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Post by Farrar on May 15, 2015 9:56:49 GMT -5
Yeah, that series lasted so long even the mod Wonder Woman (whose adventures you've discussed not too long ago in another thread) made an appearance   This should have been posted in the Silver Age or Bronze Age cover contest! Geez Louise! Look at that cover! I don't know what's more dumbfounding - the giant safety pin or Diana's footwear! (Why isn't he saying "HEY LADEE!" You're right--this would've been a good cover for your cover topic. I haven't read this Jerry Lewis story, but as far Di's footwear goes, she seems to be attired in the Amazonian warrior regalia she wore in Wonder Woman #183-4 (1969), when she went back to Paradise Island and helped the Amazons defeat Mars (Wildfire2099 did a nice summary/commentary of some the mod-era WW issues in his DC Silver Age thread).  |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 15, 2015 10:40:54 GMT -5
Who knew there'd be crossover discussion between Silver Age DC and X-Men!  |
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Post by MDG on May 15, 2015 14:27:40 GMT -5
Hey, wait a second, if he crossed over with Wonder Woman, does that mean there's a DC earth where Jerry Lewis.. a hero or whatever he is in that book? The comic book Jerry lives on Earth-12, the same world inhabited by the Inferior Five, Angel and the Ape, Bob Hope, Binky and other non-funny animal humor characters(though that was only established years later). He isn't a hero there (or a professional comedian, for that matter) but he does interact with them occasionally. The Earth-12 Superman, Batman, Robin and Flash all appear in issues of Adventures of Jerry Lewis. Wonder Woman was the last DC super-hero to guest star. I'd read a book set here. Is that from an Animal Man story? (Earth-13 is where the SA Capt. Action was exiled after DC lost the rights to him.) |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 21, 2015 22:37:27 GMT -5
 'The Triumph of Magneto' X-Men #11 Lee/Kirby/Stone Plot: Back to Basics here... Prof. X senses a powerful new mutant, and the race between he and Magneto to recruit him is on! The 'mutant' turns out to be the Stranger, a cosmically powerful alien who is exploring Earth. He wanders into the Brotherhood's hideout, where Magneto and co. attempt to impress him with their powers and have him sign up. He's not impressed. Meanwhile, the X-Men are looking for him.. there's a fun interlude where some cops demand Cyclops take off his sunglasses, then we see Angel find the Brotherhood, and he, as usual charges in and has to get bailed out by someone else... this time Iceman. The Stranger teleports away, getting Magneto and Toad to follow, while the Scarlet Witch defends her brother (who is encased in ice). She quickly stops in order to have Cyclops de-ice, and they vow to leave the Brotherhood and retire back to Central Europe. Over in Central Park, Magneto still doesn't realize the trouble he's in, and attacks the Stranger. Mags and Toad end up gift wrapped for travel.. the X-Men arrive just in time to have the Stranger tell them he is an alien research mutations, and needed a couple subjects... he zaps Magneto and Toad into space and leaves... apparently the X-Men win by default! Analysis: -- Talk about anti-climatic! The X-Men don't ever defeat their foe... Prof X. is pretty OK with it though, even though he's supposed to be protecting all mutants, and this guy just admitted his life's work is using mutants a lab rats. Seems like he's got a big ole' pile of bad karma mounting. -- Yet another HQ for Magneto (though this one looks at least passingly similar to one of the old ones) -- This is the first mention that Cyclops' glasses are special, though no 'Ruby Quartz' yet, just a special coating. It's a bit strange he's in civvies when everyone else isn't. -- Jean's back to being able to catch Beast in mid-air without an issue. -- Fun scene at the end where he takes the tabs for Magneto, Toad and Mastermind off Cerebero. -- Mastermind you say? Yeah, he got punked by the Stranger too... he's apparently a statue now.. and in the X-Mansion. They didn't try that hard to fix him though.. maybe in the future. -- The end of the 'face turn' of the Maximoffs was good, at least. I didn't realize how little time elapsed between them leaving Magneto and joining the Avengers. -- This sorta felt like the end of a series to me.. like the writer was going to turn over or something... I guess just because it's the end of the Brotherhood, who have been in over half the issues. Plot: C Historic Significance: B+ (1st Stranger, last Original Brotherhood) |
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Post by berkley on May 21, 2015 23:42:32 GMT -5
