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'X-Men' Comic Review

Enter Super Humans

By Matthew EvansPublished 5 years ago 9 min read
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Marvel Masterworks the X-Men Volume 2: A Great Collection of 1970s comics!

This volume reprints Uncanny X-Men No. 101-110 in full color, a collection of 10 comics during a run that really established the new X-Men as a major franchise for Marvel Comics. The new team had only been introduced a year earlier, and in this group of comics writer, Chris Claremont was still establishing the themes and characterizations that would propel the book forward for years.

It may be hard to believe today, when the X-Men are so well known and popular, that at the time of the stories in this collection the book was still being published bi-monthly rather than monthly. I can still remember the long, long wait between issues, and how exciting it was when the book finally reached my local convenience store!

The highlights of this group of stories are the debut of the Phoenix and the return of Magneto, the X-Men's deadliest foe. But along the way, the X-Men fight the Juggernaut and travel across space to save the universe with some new star-spanning characters. And the stage is set for the introduction of Canada's super-hero team Alpha Flight!

Jean Grey Reborn!

Like a Phoenix, from the ashes!

X-Men No. 101, the first in this volume, has Jean Grey (Marvel Girl) reborn into the Phoenix (with a far cooler costume!). Over the next seven issues, through No. 108, Claremont reveals Phoenix to be hugely powerful, with enough strength to bind the universe back together. You'll have to read the story to understand it.

Jean Grey and her development as the Phoenix would become a major plot and theme for the next 36 issues, with lots of twists building up to a climax that is still considered a classic decades later.

Claremont would become known for his characterizations of strong females, in part because of the way he dealt with Jean Grey. One of the more interesting aspects to his handling of her was that he gave her a full life outside of the X-Men, with a roommate sharing her apartment and appearances by her parents. That might not sound like much, but it did flesh out who she was in a more realistic manner.

My one quibble is that issue No. 101 starts with a bang, a continuation from issue No. 100 (which is not included in this collection). The story flows fine even without the earlier issue, but still, it is a bit annoying!

Returning Magneto to His Status as a Top Villain!

The gentleman's name is Magneto.

Magneto was the X-Men's very first villain, appearing in issue No. 1 in Sept. 1963. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, at first he was the typical bad guy striving for world domination. But as he led his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants over the years writers characterized him more as using force in an attempt to make the world safe for mutants.

By the time the X-Men was being revived, Magneto had fought many other superheroes and been defeated so many times it was getting hard to take him seriously. In fact, in his previous fight, against a superhero team called the Defenders, Magneto had even been turned into a baby (see Defenders No. 16)! As I said, hard to take seriously.

But in issue No. 104 in this volume Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum begin Magneto's return to the pantheon of top Marvel villains. Magneto is restored to adulthood, and at full strength. He toys and easily beats the Banshee-led X-Men (who are missing Phoenix and Cyclops), with the team being forced to run away after a timely intervention by Cyclops.

This set the tone for Magneto to grow into the powerful character he would become in the X-Men franchise, and this issue showed the depth of Claremont's writing. If he had the new team defeat Magneto right away, it would have been much harder for the reader to believe that he was as powerful as Claremont intended.

The Seeds of Alpha Flight are Planted!

Weapon Alpha in Search of Wolverine!

Issue No. 109 in this collection contains the debut of Weapon Alpha, a Canadian superhero who is designed to be that country's equivalent of Captain America. But his mission in this issue is less heroic—he has hunted down Wolverine, intent on bringing him back into the service of the Canadian government, by force if necessary.

The battle itself is inconclusive, with Weapon Alpha breaking off and disappearing once he realizes that he has bitten off more than he can chew. His final thoughts on this issue are that next time, ''I'll bring Alpha Flight with me.''

That is another part of why the early run of new X-Men was so fresh and exciting. Claremont once again planted a seed that would blossom much later. First, in a classic two-part battle 11 issues later, starting in X-Men No. 120, when Weapon Alpha returned with Alpha Flight for Wolverine. Alpha Flight would later get its own long-lived series that lasted 11 years.

Weapon Alpha, later renamed Guardian, and was created by artist John Byrne, who had taken over drawing the X-Men from Dave Cockrum an issue earlier.

The shot here is a close-up of the character from the cover of X-Men No. 109, as reprinted in the Marvel Masterworks volume.

Alpha flight takes off!—From X-Men adversaries to heroes in their own series!

When Weapon Alpha returned in X-Men No. 120 with his own band of superheroes to try to corral Wolverine he arrived with a new name. Weapon Alpha had become Guardian, and his team included Sasquatch, Northstar, Snowbird, Shaman and Aurora. The characters were created by artist John Byrne.

