With the advent of "Hereos Return," Avengers once again became my favorite title, a status it maintained right up until the launch of X-Men: The Hidden Years a year later. the premise of the series is that it would fill the gap from #67-93 when X-Men was a reprint title. Although that's 27 issues, XM:THY was ongoing and could have lasted indefinitely due the vaguries of "Marvel Time." Problem #1, however, was that series was announced at the same time as John Byrne's Spider-Man: Chapter One, which he did 13 issues of before beginning work on Hidden Years, pushing its launch back more than a year. Problem #2 is that when Joe Quesada came along as editor-in-chief he cancelled Hidden Years because he felt fans would find it "too confusing." (Ironically, XM:THY was probably the least confusing X-title being published at that time.) It was to have shown what was happening to the X-Men "behind-the-scenes" as it were, from their POV while their series was on hiatus and they appeared only as guest-stars in other titles. This would have included the Beast's own series in Amazing Adventures, but I was particularly looking forward to the "Secret Empire" story which Steve Englehart kept going across multiple titles, eventually culminating in Captain America. Unfortunately, thanks to Quesada, the series never got to that point (although it did get to behind-the-scenes of Fantastic Four #102-104, which featured Magneto but not the X-Men).
Artwise, The Hidden Years is a perfect blend of "classic" (Tom Palmer) and forward-looking (John Byrne). The series got a ten-page preview X-Men #94 (1991 series), which takes place some 30 hours after the end of the original X-Men #66, in which Professor X puts the team through its paces with images of Magneto, the Blob, the Toad and the Juggernaut placed in their minds. This tactic did not sit well with the X-Men themselves, especially Iceman. There was one particular criticism leveled against this title back in the day that I was not aware of at the time, nor did I notice it while reading. I'll be keeping an eye out for it this time through, and will report on it if I am able to confirm its veracity.
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ISSUE #1: The first issue begins with a six-page recap of X-Men #66, then picks up the story a day after the preview. Bobby quits the team in a fit of pique just before Professor X summons them to his study (in a full-page splash apres X-Men #1). This represents my favorite comfiguration of the team, BTW: the five original members plus Havok and Lorna Dane. Xavier uses his mantal powers to fill himself in on events which happened circa X-Men #42-66 when he was faking his own death in prparation for the attack of the alien Z'nox. When he's caught up to speed, he asks the team how they veryfied that Magneto was, in fact, dead, after being buried under a landslide in the Savage Land, because he did not see them doing so in any of their memories. When he confirms that they felt "the combination of geology and gravity had done that job quite well" (accoding to the Beast), he immediately sends the experienced X-Men back to the Savage Land, in a ship captured from the Sentinels, to make sure.
Alex Summers and Lorna Dane remain behind, and so (as it turns out) did Bobby Drake. He picks a jealous fight with Alex, and Lorna is injured in the process. Professor X intervenes, but Bobby refuses to report to the mansion. Meanwhile, the Sentinel ship crashlands, and the X-Men are captured by a native tribe. Elsewhere in the vast Savage Land, the "mutate" Amphibius reparts to none other than Magneto, who currenl;y exists in a ghostly state. John Bryne provides a nice introduction to the series on the editorial page.
ISSUE #2:
The splash page and opening scene are reminiscent of that of X-Men #96, which makes sense because in both stories Cyclops is mourning the loss of a teammate. I guess I probably definitely should have mentioned that, upon awakening after having been shot by drugged darts last issue, the X-Men were told that Marvel Girl had "passed on to the land of the dead." But that may have been a cultural metaphor because the Beast has since learned that, when the time of death draws near, the sick and dying are taken to the "place of passage" where they live out their days in some kind of earthly paradise.
Meanwhile, Bobby awakens, on the couch, in the apartment sahered by Zelda and Vera. (Remember Bobby and Hank's frequent dates from the original series?) It doesn't specify that he was drunk, but he showed up for tea and sympathy at 2:00 AM and wakes up disoriented. He makes the mistake of admitting to Zelda (or "Zee" as she is called here) that he on on the rebound after having been rejected by Lorna Dane. Just then, he intercepts a telepathic message from Profesor X intended for Lorna and Alex informing them of the team's danger, then wander out in a daze. Zee calls Candy Southern, Warren Worthington's girlfriend, for insight.
