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stars-and-birds · 1 year

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okay so i actually know very little about the x men but what roles are u thinking of for the party?

OKAY. you have awakened nerd esme. prepare urself. this will be long. sooooo long.

so for context the x men— created in 1963 by stan lee and jack kirby and fictionally brought together by professor x, a wheelchaired mutant with telepathic abilities, were/are mutants. mutants are a different species than humans and are as such treated terribly by them. they have “mutations” which give them powers and shit. they were basically created as parallels to real life bigotry and are hated by the general public (in the marvel verse everyone irl loves them. or i do. )

anyway, the original five were—

angel aka warren worthington III (yes that is his actual name) who had wings on his back. now they’re metal. it’s complicated but not important. he’s basically the token rich boy, blond hair, blue eyes, yeah. total knockout in canon too apparently. cyclops aka scott summers who had a red laser beam that continuously comes out of his eyes and as such he wears/wore a special visor made out of special ruby glass professor x found for him. quick fun fact he had so low self esteem and was so depressed professor x made him leader out of fear he would fucking kill himself. which is very dark. a bit stoic and pretty much an old man (he canonically watched seinfield). and he’s transmasc to ME. beast aka hank mccoy who is basically a genius and really strong and stuff. eventually he turns into a literal beast but i’m too sleep deprived to remember how that happened lolol marvel girl aka jean grey who was the token Girl™️ of the group and who possessed too many abilities to keep track of, and when she has them. she gets fucked up at some point in the chris claremont x men run (which is truly iconic) and becomes possessed by the phoenix force(specifically in issue #134, the issue will wanted in episode one) and becomes like evil and shit. the phoenix force is a cosmic evil being and she becomes *dark* phoenix and it’s a whole thing. also pour one fucking out for her imagine being surrounded by teenage boys and hormones most of whom have a crush on you and being able to read their minds. jean babe i’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through. and bobby drake aka iceman who has *gasp* ice powers. he’s a bit of the goofball of the group and can turn basically turn himself into ice which is explored more in more recent comics. he’s also been revealed as gay. one small step for mutants i suppose they’re all queer but nobody tell them.

wow that was long! sorry. anyway onto the actual au stuff. my original plan was to make each member of the part correspond to a o5 x men member, but since there are six i thought i’d add one more for max.

mike is cyclops! i think it fits in a special sort of way that i can’t really articulate since they have such different personalities. but just trust me.

el is jean, in the telepathic sense and being surrounded by boys most of the time sense. rip.

dustin is beast. tech savvy, smart, tested different bc of how he looks— it fits. so so well.

again the personalities may not fit on the surface but i think will is iceman. they’re both sort of softer than everyone else, and whole will is quieter it just makes sense to me haha.

uhh so i don’t actually think lucas would be warren… mayhaps i’m still considering… which means i wrote that whole description for basically nothing but i think it’s funny so i’m keeping it there. anyway i think lucas would be… idk. i’m still thinking it over but maybe gambit.

so for max @hellmo suggested rogue who would be great but i’m also still mulling it over. maybe kitty pryde! idk.

technically i think brenner would work as prof x but obviously that’s a no-go so it’s gonna be mr clarke which i like more as concept actually. again, different personalities but i think that’s okay, because the general roles fit. plus i jsut think that dynamic would be fun to explore more.

so sorry this was long and doesn’t really have much au it’s more me seeing x men and going brrr… haha. thanks for the ask tho!!! i enjoyed talking about them :]

#long post #so so long #i’m sorry i nerded out #this au is half an excuse to just talk about the x men #but i do like the concept #rjay💘#x men party au #the party #stranger things #ask #amazing mutuals

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lexcellence · 1 year

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BANSHEE???? THE COP?????

look, i went from the available choices, and my vote went to Beto anyway

Let's break these choices down, yeah?

Cyclops - tl;dr There are specific periods of time where Scott is "hot," and the vast majority of the time he isn't! Is he my blorbo? Yes. Do I run a sideblog where the header is his Foxy Grandpa Ass jutting out? Of course. Can I vote him in good conscience? I don't think so.