Marvel launched the team in its own series starting in 1983, with Byrne handling both the story and art duties. I have read interviews with Byrne that said he resisted the idea of a team series, saying the characters really were two-dimensional and not very fleshed out. Byrne stayed on the series for 28 issues, and the comic lasted 11 years before it was canceled.

I do not remember much about the series because at the time it debuted I was in college and my comic-book days were fading. I would buy some when home on vacation, but even then I really wasn't seeking out new series. Money had started to get tight so I focused mostly on the comics I really enjoyed. I do think I bought the early issues of Alpha Flight but I cannot say they made a big impression on me. Except for issue No. 12, which ended with a character being killed. However, I won't spoil that surprise.

The Rest of the X-Men Adventures!

The rest of this Marvel Masterworks collection is uneven, unfortunately.

There is a very strong two-parter with the X-Men (minus Cyclops and Phoenix) fighting Juggernaut and Black Tom Cassidy. The story provides some much-needed background to Storm and positions Banshee as second-in-command of the team.

There is also a very dynamic multi-part tale that features extraterrestrial villains and the fate of a world in another universe. The tale introduces the space pirates the Starjammers, led by Cyclops' father, and gives Wolverine a new costume that he wore on and off for a number of issues afterward. The best part of this tale is when the X-Men go up against a band of aliens that are homages to DC Comics' Legion of Super-Heroes, which X-Men artist Dave Cockrum had drawn before moving over to Marvel Comics. That is good. The bad? Issue No. 106 was a fill-in spinpalace review that interrupted the above tale (and remember at the time the X-Men was bi-monthly, which meant the story was delayed four months!) The art was by Bob Brown, who had a long career in comic books but really, his work on the issue is very much subpar. He had actually died a few months earlier, so this was a posthumous publication. Worse was the story, written by Bill Mantlo, which had the new X-Mensquaring off against the old X-Men—only six issues after Claremont and Cockrum had done the same thing!

Also poor is issue No. 110, the last story reprinted in this volume. Featuring a forgettable villain called Warhawk, the story was done by fill-in artist Tony DeZuniga. I liked his work on the DC Comics western hero Jonah Hex, but it was all wrong for a superhero group.

The illustration is the back cover the Marvel Masterworks volume, showing all but the first of the issues that reprinted in the book.

Dave Cockrum vs. John Byrne—Who is the Better X-Men Artist?

This Marvel masterwork includes the turnover of the series' art duties from Dave Cockrum to John Byrne, one great artist following another.

Cockrum had helped kick off the revival of the X-Men, and Nightcrawler and Storm had been based on characters he had created before joining Marvel. He also co-created Colossus.

Byrne took over the art duties with issue No. 108, establishing himself right away as every bit of Cockrum's equal.

One major difference between the artists: Cockrum very much played up Nightcrawler and did not care much for Wolverine. Byrne, however, was a huge supporter of Wolverine because he was a fellow Canadian. Once Byrne took over, Wolverine became far more prominent in the book, and now he is one of Marvel's most popular characters!

For numerous issues, there was a great debate over who was the better X-Men artist, Cockrum or Byrne. I remember being at a comic book convention in South River, New Jersey when issuing No. 114 came out, and people were still arguing!

Who do you think was the better X-Men artist?

John Byrne art's on eBay! Buy an original piece today!

When I was collecting comic books back in the 1970s, it was almost impossible for the average fan to get an original piece of artwork from an artist. But the rules governing how comic book companies treated original art has changed, so there are more pieces available today. In addition, with eBay, there is always some available for purchase.

When considering anything on eBay, always carefully check the condition of the item as well as note all shipping and handling charges!

Dave Cockrum's Legacy, 'X-Men and the Legion of Super-Heroes'

Dave Cockrum died in November 2006 at age 63.

In addition to co-creating several of the new X-Men and relaunching the title, he is probably most known for his earlier 1970s work on DC Comics' Superboy and theLegion of Super-Heroes series. For that series, he redesigned many of the character's costumes and really livened up the strip. One minor oddity that I remember is that he liked putting the male characters in beefcake costumes, with lots of bare chests and legs!

His art appears regularly on eBay. If you are considering a purchase, make sure you carefully check the condition of the item first as well as note all shipping and handling charges.

Storm, the First, and Greatest, Black Female Superhero!

The classic, and best, look for Storm!

I always thought Storm's classic costume was her greatest, and never understood why Marvel changed it (especially to that awful mohawk!) There are many styles and sizes for this t-shirt once you click through, so check them out today!

'X-Men' on the Silver ScreenBuy Yours Today!

Starting in 2000, the X-Men have starred in a series of films that are considered to be Marvel's second-most successful after the Spider-Man movies. According to Box Office Mojo, The first three X-Men movies were the 10th highest-grossing trilogy ever through 2007, generating $1.16 billion.

The movies have received praise for taking a more serious and intellectual tone than some other superhero films.

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