X-Men #2: Wherein Professor Xavier is a jerk

The first issue of X-Men introduced seven main characters who appear in X-Men comics to this day, some of which have become icons of pop culture. The second issue introduces The Vanisher.

The comic opens with the X-Men in costume in Westchester. They seem neither hated nor feared - Angel is mobbed by local fangirls and Cyclops is celebrated for saving some people from a falling wall (by disintegrating it into smaller chunks and dust). But another evil mutant has arisen! This one, with the ability to teleport and calling himself the Vanisher, has outwitted security staff to rob a bank, and then demanded a figure of TEN MILLION DOLLARS! from the government lest he steal some secret files. This is still early for superhuman activity in the 616 - although he shows up as a costumed villain, they don't seem to realise he probably has powers. The X-Men are locally well-regarded in Westchester, and their fame has apparently spread nationally since the first issue - Xavier borrows an aircraft from the government's "Department of Special Affairs" and has a contact in the White House.

Xavier has been monitoring the situation, and sends in the X-Men, who are soundly defeated by the malicious mutant. Professor X joins them in person for a second attempt, and ultimately uses his mind-control powers to gain the upper hand - specifically by mindwiping the Vanisher. This is troubling, even within context, as is the implication that Xavier sent the X-Men against the Vanisher to fail. The Danger Room scenes - and even the name - imply that Xavier's attitude to training is that there should be real jeopardy. It's easy to see where the later retcons will fit.

Continuity notes

First appearance of the Vanisher; first use of term 'danger room'.

X-Men #1: "X-Men, for Ex-tra power"

X-Men #1 proclaims itself on its cover to be a "fabulous first issue", in the "sensational Fantastic Four style". It is rather. It is half an origin story, by which I mean it tells half an origin story, as there's already a school with X-Men in training. It is tight - within the first few pages it has introduced the original four and shown them in practice combat. It then brings on the new telekinetic student, Jean Grey, has Xavier explain the concept of mutants (he attributes his own mutation to his parents working on "the first A-Bomb project", providing a hint at his ambiguous Britishness). They fight the first evil mutant, Magneto, who has taken over a missile base, and defeat him.

So, that's the X-Men, then! But it is easy to read too much into this. Although the trappings have arrived fully-formed, the personalities are not yet distinct - Beast's first sentence is "Leggo my arm, you blasted walking icicle! You want me to freeze to death?" More importantly, and it took me a while to notice this (simply because I was bringing too much in with me), although the X-Men's essential irony can be certainly read into this comic, the reality of anti-mutant prejudice is absent from the text. Xavier's motivation in forming the X-Men could be simple altruism, and by the end the Cape Citadel commander is grateful and unsuspicious. X-Men becomes a metaphor for civil rights due to an affinity for that sort of story. It does not start as one.

Continuity notes

First appearance of Professor Xavier ("Professor X"), Slim "Cyclops" Summers, Bobby "Iceman" Drake [age given as 16], Warren ("The Angel") Worthington III, Hank "The Beast" McCoy, Jean "Marvel Girl" Grey, and Magneto.