Colossus - the man spent how much time trying to fuck a fourteen year old? He heard Mutants were moving to a sex cult island and was baffled because his dead pal Jeff was a human. Pass.

Gambit - not even with Rogue's dick.

Wolverine - I only barely believe he can find the clit, and have ZERO confidence he could locate my prostate, and I'm unsure enough about his grooming habits that I wouldn't willingly put any part of myself in any part of him. Pass.

Iceman - Closeted Iceman? Maybe. But out Iceman is an overcompensating baby gay written almost exclusively by straight dudes, and I have a strict policy of never touching white gays who have "BBC" in their search history.

Warren Kenneth Worthington the Third - do you know what happens to Angel's love interests? I'd rather not be hatecrimed by Cameron Hodge for a few sweaty minutes of underwhelming halfhearted bottoming from a princess who provides the own stuffing for his pillows. Keep flying, birdboy.

Nightcrawler - I know, I know, the man is a sex icon, but I'm not getting involved in any of that family drama. If it's not his evil lesbian moms trying to kill me, it'd be his step-sisters trying to get back in his spandex. Not worth it, especially after all that shit in Way of X.

Havok - Matt Fraction's Clint Barton: The Mutant Flavor???? Listen, I adore a broken man who knows his place as much as the next nigga, don't get me wrong, but if I'm not picking Scott, I'm definitely not picking his Luigi.

I do appreciate his commitment to the bit, though.

Banshee - let's jump back to Cyclops for a minute. Without getting into shipping war bullshit, most of the times he's been "hot" are when he's playing off of Emma Frost, right? Emma's tertiary mutation is the ability to make everyone else more interesting just by association, because she's fucking great. I mean I just read an Iron Man book for her, for fuck's sake. Back in the 90's, when she was newly not-evil, she and Banshee were essentially the co-leads of Generation X, a book that, when it wasn't being the New New New Mutants, about two unreasonably sexy people who couldn't stand each other being unreasonably sexy at each other. Even putting that aside (and if you read a few issues, you'll get it), the man's spent decades dedicated to flying around with his tits out due to mysterious clothing damage, amd I appreciate that.

Sunspot - look, I fixated on him when I was nine, as the only character I could find who was like me at all, and that was ignoring all the gay subtext with his best friend even before it turned into outright queerbaiting. I grew up with him, and he's only gotten better since then. He's the only dude in my top 5 muties. He's flawless (give or take bad taste in men and a propensity for being whitewashed), he's perfect, he's hilarious, he's my vote AND yours, he's Sunspot.

Cannonball - in my seminal 2020 fic, "How Many Times Would You Say You've Been In Love," I summed Beto's Best Boy up thusly:

Sam laughed, a quiet, gentle, chuckle that crinkled the corners of his eyes, not that Roberto could bring himself to look at them. Instead his own eyes travelled everywhere else, from Sam's mess of a mop, to his strong jaw, to the gap in his front teeth, his okay-for-a-white-boy lips, the freckles that covered his nose, and ending up…

Do I love Sam as a character? Absolutely, he's one of the best. But he's not hot, he's a lapse in taste. Love conquers all, they say. 😔

Bishop - as one of exactly two Black men the poll listed, I want to give Bishop his flowers, but I have never read a good Bishop story where he wasn't awful. No baby gays, but no self-hating Black genocidaires, either.

#x men

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marvelreader · 1 year

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X-Men #1 (July 2, 1963)

Professor Xavier runs a school for kids with eXtra abilities. We met his students: Slim Summers (not Scott), Hank McCoy, Bobby Drake, & Warren Worthington III. Their training is interrupted by the arrival of a new student...

Jean Gray aka Marvel Girl! Professor X explains the school's mission statement: to save the world from "evil mutants" (that's how he describes it). The boys can't seem to control themselves and immediately begin to harass Jean...

Meanwhile, the "evil" mutant Magneto launches a plan to capture a military base in the name of Homo Superior (they don't really go into WHY this is a good idea). He captures the base with ease and the X-Men are sent on their first mission to stop Magneto...

