stan lee at the beginning of every issue: guys. guys. oh my god. this. this is it. this is the best thing we've ever written. the best thing marvel has ever come up with. you guys are gonna have your minds blown. guys. oh my god

the next issue: you're not gonna believe this...

The X-Men have evolved since their beginnings. I love going back to the early days. It's dated, sure, but I kinda like that time. You get over-the-top narration, pie-eyed idealism, and the fun of watching characters grow and develop. Though it's at times cringy, it's a fun read. One of my favorite characters is Iceman. It was good to see how he changed from more snowman than iceman and be explained by him gaining greater control over his powers. And I miss seeing him having a major role in story-arcs. Also. I always loved the ice slides.

The intro, by Rainbow Rowell no less, appreciated the prejudice humans have with mutants and it's' ability to draw attention to it's real world analog. But at the same time she pointed out the one glaring problem with it: everyone's white. It took years to rectify that but the X-Men and Marvel at large has done a good job at diversity. More uncomfortable, to me, was everyone being in love with Jean, mostly Scott and Warren but Professor X to was briefly toyed with. Oof.

But I don't want to end on a down note. These early days were the first peak of comics. The creativity and plotting, while at times laughable, were when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were at the height of their powers. Don't expect modern day ideas and plots but take if for what it is: a product of the radically changing America in the 60s.