Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, originally published as The X-Men, is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of superheroes called the X-Men, a group of mutants with superhuman abilities led and taught by Professor X.
The title was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, met with a lukewarm reception, and eventually became a reprints-only book in 1970. Interest was rekindled with 1975's Giant-Size X-Men #1 and the debut of a new, international team. Initially under the guidance of artist Dave Cockrum, writer Len Wein, and especially writer Chris Claremont whose 16-year stint began with August 1975's Uncanny X-Men #94, the series grew in popularity worldwide, eventually spawning a franchise with numerous spin-off "X-books" including The New Mutants, X-Factor, Excalibur, X-Force, Generation X, and other flagship titles like the simply titled X-Men, Astonishing X-Men, All-New X-Men, Amazing X-Men, Extraordinary X-Men, X-Men Blue and X-Men Gold.
Publication history
1963–1970: Original run
Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the series launched in September 1963. Lee originally wanted to title the book The Merry Mutants, but Marvel’s editorial team insisted on using X-Men instead. The first issue introduced the original five X-Men and their teacher, Charles Xavier/Professor X as well as their nemesis, the supervillain Erik Magnus Lehnsherr/Magneto. Although Lee would deny it, it was noticed by contemporary writer Arnold Drake, that the concept of the series emulated his own earlier series for National Periodical Publications's Doom Patrol, in many respects. However, National's editorial staff did not support Drake's concerns.Initially published bimonthly, it became a monthly with issue #14. Lee's run lasted 19 issues, and featured the X-Men battling villains such as Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants ; the Sentinels, giant robots programmed to destroy all mutants, and their creator Bolivar Trask; and Cain Marko/Juggernaut, Xavier's stepbrother transformed by a mystical gem and seeking revenge on Xavier.
The series was placed firmly in the Marvel Universe, with guest appearances by Namor the Sub-Mariner in #6 and the Avengers in #9. The jungle adventure hero Kevin Plunder/Ka-Zar and the Savage Land were introduced in issue #10. Roy Thomas wrote the series from #20–43. Thomas and artist Werner Roth created Sean Cassidy/Banshee in #28. The X-Men #45 featured a crossover with The Avengers #53. After brief runs by Gary Friedrich and Arnold Drake – the latter of whom introduced the new X-Men Lorna Dane/Polaris and Alex Summers/Havok, and during which the series adopted a new logo designed by Jim Steranko – Thomas returned to the series with issue #55 and was joined by artist Neal Adams the following issue for an acclaimed run of stories. After a battle with the Hulk in issue #66, the title ceased publishing original material and featured reprints in issues #67–93.
1970–1975: Other appearances
Despite the title going into reprints for the next five years between #67–93, the X-Men continued to appear in other Marvel titles throughout this period in a guest-starring capacity or cameo appearance, either as a team or in solo adventures.The Angel appeared without the X-Men in a three-part story involving the murder of his father at the hands of his uncle, Burt Worthington, a.k.a. the Dazzler, in Ka-Zar #2 and #3, and Marvel Tales #30.
Iceman made a guest appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #92, where he battles Spider-Man after mistakenly assuming he abducted Gwen Stacy. Later, after realizing his error, they team up against corrupt politician, Sam Bullitt. Iceman appears alone once again in Marvel Team-Up #23, where he teams up with the Human Torch to battle Equinox. Cyclops, Marvel Girl, and Angel also make a brief appearance.
The Beast starred in his own series in Amazing Adventures #11–17 after accepting a position with the Brand Corporation, and decides to leave the X-Men for good. The original team appeared briefly in a flashback in #11 and in a present-day cameo appearance in #15. Professor Xavier and Marvel Girl briefly appeared in Amazing Adventures #12, and the Angel helped the Beast defeat the Griffin in Amazing Adventures #15. After his run on that series ended, the Beast battled against the Hulk alone in Incredible Hulk #161, concluding a storyline which began in Amazing Adventures.
Havok and Polaris, as recounted in a flashback in Incredible Hulk #150, leave the X-Men after a bitter quarrel with Iceman and move to New Mexico. In a present-day appearance in the same issue, they encounter and battle the Hulk, who mistakes Polaris for his former lover Jarella, and a biker gang.