Back in the Savage Land, Cyclops, the Beast and the Angel have arrived at the "place of passage," which is a stream that flows into a cave. Is the "land of the dead" underground or on the other side of the mountains? Cyclops splits their forces by sending Angle to fly over the mountains while he and Beast follow the stream. The tribesmen aren't real pleased with this plan, however, and begin firing arrows at them. Cyclops is hit in the chest. The priests seem to be wearing some sort of leathern cloaks, but they turn out to be wings. Cyclops and Beast steal a boat and head off down the quickly-moving stream. Elsewhere, Jean Grey is shown to be in the custody of the ethereal Magneto. Her wounds have been healed, but she is being kept unconscious. Cyclops and the Beast emerge from the tunnel into a not-at-all-paradise-looking city. As they enter the city, Cyclops' woud is healed. Meanwhile, above the mountain, Angel is being buffetted by gale-force winds. He is driven into a mountain and knocked unconscious. A winged female lands at his side, but she has wings of feathers, not leathern ones.
VARIANT COVER:
ISSUE #3:
There was a time, not too terribly long ago, when, if I wanted to read John Byrne's Doom Patrol or Hidden Years I'd have felt compelled to go back to 1963 and "read up" to it. I'm trying to get away from that habit. In this case it was easy, because I've done that before and, reading XM:THY immediatly after the Thomas/Adams/et al run is a bit repetitious. The X-Men going to the Savage Land is like Doctor Who fighting the Daleks: every iterration has to do it at least once. Reading the series back-to-back really doubles up on Magneto and Ka-Zar.
Alex and Lorna are on their way to the Savage Land, guided by Professor X. The Angel comes to in a hut, but he is surrounded by humanoids, with no feathered beings in sight. Cyclops and Beast are being attacked by the bat-winged creatures. Marvel Girl comes to and begins searching. She finds the ghostly Magneto, but is unable to read his mind. Back in the Savage Land proper, Ka-Zar finds Alex and Lorna, and the three manage to team up with out having the obligatory fight first.
KA-ZAR: I've got an unfinished Ka-Zar discussion with one volume of Marvel Masterworks yet to add which I need to get back to sometime. Although I did re-index the discussion when volume three was released (because I posted somewhat out of publication order), I probably need to re-re-index with the change to Ning 2.0. And there's at least one volume of the original series left to be released before Ka-Zar the Savage.
HAVOK: Johbn Byrne gets Havok's costome right. (Not every artist does.) Many artists draw Havok with concentric circles on his chest. That is not correct. Neal Adams designed the costume to have concentric spheres from within his chest, so that it looks like "circles" from any and every angle.
LORNA DANE: She gives her code name to Ka-Zar as "Magnetrix," which I'm okay with because we know it's not going to last. Even Havok comments: "If you're gonna call yourself by a code name... we've got to come up with something better!"
The humanoids who are taking care of Angel usher him into a sancuary run by the bat-winged race. They relate their origins. 100 generations ago, their people discovered this valley which has healing properties, which not only prolonged their lives indefinitely, but also caused then to grow leathery wings and become physically weak. 500 years ago, when they could no longer do the work to keep their society functioning, they returned to the land outside the hidden valley and concocted the lie of a paradise beyond the mountains. They convinced their former people to send their old and sick there. The healing properties of the rocks made them well, and the bat-wings made them slaves. Some of their race are sympathetic, however, and know that their people are wrong to enslave the people of the their former race. They help the slaves escape to the outer world where they can die in peace. Then the feather-winged female appears.
Outside Magneto's city, Cyclops and Beast try to find a way in. Quoting his "sainted Aunt Gertrude," Beast uses his catch-phrase "oh my stars and garters" for the first time (chronologically). Inside the city, Magneto gets the drop on Marvel Girl, and inserts his intangible hand into her head, knocking her unconscious.