The X-Men thwart Magneto's plan (whatever it was) and he escapes.

It's a lightweight, fun story. I hope the treatment of Jean improves (I'm not holding my breath). Not bad but not nearly as iconic as it will become a decade later.

Lee / Kirby / Reinman

#marvel #stan lee #marvel comics #jack kirby #marvel universe #silver age marvel #xmen #professor x #cyclops #ice man #beast #angel #marvel girl #jean grey #magneto

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kurt-wagner-official · 2 years

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Post #15: UXM issues 132-134

The second arc of the Dark Phoenix Saga follows the X-Men’s battles against the rest of the Lords Cardinal of the Hellfire Club. We begin with the heroes lying low at Warren Worthington III (aka Angel)’s house. Scott came up with this because he’s realized the mansion is bugged, which pissing off Xavier for no good reason. I guess he just doesn’t like Scott coming up with ideas? Xavier’s been acting really awful lately. Scott finally gets a chance to catch up with his best friend. Jean interrupts their secret meeting to get Scott to take a break from being Cyclops and have lunch with her. Her speech bubbles have thick wavy lines any time she’s in costume now, a sign that the Phoenix is consuming more and more of her. She takes off his visor and holds his optic blasts back telekinetically. Scott’s power is a metaphor for the tension and anger that he bottles up. Normally when he releases it people get hurt, but Jean helps him let it out calmly and without fear. Xavier built the visor and taught Scott to control his inner turmoil, but with Jean he can be open without fear. We also find out later that it’s here she tells him about the timeslips she’s been experiencing, for reasons she doesn’t understand. Later, Warren is able to get Scott, Jean, Ororo, and Peter fake tickets for a Hellfire party, while Kurt and Logan sneak in from the sewers. They’re discovered by Wyngarde, who brings Jean back under his brainwashing spell, revealing himself to be the old villain Mastermind and completing Jean’s transformation into the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. The rest of the Lords Cardinal attack; Sebastian Shaw, the Black King, who absorbs kinetic energy and converts it into his own strength, Donald Pierce, a human cyborg, and Harry Leland, who can increase the mass of things. They quickly take down the X-Men, except for Logan, who Leland sends down into the sewers and leaves for dead, which obviously doesn’t work. The final panel is one of the most iconic in the series, as Logan pulls himself out of the sewer water ready for round 2. But before that, I’ll talk a little about the Lords Cardinal. The mutants of the Inner Circle are, on a metaphorical level, the cruelest extreme of the “model minority” idea that I mentioned last post. They’ve sold out their community in exchange for power in the human world. Pierce is a human who despises mutants, but Shaw, Leland, and Wyngarde have all betrayed their fellow mutants to ally themselves with him and with other humans for personal gain at any expense. This can even be seen in their powers; Shaw absorbs the energy of his fellow mutants and turns it around to hurt them, Leland brings down everyone around him to lift himself up, and Wyngarde literally enslaves Jean. They have no loyalty, honor, or solidarity with each other or anyone else, which elevates them from another standard group of supervillains to some of the X-Men’s most dangerous enemies.

Issue 133 starts with Logan stalking and then shredding Hellfire soldiers who’ve been sent to confirm his death. The last one he lets live in exchange for information; as he punches him out he reflects on how before the X-Men he would have killed him anyway. Meanwhile, Jean is completely under the illusion that she’s the Black Queen living in the 18th century. Scott remembers their time at Warren’s estate, when they established a permanent psychic connection which he plans to use to break through Jean’s brainwashing. Meanwhile, Shaw tells Kurt the reason they’re still alive- he plans to experiment on them to extract and sell their mutant DNA. You could draw parallels between Shaw and the many slavers throughout history who sold their own people as slaves. Meanwhile, Xavier finally admits to Warren and to himself that he resents Scott for taking on the role he trained him for, his successor as leader of the X-Men. He finally recognizes his recent mistakes but fears it may be to late. Speaking of which, Logan is attempting to fight his way to the X-Men, but he’s taking too long, and a desperate Scott enters Jean’s astral plane to find Wyngarde, who, in a mirror of Xavier’s duel with the Shadow King, conjures swords for them both and stabs Scott through the heart.