As a team, the X-Men assisted Spider-Man in capturing Morbius in Marvel Team-Up #4, written by Gerry Conway, after one of Xavier's colleagues is abducted by the vampire. In Adventure into Fear #20, it is recounted in a flashback how Morbius escaped from the X-Men's mansion. Professor Xavier and Cyclops appeared in a brief cameo.
They appeared in The Avengers #110–111, written by Steve Englehart, where Professor Xavier and the X-Men are abducted by Magneto after an ambush at Xavier's mansion, and later rescued by the Avengers, Daredevil, and the Black Widow. Soon after, members of the X-Men, including Iceman, Angel, Beast, Havok and Polaris, and members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants are secretly being abducted by a group of hooded figures known as the Secret Empire. At this point, only Professor Xavier, Cyclops and Marvel Girl remain active, and, after a brief cameo at the end of Incredible Hulk #172, where they discover an unconscious Juggernaut after a battle with the Hulk, seek out the help of Captain America and the Falcon. This led to the first "Secret Empire" storyline, which ran in Captain America #172–175, also written by Steve Englehart.
Professor Xavier made a few brief appearances of his own without the X-Men during this time. In The Avengers #88, written by Roy Thomas and Harlan Ellison, he made a cameo appearance assisting Reed Richards and General Thunderbolt Ross in containing the Hulk, and later appeared briefly onscreen in Shanna the She-Devil #5 to warn Shanna of an unknown mutant threat, Nekra. In The Defenders #15–16, written by Len Wein, Xavier teamed up with the Defenders to battle against Magneto and his reformed Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. It was in this battle that Magneto and the Brotherhood were reduced to infancy by Alpha the Ultimate Mutant. Xavier made one final solo appearance during this period in Giant-Size Fantastic Four #4, where he assisted the Fantastic Four in subduing Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man.
1975–1991: Chris Claremont era
X-Men was relaunched in May 1975 with Giant-Size X-Men #1, by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. The title featured a new, international team consisting of Scott Summers of the United States, Ireland's Sean Cassidy, the Japanese mutant Shiro Yoshida, and James "Logan" Howlett from Canada, along with new characters Ororo Munroe from Kenya, the German Kurt Wagner, Piotr "Peter" Rasputin from Russia in the Soviet Union, and John Proudstar, a Native American. The original plan was to continue Giant-Size X-Men as a quarterly, but instead original stories were printed in the book, again initially bimonthly.Chris Claremont's first issue as writer, #94, featured all the original X-Men leaving the team with the exception of Cyclops. Sunfire also left, having agreed to assist the X-Men on one successful mission only. Thunderbird was killed in #95. Moira MacTaggert, a human ally of the X-Men, and later to be established as a former fiancé of Xavier, debuted in #96. Marvel Girl became Phoenix in issue #101. This was followed by the first Shi'ar space opera story. Cockrum was replaced as penciller by John Byrne as of #108. Byrne became co-plotter, and during his run the series became a monthly title again.
The series title was changed to The Uncanny X-Men with issue #114.
For the remainder of the decade, the X-Men fought enemies such as Steven Lang and his Sentinels, Magneto, Banshee's cousin Black Tom Cassidy and Cain Marko/Juggernaut, the Shi'ar Erik the Red and the Imperial Guard, Arcade, Wolverine's former colleagues, the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight, and MacTaggert's son Proteus. In 2010, Comics Bulletin ranked Claremont and Byrne's run on The X-Men second on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels".
The "Dark Phoenix Saga" in 1980 led to a change in the line-up of the team, with the death of Phoenix, and Cyclops leaving the team to mourn her. Comics writers and historians Roy Thomas and Peter Sanderson observed that "'The Dark Phoenix Saga' is to Claremont and Byrne what 'the Galactus Trilogy' is to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. It is a landmark in Marvel history, showcasing its creators' work at the height of their abilities." The storyline also saw the introduction of recurring antagonists the Hellfire Club, and its Inner Circle consisting of Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, Harry Leland, Donald Pierce, along with Mastermind, previously a member of Magneto's Brotherhood. Teenage mutant Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat was introduced in #129 and joined the X-Men in #139. Alison Blaire/Dazzler, a disco-singing, roller-skating mutant, was introduced in #130, but did not join the team, instead having a solo title.