ISSUE #4:
After Marvel Girl regains consciousness, Magneto explains how he survived X-Men #63 and admits that he is not a ghost. He is, in fact, using his power to project astral images to pretend he is a ghost in order to manipulate the avian species, known as the Nhu-Gari. He further explains that the mutative properties of the city and the healing property granted to those within is not "magic" but rather the effect of radioactive lava from an underground volcano which is due to errupt. All of his machinations are toward "the culmination of the single goal which has driven me since the day I discovered my mutant nature! The final subjugation of the human race!"
Meanwhile, Cyclops and the Beast have discovered a huge gondola held aloft by giant balloons. Whether this has anything to do with Magneto's plan or not I'm unsure of (in fact, I'm not entirely what the exact nature of his plan even is), but what would a species that can fly need with a giant gondola? Elsewhere, Bobby Drake is stuck in Tierra del Feugo where his charter plane to Antarctica was grounded due to a massive storm system covering the whole South Atlantic from there to the east coast of Africa. Back in the Savage Land, the nature of the "City of the Dead" is interferring with Jean's telepathy and telekinesis, but she is able to guide Cyclops and the Beast to her. Elsewhere, the feathered avian leads Angel to the gondola ha nger just as the volcano begins to erupt and the slaves begin to revolt against the Nhu-Gari.
Cyclops and the Beast free Marvel Girl, knock Magneto unconscious, flee the collapsing structure and hook up with Angel outside. They board the gondola and watch the city be engulfed by flames and lava beneath them. As they continue to rise, they encounter the general turbulence but also the massive storm, which shakes the gondola apart.
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ISSUE #5:
Candy Southern visits Charles Xavier's School for Gifter Youngsters for the fist time, uninvited, and is captured by a robotic sentinel. Stuck in Terra del Fuego, Bobby Drake decides to cross 700 miles of ocean to Antarctica under his own power, via an ice tunnel. Picking up where last issue's cliffhanger left off, Magneto regains consciousness. He reveals that the gas bags which are keepng the vessel aloft are filled with radioactive steam from the volcano. His plan had been to use its radioactive properties to drain the will-power of so-called "lesser minds" to subjugate the human race but, with the gondola clearly about to crash, he leaps out of the airship to take his chances on his own. Avia (the winged woman who saved Angel) flies out after him, and Angle flies out after her. The Beast, however, swings out on a rope and brings Angel back inside the relative safety of the gondola.
Elsewhere, Ka-Zar, Havok and "Magnetrix" are closing in on the location of the former location of the "City of the Dead." Back aboard the airship. the four X-Men decide to take their chances hanging on the remaining balloons and cut the gondola loose. (Even Angel straps himself to a balloon rather than flying in the malestrom.) Then the ropes holding the balloons together unravel, with Beast on one balloon, Angel on another, and Cyclops and Marvel Girl on a third. They all are blown off in different directions. Beast loses consciousness for an indeterminate period of time, and when he awakens, his balloon is descending quickly toward land. He is knocked unconscious by the rough landing and is soon discovered by a (now-)familiar "vision of immeasurable beauty and nearly godly grace." (As a former English teacher, I appreciate the trochaic trimeter as well as the alliterration.)
ISSUE #6:
Bobby Drake washes up on the shore of the Savage Land (his ice tunnel having traversed the underwater entrance) and is found by Karl Lykos, a.k.a. Sauron. (The Tolkien people didn't like that, BTW, and roy Thomas has said that, if he could do it again, he'd choose another name.) In Westchester, Candy Southern mayches wits with Professor Xavier. She feels safe from being mind-wiped because she knows the professor would then have to explain it to Warren. The Beast awakens and soon learns that the balloon has carried him to Africa. He is being tended to by Ororo, the local weather "goddess." Nearby, Cyclops and Marvel Girl have also landed but have become separated. Cyclops is inconscious and is discovered by a big pale bruiser who calls himself Deluge, who opens one of Scott's eyelids. An optic blast shoots skyward, attracting the attention of the beast.
