Top: one of the backgrounds used many times with different palettes in Super Mario World are these abstract, highly geometric mountains.
Middle: dataminer and 3D modeler Peardian has reconstructed the entire landscape in 3D to see whether it is physically possible and how it would look at other angles.
Bottom: the mountains as seen from the side. These create the exact structure of the original Super Mario World background when viewed from the front in orthographic projection.
Main Blog | Patreon | Twitter | Bluesky | Small Findings | Source
Whelp, this is definitely where some backstories and personalities start getting solidified
It’s not super apparent in the panel above but this is *unquestionably* the issue where Hank starts talking like himself. All of a sudden he’s got a bunch of four syllable words in his vocabulary lol
In addition to the ‘Scott manfully faints’ collection i may need to start a ‘Scott can’t lie’ collection
For all the core elements that are missing still, it’s amazing how many recognizable X-Men concepts were introduced right from the start. I couldn’t believe Asteroid M was already a thing this early in the story.
Toad is rather grating with all his whining to Magneto but i can’t mind it too much because he constantly annoys Mastermind and I’m all for that :)
As far as i can tell this is the first time humans are described as being specifically afraid of mutants. The potential of that storytelling angle didn’t take long to become apparent to the writers.
I mean magneto has said in the past that the humans would ‘destroy them’ but that had less to do with his cohort being mutants and more him being a megalomaniac super villain.
Later on, when the x-men make it to the asteroid, i like how Scott is trying to get Pietro to leave magneto and join them. After Pietro stopped the nuke on Santo Marco, Scott knows the siblings are good at heart, and he spends several issues trying to reason with them.
And then when they return to earth, of course Xavier still has his powers. It was a logical ruse all along! A test! Still weird to me that the kids are ‘graduating’ only 5 issues in, but whatever.
Onto issue #6 and i shit you not this is the first time Scott has smiled in the entire comic run
Over 100 pages without a hint of smile (Yes i checked)
pretty cute that Warren is the one to notice it ;)
Jumping over to the brotherhood, Wanda and Pietro continue to be adorably protective and co-dependent siblings
And then…
Okay but why?
Why can Magneto do this, let alone HOW
hispowerisliterallyjustmagnetismOmfg
And then Namor is told he’s a mutant and his response is basically ‘huh why didn’t i think of that?’
i don’t know enough about Namor to guess if this retcon was unnecessary or what. Like other people live under the sea too so are they all mutants? Is Namor just extra special cuz he’s got the winged feet? They’re human-Atlantean and he’s mutant-Atlantean? Nothing I’ve seen has made me interested enough in Namor to read the backlog of comics he’s in but i know he’s been around a while. I guess sometimes it’s just logical to make an existing meta-human* a mutant
(*sorry is that DC only?)
Although i think I’ve seen some recent annoyance at ms marvel being turned into a mutant. I wonder if there was mutant-Namor discourse back in ‘64 lol
Fantastic Four #28 is next but per usual when the team shows up in someone else’s title, there’s not much to say. I think Professor X got his mind taken over a bit too easily and the team went along with his orders without question, which sadly might be in character at this point. They really let him do a lot of their thinking. Basically it was an excuse to get the teams fighting, the avengers will get their turn too in a few issues.
But hey, Hank got to quote a historic figure! Was curious when/if that quirk of his would show up. I was never sure if the cartoons exaggerated that or if it was based on comics canon at all
Issue #7 starts off with graduation day, and man it’s weird to hear those words related to the x-men and not brace for angst. I did watch X-Men TAS after all. i know that’ll have a different connotation someday 🥲
Anyway this graduation is nice and normal, and includes some great lines from the Professor to his students
…and then Professor X tells them so long! Got some shit to handle, Scott’s in charge, don’t burn down the mansion while I’m away on my purposefully vague errand :)
As you do
Plus he introduces Cerebro yay!! Which apparently doesn’t require a telepath to use, that’s handy
Gonna point out here…that this is a secret, Scott. You are the ONLY other person Xavier is sharing this secret with.
Scott. Cyke. You do understand how secrets work right? Right?
Scott cmon you had one job
Okay actually he had a lot of jobs. And he’s good at it! Issue #7 has really great Scott content even as some of it makes me sad. Already Scott is feeling the wall of leadership between himself and his fellow students :(
Besides Scotty feels, there’s a great gag where a bunch of hipsters discover Hank’s giant feet and start a cult dedicated to them lmao
Further evidence that Blob is a reality warper:
Just sayin
Before issue #8 there’s Journey into Mystery #109, where Thor battles Magneto. The X-men don’t appear on page though iirc
#8 starts with Bobby finally becoming ICEman instead of snowman
A much cooler look imo ;D
Meanwhile, Scott and Jean pine and angst for one another. It’s melodrama at its finest and i kinda love it.
The REAL drama however, comes from Hank’s sudden decision to leave the team
Finally getting into the juicy bits. The X-men fighting for those who hate and fear them, and the toll that takes. On my first read through this decision by Hank felt like it came from left field, but typing up these notes is proving it’s worth because after going through the past issues a second time i can say this was, maybe not foreshadowed, but based on solid groundwork. Hank, out of everyone, is the one who has repeatedly spoken condescendingly about regular humans. Even when Charles (supposedly) lost his powers, Hank thought pityingly of his condition. He definitely buys into mutant superiority at least a little.
The rest of the issue is mostly contrived misunderstandings, which isn’t my favorite, plus the villain Unus is very forgettable, but Hank gets to shine as the focus character at least
and Scott starts proving himself the Plan Guy™ so I’m satisfied
Issue #9 starts with a close candidate for the Fainting Cyclops collection.
also further proof that old people have been disparaging the younger generation for being too ‘soft’ since the dawn of time.
And then Charles is fighting Lucifer? Terrible name choice for such a forgettable villain. And for Plot Reasons™ the avengers and x-men must battle! I can’t believe we’re not even 10 issues in and already we’ve had contrived reasons to fight the Fantastic Four and the Avengers lol
And yet they all end on friendly terms.
Scott’s little thought here as they go their separate ways made me chuckle
‘The avengers make me realize that humanity is worth defending’
Oh buddy. I’ve seen enough panels of AvX to know that sentiment ain’t gonna last 🙃
I knew when i started my foray in comics, that the disjointed way i’ve accumulated comics knowledge—through pop culture, contextless screenshots, adaptations, fanart/fanfic, and video essays—would color my interpretation of character and plot. But i might’ve underestimated how early it would lead me to wild fangirl conspiracy boards lol
Like the rightmost panel below
In the 60s this is just two men complimenting each other on their strengths. Scott’s words did not have 60 years of history, character development, and potential subtext to psychoanalyze.
But i am reading this 60 years later…and i do have at least an inkling of that history…so when i see Scott calling himself a tool, while Charles is the guiding hand that uses him…
LETS JUST SAY I’M HAVING SOME FEELINGS
It’s no wonder writers developed Scott the way they did. Like it may not have ‘been that deep’ back in the day but WE GON MAKE IT THAT DEEP OKAY. The potential is Right There, leaping off the page. It’s not a big jump to make from Scott the (unintentional) tool of Charles to Scott the child soldier to Scott the martyr of the Mutant Cause.
vaporwave
turnnoffyourmind
dailybridgerton
izzy806
prguitarman
kianamaiart
baratheonpilled
ellievsbear
discoholicmusic