As Scott lays in shock on the ground, Logan bursts through the door to save his friends. It seems like a futile effort, but to everyone’s surprise, Jean’s broken Wyngarde’s hold on her on her own. She frees Scott, who frees his team, and this time they have their enemies on the ropes. The fight scene is great, with lots of good character moments, from Kurt juggling Shaw with his feet and singing, to Peter getting his second wind and overpowering Pierce while asserting his pride in his mutant heritage and his security in his own inner humanity, to perhaps the most notable of all: when Scott orders a retreat, Logan is disappointed but agrees without question. Meanwhile, Jean has caught up to Wyngarde and goes ballistic on him, telekinetically torturing him before opening up his mind to receive all of the cosmic knowledge she experienced in the M’Kraan Crystal. Unlike Jean, Wyngarde can’t handle it, and is left catatonic. Jean has broken his hold on her, but he still unknowingly unlocked the full potential that she had subconsciously closed off from herself after her brush with godhood. This time, it’s too late for her to stop herself, and just when the group thinks they’re home free, she appears in a new crimson red costume, declaring herself once more the Phoenix and attacking her friends.

I don’t have much more to say here. This was a great middle chapter with perfectly paced tension and some of the best action in the series so far. And just when you think the heroes are safe, the twist comes, and you know that one way or another, the team will never be the same.

#wes reads xmen

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comicsforyall · 6 months

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The Original X-Men: Mutants Before the Metaphor

Marvel’s Merry Mutants

The Silver Age of comic books was picking up steam in the latter half of 1963. With the immense success from Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and other recent creations, Marvel was looking to add titles to their roster. Establishing a universe and core audience for their comics was seemingly at the forefront of the company’s minds. With perhaps a bit of a peak over at DC’s Doom Patrol, Kirby and Lee debuted the X-Men, a team of the ‘strangest’ superheroes of all. However a glance at the group would not necessarily back up the claim.

Looking at the new teen team, there’s not a lot of strangeness on the surface. Four teen white boys, with identical hairstyles of varying shades of blonde and brown, alongside one red headed teen girl isn’t exactly a circus act. However the makeup of the team showcases two major points for the series. First, the idea of secretly being different, of not outwardly displaying differences is a distinct theme for this era of X-Men. This is in slight contention with the development of the idea of the mutant metaphor in the ensuing many years, but that has not taken hold yet. The second implication of the included roster is a bit simpler, it’s just demographics.

Marvel as a company tends to be comics made by and for young white guys, often not for the better. The modern understanding is that the X-Men’s mutant metaphor is applicable to various oppressed groups, but that’s not really the case in 1963. The goal of this team seems to be much more for young boys to project themselves and their friends onto the teen superheroes, and their related drama. The series is not a progressive social commentary at this point, if it ever truly is.

Understanding the approach of the creator’s at this point is essential in enjoying these classic comics with the current and long running context of the X-Men. The story is light, the plots are relatively simple, and the character’s are consistently inconsistent. This has to be taken in stride with a story over 60 years old, and under the surface there are actually more persisting elements in the first nineteen issues than it may seem.

Meet the Original Five

Warren Worthington the Third, aka The Angel

Blonde haired, with white feathery wings, Warren Worthington is exactly what’s expected from someone with his code name. Besides being a bit of an overconfident rich boy, there’s not too much depth to the Angel. He spends about half his time dodging airborne projectiles, and the other half hitting on his younger teammate Jean Grey. The unfortunate side for Warren is that his haughty advances mostly serve as a foil to the reserved Scott Summers, and his own pursuit of Jean. Warren’s passes often result in Jean’s admonishment, and her thoughts indicate she is much more interested in Scott.

He’ll be more fleshed out and overly complicated down the road, though he won’t ever completely shake his womanizing behaviors. The flying X-Men comes out a bit boring in the debut run, but is certainly fun to see swoop around when drawn by Jack Kirby.

