One and two Redux

When I started this blog it was my intention to read the X-Men books chronologically - and I still intend to do so - however, as I was poking around X-Men history I discovered that in 1995 Marvel decided to publish a "modern take" on the original X-Men stories entitled Professor Xavier and the X-Men. I was intrigued, since I had no memory of this book. Little surprise there as it lasted only 18 issues.

If you'd read my last entry, you noticed that I'd talked about a particular storyline and what it may look like 30 or 40 years later, or more precisely, how it might have been handled in our more "politically correct" era. After writing that, I felt I needed to read these "modernized" tales and compare them to the originals. I'm curious how a writer might handle this same plot and charaters 33 years later. That's causing me to change this blog just a bit.

For this entry, I'm just going to catch up by discussing the first two issues of Professor Xavier and the X-Men and how they compare to the first issues of the original series. For the duration of this series (and probably into the run of Classic X-Men later on) I'm going to read both issues and compare them as part of the blog. I won't need to take up two separate entries AND I'll get to see and discuss how a writer looked at the stories years later. Seems like a win-win to me!

Professor Xavier and the X-Men #1 - By Fred Schiller and Jan Duursema

The first big change is this version of the story is told from Jean Grey's point of view. It begins with Jean in a taxi and she has a quick opportunity to display her power even before reaching the school. She's nervous and has her doubts about attending this school and meeting other students with "abilities."

After her arrival, she's ushered into the library telepathically by Professor Xavier. On her way, she encounters Scott Summers (Yes, Scott. No mention of "Slim" except in a biography page at the end of the issue.). This is a big divergence from the original as we are first exposed to the fact that Scott can't control his eye-beams without his glasses - a fact never mentioned in the original story. Jean also gives readers a hint at her attraction to Scott here, that is also not present in the original.

As Professor Xavier introduces Jean to the other students things follow along with the original tale. The modernization here is that instead of looking like that rat pack, the boys and their mullets look like they could be belting out "Achy Brakey Heart" at any moment. I think poor Iceman was modeled directly on Billy Ray! The most significant thing here is that Professor Xavier makes no mention of his origins or his injuries. I won't speculate on things happening in 1995 and why this omission was made, but perhaps by then the title had "ret-conned" the Professor's origins away from the original. The one thing that remains is an easily-missed reference to Professor Xavier controlling the plane the team is in with his mind. I'm curious why this was kept, but the origin material dropped. Again, something to keep in mind as I read my way through continuity.

The Danger Room is actually identified as such in this issue and is no longer part of the Professor's study or library and stands as its own entity. Jan Durrsema's art is actually quite nice and detailed, but an example of her more stylized work. The hazards are modernized here as well - now boxing robots and attack spheres - but the focus is still on teamwork. Jean is also present at the training excercise in a control room with the Professor.

Magneto's appearance is probably the most disappointing for me here. Gone are his long monologues to himself and his constant threats to the military. He boldly states that he's setting an example by taking over the military base and is just too straight-forward in his dialogue. Honestly, the original interpretation had more character and fun to it. He does state that if he's had more time (and really, what's so pressing he can't TAKE the time), he'd have converted the X-Men to his side. Unlike in the original, he mentions the Brotherhood here - if only to himself!

Other then that, the story follows closely to the original. Telling if from Jean's perspective gives us little that's new except for her attraction to Scott and her decision to join the X-Men. Her character, along with Cyclops have more depth then the others. Cyclops is definitely the leader of this team, where it is unclear in the original.

Overall, I think more is lost in this retelling then is gained. Xavier's backstory and Magneto's character were sacrificed to give more time to Jean and Scott. Again, I won't really speculate about 1995, but I'm sure the focus was more tightly on Jean and Scott in the regular books, so featuring them here probably made more sense.

Professor Xavier and the X-Men #2 - By Fred Schiller and Jan Duursema

This issue is amazingly similar to its predecessor in most ways. The updates to the 90s are fine, but for most of the issue they don't change the plot, or even events most of the time. Gone are some of the silliness such as Iceman and Cyclops catching a ride home in the ice cream truck and the Danger Room threat of the giant medicine ball.

Again, Schiller left out Professor Xavier's use of devices. There is no contact in the FBI using a special headband to communicate with Xavier. He only mentions that he's been monitoring the Vanisher's crime spree and the reader is left to assume this is via telepathy, rather then government contacts.

