X-Men v1 #125-128.
Mutant X is one of those stories. You know what I mean – a classic.
When the time came to reinterpret the X-Men mythos twenty years later, one of the first story arcs in Ultimate X-Men was a retelling of Mutant X. In fact, it arguably got one of the most faithful reinterpretations in the new series. Aside from the fact that it's a damn good story, the general affection for it is probably due to two facts: the figure of Proteus (whom I'll discuss more at the end) and the concision of the arc. Despite the laborious, long-reaching setup, the story itself is contained neatly in just four issues. This distinguished it among Claremont's web of plots, and made it stand out more than, say, the Phoenix Saga, which was composed of a lot of separate elements and was told over a longer period of time.
Friday 31 December 2010
Tuesday 30 November 2010
Uncanny X-Men - Annual 1979.
X-Men v1 Annual #03.
By 1979, the X-Men had gotten popular enough to earn an annual. Technically, this was their third one (as acknowledged by the numbering), but the first two were reprints thrown together from regularly published issues during the dark days of 1970-1975, so they didn't really matter.
By 1979, the X-Men had gotten popular enough to earn an annual. Technically, this was their third one (as acknowledged by the numbering), but the first two were reprints thrown together from regularly published issues during the dark days of 1970-1975, so they didn't really matter.
Uncanny X-Men - Chris Claremont V.
X-Men v1 #122-124.
It's early 1979 and big things are afoot. The most significant X-Men storyline of all is just around the corner, less than a year away, and another plotline has been teased for years now. But the X-Men have just returned from a madcap globe-trotting adventure, they're separated from some of their own and still believe the others to be dead. At this point, there's really no status quo to speak of. Moving right on to the next epic storyline would have been foolish, and if you think Claremont (and co-plotter Byrne) would have made that mistake, you haven't been paying attention.
The intervening three issues shift focus a bit, first with another breather issue and then a fairly fluffy supervillain attack with little drama (though that might not have been intentional).
It's early 1979 and big things are afoot. The most significant X-Men storyline of all is just around the corner, less than a year away, and another plotline has been teased for years now. But the X-Men have just returned from a madcap globe-trotting adventure, they're separated from some of their own and still believe the others to be dead. At this point, there's really no status quo to speak of. Moving right on to the next epic storyline would have been foolish, and if you think Claremont (and co-plotter Byrne) would have made that mistake, you haven't been paying attention.
The intervening three issues shift focus a bit, first with another breather issue and then a fairly fluffy supervillain attack with little drama (though that might not have been intentional).
Sunday 31 October 2010
Uncanny X-Men - Chris Claremont IV.
X-Men v1 #117-121.
While Wolverine was already starting to drift into focus in the Savage Land story, he became much more prominent in the final chapters of the X-Men's tour around the world. We started finding out more and more about him – including, at long last, his real name. (Which wasn't actually his real name at all, of course, but let's not split hairs.) Buuuut this information was presented to us in tantalizing bits and pieces. In contrast, Storm's we learned of Storm's entire history in the span of a couple of pages. Wolverine is an enigma, a man whose past is shrouded in mystery... even to himself, as it turned out. This would become crucial to his character. Claremont had a plan for his backstory, but it ultimately didn't work out, so for the longest time, he literally didn't have a past.
While Wolverine was already starting to drift into focus in the Savage Land story, he became much more prominent in the final chapters of the X-Men's tour around the world. We started finding out more and more about him – including, at long last, his real name. (Which wasn't actually his real name at all, of course, but let's not split hairs.) Buuuut this information was presented to us in tantalizing bits and pieces. In contrast, Storm's we learned of Storm's entire history in the span of a couple of pages. Wolverine is an enigma, a man whose past is shrouded in mystery... even to himself, as it turned out. This would become crucial to his character. Claremont had a plan for his backstory, but it ultimately didn't work out, so for the longest time, he literally didn't have a past.
Sunday 26 September 2010
Uncanny X-Men - Chris Claremont III.
X-Men v1 #111-116.
