Writer Roy Thomas returns—for one issue—to talk about the aftermath of the Professor’s return, but this is the last issue of The X-Men for years.
Just as quickly as Thomas and Adams made it an incredible, can’t-miss comic, new issues were cancelled and Marvel reprinted old issues from #67 through #93. Idiot comic buyers back in the late 1960s didn’t support the title enough to keep it running. Pfug.
Despite the fact that the book is ending, subplots (the trademark of X-Men).
The romance between Lorna and Alex begins.
Also, they fight The Hulk.
In Las Vegas, and then in the desert outside the city.
Here’s the final panel…
I’d only claarify that this was the last new story published, until the Claremont/Cockrum NEW X-MEN was launched in 1975, with GIANT-SIZE X-MEN # 1, and the new series in X-MEN 94.
But from 67-93, they were still being published, I think mostly bi-monthly, but were reprints of earlier issues, from issues 13-45, mostly stories by Roy Thomas and Werner Roth. And weirdly skipping reprint of arguaby the best issues (1-11 by Lee/Kirby, 49-51 by Steranko, 53-55 by Barry Smith, and the manna from heaven in 56-63 and 65 by Neal Adams. THOSE they never thought to reprint! )
What a jolt it must have been to be reading years of X-MEN by Werner Roth, Don Heck and Dick Ayers issues. And then to pick up and read issue 56, that first one by Neal Adams.
WOW! What a difference.
(Some of Adams’ issues were reprinted in X-MEN ANNUAL 2, Nov 1971. But none in the series)
The first issue I picked up was a reprint issue cover-dated Oct 1972, with a cover by Jim Starlin, one of four issues that month that were Starlin’s first published work (X-MEN 78, JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY 1, and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 113, and HOUSE OF MYSTERY 207).
Your opening statement “Roy Thomas returns- for one issue.” nicely supports my lifelong assertion that Neal Adams ghost-wrote the legendary 1969 run of this title. Thomas did indeed return for the final issue, because the dialogue and plot had his particular style written all over it. This is not to be taken as an indictment of the legendary Roy Thomas or his work, which is generally excellent, it is just simply to say that I do not believe that he was writing “The X-Men” in 1969! ( except for issue#66 ) Neal Adams pencilled AND wrote his issues, and the work supports that theory! Unfortunately, the Nefarious One simply could not maintain the pace, and the legendary “All-Neal” run bites the dust. Hey! Perfection takes time, and anybody can take one look at Adam’s work and correctly conclude that this is extremely grueling and painstaking work! I don’t hold the cancellation of the series against Adams, Thomas, or even the Marvel Comics of the time. It’s just one of those things in life that nobody is ultimately responsible for. I do recall with great clarity the immense disappointment at the cancellation that I felt at the time. It was comparable to what the rest of the world was feeling at the time over the disbandment of the Beatles. Just crushed. Insofar as the story-points for this issue, I think Iceman must think of himself pretty highly if he thinks he’s got a “snowball’s” ( see what I did with that??! ) chance in Hell with Lorna while Havok is around. Alex Summers just checks all the boxes, and, unfortunately, the agonizin’ Iceman…….just doesn’t! Unfortunately, the long-suffering Mr. Drake’s failure with Lorna in this series puts him on a very long downward spiral with women which ultimately culminates with his unfortunate decision to switch teams! And I don’t mean super-teams, either! Hey! It happens! A point of this issue which has always bugged me was guest-artist Sal Buscema’s inability to get the pattern details of the Angel’s costume correct! There’s actually quite a bit to be said about Buscema’s version of the costume- more conservative, and certainly easier to draw- but at the end of the day, it’s just artistically incorrect! Boy, I’ll tell you one thing: John Byrne certainly never had any problem getting the Angel’s costume drawn correctly! Ten years later, I would have purchased “X-Men” in the late Seventies even if I did not care for the series just for Byrne’s artwork on him and Storm! Wouldn’t these two have made such a beautiful couple?? And just think how beautiful their children would have been! Cocoa-brown skin with long white hair and wings! Oh, well…….. the only other point of this issue that has always bugged me has always been the relative ineffectiveness of Cyclop’s optic beams against the Hulk. C’mon, people- the Hulk’s not THAT tough- and Cyclop’s optic beams, even before the power-increase he received in ‘Giant-Size X-Men’#1- are no joke!! Cyclops’ optic beams, at full power, can level mountains, and turn Mark VII Sentinels into yesterday’s garbage! And you’re telling me that the Hulk- a pumped-up steroid case- can just wade through them, while delivering a monologue??? I don’t think so. He MIGHT be able to withstand them- momentarily- but NOT while delivering a monologue. Those beams HURT- even someone as durable as the Hulk! So- those are my points on “The Mutants and the Monster”, aka the swan-song of the awesome, original X-Men!! X-celsior!!