I would have been only 3 years old when X-Men #11 came out but I remember reading that Stranger story as a not very old kid, and from comics.org it looks like it must have been in the 1970 X-Men Annual (or King-Size Special) #1, though I can't say I recall anything right now about the X-Men vs Avengers story from X-Men #9 that apparently was reprinted in the same issue. The Stranger story must have made an impression, though, because I retain images and feelings from it, hazy though they may be, even after not having seen it since all those years ago. I remember Mastermind trying to manipulate his mind into thinking he was tied up at the bottom of the ocean, or something like that, for example, and at the end the Stranger just deciding to go back wherever he came from, taking along Magneto and some other "evil mutant" against their will, as prisoners or specimens of some kind. The idea of the Stranger as this unknown, alien being that was on a completely different level even from the amazing super-powered villains and heroes of the X-Men was quite unsettling to 8-year-old me. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 22, 2015 6:26:54 GMT -5
That's definitely it! Mastermind tried to 'show off', and got turned to stone by the Stranger for his trouble. You definitely got the sense that the mutants were totally out of their league with the Stranger. It was surprising, and I'm not sure effective long term. 'Unsettling' is a great way to describe it. If your heroes get completely outclassed, what's next? I guess they felt they needed to get rid of Magneto for a while without having him actually lose?
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Post by Reptisaurus! on May 22, 2015 13:10:34 GMT -5
That was pretty much it for Silver Age X-men guest appearances, huh? There were a lot in the beginning, but nothing for YEARS thereafter.
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 22, 2015 15:44:43 GMT -5
I think so, yeah... the next one is their next battle with the Avengers... which is like 4 years away. I know there are a couple one panel cameos, but I haven't come across anything else signifigant.
There are a couple retro things I'll probably toss in though... X-Men: First class, for instance, and the Untold Tales of Spidey team up.
Incidently, I read Avengers #16 last night, too, and it was nice how they actually address how Wanda and Pietro refused to join the X-Men, but then decide on the Avengers instead. I miss the days when they did that sort of thing.
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 24, 2015 23:56:20 GMT -5
 X-Men #12 Lee/Kirby/Toth/Colletta 'The Origin of Professor X' Plot: Cerebro is going crazy, and the X-Men quickly go outside and build some defenses. When the finish, the Professors tells a the story of his youth... how his father died in a atomic test, and his mother married his co-worker Dr. Marko. We meet his bully step brother, Cain, who causing the accident that cost Xavier his new step father, then later a car crash that I suspect was supposed to be the reason he lost his legs, until someone remembered they already blamed Lucifer for that. Finally, we see the temple in Korea where that brother found the Gem of Cytorrak, which turned him into the unstoppable Juggernaut attacking the mansion. The man himself bursts into the mansion as the Prof. concludes his story... to be continued! Story: B+ History: A (origin of Prof. X, 1st Juggernaut) --- -- I didn't realize Cerebro was a secret. In fact, I was ready to call hogwash, but I looked back, and it seems that perhaps it was... except for Scott, who got to see it while he was in charge. -- The drama here was great, even if it's a little bit ridiculous for the Professor to be telling a story while they were, in fact, under attack. -- Also filed under the 'What the--? file, why is the Juggernaut massively more powerful (according to the machine) than the Stranger, or even Magneto? Sometimes the 60s hype in comics just gets a little too much. -- One does wonder if they can assemble such high grade defenses in 'exactly 5 minutes', why they never did so before... like when the carnies attacked... sure would have been useful there. -- Check another in the column of early Cerebro only sensing power or energy, there's nothing in this origin that makes Cain Marko a mutant. -- If fact, they imply that Xavier isn't a mutant, but rather got his powers from the atomic test.... he was show as a kid of, oh, I'd say 10-12 at the time of the accident where his father was killed. Or, if getting your powers from an atomic accident makes you a mutant, then that would make most of the Marvel Heroes mutants, including Hulk and the FF. I'm pretty sure that gets retconned later when someone realizes it. -- This is one of those 'time stamp' origins, where they put Xavier in the Korean war. IIRC, the later tellings of the story make him and Marko archeologists, rather than soliders in the war. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 25, 2015 1:06:35 GMT -5
Earth-12 had a version of The X-Men, appearing in Showcase # 65
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Post by Cei-U! on May 25, 2015 7:57:04 GMT -5
You've misinterpreted Xavier's origin a bit. His father was killed in an explosion, yes, but Xavier already had his powers at the time. As in the case of Beast, his parents' chromosomes were damaged by exposure to radiation, causing his mutation. What I always found strange was his claim that his parents were irradiated while working "on the first atomic bomb project" (presumably the Manhattan Project) -- which would make the Prof only a year of two older than his students! Stan was really not thinking that one through.
