The Early Years: First Class

There is a lot of change ahead for the X-Men, including a very different roster. Some founding X-Men members are dropping off the team for a while, and they will be missed. This is the end of the “good old days” of the original five: Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, and Marvel Girl. So lets look back at who these characters are and what they accomplished in their first tenure with the X-Men.

A Big Green Goodbye

The X-Men have only once chance to save Professor X, and his name is Bruce Banner. Unfortunately, his other name is The Incredible Hulk. The secret to saving Charles is locked inside the mind of a monster, and it’ll take everything they have to get it out. The X-Men have had run-ins with the Avengers in the past, but this is actually their first encounter with the Hulk. Issue 66 shows us how this team performs against the most powerful brute force on planet Earth. This is also the final issue of this titles early run, before taking a five year hiatus. The days of Scott, Bobby, Jean, Hank, and Warren end here, for now.

Compuserved

While Hank and Bobby are battling Merlin back in New York, Scott and Jean are soaking in the sunshine of Hollywood, California. Jean is creating quite a buzz as a swimsuit model, posing for the cameras and breaking hearts wherever she goes. The two of them are actually having a pretty nice vacation, but how long can it last? Will issue 48 be the first time anyone’s been able to have some relaxing time off in this comic?

The Gang Gets Ugly

At the end of issue 39, the team once again gets new uniforms. They’re very colorful and I guess they’re indicative of the time period, but man… this team is a fashion disaster. The blue and gold motif is gone and instead the team is a mess of primary colors. This was an attempt to make them each look more distinct, but they end up looking pretty stupid.

Revenge of the Juggernaut

We finally see what’s behind that old door and holy crap it’s the Juggernaut! Nice! He looks unconscious, he’s chained up, and he must have been in there for months. I can only imagine how pissed he’s going to be when he wakes up. It’s a good thing the Professor decided to go mess with him while the X-Men are away on vacation. Issue 32 begins a two part Juggernaut story, and one I’m excited to read.

The Less Invincible Cobalt Man

Get ready as the X-Men take on Cobalt Man, which is almost like taking on Iron Man.   Cobalt Man is obviously derivative of Iron Man, but he turns out to be a fun villain and worth the read. Iron Man is awesome, so why shouldn’t there be an evil version of him flying around somewhere? Plus, this issue has a lot of great X-Men drama, as we get “gripping glimpses” into the lives of these teens. Will Scott finally make a move on Jean?

I am Warlock, Who Follow the Gleam

I mentioned earlier that in Magneto’s absence we’ve seen plenty of old man villains with great facial hair. Issue 30 continues that theme with the Warlock, an evil magician with an affection for Jean Grey. That continues another theme, which is everyone wanting to sex Jean. Unlike Scott, the Warlock has no problem with confidence. Lets see how successful he is.

New Uniforms

Another thing that happens in issue 27 is the team gets new uniforms. Jean apparently made them while she was away at college. How nice.

It’s easy to not even notice the difference since there isn’t really much of one. Now everyone has a red belt, and Jean wears this dumb little pointed mask. She actually looks kind of like Iron Man. The rest hasn’t changed all that much. In fact the only other thing I notice is that the yellow on Beast’s chest is a bit slimmer.

Also, Jean is color blind and her friends are very polite about it.

El Tigre and the Ego

We don’t have any new mutants yet, but we do have a villain with some real powers. Issues 25 and 26 tell the story of El Tigre, an infamous treasure hunter who plundered tombs and riches across the world. He is in South America hunting for a treasure left behind by the Mayans. What he finds will grant him the power to become the all powerful Kukulcan, an ancient Mayan god. However, it will come with a price.

Meanwhile, things between Jean and Scott are heating up. The two of them continue to fawn over each other, and yet somehow no one is more of a little girl than Warren Worthington III. His jealousy and arrogance will cause him to do something that could tear the group apart. These issues are filled with drama and adventure, and I enjoyed them far more than most of the recent episodic revolving villains.

Jean and Scott, Sittin’ in a Tree…

Here, I have collected a few moments from the early comics in which Jean and Scott are thinking about touching one another. Which they are both thinking about pretty much all of the time.