tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post3939462967967581609..comments2024-03-19T10:41:35.976-05:00Comments on Bronze Age Babies: Heroes and Horrors: X-Men 40Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-44265765103662007102013-10-29T04:54:36.445-05:002013-10-29T04:54:36.445-05:00Re: Cyke's eye blasts. Yes, they were supposed...Re: Cyke's eye blasts. Yes, they were supposed to emit force only, not heat. As Karen noted, this was stated in the Marvel Universe Handbook, and also, as I recall, in a little back-up feature from X-men #43 explaining Cyke's powers, which was reprinted in Amazing Adventures #6 (in 1980).<br />By the way, those back-ups on the origin of each X-man before they joined Xavier's school (first Cyke, then Iceman, Beast...) as reprinted in Amazing Adventures, where pretty good. In fact, they were sometimes probably better than the main story with which they appeared in the original series (I'm looking at you, alien robot Frankenstein story...)Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-4454459600925980812013-10-28T22:04:37.968-05:002013-10-28T22:04:37.968-05:00The Monster shows up in an Iron Man two-parter (10...The Monster shows up in an Iron Man two-parter (102-103, I think), which was shortly after I started seriously collecting that comic. Strange stuff. I don't think it connects with other FM continuity.<br /><br />Dear God, that X-Men cover is bad. The interior work is much better, though somewhat unattractive.William Prestonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07896164917625191919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-39591875535282903252013-10-28T20:31:23.783-05:002013-10-28T20:31:23.783-05:00The Frankenstein Monster was a relatively infreque...The Frankenstein Monster was a relatively infrequent player in the Marvel U compared to the Werewolf or Dracula. His own title was short-lived (maybe moving him to modern times was a mistake?) and his appearances in other comics were limited, as noted by others. Kind of odd, when you consider how popular the Frankenstein Monster is as a general pop culture figure.<br /><br />As for Cyclops' eye beams, I recall reading in the Handbook of the Marvel Universe that they emit force, not heat, but I think that there was a lot of flip-flopping on this in the early days of Marvel, with writers/artists not really sure what his crazy peepers could do.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032477453891087135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-4318591754629651232013-10-28T20:16:37.033-05:002013-10-28T20:16:37.033-05:00I think that Cyke's optic beam has differing e...I think that Cyke's optic beam has differing effects according to how focussed it is - I have an annual where he blasts some baddies, noting that he didn't kill them because he used a wide angle beam. In a very early issue guided by Professor X he uses a very narrow laser like beam to disarm a bomb.<br /><br />At this time Roy Thomas was just following convention by having the monster be an alien robot; many pre-Bronze Age stories were filled with alien robots!<br /><br />Gotta go with the majority here - Beast's uniform is tops here, Angel's is the worst.<br /><br />- Mike 'don't tell me Igor the hunchback was an android too' from Trinidad & Tobago.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-53994537483200905132013-10-28T19:49:13.695-05:002013-10-28T19:49:13.695-05:00My first issue of X-Men. Thanks for reviving some ...My first issue of X-Men. Thanks for reviving some fond memories.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-41116527627791183492013-10-28T19:08:48.371-05:002013-10-28T19:08:48.371-05:00I got the reprint of this in '73 or 74 and whi...I got the reprint of this in '73 or 74 and while I liked the Universal Frankenstein flicks, and the use of the monster as a member of the Legion of the Unliving in the Avengers, but this just struck me as lame. Roy's first run on the the X-Men veered from average to horrid; IMO he never did anything really great on the title until his 2nd run, significantly abetted by Neil Adams' art. Seems Thomas needed a boost from the more dynamic artists like Adams, John Buscema, or Gene Colan, to rise to the challenge of writing better stories. What's terrible to contemplate is that during Thomas' sabbatical from the title, the stories got even worse! Fred W. Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07602124919964053532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-39999898135016626552013-10-28T19:07:13.685-05:002013-10-28T19:07:13.685-05:00Now that we've opened this conversation about ...Now that we've opened this conversation about Cyclops' eyebeams, I am trying to think of how I've seen it used. I do recall that he could keep the visor as narrow as possible and use a fine beam. My guess is that wouldn't burn anything. But I do recall it being used as David recalls. I'm also thinking of the scene during Dark Phoenix when Jean uses her telekinesis to "hold back" Scott's eyebeams. I don't, however, recall that he said they'd burn her.