"Not quite meanwhile," Havok, Magnetrix and Ka-Zar are flying over the ruins of the City of Dead. They land in order to talk to the survivors, but the survivors attack, forcing Havok to use his powers to defend themselves. Back in Africa, the Beast, Marvel Girl and Ororo encounter Deluge at roughly the same time, but he is very powerful and defeats them all. When they come to, all four are tied to stakes at the bottom of a gully. the natives labored for months to build a dam across that gully, and Ororo sumoned a storm to create a life-giving reservour. But Deluge somehow gained control of the storm from her. (This is the same storm that is currently raging as far east as Terra del Fuego.) He summons the storm to fill the gully, and soon only the tops of the stakes are showing above water.
"Deep in the South Atlantic, the trawler Sigurd Jarlson faces the worst storms she has weathered in all her sixty years at sea." The sailors haul in the nets only to find that they have captured the Angel. "It's another one!!" one of them exclaims, and the captain orders that he be taken below "with the other one," who happens to be Avia. Both are unconscious. Oddly, "Sigurd Jarlson" is (or will be) Thor's secret identity. I can only assume that this is a metatextual reference to John Byrne's friend Walter Simonson, who coined the name.
Regarding the continuity of Ororo's "fist" appearance, I'm perfectly fine with it. She obviously met Professor X for the first time in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (her actual first appearance), but, just as X knew Sunfire from the X-Men having previously met him in X-Men #64, he must have been aware of Ororo from somewhere, so it might as well be here. This issue is dedicated to "Ororo's own 'big daddy', Dave Cockrum!"
ISSUE #7:
As the water covers the four mutants, Marvel Girl uses her telepathy and telekinesis to manipulate the unconscious Cyclops' head, visor and optic blasts to destroy the dam. Back in the Savage Land, Iceman awakens in the remains of a German WWII exploratory expedition, but he does not recognize Karl Lykos because he has amnesia. Havok. Magnetrix and Ka-Zar begind to make peace with the former slaves of the Nhu-Gari and learn that the reputation of Ka-Zar the Savage extends even here. The origin of the albino mutant who calls himself Deluge is revealed.
In order to defeat him, Marvel girl links the minds of Beast and Ororo so that Beast can instruct Ororo how to use her powers to shape the raindrops a specific way so they will act as lenses. Then Marvel Girl opens Cyclops' eyes, focusing his optic blast through those "lenses" into Deluge, overloading him. then Ororo disperses the storm and takes her leaves, just as Cyclops wakes up. When the Beast mentions bringing Ororo to Xavier's attention, Marvel Girl reveals, "He... already knows about her, Hank. He knows about a lot of mutants he hasn't told us about" (which explains Giant-Size X-Men #1).
Meanwhile, the captain and first mate of the Sigurd Jarlson have Angel and Avia tied up and plan to sell them to a circus.
"Seventy five somewhat grueling hours later," Scott, Hank and Jean return to the mansion to find the power off and four very familiar characters waiting for them inside.
ISSUE #8:
This is my favorite issue yet and I'm about to tell you why. The issue begins with a flashback to X-Men #59 for some reason. "We will return anon to that scene of destruction," we are told, but it won't be this issue. The scene suddenly shifts to the present and Professor X's guests, the Fantastic Four. The credits list Joe Sinnott as a "special guest" responsible for "appropriate inks," which means he inks the FF figures while Tom Palmer inks the rest. I've already sung the praises of the Byrne/Palmer team, but words cannot adequately express my happiness with this "trick." Palmer's ink evoke Neal Adams, and Sinnott's Jack Kirby.
