Great Moments in Comics History: X-Men #1

Chuck has never looked creepier. 

Who's who in this panel?  Is that Cyclops on the left?  Who is walking off panel?  [Clearly my X-knowledge is lacking.]

Is that Beast on the right with flesh colored, furry feet?  Yikes.  

You know, before he turned blue, a hairy Beast wasn't quite so endearing.

This marks the first and last time that Jehova's Witness would send a female to deliver The Watchtower to the X Mansion.

@stuclach - It's not a coloring mishap. Beast didn't always have the fur. He was just a big guy with ape-like anatomy/acrobatic ability. 

Would I be correct in assuming that the characters are (from left to right): Professor X, Iceman, Angel, Beast, Cyclops? 

These guys have no skills.  When checking out a girl, you have to use your peripherals.  Your peripherals!

Cyclops knows acting desperate is a turn off to women. If you act like you don't care they want you more.

So Cyclops is the one walking off...interesting.

I find Beast in this form unsettling and slightly offensive (I'm not sure why). 

@Paul - Thanks for filling me in. 

I'm fairly sure it's Scott walking away.  That's how the writer signals he's the one who deserves her.  (I'm not even kidding about that, I'm fairly sure it's the intent -- so on SOME level even Stan realized it's creepy).  I particularly love the 'You're right, sir!' part, since the implication is that X told them, "They made me put a girl on the team but don't worry, SHE'S HOT."

Candy Southern (Warren Worthington's gf) once said that Jean Grey's real mutant power was to make men fall in love with her and then ruin their lives.

I also like that the perspective seems to suggest Beast couldn't find room at the window and decided to plow his head through the wall to get a look. 

It could be Cyke walking off....or unknown and forgotten X-Man, Footsie.

I think that it's Bobby walking off.  Being that he was supposed to be really young (like 12-15) at the time, it makes sense that he does not care as much as the rest of the rambunctious teens.  And I believe I remember "Uncanny X-Cast" guys specifically talking about this scene in their 'retro reviews,' and how one of the guys was wondering what the hell was wrong with Bobby for leaving. 

But it easily could be Scott too.

But why IS Beast hairy?? And why, as Paul said, crashing through a wall?  That is not a subtle way to check out a gir, Hank.

Stan originally wanted the book to be called the XXX-Men, but Jack refused to draw Jean getting passed around like a joint at a Phish concert.

That's Iceman walking away. Scott's at the window on the left.

What exactly does Angel mean by "A redhead! Look at that face... and the rest of her"?..... That pervert!!! 

Why is Professor Xavier rubbing his fingertips together like Mr. Burns? This man should not be around young people! 

@Patio-you should see Garth Ennis' take on Prof X in 'The Boys,' it is your worst fears realized.

Yeah, that's right, it is the other way around -- it's just the moral superiority that made me think it was Cyclops ;).  Though there's a later scene, I think, where they're all trying to pull a chair out and Scott's the one who refuses to participate.  But I could be thinking of a retcon, not something from issue 1.

(The X-Men don't actually get distinct personalities until at least issue 3.  If it had been written later, it would have been Bobby being the perv and Scott being the prissy one -- also Beast would be using bigger words than that).

Chuck has some big ass hands

"She's a real living doll!" - Scott is apparently more familiar with the inflatable variety.

Little known fact, Iceman's sassy talking foot was an integral part of the original X-men series, providing comic relief in the same vein as Dr. Strange's musing mustache and Thor's wisecracking molar. 

@drakedangerz

All kirby creations can easily crush a man's windpipe with their massive mitts.

This could be the XXX version of this particular comic. At least the way I see it with the guys all over her and Charles looking like one of those evil guys you see in a porno.

Didn't know cyclops was a Cliff Richard fan.

 Living Doll ..LOL

What I like is Xavier hovering near by like some sort of porn director mastermind. Then again, considering how many of the characters have gotten it on... that may be wy he really founded his school.

@stuclach - Not sure if anybody already corrected this but actually the one walking away is Iceman.  Cyclops is the dude on the left and the Beast (before he turned furry and blue) is the guy on the right of Angel.  