<br /><br />Sounds like we have a case similar to the ever-morphing powers of the Scarlet Witch.<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-10514672525420397662013-10-28T19:00:10.979-05:002013-10-28T19:00:10.979-05:00Middlespaces, thanks for the mention of Cyke's...Middlespaces, thanks for the mention of Cyke's 'optic blasts', but if you pick up CA&F 173, Cyke's 'optic blast' starts a huge fire to hold back Nick Fury's forces.<br /><br />So there has to be some heat involved..david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-68364394706236176612013-10-28T17:31:45.755-05:002013-10-28T17:31:45.755-05:00Frankenstein's Monster saw lots of in-continui...Frankenstein's Monster saw lots of in-continuity action in the MU over the years-- of which jibes w/ this story, I'm afraid. He even had his own solo title for awhile during the Monster Craze which really had some darned good art (John Busc?). And he was an inredibly sympathetic figure in a strange MTU trilogy shortly after. I seem to recall that his incongruous Limbo appearance on the Avengers was somehow later explained and justified.<br /><br />HB Humanbellynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-64437711338445203872013-10-28T15:40:51.013-05:002013-10-28T15:40:51.013-05:00This issue brings back memories, as one of the fir...This issue brings back memories, as one of the first back issues I bought, at a dear price, considering my $5 a week allowance.<br />So, even if it wasn't Roy's best work, I still remember it (the cover, anyway) fondly. And to answer Doug's question, I too, like the Beast's costume the best. Iceman is always going to come in last in this contest; Cyclops' costume, while cool, isn't much different than his previous costume; Angel's costume just has too much going on - the suspenders in particular both me; that leaves Marvel Girl and the Beast. Both have nice color combinations, but I don't care for the cliched mask. So, the Beast wins!dbutler16https://www.blogger.com/profile/00046066729353639991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-2724941084491629342013-10-28T15:37:19.856-05:002013-10-28T15:37:19.856-05:00David_B:
Cyke's blast is force not heat. It c...David_B:<br /><br />Cyke's blast is force not heat. It can't burn anything.<br /><br />Or is that a ret-conned thing?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-11738634640183399942013-10-28T15:34:34.073-05:002013-10-28T15:34:34.073-05:00Some other ideas that come to mind, based on Doug&...Some other ideas that come to mind, based on Doug's comment on pre-'New Look' Batman and further re-reading of the review.<br /><br />1) Oh, yes so many liberties were taken with this monster, totally agreeing it should have just been a new villain. And agreeing with the mention, Cyck's beams should have burned right through the monster ~ Not even a burn mark on the shabby clothes...? Nada.<br /><br />2) Looking at this cover, I'm likin' the concept to DC's Teen Titans/Mr. Jupiter-era covers like TT ish 33, 35 or 36.<br /><br />Just seems like, as alluded to in the review, that Thomas was trying to come up with ideas which stuck. As Karen mentioned, a better idea would have been to have gone one way or the other, or you kinda fail at both.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-21594018900014621082013-10-28T15:18:30.581-05:002013-10-28T15:18:30.581-05:00Osvaldo, my favorite in-continuity Monster story i...Osvaldo, my favorite in-continuity Monster story is during the "Celestial Madonna" arc in the Avengers where Earth's Mightiest Heroes encounter him as one of the Legion of the Unliving in the labyrinth of limbo. He and the Vision have an interesting encounter.<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-76379340921331302972013-10-28T15:15:44.357-05:002013-10-28T15:15:44.357-05:00So can anyone expound on Marvel vs. DC's use o...So can anyone expound on Marvel vs. DC's use of Frankenstein as an in-continuity character?<br /><br />I am more familiar with DC's (though only barely so), and didn't know that the Monster had ever appeared in any form in Marvel's pages (though I should've known - public domain and all of that). . .