Professor X calls a meeting in the breifing room in ten minutes. Jean Grey goes to change he clothes but soon discoveres that no laundry has been done while they're been "trekking all over the Southern hemisphere." The only clean costume she has to wear is her original black and yellow uniform. [During the "interim" years (between X-Men #66 and #94), the X-men were all depicted as wearing their original uniforms, but no reason was ever given. Now Jean is depicted as being the first to change back. This is along the lines of what I had been hoping for from this title.] She is concerned that something is "not quite right" with the professor, and her suspicions seem to be confirmed when she encounters him in the hall and, when he sees her in the old uniform, mistakes today for her first day at the school. He shakes it off, though, and they join the others in the conference room.
Xavier fills the FF in on the Z'nox (X-Men #65), which happened "nine days ago." Mr. Fantastic mentions the recent events of FF #96, but this is not exactly the kind of "retroactive continuity" we were promised. the professor then goes even further back, to his supposed death in X-Men #42. With everyone up to speed, his main concern is that, while the X-Men drove the Z'nox away from Earth, they did not defeat them completely, leaving other planets vulnerable to attack. He is not comfortable with that, and asked the FF for help defeating them for good. "Four hours later... [at] a secluded private airfield in upstate New York," Mr. Fantastic reveals to the six others (see cover) the Skrull spaceship he reverse engineered. No sooner are they in space than Marvel Girl experiences a form of what I'll call "retroactive foreshadowing" (to coin a phrase). It's the Phoenix Force, but she doesn't know that.
Back at Xavier's mansion, Candy Southern arrives for her second visit with Professor X. In Antarctica, Havok, Magnetrix and Ka-Zar detect Iceman on their ship's mini-cerebro unit. Out in space, the titular "Seven Against the Stars" are attacked by the Z'nox, and Mervel Girl manifest the Phoenix Force. WHAT!?
It was to have shown what was happening to the X-Men "nehind-the-scenes" as it were, from their POV while their series was on hiatus and they appeared only as guest-stars in other titles. This would have included the Beast's own series in Amazing Adventures, but I was particularly looking forward to the "Secret Empire" story which Steve Englehart kept going across multiple titles, eventually culminating in Captain America. Unfortunately, thanks to Quesada, the series never got to that point (although it did get to behind-the-scenes of Fantastic Four #102-104, which featured Magneto but not the X-Men).
Which was precisely my main interest in the series. I assumed there would be many "hidden" adventures, and I was sure I'd enjoy those, but this title had the additional possibility of filling in the gaps. I really wanted to see the guest spots from the X-POV, since they had not title at the time to establish status quo. Marvel Team-Up #4 had the X-Men minus the Beast in civvies (why?), did not have Lorna or Alex (why?) and may have mentioned the missing mutants, a mystery that would eventually come to fruition as the Secret Empire story. (It's been a while since I read it.) Anyway, I also wanted to know why Magneto was chumming it up with Sub-Mariner in Fantastic Four (answered), and where the X-Men were when the Sentinels were fighting the Avengers in Avengers #103-104 (not answered). It was frustrating to see it cut off before the Sentinels and the Secret Empire were addressed.
[Iceman] He picks a jealous fight with Alex, and Lorna is injured in the process. Meanwhile, Bobby awakens, on the couch in the apartment shered by Zelda and Vera. (Remember Bobby and Hank's frequent dates from the original series?)
This all took place back when Bobby Drake was straight. And I also read the subtext that he was drunk when he showed up on Zelda's doorstep, although it was never stated.
The X-Men going to the Savage Land is like Doctor Who fighting the Daleks: every iterration has to do it at least once.
Yes! There was a time when the Savage Land was more associated with X-Men than any other title. That was back when the world was young.
Many artists draw Havok with concentric circles on his chest. That is not correct. Neal Adams designed the costume to have concentric spheres from within his chest, so that it looks like "circles" from any and every angle.
Preach on, brother man.
LORNA DANE: She gives her code name to Ka-Zar as "Magnetrix," which I'm okay with because we know it's not going to last. Even Havok comments: "If you're gonna call yourself by a code name... we've got to come up with something better!"
We all know the downside of prequels. But in this case, knowing how everything is going to turn out was a plus (it made the joke work).
Quoting his "sainted Aunt Gertrude," Beast uses his catch-phrase "oh my stars and garters" for the first time (chronologically).