@VicDeZen - Conor corrected that.  Thank you, though.  I appreciate it.

I actually knew exactly what this was before I clicked the link thanks to the Issue # and Conor's front page caption. Great moment.

And for clarity's sake it IS Cyclops, Angel and Beast with Iceman (really more Snow before issue 15) leaving. Remember, Bobby's supposed to be the youngest, and as we all know, Boys don't care about girls before they're 18. (If I recall the early X-Men continuity correctly Cyclops and Jean were 18, so adults who could like each other; Bobby was 14 and thus a little Rascal; Hank and Warren were both at least 22 probably 23 Beast was supposed to be in college, but this changed rather often in early X-Men.

I just want to note that the first Sixty or so issues of this constitute my favorite era of X-Men and my favorite team make-up (Despite the crushing lack of diversity.).

This is one panel that really deserved a thought bubble.  I'd love to hear Chuck's thoughts.  ...  

"Exxxxcelllent.  Nothing brings a team of hormone-raging teenage boys together like a single female to fight over!" 

@PraxJarvin   First class is the best class!

@Crippler It's creepier when you realize Scott is saying "You're right sir." As if the panel before is Xavier saying something about Jean being hot. (I just checked my Masterwork and the panel before this one, or well, the page before has Xavier explaining that someone will be joining the team "... a MOST ATTRACTIVE YOUNG LADY.") So Xavier is obviously giving this thought. It's of course further compounded by subtle hints as early as the Claremont run that there was something weird going on between the two. Fun stuff.

Gross.  They didn't even take off their dishwashing gloves before they went to gawk out the window.

@Paul: It looks like the X-Men are lead by Mr. Burns. Excellent!

@Prax: I can only imagine that panel your describing.

"Students, we are going to have a new student join us. It is a young lady...."-Xavier

"Oh"-Men (uninterested)

"A most attractive lady!"-Xavier

"Ohh!!!"-Men (excited

"Sounds like my type of lady"-Cyclops

Thank you for posting this Connor this is classic and kind of dirty if you really think about Pro.X and Cyclops,Angel,and Beast who are all practically drooling over Jean Grey. Iceman was a young teenager Iam guessing 15 or 16 he didn't much care for the ladies yet and booze either! Heh,heh,ha!

@WinTheWonderboy

Boobies. He means boobies. 

@PaulMontgomery  Thats that wonderful Kirby art. I hate Jack Kirby art so much. If these were the comics I had to cut my teeth on, I doubt I would have opened more than one.  "the King" Had no sense of perspective. All faces were the same,  just blech all around Cyclops' underwear goes nearly to his armpits

LOL at frame and with all the commentors. Reaffirming why I have never been an X-Men fan!

So I take it Scott's the only one who's ever encountered a female human before...

This issue i FULL of potential "great moments in comics history." A few panels later, Xavier is complaining that he can never reveal his felings of lust for Jean because he is in a wheelchair. NOT, mind you, because she is a teenager and he is her old enough to be her father, nor because she is his student. There is also the GREATEST "if read without the artwork" hilarious caption of all time. Beast is balancing on some tiny stick, and Xavier is saying stuff like "Don't let it slacken, keep it tight, work the shaft, cradle the balls" (OK, maybe I made that last line up). it's really great lol. 

In this issue also is Prof X trying out his telepathy and remarking that "Soon there will be no need for me to speak aloud to you at all!"  I guess speaking is too much effort on his part.

 And Beast and Iceman were fighting just like Thing and Human Torch over in FF. I guess when creating the X-Man Stan looked at the FF and created 2 similar characters, but inverted the power of the Torch into ice.

@ironclad Essentially, you're right. Stan the Man has more or less stayed consistent on his origin of the X-Men. I forget who Cyclops is supposed to be based off of, but Beast and Iceman were based off of Thing and Torch, and Stan has said X-Men started with "Let's make a character like the Torch only... HE'S ICE!" with them working backwards from that to a concept. Angel was a revamp of the Golden Age Angel.