X-MEN #2: Snapshots from a Superhero Yearbook

Published: November, 1963

“No One Can Stop the Vanisher!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Paul Reinman
Letters: Sam Rosen

X-Men is a relatively new title, and in the spirit of being bold and adventurous, I’m subjecting my blog to a temporary “mutation.”

If Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters had a yearbook, here are some of the photos you might see from the freshman class.

Hopefully this will be quick and easy to read, for as they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

When you’re done, let me know what you think of this experimental format.

As the X-Men rush back to Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, Angel is accosted by a group of female admirers. Is there some reason Angel is being singled out by the ladies at this point, or would they have grabbed any available X-Man? Either way, it’s only the second issue, and already the X-Men have fans.

When Marvel Girl comes to Angel’s rescue by sweeping away his groupies with her telekinetic powers, the effort weakens her, and Angel comes to her rescue. I wonder if this is a hint that Angel is going to assert himself as the “Ladies Man” of the group. Though all the X-Men flirt with Marvel Girl, calling her “Gorgeous,” “Beautiful,” and “Little Lady,” Angel is the one who takes her in his arms, proclaiming, “Fear not, fair damsel!” Very gallant, no? His name alone (Warren Worthington, The Third) is enough to clue you in that he’s a refined gentleman. This is a new type of character in the Marvel Universe, and one that bears watching.

I love this bit, where the Vanisher informs the police officer that there’s no law against wearing a costume—“and you know it!” Nah nah nah nah nah!! Thinks he’s pretty slick, huh? Cool superpower, by the way, but I don’t understand the costume.

As the X-Men get ready to take on the Vanisher, they train in the “Danger Room.” The idea of a Danger Room sounds like just the thing for a group like this. It doesn’t look very exciting here, but apparently there are all kinds of panels that pull back to reveal hidden dangers – as Stan is likely to explain: suddenly, surprisingly, unexpectedly!! We’re seeing a lot of training exercises for the X-Men, and this gives us a good opportunity to become familiar not only with their powers, but also their personalities.

Guess Reed Richards (and Henry Pym, and Bruce Banner) are not the only good guys using their brainpower for scientific inventions. Here, Special Agent Fred Duncan wears Professor X’s “Psionic Headband” so they can communicate by “brain impulses.” Why they couldn’t just pick up a telephone, I don’t know. But the Psionic Headband goes in the “Cool Gadgets” column.

Incidentally, I have no idea who Special Agent Fred Duncan is, but the fact that he’s given a first and last name makes me suspect this may not be the last we see of him.

Now there’s just no excuse for this. Glancing at current-day comics, I notice they are a lot less “talky” than the books of the 1960’s. A comic today might be read in five to ten minutes, but depending on your reading proficiency, a 1960’s comic could take you fifteen to thirty minutes to read, because there are SO MANY WORDS. Here’s an excellent example of just too many words. Whenever you’ve got to cut off heads in order to present the dialog, it’s time to edit the script.

Here’s a mystery: these guys are guarding the secret plans, which are left out on top of the desk. Why not put them in a DRAWER? Wouldn’t the need to open a drawer slow down the villain at least a little?

This is probably the funniest thing I’ve seen in Marvel comics to date. The Vanisher makes a demand of ten million dollars, specifying that it has to be TAX FREE. Guess he feels pretty confident about his ability to deal with police officers, armed guards, X-Men and the FBI, but he doesn’t dare ruffle the feathers of the IRS!!

When nobody else can put the Vanisher in his place, we get a further demonstration of the remarkable powers of Professor X. He may be confined to a wheelchair, but “The Power of the Human Brain” is the most magnificent power of all. And he says we all possess that power. Well, I don’t know if I completely agree with him about that. We may all have potential to use our brains more than we do, but I doubt everyone has the potential to equal the cerebral achievements of Professor X. And a good thing, too, because a world full of Professor X’s would be a pretty scary place.

The world is already a scary enough place, as we’ll see in two weeks, when we run into Lizards and Cobras and shape-shifting Phantoms from Space, oh my! To say nothing of superheroes who aren’t exactly what they seem to be. Lots to cover, when we meet again in the Marvelous Zone!