Hank McCoy, aka The Beast

Everyone’s favorite bouncing blue beast makes his start in a decidedly paler than expected fashion. The transformation of Hank into the hairy version of himself is so iconic across other media, it is a stark realization that the character does not begin with this in mind. Besides his outward appearance though, it is remarkable how much of Beast’s personality is already shaping up in the Silver Age.

A central point of Hank’s character is that his brain is as useful, if not moreso, than his mutation. Whether he looks like a regular teen, ape, or cat monster, he keeps the mind of a genius. Even as a normal looking guy, Hank is already insecure about others not recognizing this trait. Early on he adopts an overly verbose way of talking, clearly meant to showcase his smarts to those around him. It’s charming to read, but would almost certainly be unbearable in regular conversation. As seen in issue eight however, the way he uses his words may be the least concerning aspect of Hank.

Professor X leaves the team for a short while to battle the elusive Lucifer, after surprisingly graduating the team from the school. This progression, along with a traumatic incident involving an angry mob of humans, pushes Beast to exit the X-Men. The harshness of what happens and the speed at which Beast turns are compelling lines when connected to the long term moral failings that will besiege him. Even when he returns, the methods Hank employs are ramped up in intensity.

Since Unus the Untouchable (a mutant enclosed in a personal force field) easily defeats the X-Men in combat, Hank turns to his brain in an attempt to take down the villain. What he devises is questionable and borderline sinister. He whips up a device that increases Unus’s mutation, extending the force field that covers him further outward. This creates the practical issue of Unus being completely unable to touch anything, and he cannot manage to eat or drink. The X-Men use this as leverage, and tell him that should he ever try to join Magneto they will zap him with the ray again, and force him to die of malnourishment.

It sounds bad for Beast and the others, but to be completely fair Unus is a man trying to murder a bunch of teens so that he can join a madman in conquering the world. Still, with the long term arcs of Beast, and the idea that he always is willing to go a little further than other mutants in order to secure safety is cool to see established so early on.

Bobby Drake, aka Iceman

The youngest of the original five teens, Bobby Drake/Iceman, will face a continued character struggle that is exemplified in his uncreative name. For the vast majority of his publication history the threat of being generic or shallow will haunt the quickly named superhero. A consistent jokester, Bobby often falls into the trap of being just comedic relief in lieu of any personal depth. Arguably that is true even in the genesis of the series, but a couple of creative decisions boost the coolest X-Men up a couple of tiers.

First and largely unimportantly, the costume. Iceman’s costume is essentially just a pair of boots he slides on over his completely snowy exterior. It’s a charming and simple gag that goes with Bobby well. The most interesting aspect of his getup is the frozen layer he manifests for himself.

At the start of the series, Bobby is covered in a layer of fluffy snow. Kirby draws him with lots of curved lines, creating a rounded pile effect that is reminiscent of The Thing with a softer exterior. It’s a distinct look that may be unfamiliar, as it is not the typical look that Bobby will sport for the rest of his career. A bit unceremoniously in issue eight, Cyclops suggests to Iceman that he try and ‘harden’ his snow form into a harder ice material, and he is quickly successful. This quick but lasting development points to major themes for the character, including his vast capacities power wise, and his stark lack of self-awareness.

For the duration of the run, Kirby essentially utilizes Bobby’s ice as an artistic outlet and convenient plot device. It’s apparent that Iceman can essentially create anything with his ice, and this intense versatility helps to push the story. From teleportation via water, to revitalizing an entire planet, the throughline of being naively wielding great power will continue to come up. As he gains abilities though he doesn’t always develop personally, which results in a character with too much power and too little motivation. It’s funny that this potential flaw could be due in part to Kirby and Lee simply having fun with their character, and the trend continuing.

Some of Bobby’s displays of strength are done when he himself is not even in control of his body. As outlined by Taylor Lancaster for Screen Rant, when Emma Frost inhabits Bobby’s body in Uncanny X-Men 314 she unlocks levels of the powers that were previously unknown. He’s embarrassed and upset after the realization that she immediately was able to master and utilize his own mutation better than he had any conceived.

