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X-Men Vol 1 40

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Quote1 I see you haven't read the novel, Bobby -- which I assigned last spring! In it, Victor Frankenstein pursued his grotesque creation into the Arctic regions! And there -- near the top of the world -- he died! Quote2
—Professor X (Charles Xavier)

Appearing in "The Mark of the Monster!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Two unnamed aliens (Only in flashback)

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Races and Species:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

Synopsis for "The Mark of the Monster!"

The X-Men are training in the Danger Room. When the Beast begins to showboat before the others, Iceman decides to pull a prank on his friend. This is not very well received, but the training session is cut short when they answer the mental summons of Professor X. The Professor reveals to the X-Men that he has uncovered the location of Frankenstein's Monster, long thought a myth due to the fictions of Mary Shelley, but an astonishing reality. The Professor recounts the tale as it is known, but tells his students a startling revelation, that the monster is really a high tech android, and he suspects that the "Monster" is the creation of a mutant. He explains that the discovered android is currently attempting to be thawed from the Arctic ice it has been trapped in for centuries and orders his X-Men to prevent the scientists from doing so to avoid any humans being harmed.

Although they rush there as quickly as possible and try to gain entrance with the Professor's credentials, they are barred from entry by the security guard. Even though Jean uses her telekinetic powers to knock out the guard, the X-Men are too late as the over-eager Professor Powell ignores his colleague’s warnings of caution. The android breaks free prompting the X-Men to change into their uniforms and approach the creature. It attacks them directly, and the X-Men attempt to match its fighting, however, find that its strength is superior to theirs and that it has eye beams that are more powerful than Cyclops' optic blasts. The Monster makes short work of the X-Men and leaves the scene.

Recovering, they are spotted by another professor who blames the X-Men for the damage done on the scene, Iceman temporarily freezes him and the mutant heroes flee the scene. With the Professor's mental probes, the X-Men track the faux-Frankenstein Monster to a sea freighter. When they board the vessel, they are attacked by the crew whom the X-Men easily subdue and get "permission" to search the cargo hold for the creature. They find the monster and it attacks them once more, and the X-Men fare no better against the monster than their previous encounter with it. However, the creature is convinced to break off its attack when the Professor mentally contacts the creature and tells it that he is the one that commanded the X-Men to attack. Turning his attentions to the Professor, the android is distracted long enough for the Professor to command Iceman to cover the robot in ice, once more threatening to put it in a state of suspended animation. Attempting to break free, the robot strains itself too much and suddenly explodes, ending its threat.

In the aftermath, the Professor explains to his X-Men that he learned the android’s origin from probing its mind. It was the creation of an alien race from a tropical world that sent it to Earth to act as an ambassador some 150 years ago. The robot malfunctioned however and its creators were forced to trap it in the Arctic regions of Earth, the cold being it's only weakness. The Professor goes on to explain that the android attacked his X-Men so readily because it confused their colorful costumes with those of its creators. With their mission accomplished the X-Men return home.

Appearing in "The First Evil Mutant!"

Featured Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • NYSP
    • Marv (Name revealed)
    • Unnamed Police Officer
  • Vanisher (Mentioned in narration)
  • Three unnamed medical personnel (Only in flashback)

Races and Species:

Locations:

Items:

Synopsis for "The First Evil Mutant!"

Continued from last issue....

Young Scott Summers has been lured to the home of Jack Winters, a mutant with incredible mental powers, who intends to use him to rule over mankind. With the police seeking out Scott, Winters uses his mental powers to teleport them away. While they manage to elude the police, they do not escape the notice of Professor X as their travels are picked up by his prototype mutant detector Cyberno, however, the signal is lost before the Professor can pinpoint it.

Jack and Scott are teleported to a nearby nuclear plant where he intends to use nuclear energy in the plant to boost his powers. Jack explains to Scott that one night not long ago, he broke into a chemical lab to steal something of value so that he can pay off his gambling debts, when grabbing a beaker of radioactive material it exploded in his hands. Surviving and considered lucky to be alive, Jack was released from the hospital where he found that the explosion activated his latent mutant abilities endowing him with mental powers and another power to his damaged hands. Finishing his story, Jack reveals that the explosion had turned his hands into a diamond.

Rechristening himself Jack O'Diamonds, Jack theorizes that greater exposure to radiation would turn the rest of his body into a diamond as well. Before they can go further, they are approached by Charles Xavier who warns them to cease their criminal activities with his mental powers. Jack orders Scott to kill the Professor with his optic blasts, but the frightened boy cannot bring himself to kill another with his mutant powers.

Calling the boy a coward, Winters decides to tackle Xavier on his own, pitting his mental powers against that of Xavier. This story is continued next issue...

Notes

Continuity Notes[]

  • In the first story, Warren asks if Jean and Professor X have been working on a "hush-hush" project. She replies, "Yes and no". The project she is referring to is revealed to be preparation for a Z'Nox invasion. A story which takes place in issue Vol 1 65.
  • The Frankenstein monster in this story is shown to have been an android all along made by an alien culture 150 years ago and sent to the Earth as it's first interstellar ambassador. The writers even go as far as giving the monster optic beams with more force than Cyclops' and magnetic boots. However, when Marvel created the short-lived Monster of Frankenstein series in 1973, that idea was dropped, and they just adopted the version from Mary Shelley's novel. One of the flashbacks in this issue has to be a reference to the original Frankenstein, not the robot, so it technically counts as his first appearance in the modern Marvel Universe.
  • The second story reveals that Professor X originally named his mutant detection machine 'Cyberno'. This prototype is only seen in this story and is later rebuilt as the well-known 'Cerebro'. This is a retcon, explaining a mistake in an earlier issue in which Xavier refers to his invention as Cyberno.

Publisher Notes[]

  • Credits for Story 1:
    • Smilin' Stan Lee Enriches and Edifyingly Enriches a Roy Thomas-Don Heck Masterwork of Mounting Menace!
    • Amelioratively Inked by: George Tuska
    • Alliteratively Lettered by: Artie Simek
  • Credits for Story 2:
    • You better Believe That Stan Lee, Editor, Roy Thomas, Writer, and Werner Roth, Artist, Co-Created This Spell-Binding Shocker...
    • --'Cause John Verpoorten, Inker, and Al Kurzrok, Letterer, Sure Aren't Gonna Take the Blame!

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