Meanwhile, Cyclops - perhaps inspired by his encounter with Mimic's machine in the previous issue - briefly tries to leave the X-Men to seek out a doctor to help him control his optic blasts. At this point his powers are actively dangerous - #11 had him be unable to control his optic blasts when his glasses are removed - he couldn't even close his eyes to stop it. This plot thread gets forgotten by the end of the story, with Cyclops forced by events to team up with the rest of the X-Men.
Reading the X-Men from #1 to last week. Usually posts Thursdays.
Showing posts with label blob. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blob. Show all posts
Monday, 12 March 2012
X-Men #20-#21: The Return of Lucifer
X-Men #20 - the first to be written by Roy Thomas - further plays with the problem of secret identities by having the Blob and Unus (who have teamed up after meeting at a circus) rob a bank while dressed as X-Men. The X-Men's attempt at distinguishing the real X-Men from the impostors is not entirely succesful. Unus and Blob are being manipulated behind the scenes by Lucifer, who has recovered from his apperance in issue #11, and we are now shown in flashback how he caused Xavier's paraplegia. Lucifer has a larger plan - he wants to subjugate the Earth's population using a machine, Dominus. After his defeat by the X-Men he is exiled to the so-called "Nameless Dimension" by his bosses.
Meanwhile, Cyclops - perhaps inspired by his encounter with Mimic's machine in the previous issue - briefly tries to leave the X-Men to seek out a doctor to help him control his optic blasts. At this point his powers are actively dangerous - #11 had him be unable to control his optic blasts when his glasses are removed - he couldn't even close his eyes to stop it. This plot thread gets forgotten by the end of the story, with Cyclops forced by events to team up with the rest of the X-Men.
Meanwhile, Cyclops - perhaps inspired by his encounter with Mimic's machine in the previous issue - briefly tries to leave the X-Men to seek out a doctor to help him control his optic blasts. At this point his powers are actively dangerous - #11 had him be unable to control his optic blasts when his glasses are removed - he couldn't even close his eyes to stop it. This plot thread gets forgotten by the end of the story, with Cyclops forced by events to team up with the rest of the X-Men.
Saturday, 3 March 2012
X-Men #7: Graduation Day
Picking up from #5, where Xavier decided the X-Men were ready now, the team officially graduate at the start of X-Men #7, both as X-Men, and from prep school. Xavier then leaves them under the temporary leadership of Scott. Leader-Scott immediately starts doing the things we know and love Leader-Scott for - i.e. stays in at the mansion watching for trouble while his team-mates make their first on-panel visit to a Bohemian coffee shop in Greenwich Village. Here they feel comfortable displaying their mutant traits, with Hank showing off his oversize feet, and Bobby joking about their friend who is a "super-powered mutant". It's not quite the Stonewall Inn, and Greenwich Village has been that sort of place for decades by the sixties, but makes for a curious conjunction, especially with a trans reading in mind; only amplified by Magneto's finding he can "pass" at the carnival in costume.
Back at the mansion, Scott's vigil is broken by an alert, as Magneto removes Blob's memory block. They rush to the scene and we have the inevitable nil-nil draw between the X-Men and the Brotherhood. Blob walks away, and without Xavier around to mind-wipe him again, he's left with a memory of what happened. Why has Xavier left, anyway? Well, we're not told until issue #9, but Scott does say that he was thinking of leaving the team to seek out a cure until the temporary leadership thing comes up. Xavier, being manipulative? Never. In Astonishing X-Men #14, Emma, under the influence of Cassandra Nova, says he picked Scott to lead because he had nothing else. Perhaps that's not the whole of it.
Back at the mansion, Scott's vigil is broken by an alert, as Magneto removes Blob's memory block. They rush to the scene and we have the inevitable nil-nil draw between the X-Men and the Brotherhood. Blob walks away, and without Xavier around to mind-wipe him again, he's left with a memory of what happened. Why has Xavier left, anyway? Well, we're not told until issue #9, but Scott does say that he was thinking of leaving the team to seek out a cure until the temporary leadership thing comes up. Xavier, being manipulative? Never. In Astonishing X-Men #14, Emma, under the influence of Cassandra Nova, says he picked Scott to lead because he had nothing else. Perhaps that's not the whole of it.
Continuity notes
Xavier leaves, leading Cyclops in charge. First apperance of Cerebro, a giant machine to aid Cyclops find other mutants. First appearance of the Greenwich Village coffee shop, Zelda, and Bernard. Beast's middle initial given as "P". Blob joins the Brotherhood.Tuesday, 28 February 2012
X-Men #3: "It is he! The one called the Blob!"