At this point, a few issues past the end of the Phoenix Saga, it's safe to say that the transition period is over. Claremont has settled. Even better, the new faces on the team have proven themselves as worthy by being so damn interesting. Reader reaction was very favorable, though the title wasn't noticed by a wider audience right away. I take the fact that it took the book three years to switch from bimonthly to monthly to be evidence of this. (#112 was the first issue in the new schedule.) Another important thing to note: #114 was the first issue where the book's title gained the "Uncanny" header. It's standard hyperbolic superhero aggrandizement, but it took a while until it actually became part of the title.
At this point, a few issues past the end of the Phoenix Saga, it's safe to say that the transition period is over. Claremont has settled. Even better, the new faces on the team have proven themselves as worthy by being so damn interesting. Reader reaction was very favorable, though the title wasn't noticed by a wider audience right away. I take the fact that it took the book three years to switch from bimonthly to monthly to be evidence of this. (#112 was the first issue in the new schedule.) Another important thing to note: #114 was the first issue where the book's title gained the "Uncanny" header. It's standard hyperbolic superhero aggrandizement, but it took a while until it actually became part of the title.
Sunday 12 September 2010
Marvel Team-Up - Spider-Man and Havok.
Marvel Team-Up v1 #69-70.
Let's make a short departure, shall we?
We're still in 1978, and the Phoenix Saga had just wrapped up. Last time, I discussed how Havok and Polaris were unceremoniously dumped out of the story without any real resolution. It seems Claremont and Cockrum got the idea of brainwashing them and setting them up against the X-Men – getting some mileage from the fraternal opposition of Scott and Alex in the mean time – but had no idea whatsoever where to take them from there. Nothing much came of Eric the Red, and they were just accessories to him, so they were ultimately rendered rather meaningless. And so they were packed off and sent to Muir Island, the depository for momentarily unneeded mutants.
However, Claremont would actually have had a golden opportunity to tie up their subplot satisfactorily, and possibly throw them a bone in exchange for portraying them as such chumps earlier. He failed to do either.
Let's make a short departure, shall we?
We're still in 1978, and the Phoenix Saga had just wrapped up. Last time, I discussed how Havok and Polaris were unceremoniously dumped out of the story without any real resolution. It seems Claremont and Cockrum got the idea of brainwashing them and setting them up against the X-Men – getting some mileage from the fraternal opposition of Scott and Alex in the mean time – but had no idea whatsoever where to take them from there. Nothing much came of Eric the Red, and they were just accessories to him, so they were ultimately rendered rather meaningless. And so they were packed off and sent to Muir Island, the depository for momentarily unneeded mutants.
However, Claremont would actually have had a golden opportunity to tie up their subplot satisfactorily, and possibly throw them a bone in exchange for portraying them as such chumps earlier. He failed to do either.
Thursday 26 August 2010
Uncanny X-Men - Chris Claremont II.
X-Men v1 #101-110.
Issue #101 marked the beginning of the Phoenix Saga, the conclusion of the Eric the Red subplot and culmination of a year's worth of stories from Claremont. And yet, the Phoenix Saga was also a stepping stone for bigger and better things. It's a story where the X-Men save the entire universe, an epic, and yet it was handily eclipsed by the Dark Phoenix Saga. It brought back a few classic X-Men villains to face off against the new team, but it also introduced a veritable host of new supporting characters.
This period also marks a transition for the art team. Penciller (and co-creator) Dave Cockrum decided to leave the book, though he returned for a considerable stretch of issues a few years down the line. He handed the reins over to Jack Byrne starting with #108. He unfortunately left right during the climax of the storyline, but Byrne was similar enough to him stylistically that the change isn't exactly jarring, or perhaps even very noticeable (at least to someone whose eye for art is as horrible as mine).
#106 was filled in by Bob Brown (and, incidentally, plotted by Bill Mantlo, due to complicated circumstances that I'll explain later) and #110 by Tony DeZuga, with assists provided by Cockrum.
Issue #101 marked the beginning of the Phoenix Saga, the conclusion of the Eric the Red subplot and culmination of a year's worth of stories from Claremont. And yet, the Phoenix Saga was also a stepping stone for bigger and better things. It's a story where the X-Men save the entire universe, an epic, and yet it was handily eclipsed by the Dark Phoenix Saga. It brought back a few classic X-Men villains to face off against the new team, but it also introduced a veritable host of new supporting characters.