The greatest improvement in this re-imagining is the Vanisher himself. Unlike the previous issue in which Magneto was handled horribly, this story sees the Vanisher as a much deeper character and much more interesting then in the original. Vanisher is almost like Xavier's opposite here (much like Magneto should have been), as he studies up on the X-Men and even tells Xavier that he's been studying mutants and has several theories of his own to share. Vanisher one-ups Magneto again by already having a trained team of experts in his service and a mobile command center to boot! Unlike the thugs that rallied to him in the original, this trained team of military experts gains information for the Vanisher and backs him up in the final confrontation. Much more impressive then a bunch of gun-toting palookas from Lee's original tale. Jan Duursema even made the Vanisher's ridiculous costume look much better - he even gets a Spawn-like panel with billowing cape and smoke!

But the most significant change is the actual ending of the story. In Uncanny #2, Xavier uses his mental power to completely erase the Vanisher's memory of his power and his identity. In this update, Xavier stops short and simply removes the Vanisher's ability to control his power. This seems much more fair and "PC" then to completely decimate the man's mind. Again, I refer to the morality tale of Identity Crisis by DC Comics from a few years ago. It stresses the morality of removing memories and manipulating minds of those considered "evil." Does anyone have the right? Who says they do? Who Watches the Watchmen? This kinder, gentler Xavier makes more sense to me.

Overall, I think this issue was an improvement on the original. The ending "felt" better, the deeper characterization of the Vanisher was more satisfying and even Xavier's character felt mysterious, but in a better moral place then the villains he opposes.

Up Next: Uncanny X-Men #3 and Professor Xavier and the X-Men #3.

Now you see him...

Uncanny X-Men #2 - By Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

I give Stan Lee credit for his little ironies. Again he splashes his first page with bold statements including "Congratulations! You are about to begin a book-length tale which you'll never forget!" Considering how this story ends, at least the Vanisher won't remember!

The Vanisher is the new "evil mutant" to face the X-Men in this issue. His power is teleportation - he can instantly zap himself anywhere in the blink of an eye, including out of the clutches of a potential captor and even our of the icy-grasp of one of Iceman's constructs. Neither normal human or X-Man can lay a hand on him, and he seems to have nothing standing in the way of his claiming the $10 million dollars in blackmail money from the US government. But Professor Xavier proves to be his ultimate undoing as he wipes his memory of his power and his very identity! The Vanisher gets dragged off to prison, and the good guys win the day.

Now my memory (of the future as it were) seems to tell me that the Vanisher comes back at some point, and I'm just wondering if he gets as pissed off as the DC villains did in Identity Crisis! In the DC Universe, it seems the Justice League took matters into their own hands and through the use of Zatanna's magic, messed with the minds of several villains, turning them from major powerhouses into relatively harmless goofballs. Ultimately, this is looked at as a completely heinous act and causes a huge rift in the 21st Century Justice League and eventually they disband.

I think its rather funny that in 1963, there's simply no thought that this was an appropriate thing to do as long as it served the good of the people at large. No one criticizes Xavier, instead they applaud his efforts and quick thinking! Will that change as time goes on? I know that we're much more "politically correct" today and more sensitive to the issues of personal invasion like this. Was there really no concern for it back then? Does Stan Lee, or later Chris Claremont or another writer, come back to this moment and decide it was wrong to take the memories from this guy? Is winning at any cost part of Xavier's plan to protect humanity? How does this collateral damage set him apart from those he fights? Only more issues will tell.

The Danger Room is actually identified as such in this issue. We see the missiles and training mechanisms that are always associated with this place in full force. Described as an otherwise featureless room, Lee and Kirby leave plenty of space to throw anything at our teenaged heroes that comes to mind. I will be watching to see how this develops over the issues since it seems a "training sequence" is part of the formula for each issue at this point.

Professor Xavier uses another device to augment his abilities in this issue. He has provided a contact in the FBI with a headband to allow Xavier to telepathically communicate with a normal human and get the inside scoop on the Vanisher. I'll be curious to see what explanation is given for these devices to eventually be put aside and how the plots will work that in.

We still see an overwhelming similarity of character to the Fantastic Four. Xavier himself moves to the forefront this issue as we see more of his character developing - instructing the students, working with the government, ultimately facing the Vanisher in the field. We see Xavier's determination and drive, but also a concern for his students and his "tough love" training methods. Still not much development for the students themselves though.

Maybe Xavier will come to regret his decision in handling the Vanisher by erasing his memories. I'm curious to see if that will happen. He IS the most developed character at this point and may have some capacity for carrying this plot thread through. But then, maybe it will take a couple hundred issues to see light again!

Note: This issue was reprinted in June, 1994 as X-Men: The Early Years #2. Cover by Mike Parobeck.

Up Next: Professor Xavier and the X-Men #1 & #2

Enter....the X-Men!

Uncanny X-Men #1 - By Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

"And, now, prepare yourself for one of the most exciting reading experiences of your life! For you are about to enter the fascinating, unpredicatable world of...THE X-MEN!"

Yep, that's what it says right at the bottom of page one.

