Appearing in "Red Raven, Red Raven...!"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
- Red Raven (Construct) ⏵ (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Red Raven (Only in flashback)
- Bird People (Main story and flashback)
- Aerivar XVIII (Only in flashback)
- Citizens' Council (Only in flashback)
- Legions (Main story and flashback)
- Charlie Brown (Mentioned) (Topical Reference)
- Avengers (Referenced)
- Professor X (Charles Xavier) (Referenced)
- Ray Bradbury (Mentioned) (Topical Reference)
- Hydra (Mentioned)
- S.H.I.E.L.D. (Mentioned)
- Nick Fury (Mentioned)
- United States Armed Forces (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Mutants
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
- Androids
- Bird People (Main story and flashback)
- Birds (Mentioned)
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- Atlantic Ocean (Main story and flashback)
- Bermuda Triangle
- Aerie (Main story and flashback)
- North America (Referenced)
- United States of America (Referenced)
- Europe (Referenced)
- Hydra Island, Pacific Ocean (Mentioned)
- Atlantic Ocean (Main story and flashback)
Items:
Vehicles:
- Ship X-16 (Mentioned)
Synopsis for "Red Raven, Red Raven...!"
Continued from last issue...
The X-Men have been defeated by Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and Magneto is about to kill them when he is stopped by Quicksilver. Magneto agrees with Quicksilver's request, deciding that he wants his hated enemies to witness his greatest victory first before destroying them and orders them locked up in specially prepared restraints that prevent them from using their powers to escape.
When the X-Men are locked up and regain consciousness, they question why Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch rejoined Magneto's Brotherhood. Quicksilver angrily explains to them how humanity seeks to destroy mutants and that they have realized that Magneto's way is right. The nosey Toad listens to this argument and reports to Magneto, who decides that perhaps he should destroy the X-Men after all.
Left alone, the X-Men struggle to free themselves, however only Angel succeeds when he manages to grab a nearby disintegration ray that was negligently left near his cage. When attempting to free the others Cyclops stops him, fearing that the other rigs are booby-trapped, and orders the Angel to flee the scene and try and find the Avengers to get their help. Angel complies and just barely manages to escape Magneto's base without being recaptured by Magneto and Quicksilver. Caught in a storm while flying overseas, Angel decides to stop and rest on a rock outcropping poking out of the water. When he rests there, he is surprised when the outcropping suddenly rises, part of a submerged island that has been hiding beneath the ocean.
Exploring the island, Angel finds that there is a hidden complex and wonders if it's not the same base (HYDRA Island) that S.H.I.E.L.D. destroyed months prior. He soon gets some answers when he's attacked by the old World War II hero, the Red Raven, who is angry at normal humans who he believes are mindless killers. However, the hero is easily disarmed by the Angel and the fight is quickly ended. With the battle over, the Red Raven explains how he was a normal man whose family’s plane crashed in the secret home of the Avians, a society of winged people. Surviving, the young Red Raven was taken in, given mechanical wings and dubbed the Red Raven.
When the leader of the Avians, Aerivar XVIII, plotted an invasion of humanity, the Red Raven attempted to appeal to the king to avoid any invasion plans as the humans outnumbered them. However, his impassioned pleas were ignored and the invasion plans continued further. Not wishing to see his adopted countrymen slaughtered by humans, the Red Raven created a special gas that would put all the Avians into a state of suspended animation and then he sunk their floating island into the ocean.
With explanation over, Angel tries to convince the Red Raven to revive his people and give humanity another chance. Realizing the risk that the same cycle of events would happen again, the Red Raven instead decides to return his island to the bottom of the ocean once more. Blasting Angel into unconsciousness, the Red Raven uses an anti-gravity ray to keep the mutant afloat while the island sinks. The Red Raven puts himself and his people back into suspended animation.
Coming around on a floating raft, the Angel finds that the island has disappeared without a trace, and with his fellow X-Men still in trouble he departs to continue his travels to the Avengers' headquarters.
This story is continued next issue...
Appearing in "The Iceman Cometh!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Judy Harmon (First appearance)
- William Drake (First appearance) (Unnamed)
- Madeline Beatrice Bass Drake (First appearance) (Unnamed)
Antagonists:
- Rocky Beasely (First appearance)
- "Bug-Eye" (First appearance)
- Unnamed bully (First appearance)
- Anti-Mutant mob
Other Characters:
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- North America
- United States of America
- New York
- Long Island
- North Shore (First appearance)
- Fort Washington (First appearance) (Unnamed)
- Nassau County (First appearance)
- Drake Residence (First appearance)
- Hempstead (First appearance)
- East Meadow (First appearance)
- Nassau County Jail (First appearance)
- East Meadow (First appearance)
- North Shore (First appearance)
- Westchester County
- Long Island
- New York
- United States of America
- North America
Items:
Synopsis for "The Iceman Cometh!"
Continuing with the origins of the X-Men, our story begins with a young Bobby Drake taking his girlfriend Judy Harmon out on a date. It is interrupted when they are jumped by Rocky Beasely and his goons who have come to pick a fight with Bobby whom Rocky is competing with for Judy's affections.
With Bobby being roughed up by Rocky's friends, Rocky forcibly pulls Judy away, however he is stopped cold, literally, when Bobby's ice powers accidentally trap Rocky in a case of ice. The display not only scares off Rocky's goons, but Judy is also scared of Bobby and flees. When the news of Bobby's mutant powers quickly spreads across the town, the people begin to form a mob. Rushing home, Bobby tells his accepting parents that he accidentally used his powers in public.
When the mob reaches their home, Bobby's father attempts to talk sense into the crowd, but they force their way into the Drake home. With no other choice, Bobby is forced to defend himself by using his ice powers against them. However, he is easily overpowered and taken to the county jail.
Reading about the incident, the Professor decides to recruit Bobby Drake as his next student and sends Cyclops to go and retrieve the boy. Bobby meanwhile is sitting in a Nassau County jail cell pondering the prejudice that he is dealing with when suddenly the wall to his cell is blasted open.
This story is continued next issue...
Notes
- References: Avengers #43 and Strange Tales #158
Trivia
- William Drake is incorrectly narrated as his son (Robert) in the second story.
- This issue included a letter to the editor written by Keith Giffen.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- This is a multi-part storyline that started in X-Men #43 and continues in Vol 1 45 and Avengers #53.
- Avengers #47 and Vol 1 49 - Magneto's return from space and his re-acquaintance with Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch.
- X-Men #1 - First appearance of Magneto
- X-Men #4 - First appearance of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants: Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Toad.
- X-Men #5, Vol 1 7 and Vol 1 11 - other X-Men vs. Brotherhood battles.
- X-Men #17 and Vol 1 18 - last battle vs. Magneto.