The first two issues of X-Men provide the template for one type of X-Men story - the X-Men are alerted to some evil mutant seeking to take his rightful place as Homo Superior - who they must defeat. X-Men #3 adds a new type of story, one essential to the mix, and yet of a kind that X-Men comics abandoned telling for several years recently (until the emergence of Generation Hope). The X-Men become aware of a new mutant - the Blob (who the cover correctly describes as "one of the strangest super-foes of all") - and seek to recruit him.
The Blob, who they find working as an attraction in a carnival, is brought to the mansion under protest, and declines to join the X-Men. One might wonder whether Cyclops picking a fight within him is something to do with this. Xavier's reaction is the remarkable
At least Xavier realises he's made a "really serious mistake" a few pages later. The Blob runs off, gets his colleagues at the roadshow to join him, and then makes a pre-emptive attack on the X-Men. Having driven Magneto and the Vanisher away in the first two issues, it is a little undignified that the attractions nearly defeat the X-Men, being saved only at the last possible moment by Xavier directing a subdued Jean. This time, Xavier only removes the memory of the X-Men from the antagonists' minds, rather than the full mindwipe we saw in #2 - a rather more proportionate response. By the logic of the "sliding scale of villain threat" we take away that the Vanisher is a more powerful threat than Magneto, and that the Blob (with allies) outweighs both of them.
Away from the plot, we see characterisation developed here. Beast is now Beast, complete with long words and an avowed aversion to violence. The first issue saw general leching over Jean from a mass of undifferentiated boys. It now becomes a bit better drawn, with Hank, Bobby and Warren all competing for her affections, but Jean picking Scott instead. Poor repressed Scott, who we learn here dares not open up while he "possess[es his] dread power". The most disturbing aspect of this is that every named character appears to be carrying the torch for Jean. Xavier has the thought bubble
I'm not even going to try to unpack all the fail in that sentence. Thankfully the matter is never referred to again.
And so we have a X-Men story that resembles the X-Men a little more. Characters for Beast and Cyclops, and a bit of interpersonal dynamics, a new mutant emerging and our merry mutants needlessly antagonising them.
The Blob, who they find working as an attraction in a carnival, is brought to the mansion under protest, and declines to join the X-Men. One might wonder whether Cyclops picking a fight within him is something to do with this. Xavier's reaction is the remarkable
This is unheard of! No one has ever refused us before! You cannot be permitted to leave now that you know our identities -- it is out of the question!
Stop him, my X-Men! I must drive this memory from his mind! Take him to my lab!
At least Xavier realises he's made a "really serious mistake" a few pages later. The Blob runs off, gets his colleagues at the roadshow to join him, and then makes a pre-emptive attack on the X-Men. Having driven Magneto and the Vanisher away in the first two issues, it is a little undignified that the attractions nearly defeat the X-Men, being saved only at the last possible moment by Xavier directing a subdued Jean. This time, Xavier only removes the memory of the X-Men from the antagonists' minds, rather than the full mindwipe we saw in #2 - a rather more proportionate response. By the logic of the "sliding scale of villain threat" we take away that the Vanisher is a more powerful threat than Magneto, and that the Blob (with allies) outweighs both of them.
Away from the plot, we see characterisation developed here. Beast is now Beast, complete with long words and an avowed aversion to violence. The first issue saw general leching over Jean from a mass of undifferentiated boys. It now becomes a bit better drawn, with Hank, Bobby and Warren all competing for her affections, but Jean picking Scott instead. Poor repressed Scott, who we learn here dares not open up while he "possess[es his] dread power". The most disturbing aspect of this is that every named character appears to be carrying the torch for Jean. Xavier has the thought bubble
"Don't worry"! As though I could help worrying about the one I love! But I can never tell her! I have no right! Not while I'm the leader of the X-Men, and confined to this wheelchair!
I'm not even going to try to unpack all the fail in that sentence. Thankfully the matter is never referred to again.
And so we have a X-Men story that resembles the X-Men a little more. Characters for Beast and Cyclops, and a bit of interpersonal dynamics, a new mutant emerging and our merry mutants needlessly antagonising them.
Continuity notes
First appearance of The Blob [no name given]; Cyclops named as "Scott Summers"; first appearance of Bobby Drake in de-iced form.
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