That's a lot to live up to on your first page. Stan Lee must have been really confident in this book. I guess he had a point. I mean, here I am 40+ years later writing about it. The comic stands are COVERED in X-Men books every month, we've had four major motion pictures (so far), several cartoon series and even novels that go back some 30 years when the first one was published.

Everything starts pretty much as you'd imagine it with the introduction of the main characters. Professor Xavier calls his students to class and each one gets to demonstrate their powers. Beast, Angel, Iceman and Cyclops each take a turn practicing with their abilities and eventually it all ends up in a big session of "rough-housing." Oh, boys will be boys! What makes this scene particularly amusing is that Xavier apparently calls the team to order in his study, but the room quickly grows to enormous size as gymnastic rings, flaming geysers and obstacles the size of trucks show up. Jack Kirby's lack of backgrounds in the panels keeps viewers from knowing exactly where they are or what the scale of this place really is. Good for a chuckle or two, though!

Next, we're introduced to Xavier's newest student, Jean Grey, whom he immediately sticks with the name of "Marvel Girl." The new student provides Stan Lee the opportunity to get all the backstory out. Xavier explains how the students all have "extra abilities" beyond those of normal humans, so he's calling them "X-Men" to denote the X-tra abilities NOT after himself as is often popular belief. Xavier goes on to explain that the purpose of his school and his team is to educate mutants in the use of their abilities and teach them to work with humanity for the greater good. Furthermore, they are to stand against any "evil mutants" who would use those extra abilities to enslave humanity.

The scene also gives readers a glimpse at the sexism of the times - the boys all seem to act like members of the Rat Pack and use some suave lines to sway the emotions of the attractive Jean Grey. In their suits, sweater vests and penny loafers, the characters look more like Dean Martin and Sammy Davis then any teenager of the early '60s. I think if Lee could have worked in a cigarette and glass of scotch he would have! Beast's advances eventually lead him to getting tossed through the air and onto the couch by Jean's powers (which she mistakenly refers to as "teleportation" here. Hey, it's her first day at school, guess we should cut her some slack - she gets it right later - "telekinesis.")

Xavier also mentions that he uses his power in conjunction with a "Master Control Panel" to control other devices. I never knew anything about this facet of the character, but he remotely controls a Rolls Royce and a jet plane in this issue. I suppose that was one way to get characters who can't drive - and certainly would be a stretch for them to pilot a plane at this point - to far-flung comic book locales. Not a bad solution in these early issues.

Next, we are finally introduced to the first "evil mutant" in Magneto - or "The Miraculous Magneto" as he likes to refer to himself. Magneto's been busy taking control of rockets and dumping them into the ocean as part of his ultimate plan to take over a military base. We don't really ever find out why he NEEDS a military base, but I guess if you plan on recruiting more evil mutants to your cause you need a place for them to stay! My favorite part of this whole sequence is the amount of time Magneto spends talking to himself. He spends so much time talking to himself he's completely sterotypical - I loved it! You can't be an evil super-villain without evil soliloquies.

After seeing a news report about the rockets crashing, the X-Men show up and use their powers as a team to defeat Magneto in less then 15 minutes. Magneto delays the team with a magnetic force field just long enough to escape. Glad for the X-Men's assistance, the military commander promises their name will be revered in his command. So far, the X-Men's mission is a success!

Characterization is very broad in this issue and the popularity of the Fantastic Four is used as the basis for these characters as well. Beast and Iceman are almost clones of the Thing and Human Torch - they're really cut from the same cloth. Burly strong guy and guy who controls an element (fire vs. ice). They have the same comic relationship and dialogue. There's no sign of Hank McCoy's brilliance here. The Angel and Cyclops (called "Slim" here) are virtually the same character and are the "responsible"ones ala Reed Richards. Even Jean Grey shows the spunkiness of Sue Storm. I look forward to future issues where these characters begin to develop on their own.

Cyclops is the only one with a unique power and the manner in which he controls it is tricky and requires a high-degree of control. You don't get the idea that this power is a detriment yet, but his "laser eyes" are very cool. The Angel's wings are shown bound under his clothes at one point, illustrating the difficulty he has fitting in with "normal humans." You can see here the difficulties ahead for these characters. Its subtle, but present even here.

This may not have been one of Stan Lee's best stories or Jack Kirby's best art (I really found it lacking here), but it had charm. Overall, a fun read! A nice set-up for what can happen in the future. Had I read this in 1963, I'd have wanted to be back for the next issue.

Note: This issue was reprinted in May, 1994 as X-Men: The Early Years #1. Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz.

Up Next: Uncanny X-Men #2

Blogging my way back to comics

So...what am I doing here and why?

