Strangers in a Savage Land

Sauron might not have been from the Savage Land, but his origin is still forever tied to it. As the X-Men search for his body, they discover a passage into this legendary realm, a primitive jungle world hidden beneath Earth’s southern pole. They have an adventure with Ka-Zar and Zabu! The X-Men find themselves knocked down a few pegs on the food chain, faced with dinosaurs, monsters, and a classic villain. Issues 62 and 63 are full of surprises and danger.

The Sentinels Wreak Havok

Getting back to the X-Men and their impending doom, issues 58 and 59 are going to up the ante. There are more villains, more heroes, more danger, and more action than anything we’ve seen up to this point. It’s an epic story with high stakes, resulting in both triumph and tragedy. There will be secrets revealed and plots set in motion, as the events of these issues will shape a large part of the X-Men universe in the decades that follow. Get ready for the mutant genocide, finally put into motion by a revengeful, grieving son. Trask Industries is back online.

It’s a Girl

The X-Men have been on separate paths lately, disbanded and disheartened. With Professor Xavier still deceased, times are rough. What would it take to get this team back together? The greatest threat ever, obviously. Lucky for them such a threat is about to strike.  This story arc is one of the boldest Marvel had delivered up to this point, spanning four issues, 49-52. We’ll see new enemies, new allies, and the return of an old favorite.

When Mutants Clash

The adventure continues in issue 45, before spilling over into the pages of Avengers for their second crossover. The teams will again battle with each other when they should be stopping super villains. Our story begins with Angel still looking for help after his run in with Red Robin. The rest of the team is still being held captive by Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Will Angel return in time? Will his team be forced to help themselves? Is this the best panel of Magneto art that I’ve seen yet? YES!

Red Raven, Red Raven

Thing weren’t looking too good for the X-Men once Magneto had them in his evil clutches. In this issue a member of the team will make a daring escape, and set out on a quest to find help. Starting two issues ago, each installment is focusing on a different character or two, and their names get top billing. First it was Charles, and then Magneto, but here it is Angel. Issue 44 is the first time the series ever spends a considerable amount of time focused on just his character.

The Power of Magneto

Issue 43 begins a new ongoing story arc that will continue for the next few issues. That alone is pretty great, but what’s even better is that this is the return of Magneto! The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants lives once more. With the Professor gone and the X-Men in mourning, Magneto will now exact his revenge. But wait, where’s Quicksilver?

The Old School is New Again

I was recently watching X-Men First Class and I noticed something for the first time (I think). At the very end of the film, Magneto is sporting his old school helmet from the 60s, with the silly crescent over his brow that looks like some sort of insect. It was a really nice finishing touch on what was an excellent film.

I wonder what helmet he’ll have next summer.

Magneto’s Crazy Face

Magneto comes back with a vengeance in issues 17 and 18. He manages to escape The Stranger and returns to Earth with a plot to kill the X-Men. One by one he traps them until only Iceman remains. Young Bobby Drake will need to face this lunatic alone. First, I want to take a moment to share Magneto’s amazing crazy face. His personality is extremely different in these early comics. He has yet to gain his tragic back story and complicated ideology. He just hates humans and the X-Men. In fact, the series still hasn’t mentioned that he has any history with Professor Xavier at all. Magneto is very much a Scooby-Doo villain in these comics, as he challenges those meddling kids the X-Men. Instead of cool and calculated, he is anxious and hotheaded. Here I have compiled all of his best crazy faces.Enjoy.

A Stranger Walks Among Us

The first appearances just keep on rolling. Issue 11 brings us the Stranger. He’s some old man who can walk on air and through walls and do who knows what else. And this time they don’t find him by watching TV. So far the villains we’ve seen have been a mixed bag, and I didn’t expect much out of this guy. I was pleasantly surprised.

So Long, Bros!

The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants meets its end (for the first time) in issue 11. It’s a pretty pivotal issue for this time period. The Brotherhood is, of course, reformed and defeated again and again over the years, but this was their first disillusion. So, the next time someone asks you how they met their first defeat, you can tell them that:

1. First of all, Mastermind gets turned into a block of solid ‘matter’, whatever that means.