This period also marks a transition for the art team. Penciller (and co-creator) Dave Cockrum decided to leave the book, though he returned for a considerable stretch of issues a few years down the line. He handed the reins over to Jack Byrne starting with #108. He unfortunately left right during the climax of the storyline, but Byrne was similar enough to him stylistically that the change isn't exactly jarring, or perhaps even very noticeable (at least to someone whose eye for art is as horrible as mine).
#106 was filled in by Bob Brown (and, incidentally, plotted by Bill Mantlo, due to complicated circumstances that I'll explain later) and #110 by Tony DeZuga, with assists provided by Cockrum.
Wednesday 21 July 2010
Uncanny X-Men - Chris Claremont I.
X-Men v1 #94-100.
Issue number 94 of X-Men, cover dated August 1975, was big; it was the opening volley of Chris Claremont's run on the title, which would go on to last a whopping 16 years and close to 200 issues. Len Wein, the writer of Giant Size X-Men 1, plotted the first two issues, and Dave Cockrum remained on board doing the art. Bill Mantlo was credited as a co-plotter for #96.
Another interesting point of note: between issues 94, which was edited by Wein, and 101, when Archie Goodwin took over, the book's editor was none other than Marv Wolfman. Wolfman later went on to greatness in the early 80s with, among other things, DC's New Teen Titans, which was very much a spiritual compatriot of Claremont's X-Men. Also, his name is really cool.
The relaunched book was bimonthly to begin with, all the way until #112.
The late seventies were a weird and wondrous time for X-Men fans. Most everything they knew was gone, and the revamped version they were stuck with was surprisingly good. The title stayed under the radar for a while, but unexpectedly, it kept getting better and better. In time, it became a true leader of the industry. There is some debate nowadays about how well Claremont's writing has aged. Personally, I think this period of his creative career, the first ten or so years of the X-Men, was unambiguously fantastic and remains a high water mark for superhero comics to this day. Plenty of people, however, are turned off by his wordy style and certain idiosyncrasies which we'll discuss at length over time.
Issue number 94 of X-Men, cover dated August 1975, was big; it was the opening volley of Chris Claremont's run on the title, which would go on to last a whopping 16 years and close to 200 issues. Len Wein, the writer of Giant Size X-Men 1, plotted the first two issues, and Dave Cockrum remained on board doing the art. Bill Mantlo was credited as a co-plotter for #96.
Another interesting point of note: between issues 94, which was edited by Wein, and 101, when Archie Goodwin took over, the book's editor was none other than Marv Wolfman. Wolfman later went on to greatness in the early 80s with, among other things, DC's New Teen Titans, which was very much a spiritual compatriot of Claremont's X-Men. Also, his name is really cool.
The relaunched book was bimonthly to begin with, all the way until #112.
The late seventies were a weird and wondrous time for X-Men fans. Most everything they knew was gone, and the revamped version they were stuck with was surprisingly good. The title stayed under the radar for a while, but unexpectedly, it kept getting better and better. In time, it became a true leader of the industry. There is some debate nowadays about how well Claremont's writing has aged. Personally, I think this period of his creative career, the first ten or so years of the X-Men, was unambiguously fantastic and remains a high water mark for superhero comics to this day. Plenty of people, however, are turned off by his wordy style and certain idiosyncrasies which we'll discuss at length over time.
Tuesday 8 June 2010
Giant Size X-Men 1.
Giant-Size X-Men #1.
The early seventies were an important time for comics. While the X-Men were putting out reprints, the rest of the industry was changing rapidly. Stan Lee published a story about drugs in Amazing Spider-Man that proved to be the first nail in the coffin of the Comics Code Authority. A while later, Peter Parker's girlfriend Gwen Stacy took a a swan dive off the George Washington Bridge and died, leaving an indelible mark on the character's history and setting a dangerous precedent for future storytellers. Jack Kirby's creative differences with Marvel widened to the point where he decided to leave the company and start working for DC – and DC itself was finally catching up and starting to get good. The Silver Age ended and gave way to the Bronze Age.