Well, I love comics. I really love comics, but I've gotten away from them recently. I actually haven't read one in months. There was a time when I used to hit the comic store every Wednesday and leave with a massive stack of the latest books from Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse and any others that looked interesting and exciting. I'd pour through them - devouring them - reading several a day, many per week - following the adventures of gaudily-clad heroes fighting the ultimate battles against their evil counterparts. There was an innocence; a sense of fun and hope in each issue that I savored. I knew the good guys would overcome, but HOW they did it and the odds they had to beat were what fascinated me. Their personal journeys and triumphs over tragedy were enthralling. And just the fact that Peter Parker kept it up after being the Rodney Dangerfield of the super-hero set was amazing.

Now its darker, bleaker, less hopeful and less fun.

There have been Civil Wars, Infinite Crises, massacres, multiple armageddons and even an Ultimatum in recent years. All events that have conspired to push me further from reading comics. Captain America is dead. Villains apparently run the Marvel universe. Even Batman is gone now, replaced by his trusty sidekick. Where have all the Cowboys gone? Or in this case, what's happened to my heroes? I'm sure the marketing machines will turn it all around eventually - after all DC has brought back Hal Jordan and Barry Allen, right? But then, what if I LIKED Kyle Rayner and Wally West?

One of my friends (waves to Brentos) has started reading comics chronologically from the Golden Age forward - reading everything produced by the each company, each month, working through the 30's and into the 40's. He's read the original Super-hero books (Batman, Superman, Justice Society, etc.) as well as the sci-fis, the hard-boiled detectives, the "girl books," the precursors to Archie Andrews - the whole nine yards. He's enjoying it and getting a lot of history and background. He tweets about it every so often and hits some highlights of what he's reading and what it means to him and to the text of the time and the genre. I contemplated joining him on the journey, but decided that I didn't have the patience or the focus to do that, but I certainly applaud his efforts.

I wanted a comic journey of my own. I just didn't know what I wanted to do, or if I really wanted to DO anything. Then, as things happen in this techno-century, I was bored and "surfing the web" and something piqued my interest: a digital copy of Uncanny X-Men #1.

I'd never read it. I thought that was odd, since I HAVE read the early issues of Spider-Man, the Avengers, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four and even some of the early appearances of Iron Man and Thor. How did I miss Uncanny X-Men #1? I picked through my brain (and some of my back issues) and realized I'd never read very much of the first 93 X-Men issues. Sure I had some of the reprint comics called X-Men Classics and later, Classic X-Men (yep, Marvel was really creative in their reprint titles, huh?), but I read them largely out of context and found that I hardly remembered any of the stories. Could they have sucked that badly, or was I simply mired in the "current" continuity of the Chris Claremont age? And how many of those dangling plot-threads of Claremont's ever got cleaned-up and finished? Are there still hundreds of unresolved plotlines out there? How many mutants are still wandering around after Mr. Claremont introduced them but they were never seen again?

Then something happened...I started wondering what happened to all the mutants after the virus was unleashed? What was some of this newer X-material really about? Was Captain Britain really back again in a new book? My mind was sort of reeling as I flipped the digital pages of Uncanny #1. What's happening to these characters today? Do I care about X-Men: First Class? Is Bryan Singer's movie version of it going to make me happy, or will it just be a different flavor of X-Men Origins: Wolverine?

But wait...this was Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Iceman looked like Frosty the Snowman; Magneto looked like the Devil; Professor Xavier looked kind of like a carnival mentalist; and Marvel Girl isn't even at the school yet when the issue begins. I soooooooooo had to read this!

In fact, I wanted to read it ALL. I wanted to read all of those issues that I hadn't before. I wanted to read those back-ups in Classic X-Men with the original issues where they'd make more sense to me. I even wanted to read the Chris Claremont stuff beginning at Giant-Sized X-Men #1 and see if I could keep track of those dangling plot threads. And honestly, I think I want to know what's happening NOW in the X-Men universe.

So, I'm gonna do it. And I'm going to take any of you who read this with me. I'm planning on reading an issue of X-Men (and eventaully X-Factor, or Cable, or Excalibur) every few days and blog about it. Just some quick observations, notes and opinions. Let's see how far I get and if I actually find some fun and excitement working my way through this.

I admit this sounds like a "boy version" of Julie & Julia. I didn't see the movie, but I can respect the sentiment. And yes, I admit that I would actually like to see the film. Maybe I'll toss a special blog in if/when I finally see it. If you're reading this and you don't know what Julie & Julia is I'll explain it quickly. It's the story of a woman who decides she needs some direction in life and decides to cook and blog her way through Julia Child's Cookbook - one day and one dish at a time. It parallels the story of Julia Child's own journey from housewife to the famous cook she eventually became. Gee, maybe I'll get a movie made about this project in a few years. Would have to be produced at Disney, right?

Up Next: Uncanny X-Men #1