<br /><br />I have very few memories of good original X-Men stories (all of which I read in reprint) - by the time I started reading X-Men, Jean Grey was dead, Kitty was arriving and the Beast had been blue so long I thought of him as an Avenger and Wonderman's drinking buddy. <br /><br />I do have found memories of that Unus the Untouchable story where they mess with his power and cause his inevitable death years later (if I remember correctly how that panned out)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-16902246512616620002013-10-28T15:04:04.867-05:002013-10-28T15:04:04.867-05:00I think I came aboard the X-Men just after this wo...I think I came aboard the X-Men just after this would have been reprinted, around #90. My first All-New issues was #95, but I did have a pal who had GS #1 and X-Men #94, so I'd seen them.<br /><br />Has there ever been a bigger shock to the system than the move from the Silver Age reprints to Dave Cockrum?? OK, maybe from whatever was going on in the Avengers to Bendis...<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-22647268044834410092013-10-28T14:58:56.954-05:002013-10-28T14:58:56.954-05:00Angel's suspenders costume just never, ever lo...Angel's suspenders costume just never, ever looked good to me.<br /><br />I think that the reprint of this later on was one of the earliest X-men books that I ever read, and it convinced me to keep reading them, so while yes, it's a crazy, not-good story, there was something there that kept young me reading the book.jim kosmickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08085710372093169851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-37858248984650086012013-10-28T11:30:18.346-05:002013-10-28T11:30:18.346-05:00The Scooby Doo comment made me think that Don Heck...The Scooby Doo comment made me think that Don Heck would have been a good match with funny stories. He had a lighter touch than usual for superhero artists, and quirky faces/expressions...for superheroes I never believed in his art, despite his obvious drawing ability, but in comedy his style would work great. More like the Archie superheroes.Garettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-69473236141815459782013-10-28T10:44:24.450-05:002013-10-28T10:44:24.450-05:00It's a genuinely dreadful story that I first r...It's a genuinely dreadful story that I first read in Marvel UK's 1977 <i>Titans</i> annual and convinced me I was right to not like the original X-Men.<br /><br />With its monster that's really an alien robot, it reminded me of Iron Man's early encounter with the Robo-Hypno Neanderthal, a tale I've always had a lot more affection for.Steve Does Comicshttp://stevedoescomics.blogspot.co.uk/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-51302158510673664302013-10-28T10:00:02.151-05:002013-10-28T10:00:02.151-05:00I actually like the 'text-heavy' Marvel Si...I actually like the 'text-heavy' Marvel Silver Age books, they seemed more geeky and fits the X-Men style pretty good. I first saw Don Heck as artist this morning and groaned, but the art's pretty good, much in line with his Avengers panel work and layouts. I liked how he drew the monster. I kept thinking it would have been cooler to have Barry Smith draw this one, but IMHO his X-Men stint didn't fare as well as his brief Avengers or DD work. I picked up the X-Men/Blastaar ish on his name-recognition, plus hey, 'who doesn't love Blasty'..?<br /><br />As for outfits, I like 'em all 'cept for Angel, with Marvel Girl and Cyck coming up the best.<br /><br />All in all, it looks like a kooky-cool story.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-24487796772393843562013-10-28T07:43:57.890-05:002013-10-28T07:43:57.890-05:00I picked this issue up in its re-print form in X-M...I picked this issue up in its re-print form in X-Men #88, and had trouble resolving how bad it was with the much more compelling stories and events that I knew would begin in issue #42-- with the Death of Professor X. It's interesting-- I think that may have been really the first "Death" of a major character in the M.U.-- far pre-dating Gwen Stacy's-- and for the folks following the book, it was profoundly devastating (just read the letters pages in, say, issue #46). But I think the readership must have been so small that it went largely unnoticed by fandom on the whole. This book, though, does seem to be Roy at his literary-est being compelled to channel Stan at, really, his worst. Or perhaps there's even a disconnect between Don Heck (old pro, drawing/plotting what he thinks is best) and Roy (smart-alec young college kid who thinks he's the next Shakespeare or something), and the story caught between the two just doesn't have a chance.<br /><br />But boy-- all kinds of not-good! When the last page has to be so overwhelmingly text-heavy to make it all wrap up w/ some semblance of plausibility, you know your story (and perhaps your book-?) is in trouble. . . <br /><br />HBHumanbellynoreply@blogger.com