This characteristic of lacking self introspection is expanded on by Brian Michael Bendis later on in reference to the character’s sexuality. It is a neat throughline to track, since Iceman will be woefully relegated to a banter-fueled powerhouse of a plot convenience for large stints of his publication.

Scott Summers aka Cyclops

The fourth member of the starting five falls into a similar pattern with the rest of being relatively well established. Though these are dated comics, and in some senses shallow, there is still an undeniable kernel for the character of Cyclops that is already present. Perhaps due to superhero comic’s tendencies to reset characters to their established base, Scott feels firmly on track to fulfill his future roles. Even today when the character has evolved ten times over, there is still a likely chance that any adaptation of the character will mirror the personality seen in these pages.

The first highlight of Cyclops is slight, and that is his mutant ability, and in some instances disability. Laser eyes themselves may be one of the most run of the mill power sets, right up there with angel wings. However Scott is unable to control his optic blasts, and that decision from the creators alone adds a lot of complexity to him. Throughout the issues, all of his teammates are ‘mastering’ their mutations and generally expanding their capabilities, but Scott is never able to do this.

Cyclops remains reliant on his glasses or visor lest he unleash destruction. It’s a simple setup, but for fans it works time and again. He has a rollercoaster of a story ahead of him, but the concept of having to be so careful all the time and never truly being in control remains as an undercurrent and terminal anxiety. Ironically being in control is exactly something that Cyclops is known for, again just not of himself.

Many times over Scott will be touted as a ‘natural leader’ and will consistently be handed the reins of the X-Men, at least in the field. On the other hand, the leader role will just as often be stripped from Scott and given to someone with more experience, capabilities, or trust from peers. It’s a mix of character developments and the ever present editorial pull to reset the original five, coming together to create a somber scenario.

When following Scott it adds a lot to know that he will go through so much, and he will ever so slowly change, but eventually he will become fleshed out, with relatable ideals and flaws alike. He has a much more explicit arc in long running comics than a lot of characters, even more so than his preceding teammates.

These issues see the birth of the golden boy, and he does ascend to be the official leader. Of course it is taken from him in the end, and he never is able to match his teammates in mastery and scope of their mutations. Scott Summers has a lot to learn, and his lessons will be much more enjoyable for the reader than to him.

Jean Grey aka Marvel Girl

The last and certainly least well written of the original five is unsurprisingly the only girl on the team, Jean Grey. Pretty and stereotypical, while Jean is initially introduced as almost a viewpoint character for the reader, she is quickly relegated to girl to pine after for each of her boy teammates. Marvel’s overall writing of women is a well known weakness in almost all eras of the company, due in large part to their refusal to hire them to write. Setting the more antiquated bits aside, there is plenty to be appreciated around the growth of Marvel Girl.

Much like her chilly teammate, Jean Grey’s powers will only grow and grow over the years, to the point she will serve as the ultimate plot convenience when written poorly. She will be able to do essentially anything that is needed to move the story, but that is still far in her future. To begin, she can only lift small objects for a short time, though over the course of these issues that drastically changes.

As early as issue six Jean is lifting Hank in the air, demonstrating a marked increase in power since her recruitment. This continues with her establishing a patented technique of defeating the super speedster, Quicksilver, by simply lifting and spinning him in the air. In the tenth issue Jean is able to disassemble and rebuild a rifle, and a couple of issues later she shows that she can lift herself off the ground, in the introductory battle against the Juggernaut.

The seventeenth issue gives the first indication that Jean’s mutant ability is akin to the likes of Magneto, meaning it can essentially do anything. In a rush to return to the mansion, she utilizes her telekinesis powers to run and leap over obstacles for miles, alongside Beast. It’s a unique usage that shows just how versatile being a telekinetic can be. Altogether her gradual growth is another early indicator of later significant developments. Dealing with immense power in all facets, physically, emotionally, morally, etc, will be a massive recurring theme for Jean. Besides her capabilities though, there is little beyond her basic relationships that will define her personality in the long run.

