Motorways and tramlines

Texts considered: The X-Men #9-10 (1965), an ad from the reprint of issue nine in Annual #1 (1970), "Heroes" (2006-2007)

Well, these were a bit of a let down. I know that I've been raised in a very different comic culture, but why didn't Stan and Jack ever consider multi-issue arcs for some of these stories? I really figured that the whole "Lucifer" subplot would take a lot longer to be resolved - maybe even have some drama - but here it is, all complete. For now...

Well, there's the minor beef out of the way. Quite quickly, issue nine sees the X-Men fight the Avengers off so that Professor X can defeat Lucifer (who is not Beelzebub), and issue ten sees the X-Men travel to what will most likely become the Savage Land (a prehistoric oasis in the middle of Antarctica) and meet Ka-zar (a Tarzan knock-off, for those who don't know) and his feline life partner Zabu.

The closest thing to anything military-industrial complex-y here is the "thermal bomb" ("Large enough to blow up a continent!") which has been attuned to Lucifer's heartbeat so that Professor X can't just kill him. (Seriously - how often does Professor X just kill people, even those who crippled him? He even lets Lucifer go at the end. The worst he did to Magneto was shut his brain down after he stole Wolverine's adamantium.) Oddly, the bomb's targeted at Antarctica - which would make the world's oceans into "montrous, deadly, cascading mountains of water, destroying all in their path" - rather than set to home in on Lucifer's last signal so that his killer can also be destroyed, but I suppose everyone has to suffer if a super-villain dies. Besides, he's just off in the Balkans anyhow. Oh, and the explorers that Ka-zar encounters at the start of issue ten are heavily armed, though a quick check of wikipedia tells us that military personnel and equipment can be used in the neutral Antarctic for the purposes of exploration. (Were they armed with tommy guns in case of tapdancing penguins? I sure would be.)

(I do have to wonder at the "artificial dust devil" that Lucifer employs to trap Professor X, though. It just seems odd and unlikely. Yes, I do realize that I'm reading a comic with a winged teen and an ice-man. Anyhow, I know that I've now two entries for an anthology of literary discussions of dust devils.)

In terms of science, the main option is all the archaeological delights in the Savage Land, but not much is made of it. There's sabre-toothed tigers and mammoths and tyrannosaurs and eohippi (or whatever the plural of eohippus is), but that's about it. Hank is impressed, Warren wants to shoot B-movies with no need for an effects budget, and Scott is stoic.

Also, I'll have to check wikipedia later for how long it took Sam and Diane to become a couple. After just ten issues of unrequited whatever between Scott and Jean I'm already laughing at most thought bubbles: "Is that the normal concern of a leader for an ally...or do I detect another note in his voice? ...One that I've been longing to hear?" "When she stands this close to me, I forget everything but my desire to reach out...to embrace her!" "If only I could comfort you with my arms... my lips...but I know I mustn't! As our acting leader, you've no time for thoughts of... romance!" (At least there's not a lot of bold lettering in their thoughts. Poor Professor X, especially considering his feelings back in issue three. No wonder he went nuts. At least the other guys in the team have given up on her.)

Musical ads alert: in issue nine, there's three calls for poems and only two opportunities for musical instruction, and in issue ten, there's just two calls for poems. I suppose my previous speculation about the rise of singer-songwriter comic book readers was deeply unfounded. I wonder how Joe Satriani managed it, then...

(Issue number nine was reprinted as part of the first X-Men annual and it featured a Columbia House ad. Twelve albums for just $3.98! There's a lot less canon there than I'd have hoped.)

Other ads: well, the Merry Marvel Marching Society finally makes an appearance in the pages of a comic. It's just a dollar for various cards, stickers, and a button. Radio-television electronics make an appearance in ads - my fave is a two dollar screen overlay that transforms a black and white television into a color television. Since Time told me yesterday that all the networks went color at this time, this makes a lot of sense. (I'm still waiting for the cardboard submarines that Dave Barry bought as a college student to be advertised.) There's also high school equivalency programs which join the mechanic programs that we've already seen. Oh, and I forgot to mention the various cartooning and drawing schools that have been advertised, too.

There's still ads for rockets. I really should order one of those sometime.

As for the letters, some discouraging words are finally heard. In issue ten, a student of psychology who dabbles in parapsychology (did she sue the Ghostbusters people later?) huffily notes that it's "psychokinesis" or "P.K." rather than "telekinesis" which Marvel Girl employs. (Stan Lee employs something called "sarcasm" for his reply here.) More effectively, someone takes issue with the house bluster of Marvel and the overworked artists who aren't able to produce the art that they're capable of. (Actually, that probably should have been "Art.") Not only that, he also talks about how the art's "now unpleasing to the discerning comic book fan" but closes by saying that he enjoys these books. (Stan calmly declines to argue and says that the letterwriter's entitled to his "own bonehead opinion" and that they never expressly said that they had more talent than other comic book publishers. Maybe they had some pride, but not that much...)

A science fiction fan - of Arthur C. Clark [sic], Poul Anderson, Robert Heinlein, and Damon Knight - also chimes in this issue. A solemn oath to no longer read comics had been made two years previously, but Fantastic Four had changed everything for him. He also notes that he's entering the University of Vermont as a freshman, "so [he's] not a kid any more. Marvel Comics are great reading material. They are well written, well drawn, and even believable. The X-Men as super mutants are nothing more than a logical deduction on the part of your staff." I suppose this guy went on to get his dissertation in genetics and supervise the work of Mohinder's father in "Heroes."

Oh, and people are still angry about Iceman's lack of boots. Considering that when I was in my undergrad I had to contend with an X-Men whose mutant power was his matter-devouring digestive system which had separated itself from his body into two maggot-shaped symbiotic creatures, I don't have much sympathy. Kids those days...

Given all the letters about freeing Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch from the Evil Mutants, it's not terribly surprising that they'll end up in the Avengers before long. And uniform critiques are rising, too.

***

As for "Heroes," a few weeks' worth of catchup viewing finally got me through the first season. It's kinda odd to consider that this superhero show was one of the few survivors form this season - especially considering that "Studio 60" was so touted and had such a solid pilot - but it was fun to watch. Considering how Marvelesque it all was, it's not surprising that there was a Stan Lee cameo, too - though only one line. No one's running around in tights yet and everything's reasonably acceptable so far. I will be interested in the next season, that's for sure. It's no "Buffy," but it's pretty decent.

The lack of origin stories is a little odd, but I suppose they don't entirely know yet. It seems that most of the powers of the youngest heroes are likely ones that they were born with, but it remains to be seen how their parents received theirs. Very few powers are anything particularly new, or even beyond the realm of the X-Men (flight is still a pretty awesome and lame solitary power, no matter how you slice it - and at least they acknowledge that). But it's probably for the best that they've not yet given us an origin story - a little mystery goes a long way. In a way, that's probably one of the blessings and faults of this research - it's hard to look for anything new or different when you already know the general story arc.