Even the X-Men, despite their lack of an ongoing title, weren't forgotten. The team was still active, after all. Their untold adventures during the five year gap would later be covered in X-Men: The Hidden Years, a spin-off that started in 1999 and ran for 22 issues. Maybe I'll cover it someday. Some of the characters also drifted through other books at the time, and a few of the resulting stories are worth noting for posterity.
From the ashes of the past, there grow the fires of the future!
The early seventies were an important time for comics. While the X-Men were putting out reprints, the rest of the industry was changing rapidly. Stan Lee published a story about drugs in Amazing Spider-Man that proved to be the first nail in the coffin of the Comics Code Authority. A while later, Peter Parker's girlfriend Gwen Stacy took a a swan dive off the George Washington Bridge and died, leaving an indelible mark on the character's history and setting a dangerous precedent for future storytellers. Jack Kirby's creative differences with Marvel widened to the point where he decided to leave the company and start working for DC – and DC itself was finally catching up and starting to get good. The Silver Age ended and gave way to the Bronze Age.
Even the X-Men, despite their lack of an ongoing title, weren't forgotten. The team was still active, after all. Their untold adventures during the five year gap would later be covered in X-Men: The Hidden Years, a spin-off that started in 1999 and ran for 22 issues. Maybe I'll cover it someday. Some of the characters also drifted through other books at the time, and a few of the resulting stories are worth noting for posterity.
Saturday 15 May 2010
Uncanny X-Men - Roy Thomas II.
X-Men v1 #55-66.
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Roy Thomas returned to the X-Men for one final stretch of issues, starting with 55 (1969) and ending with 66 (1970). The only exception was the penultimate issue, 65, which was filled in by Dennis O'Neil. This was before he became famous, of course.
As for the art, issue 55 was drawn by good old Don Heck and Werner Roth, and issues 64 and 66 were done by, respectively, Don Heck alone and Sal Buscema, but most of the work, 56-63 and 65, was by the legendary Neal Adams. Adams was pretty much one of the best artists in the industry during the Bronze Age. Just a few years after his stint on X-Men, he and Dennis O'Neil did some very important work at DC which did a great deal to help them catch up to Marvel after the revolution of the sixties. This included redefining Batman, essentially making him the character he is today. Adams has also been one of the foremost advocates of creators' rights in the comics industry.
By the way, Stan Lee still received first billing as editor.
And they fought happily ever after....??
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Roy Thomas returned to the X-Men for one final stretch of issues, starting with 55 (1969) and ending with 66 (1970). The only exception was the penultimate issue, 65, which was filled in by Dennis O'Neil. This was before he became famous, of course.
As for the art, issue 55 was drawn by good old Don Heck and Werner Roth, and issues 64 and 66 were done by, respectively, Don Heck alone and Sal Buscema, but most of the work, 56-63 and 65, was by the legendary Neal Adams. Adams was pretty much one of the best artists in the industry during the Bronze Age. Just a few years after his stint on X-Men, he and Dennis O'Neil did some very important work at DC which did a great deal to help them catch up to Marvel after the revolution of the sixties. This included redefining Batman, essentially making him the character he is today. Adams has also been one of the foremost advocates of creators' rights in the comics industry.
By the way, Stan Lee still received first billing as editor.
Monday 12 April 2010
Uncanny X-Men - Gary Friedrich, Arnold Drake.
X-Men v1 #44-54.
Roy Thomas left the X-Men in 1968. He'd be back in less than a year.
It's safe to say that his immediate successor, Gary Friedrich, was probably only a fill-in. Thomas plotted the first arc, which was concluded in a crossover with his own title, Avengers. Friedrich only wrote one of his four issues independently. #47 was co-written with Arnold Drake, who then took over for the remaining six issues until Thomas's return. Stan Lee was still credited first.