Hank's Aunt Gertrude must be British, because that's where this phrase comes from. When I first read it (was it in Avengers?) I looked it up, and was surprised to learn it was not invented for the comics. "Oh my stars" is a long-standing expression referencing one's "stars" (fate), but "stars and garters" is a separate expression entirely, a reference to British ribbons, awards and medals (some of which are star-shaped) and the Order of the Garter. I've known that for some time, but I'm not sure I ever mentioned it here.
After Marvel Girl regains consciousness, Magneto explains how he survived X-Men #63 and admits that he is not a ghost. He is, in fact, using his power to project astral images to pretend he is a ghost in order to manipulate the avian species, known as the Nhu-Gari.
Magneto being able to astral project goes all the way back to The X-Men #4. It has never been explained, to my knowledge. He just can.
Bobby Drake washes up on the shore of the Savage Land (his ice tunnel having traversed the underwater entrance) and is found by Karl Lykos, a.k.a. Sauron.
I wondered at the time why Bobby didn't do an ice tunnel on TOP of the ice/water, which seemed to me require less effort (no water pressure), no worry about air and less danger (of tunnel collapse and drowning). On the surface he also could let the tunnel collapse behind him as he skated on frozen ocean forward, whereas underwater he'd have to maintain it as he traveled all the way from South America to Antarctica. That is a very long tunnel.
Candy Southern visits Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters for the fist time,
Originally spelled Sothern, Candy was a long-running supporting character in multiple X-books, even running Warren Industries while Angel was in the first iteration of X-Force. (He abandoned her like Cyclops abandoned Madelyne Pryor. What was it with that book?) She was later killed by Cameron Hodge, rather gruesomely, and unnecessarily, I thought.
He must have been aware of Ororo from somewhere, so it might as well be here.
Agreed. Byrne loves to re-write continuity, but in this case, it doesn't take the reader much effort to make it work.
I remember getting impatient at this point, wanting the book to get the heck out of the Savage Land already, so there's at least a chance it will address some of the X-Men guest appearances between 1970 and 1975.
Which was precisely my main interest in the series.
I assumed there would be many "hidden" adventures, and I was sure I'd enjoy those, but this title had the additional possibility of filling in the gaps.
As far as Byrne knew, he had plenty of time to get to those stories... no need to rush into it. Then along came Joe "It's Magic!" Quesada.
I really wanted to see the guest spots from the X-POV, since they had not title at the time to establish status quo.
Exactly!
Marvel Team-Up #4 had the X-Men minus the Beast in civvies (why?)...
I'm not really sure... especially since they were shown lounging around the mansion in their uniforms, where one might expect them to be wearing civvies.The only clue the story gives is that, after X gives them their assignment, Bobby says, "Got it, sir. No fuss... just bring him back intact..." to which Jean adds, "...without attracting undue attention, Bobby," so I guess they were simply trying to maintain a low profile (as "low profile" as an ice slide and a guy with wings can be).
MTU #4 was my very first exposure to the X-Men, BTW. Come to think of it, it's like a new beginning for them, their first appearance as a team since the cancellation of their series.
...did not have Lorna or Alex (why?)
Prior to MTU #4 the couple appeared in Hulk #150, but there's still an "untold story" there; we never did get to see them actually leave the team.
...and may have mentioned the missing mutants, a mystery that would eventually come to fruition as the Secret Empire story.
That came later (first mentioned in Avengers #111), after the Beast's solo series in Amazing Adventures.
This all took place back when Bobby Drake was straight.
Bobby Drake is straight AFAIAC (and so is Alan Scott).
...knowing how everything is going to turn out was a plus (it made the joke work).
The joke continues in the following issue as Havok repeatedly refers to her as "Magnetrix" and she says, "It's a bad code name, I get it. You don't have to keep saying it."
...(was it in Avengers?)
Definitely (but don't ask me which issue).
I've known that for some time, but I'm not sure I ever mentioned it here.
I think it's come up before, but not since the Old Board.
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