The Mutant Metaphor or Lack Thereof

For the original team, there are plenty of character points that are long running and get their start in the opening run. However the underlying thematic framing of the mutant metaphor is simply not present in the way it will be for the majority of the series. Applying the analogy of mutants to most any oppressed groups doesn’t really work beyond surface examination, and isn’t explored by the narrative.

Take for example the famously inaccurate casting of Professor Xavier as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Magneto as Malcolm X. At this point in the series, Magneto is a cartoonish, over the top villain who can only be rationalized as a deeply traumatized person. He does not have a cogent ideology and to relate him to any real world person is simply silly. Xavier and MLK though are a bit more comparable, but far from similar.

In the eyes of the public, Xavier is a non mutant expert on genetics, evolution, and human mutations. He advocates for assimilation and nonviolent compliance from the mutants, so they can integrate into society. MLK obviously never presented as a white man, and openly called for radical change and equality. Xavier is the white moderate, and anyone unaware of MLK’s opinion on the white moderate shouldn’t be.

Community of Freaks

Alongside the lack of metaphor, the story structure itself is distinct from that which will come to define the series. Long running plots, multiple threads weaving through each other, heaps of melodrama, and other staples of the X-Men universe are not seen in these issues. Instead and in line with the times, the stories are mostly self-contained, starting and wrapping up in a single issue or two. Though to say ‘story’ may be a bit of a stretch in some instances.

The experience of the first nineteen issues is not so much a singular narrative experience as it is a wild tour through a wacky corner of a wacky universe. Characters and concepts are introduced quickly and often, making the pace change depending on how thorough of a reader one is. There’s a lot of fluff in the dialogue, but also a lot of wit to make it worth it. At no point does there seem to be a logical endpoint, and through the whole run there is a palpable focus on building out the mutant community and filling its ranks. The universe feels poised to facilitate a much larger ensemble for a longer time than other superhero comics, with more of a focus on community and relationships.

Ironically it will be one of the few canceled comics started by Lee and Kirby a bit down the road, though when it comes back it will double down on pretty much all the melodrama and worldbuilding. It is genuinely impossible to gauge accurately how much of the heart of the X-Men comes from Lee and Kirby directly, or how much their work has inspired other creators on the title. While other authors will completely recontextualize it, these beginning issues lay the foundation for the community of muties that will attract readers for generations.

Y’all Seen This Jack Kirby Fella?

Very little feels as close to reinventing the wheel as analyzing and praising Jack Kirby’s artwork. It’s pure fun, but that’s no revelation. It’s remarkable how characters such as Magneto, Cyclops, Iceman, many of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants alongside others, are already iconically designed, and won’t have a ton of true changes in their looks for years. It is a bit disappointing and surprising that through all the many mutants introduced, they are consistently just normal looking dudes with powers. The costumes are more striking than any of the physical mutations that are introduced. There is surely some missed potential, given how the mutants will be portrayed later on it would have been interesting to see Kirby’s takes on some really radical looking mutants.

It’s clean, simple, and borderline tells the story itself. Some may feel it’s dated obviously given the limitations at the time, but honestly it holds up really well. The bold art even works pretty well when the comic is read on something as small as a phone. There is a real staying power to Kirby’s drawing that gives the issues lasting worth even in the modern context.

Graduating to Greater Things

They are the X-Men we know, not necessarily the ones we love. With less than twenty issues, Lee and Kirby leave a lot on the table. The heart of the series will captivate readers in masses, but that’s arguably not quite here. What is present is foundational groundwork that continues to influence the X-Men and the Marvel comics universe as a whole. Of course that is to be expected with these two creators, but nonetheless is impressive. While it may not resonate as strongly as it did once, the wit and pace of the story both in art and writing create a timeless good time.

Score: 65/100

Citation Station

The Cover Original Article

Emma Frost Proved Iceman's Powers Can Make Him a Mutant God, by Taylor Lancaster

Letter from Birmingham Jail, by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, by Sean Howe

X-Men, Issues 1-19

1-19 written by Stan Lee

1-17 art by Jack Kirby

12 art by Alex Toth

13-19 art by Werner Roth