The art team for the eleven issues was more consistent. Issues 44-49, and 52, were all laid out by Don Heck and penciled by Werner Roth. 50-51 were done by the famous Jim Steranko, 53 by Barry Smith (who would later, as Barry Windsor-Smith, do some unforgettable work on Thomas's Conan the Barbarian title I mentioned last time) and 54 by Don Heck by his lonesome. Iceman's and Beast's respective origin arcs in the back-ups of issues 43-46 and 51-53 were drawn by George Tuska and Werner Roth respectively.
As of this moment... the X-Men no longer exist as a team!
Roy Thomas left the X-Men in 1968. He'd be back in less than a year.
It's safe to say that his immediate successor, Gary Friedrich, was probably only a fill-in. Thomas plotted the first arc, which was concluded in a crossover with his own title, Avengers. Friedrich only wrote one of his four issues independently. #47 was co-written with Arnold Drake, who then took over for the remaining six issues until Thomas's return. Stan Lee was still credited first.
The art team for the eleven issues was more consistent. Issues 44-49, and 52, were all laid out by Don Heck and penciled by Werner Roth. 50-51 were done by the famous Jim Steranko, 53 by Barry Smith (who would later, as Barry Windsor-Smith, do some unforgettable work on Thomas's Conan the Barbarian title I mentioned last time) and 54 by Don Heck by his lonesome. Iceman's and Beast's respective origin arcs in the back-ups of issues 43-46 and 51-53 were drawn by George Tuska and Werner Roth respectively.
Tuesday 30 March 2010
Uncanny X-Men - Roy Thomas I.
X-Men v1 #20-43.
Roy Thomas's first stint on X-Men lasted from 1966 to 1968, covering issues #20-43. He was accompanied along the way by six different artists, the foremost among them being Werner Roth, who drew issues 20-29, 31-33 and 35, and who dropped the pseudonym “Jay Gavin” after #22. The other pencillers were Jack Sparling (30), Dan Adkins (34) and Ross Andru (36-42). Don Heck took over for five issues (38-42), but relinquished the final one (43) to fill-in George Tuska. Roth also pencilled the five-issue “Origins of the X-Men” back-up storyline from #38-42.
Roy Thomas's first stint on X-Men lasted from 1966 to 1968, covering issues #20-43. He was accompanied along the way by six different artists, the foremost among them being Werner Roth, who drew issues 20-29, 31-33 and 35, and who dropped the pseudonym “Jay Gavin” after #22. The other pencillers were Jack Sparling (30), Dan Adkins (34) and Ross Andru (36-42). Don Heck took over for five issues (38-42), but relinquished the final one (43) to fill-in George Tuska. Roth also pencilled the five-issue “Origins of the X-Men” back-up storyline from #38-42.
Sunday 21 February 2010
Uncanny X-Men - Stan Lee.
X-Men v1 #1-19.
"Don't miss this fabulous 1st issue!"
"In the sensational Fantastic Four style!"
"The strangest super-heroes of all!"
X-Men #1, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, was cover-dated September 1963. The book started off on a bimonthly schedule. Lee would stay on writing duties for nineteen issues, the last of which was cover-dated April 1966. Kirby penciled only eleven of them, and did the layouts for several issues as well before disappearing completely with #17. Seven of the eight remaining issues were drawn by Jay Gavin (Werner Roth). The art was competent throughout, never outstanding. I won't have much more to say about it.
"Don't miss this fabulous 1st issue!"
"In the sensational Fantastic Four style!"
"The strangest super-heroes of all!"
X-Men #1, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, was cover-dated September 1963. The book started off on a bimonthly schedule. Lee would stay on writing duties for nineteen issues, the last of which was cover-dated April 1966. Kirby penciled only eleven of them, and did the layouts for several issues as well before disappearing completely with #17. Seven of the eight remaining issues were drawn by Jay Gavin (Werner Roth). The art was competent throughout, never outstanding. I won't have much more to say about it.
Introduction
Oh, boy.
Chronicling all X-Men comics, past and present, is no easy task. Counting the dozens of ongoing series, dozens of miniseries, and numerous spin-offs over almost five decades probably amounts to more than 4000 issues, and keep in mind, that number is ever-growing. Assuming an average of 15 minutes spent on one issue, it would take a thousand hours - about 42 days - just to READ all of it, and I intend to do far more than that.