Cei-U!
I summon the phenomenal precocity!
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Post by Roquefort Raider on May 25, 2015 10:19:57 GMT -5
What I always found strange was his claim that his parents were irradiated while working "on the first atomic bomb project" (presumably the Manhattan Project) -- which would make the Prof only a year of two older than his students! So, Xavier is off the hook about his attraction to Jean? Phew! The comics code can breathe easier! |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 25, 2015 11:22:45 GMT -5
You've misinterpreted Xavier's origin a bit. His father was killed in an explosion, yes, but Xavier already had his powers at the time. As in the case of Beast, his parents' chromosomes were damaged by exposure to radiation, causing his mutation. What I always found strange was his claim that his parents were irradiated while working "on the first atomic bomb project" (presumably the Manhattan Project) -- which would make the Prof only a year of two older than his students! Stan was really not thinking that one through. Cei-U! I summon the phenomenal precocity! They said he had the beginnings of his powers, yes, but at that point it didn't sound like a mutant power, just that he was observant. It seems, like most Marvel Mutants, it kicked in at puberty. There's not particular reason to call it genetics over the radiation, except that they say so. Clearly, history has shown that what you're saying is what they meant, but I feel like if I was a new reader that didn't know the X-Men, I would very likely blame it on the radiation. As far as age goes... you're absolutely right... that doesn't jive with being a soldier in Korea, though. I was assuming he's like 10-12 at the time of the nuclear test, which would make him the right age to serve in Korea, and thus in his early-mid 30s at the start of X-Men... younger than he's portrayed, but reasonable at least. |
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Post by Reptisaurus! on May 27, 2015 18:42:33 GMT -5
The art's just a mess here. I could maybe see Kirby working over Toth layouts with.... not Colletta inking bearing good results. But having Kirby (anyone!) do the layouts for Toth is just craziness. And you'd need an inker who could smooth out the end results or just overwhelm everything with a unified style.... basically, Not Colletta is the right man for the job.
But I liked the Juggernaut! (Although I liked him better when he ditched his incredibly short shorts.) Really good build-up of tension by having him barely shown until the big reveal at the end. Most of the X-men villains to the point were more goofy than credible threats, but Juggernaut felt like a major, deadly antagonist.
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Post by berkley on May 27, 2015 20:12:57 GMT -5
Earth-12 had a version of The X-Men, appearing in Showcase # 65
They should re-boot the Inferior Five as a serious team that was misunderstood and/or misrepresented by its detractors: for example, the cowardly Batman guy wouldn't be cowardly, just someone who would rather solve problems using methods other than force if possible; the dumb, strong girl is actually highly intelligent, but a victim of the sexist dumb blonde stereotype, ... not sure who the other characters are, maybe they wouldn't be as easy to reinterpret. |
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