The debut issue of what would eventually become one of Marvel's flagship titles (with uncountable spinoffs) is an interesting case of a story that feels both ahead of its time and a relic of a bygone era. Even though the deeper socio-cultural commentary attributed to the X-Men only really started to happen later, there's something uniquely interesting about a setup where the villain is essentially the same as the heroes, just ideologically opposed. The storytelling in this first magazine, however, is more reminiscent of early 60s' anthology romps than it is of the more conscious commentary of the Bronze Age and beyond.
X-Men #1
- Writers: Stan Lee
- Artists: Jack Kirby & Paul Reinman
- Editor: Stan Lee
- Publication Date: July 2, 1963
- Cover Date: September 1963
There are conflicting accounts (even between series creators, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby) about how much of the thematic dimension was intentional: while the symbolic potential was undeniably there from the start, Lee has gone on record saying that the mutant concept was all about not wanting to keep coming up with origin stories and just getting right into the plot. Kirby, on the other hand, has recalled more thoughtful goals in the creation of the X-Men, citing Cold War fears of radiation (and resulting mutation) among other things as integral elements in how the property came to be.
Both creators would have been conscious of concepts like social inequality, multi-cultural friction, and marginalization of minorities. They were both children of immigrants -- Stan from Romania, Jack from Austria -- that lived in ethnically and culturally diverse neighborhoods. Stan would later display his awareness of such issues in his writing of Spider-Man (where he'd call out racial injustice among other things) and creation of characters such as the Black Panther, and he has spoken publicly about wanting to promote themes of equality and compassion in his work. But as far as X-Men was concerned, the subject was still far from the core of the story.
Whether or not the creatives meant for the X-Men to have a significant metaphorical component, those angles are there even in the first issue. The narrative touches -- albeit briefly -- on the concept of people being afraid and resentful of mutants because they're different, and we already establish the villain Magneto as a mutant just like them, only with the viewpoint that humans are an enemy of the superior mutants, not to be hidden from. The potential of those promising elements doesn't get realized in the first issue, which in itself is excusable -- the story is far too busy showcasing the team of protagonists to stop for a thematic consideration that would have been too heady for a comic book of this time period anyway.
Regardless of deeper themes, the X-Men being born at all was the result of Marvel's publisher Martin Goodman asking Stan Lee to create a new superhero team to fill out their roster. This was happening concurrently with the release of The Avengers #1 (or likely shortly before, considering the Avengers were the consequence of a backup plan rather than a pre-meditated publication strategy), and likely motivated by the success of the Fantastic Four.
 |
| Art by Jack Kirby & Paul Reinman. © Marvel Comics. |
The narrative does deserve credit for introducing Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto as ideologically opposed, powerful members of this newly introduced ecosystem of superheroes. The issue doesn't go too deep into it, but considering it's a debut story, this isn't the place for that -- the reader needs to be sold on the premise first, before they can be sold on whatever larger message the story might be trying to deliver (which, as we established, might or might not have existed at this stage).
The most prominent point of criticism I have about the book is the stiffness of the narrative that lasts throughout, and is particularly distracting in the first half: the X-Men -- Cyclops, Angel, Iceman and Beast -- are introduced in a weird action sequence that does successfully display their abilities, but makes Xavier's school look like a circus rather than a serious place of learning. There's a lack of believability in what the test itself is, concerning how it's built out of various elaborate machines designed to test specific power sets (and seriously injure those who fail the test). It also calls attention to how the school seems to be run at Xavier's whim, rather than any pre-meditated program.
 |
| Art by Jack Kirby & Paul Reinman. © Marvel Comics. |
The situation isn't particularly helped by the X-Men turning into complete creeps as soon as a woman (unnecessarily described as attractive ahead of time by Xavier) enters the building. I understand this whole dynamic is intended as a comedic character moment for the lot of them, and it sort of works (much like an earlier blustering match between Beast and Iceman works as a moment of rivalry copy-pasted from the Thing and Human Torch template), but it doesn't exactly endear the reader to them. The goal here surely was to make them come across as lovable goofballs, but it plays a little weird now.
Jean Grey entering the school as a new member is, in itself, a smart idea -- only it doesn't really get used properly. We could have had a more natural opening where we begin not by looking at Xavier through a window and then watching the X-Men do their arbitrary tests, but rather watching Jean step out of the taxi and following her inside this place that is to be her home. We'd learn to know the X-Men and Xavier through her eyes, and as she becomes invested in the school and the people there, so would we. Stan and Jack had the perfect vehicle for on-boarding the reader right there, but they failed to seize it, seeing how Jean ends up arguably the least utilized out of all the characters.
 |
| Art by Jack Kirby & Paul Reinman. © Marvel Comics. |
The cover art of this debut issue is very strong -- it's dynamic and exciting, with appearances from all key characters aside from Xavier. Compared to the woefully static cover of the first Avengers issue (which, granted, Kirby probably drew on a fast turnaround), this one suggests a fun adventure with colorful characters. The truth about the contents would be the reverse of what the covers implied, but you can't really blame the artist -- I have no complaints about the feel or the look of the action or the way the characters themselves are visually portrayed in this book, even if the narrative doesn't really work.
Magneto is introduced well enough for the time -- his power is a bit poorly defined, which is endemic of the character even today, but a little more focus on his ability hinging on metal specifically would have done wonders for grounding the character (no pun intended). His plan is more or less standard fare for a Silver Age villain, but it makes sense -- taking over a military base with significant strategic weaponry is a logical goal with dire implications.
 |
| Art by Jack Kirby & Paul Reinman. © Marvel Comics. |
The X-Men each get their moment during the fight scene, which should be expected from Jack Kirby in particular at this stage -- this isn't his first time drawing a team action scene, and he's nailed it in the past especially in the Avengers #1. The scene doesn't quite measure up to the ones seen before from Kirby, however, particularly because the heroes spend most of their time battling force fields and missiles, with Magneto only appearing in person after most of the action is done. Still, the clever use of the various powers in the sequence makes for a fun read.
Not for the first time, I feel like the creative team was in a situation with X-Men #1 where they knew they had something here, they just didn't quite know what to do with it. The result here was a bit of a mess of old reliable tropes and some fresh ideas that don't quite come together. With the built-in problem of a team book also being limited space to develop any of the characters, I'd hardly consider this a slam-dunk of a success. But like with many other stories of this time, the issue lays out the pieces for something great later, even if Stan and Jack didn't know how to assemble it yet.
Comments
Post a Comment