Let's face it: it's unlikely that I'll ever "finish" this blog. I'm probably not even going to reach the eighties publication-wise. But I'm going to try and see how it goes.
What could cause someone to go on such a daft quest?
I have a couple of reasons, none of them very convincing.
For one, I want to improve my critical thinking skills. I've considered writing reviews of books I read, just for my own sake, but throwing my thoughts online definitely can't hurt.
And also, the X-Men are my favorite comic book team and I want to know as much as possible about them, both the good and the bad. Extensive knowledge of a comic book franchise is a poor substitute for any useful knowledge, but I'm still very much interested.
Of course, I wouldn't mind if someone at Marvel happened to find this blog and was soooo impressed they'd bring me on board as a writer. Still, I'm not delusional. I am a writer, and I'd be interested in writing some comics one day, but that's not exactly my ambition.
Just a few notes before we get going:
Throughout this blog, I'm going to present myself as, well, an expert on comics books, but I'm really not.
Most of the things I say about behind the scenes information will be a half-baked concoction of half-remembered interviews and general understandings picked up on forums. I won't be able to source most of it. But I'll never say anything I don't believe is right. Just don't take me too seriously, and don't cite me on anything.
The X-Men are known for their incredibly convoluted history. Now, this won't be a problem for quite a while (perhaps never), but obviously, following the "timeline" perfectly is a laughable impossibility. I'll be going in approximate chronological order, but perhaps jump forward occasionally. That means I'll mostly be covering X-Men volume 1/Uncanny X-Men until the spin-offs and minis start. Once we'll have multiple ongoing series being published in parallel, I'll start reviewing them in turns and pacing myself by the crossovers. At least that's the idea.
Lastly, updates will be... infrequent at best. I'm going to university (though I'm not especially busy or anything) and there's a novel I don't want to neglect.
I am such a moron...
Chronicling all X-Men comics, past and present, is no easy task. Counting the dozens of ongoing series, dozens of miniseries, and numerous spin-offs over almost five decades probably amounts to more than 4000 issues, and keep in mind, that number is ever-growing. Assuming an average of 15 minutes spent on one issue, it would take a thousand hours - about 42 days - just to READ all of it, and I intend to do far more than that.
Let's face it: it's unlikely that I'll ever "finish" this blog. I'm probably not even going to reach the eighties publication-wise. But I'm going to try and see how it goes.
What could cause someone to go on such a daft quest?
I have a couple of reasons, none of them very convincing.
For one, I want to improve my critical thinking skills. I've considered writing reviews of books I read, just for my own sake, but throwing my thoughts online definitely can't hurt.
And also, the X-Men are my favorite comic book team and I want to know as much as possible about them, both the good and the bad. Extensive knowledge of a comic book franchise is a poor substitute for any useful knowledge, but I'm still very much interested.
Of course, I wouldn't mind if someone at Marvel happened to find this blog and was soooo impressed they'd bring me on board as a writer. Still, I'm not delusional. I am a writer, and I'd be interested in writing some comics one day, but that's not exactly my ambition.
Just a few notes before we get going:
Throughout this blog, I'm going to present myself as, well, an expert on comics books, but I'm really not.
Most of the things I say about behind the scenes information will be a half-baked concoction of half-remembered interviews and general understandings picked up on forums. I won't be able to source most of it. But I'll never say anything I don't believe is right. Just don't take me too seriously, and don't cite me on anything.
The X-Men are known for their incredibly convoluted history. Now, this won't be a problem for quite a while (perhaps never), but obviously, following the "timeline" perfectly is a laughable impossibility. I'll be going in approximate chronological order, but perhaps jump forward occasionally. That means I'll mostly be covering X-Men volume 1/Uncanny X-Men until the spin-offs and minis start. Once we'll have multiple ongoing series being published in parallel, I'll start reviewing them in turns and pacing myself by the crossovers. At least that's the idea.
Lastly, updates will be... infrequent at best. I'm going to university (though I'm not especially busy or anything) and there's a novel I don't want to neglect.
I am such a moron...
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