A new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, led by Mystique, was introduced in the "Days of Future Past" storyline in which a time-travelling Kitty Pryde tried to avert a dystopian future caused by the Brotherhood assassinating presidential candidate Senator Robert Kelly. Byrne plotted the story wanting to depict the Sentinels as a genuine threat to the existence of the mutant race. He then left the series after #143, being replaced by a returning Cockrum, who in turn was succeeded by Paul Smith and John Romita Jr.
By the mid-1980s, The Uncanny X-Men had become one of the best-selling American comic books, turning many of the writers and illustrators into industry stars and leading to numerous spin-offs and miniseries.
Erik Magnus Lehnsherr/Magneto was gradually revealed to be more complex: #150 established that he was a survivor of the Holocaust, and in #161 it is shown that he and Professor Charles Xavier had known each other before Xavier had founded the X-Men. Anna Marie LeBeau/Rogue, a member of Raven Darkholme/Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, defected to the X-Men in #171. Raven Darkholme/Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants changed sides and became the government-backed Freedom Force in #199. Their first action was to capture Magneto, who had begun associating with the X-Men during the "Secret Wars II" crossover. Magneto surrenders himself, but escapes after his trial is abandoned, he takes over the headmastership of the school after Xavier leaves for space in #200.
The Morlocks, a group of disfigured mutants living underneath New York City, were introduced in #169. Storm became their leader in #170. She was de-powered accidentally by government forces aiming for Rogue, and met Forge, a mutant with the power of invention. After Storm left the team temporarily to return to her native Africa, Nightcrawler became field leader.
The character Rachel Summers from the future dystopia presented in "Days of Future Past" had been shown to arrive in the present day in New Mutants #18, and then made appearances in Uncanny X-Men from #184 on and was revealed to be Cyclops' daughter.
Claremont attempted to write Scott Summers/Cyclops out of the series, by having him marry Madelyne Pryor in #175 ; she gave birth to his son in #201. The X-Factor series was launched two months later and featured the original five X-Men. This meant the resurrection of Jean Grey, and having Scott Summers/Cyclops abandon his wife and child. Claremont strongly objected to the latter, and was hostile towards the title until Louise Simonson became writer.
Artist Arthur Adams began a long association with the team by drawing The Uncanny X-Men Annual #9 and would serve as the artist on several of the Annuals in the next few years.
The end of 1986 saw the first crossover between X-Men titles, the "Mutant Massacre", which saw a large number of Morlocks killed by the Marauders, acting under orders from the mysterious Nathaniel Essex/Mister Sinister The late 1980s saw several other crossovers: 1988's "Fall of the Mutants" and 1989's "Inferno", which resolved the issue of Madelyne Pryor by revealing her to have been a clone of Jean Grey created by Sinister. The cast was shaken up, with the addition of Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot and Havok in early 1987, as well as the first appearances of NPR-TV reporter Manoli Wetherell in #226, new teenage mutant Jubilation Lee/Jubilee in #244, and Remy LeBeau/Gambit in Uncanny X-Men #266. The X-Men left their traditional residence in Westchester County, New York, and lived variously on Alcatraz, Muir Island, and the Australian outback. The "X-Tinction Agenda" crossover, in which the X-Men, X-Factor and the New Mutants fight against the government of Genosha for mutant rights, was published in the fall of 1990.
The title became twice-monthly from 1988 to 1990 every summer, and helped to launch the careers of artists Marc Silvestri and Jim Lee. In 1991 another X-Men title was launched, titled simply X-Men; both titles were now published monthly. Claremont wrote the first three issue of this series, in which the X-Factor and X-Men teams reunited with Professor Xavier at the school. Claremont left Marvel after disputes with Bob Harras and artist Jim Lee. Claremont's final issue of Uncanny X-Men was #279, during the "Muir Island Saga", which is set before those events.