Comic Report: Uncanny X-Men in the 1960s

OK, Uncanny X-Men through 1970, if you want to get correct about it.

The first run of the series, 1-66, ran from 1963-1970, when the title was cancelled due to low sales.

As you might be able to tell, I got an itch to start learning my comic history. Having access to a pieload of old comics on DVD-ROM, I chose to start with the Uncanny X-Men.

Everyone knows the X-Men. But I didn't really know their stories. I've heard about the Phoenix saga, and I've seen the cartoon and movie versions, but I wanted to actually read the stories and really get to understand these characters. So I called up Issue 1 and started from there.

This team was really different when it first launched. First off, you have the entire idea of "mutants" being introduced. No irradiated spiders, cosmic storms, aliens or gifts from the gods here -- these people were born *different.*

And so many people fear what is different. Prejudice and bigotry were strong themes in the beginning of the X-Men, and that has continued for more than 40 years.

While the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby writing in the early issues strays into the cheesetastic (I started to giggle every time Cyclops said "Damn my mutant eyes!") the stories are exceptional. Magneto, the ultimate X-Men villain, is introduced in the very first issue, which also sets up the concepts of "good" mutants protecting humanity from the "evil" ones.

Other signature characters and concepts introduced very early in the series include the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver (their struggle with which side to support is a major plotline), the Blob (who just wants to be left alone), Juggernaut, Toad, Unus, Ka-Zar, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Asteroid M, the Sentinels, the Trask family, Cerebro, the Savage Land -- it's amazing how much was crammed into these stories!

So who are the X-Men?

Professor Xavier -- You see the hints of petty tyrant in Charles in these early stories. Yes, he cares about his students (even harboring an unrequited love for Jean) but he loves ordering them around. And he's far more likely to pull stunts like wiping memories, overt mental control or rewriting someone's life (poor Blob). He's got the power, and he's gonna use it. Ethics don't seem to be a big concern.

Interestingly enough, he's also got a cybernetic harness that allows him to walk in a limited fashion, but that disappears after a few issues after it appears.

Marvel Girl -- Sweet, unassuming and the girl that everyone's crushing on. Jean rarely gets to be the one that saves the day. It's far more likely that she's the one who's got to stay in the back with the Prof. The weakest of the team, she's the costume maker and the cookie baker.

And while her "will-they-or-won't-they" romance with Cyclops takes up *a lot* of time, I found myself warming to Jean. Knowing what happens to her, it's interesting to see how different it is from where she started.

Cyclops -- Desperate to prove himself worthy of Xavier's trust, desperately in love with Jean, and in desperation over his "damn mutant eyes." Cyclops never seems to get a break, but he's a strong leader, and it is these early stories that define who he is today.

Beast -- this was before any of the secondary mutations turned him into the blue, furry beast you know and love. Now he's a kinda goofy looking guy with big feet and a big brain. Happy-go-lucky and prone to hanging out in beatnik bars (it was the 60s, yo!) Beast just wants to have a good time.

Iceman -- Bobby is younger than the rest and wants to prove himself. He's also the most likely to pull stupid stunts and mess up, just to remind us he's young.

Angel -- Rich, handsome and he can fly! That's it -- just fly. All that other stuff comes later. He plays a role in the Cyclops/Marvel Girl romance, but Angel gets too few chances to shine.

What about the stories?

Like I said earlier, a lot of the concepts and characters that appear again and again in the X-Men make their debuts here.

We get a lot of "bad mutant, good mutant" bits early. The first stumble is the addition of former bad guy Mimic to the team (to replace an ailing Angel), but that is quickly rectified and Mimic becomes the first X-Men booted from the roster. But it's the issues with Magneto, the Brotherhood and Juggernaut that really stand out.

There's a major misstep in Issue 42, when Xavier kicks the bucket! The FBI (???) swoops in and kicks everyone out of the mansion, and the team is split up. Jean and Scott are in New York, Beast and Iceman in Cali, and Angel presumably had enough cash to go wherever he damn well pleased.

So we stumble around for a while with duo books, and nothing fits quite right. It's the introduction of Polaris as "Magneto's daughter" that gets the team back together. And Issue 50, with the striking change in cover style, becomes the first "modern" X-Men comic, IMHO.

One of the things that might have killed this series in its early days was the blatant retcons. Magneto dies -- coupla times -- and gets sent into space "forever" once. But somehow, he's always back in a few weeks.

Death's cheap in an X-Men comic, but c'mon!

And I really, truly believe that the writers *intended* for Xavier to die. When he comes back in Issue 49, he's got some lame-ass story about having switched places with a shapechanger off-camera.

I don't buy it. I went back through the issues in which Changeling appears, and there is *no* hint that he does a switcheroo with Xavier, or even that he wanted to be a do-gooder! So I don't buy the line that he knew he was dying so he wanted to play cripple for a while.

The writers killed off Xavier and split up the team. It didn't help sales, so they brought 'em back together. End of story. Own up to it.

And the alien invasion (the Z'Nox) that Xavier was supposedly in seclusion to find a way to defeat? Lame. It was far overshadowed by the storylines introducing Polaris and Havok.

In fact, with those two notable exceptions, the book never really finds its feet again after the breakup. Maybe it was better to put it to bed with Issue 66.

Because while the characters were the stuff of comic history, maybe even history needs a break once in a while.