-Men by giving Warren Worthington his chance at making a play for the lovely Jean Grey, Marvel Girl.

In the original, the romance is limited to three or four panels – mostly thought balloons from Jean and Scott and how they are attracted to each other, but it’s up to Scott to do something about it. In this version, the romance takes up several pages and includes a moment where Warren attempts to kiss Jean – only to be interrupted by rampaging Ape-men! Warren feels that Scott, through his inaction, is welcoming anyone else to step up and claim Jean’s affections. But by the end of the story, after seeing Scott’s worry and concern when Jean is captured, Warren decides to back off and let Scott realize he’s in love with Jean. He even gets the opportunity to express this to Jean directly in a nice scene at the end of the issue.

I applaud Gonzalez’s use of a main narrator in each issue. I think it does make the story a little more interesting and gives us some insight into that character. He does a nice job making the choice for each story’s “voice” and relates that character well to the stories. This is probably the best part in these re-imaginings. Unfortunately, it often costs some elements from the original story to work this narration, or the additional scenes in.

I’m not as interested in Nick Gnazzo’s artwork. Now I realize I’m comparing him to Jack Kirby and that may be unfair, but Gnazzo must have never looked at Kirby’s original panels. Gnazzo’s art lacks the impact and perspective of Kirby’s and often leaves us with a very plain method of story-telling. His characters are done in the broad 90’s style, but the panel layout is often dull or just a standard third party view of the proceedings. The Kirby stuff is definitely more fun to look at.

Even Ka-Zar and the Savage Land aren’t as interesting here. Ka-Zar is closer to the version we’re familiar with in the 90’s – less broken English, not threatened by the X-Men and ready to help out. The panels depicting the rest of the world down there don’t show anything special or dramatic – in the original, we were treated to dark forests, deep ravines, tall mountains and forbidding primitive cities. Everything here is just ordinary.

If a reader were seeking out Ka-Zar’s first appearance, this would recount that story, but I would highly recommend they seek out a direct reprinting of the Lee/Kirby original.

Up Next: Uncanny X-Men #11 and Professor Xavier and the X-Men #15