Previous Posts: Introduction | Chapter 1: Lee/Kirby Part 1 | Chapter 2: Lee/Kirby Part 2 | Chapter 3: The Roy Thomas Era (1966-1968) | Chapter 4: The End of the Silver Age (1968-1970) | Chapter 5: Origins and Flashbacks Part 1 | Chapter 6: Silver Age Flashbacks Part 2

We now come to the first of two major continuity implant series set in the Silver Age, X-Men: First Class. The continuity status of this series is not entirely clear, but I’ve always enjoyed it and I don’t think it does any specific damage to other stories. First Class actually does a nice patch to continuity, addressing the fact that while a sort of folk memory has arisen of the original X-Men as high school kids, in reality, they graduated in issue #7, never seemed to take any actual classes, and were actually in their twenties for most of the run despite being headlined as “the strangest teens of all.”

One way First Class deals with the inconsistency around the X-Men’s graduation in X-Men #7 is to assert that from that point forward, the Xavier School is a college program, which is consistent with what Angel tells Candy Southern in X-Men #31. This also helps explain when Beast would have gotten any of his many degrees, given that he doesn’t appear to have actually had time to go to college anywhere else in his history.

As I go through the various First Class series, I’ll try to fit the issues into the continuity where I can. Unfortunately, the issues don’t always follow in consecutive order, so it takes a bit of creativity to make them all fit.

X-Men: First Class #1 (September 2006)
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Roger Cruz

The original X-Men fight a telepathic primordial hive-mind creature that’s under threat from climate change and eventually make peace with it.

The framing device is Bobby writing a letter to his mom explaining what the X-Men do, and he ends up not sending it, because that would blow all their secrets. Note that adult Bobby is revealed to have a habit of writing letters he doesn’t send in X-Men Unlimited Vol 2 #9. Bobby writes about how much he likes Hank and how much he sees Hank as a fellow outsider. Their relationship will get much more attention in this series, particularly in Volume 2.

He also says of Jean that he’s really close to her, but “don’t go thinking I’ve actually got a girlfriend.” This is the beginnings of a closet strategy that will carry Bobby through for decades — lamenting that he simply has no options when it comes to dating women.

The Fit: This issue clearly fits in the earliest days of the team. Let’s arbitrarily say it belongs between X-Men #2 and #3.

X-Men: First Class #2 (October 2006)
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Roger Cruz

The X-Men travel to Florida and fight the Lizard.

The frontispiece of the issue has a note from Bobby about how “that Kat girl down at Café-A-Go-Go likes the Bobby.” I consider these materials to be like the covers — not strictly part of the story or continuity.

The Fit: The Lizard debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #6 (Nov 1963), the same month as X-Men #2, so let’s say it follows First Class #1 between X-Men #2-3.

 

X-Men: First Class #3 (November 2006)
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Roger Cruz

The X-Men fight their way out of a nightmare projected by Professor X.

A deeply odd issue, and maybe nothing in here is meant to be taken at face value, but at least one interesting plot point is that Bobby notices that in the dream scape he and Hank share a bedroom. Is this something he fantasizes about?

Interesting continuity point: The X-Men note that there are no other staff at the mansion because all systems are automated and all supplies are delivered. I mean, that does explain things in a sort of handwave-y way, but boy would I like to see these helper robots running around the grounds some time.

The Fit: Based on the villains we see, it likely takes place between X-Men #18-19, after the Sentinels fight and after Xavier has the Stranger take Magneto away again. That makes the chess game Xavier plays with Magneto more poignant, because Xavier feels guilty. It also explains why the X-Men conclude that the only mutant who could be projecting these illusions is Xavier – they’ve discounted Mastermind, because he’s still petrified by the Stranger (and as we’ll see in a few issues).

X-Men: First Class #4 (December 2006)
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Roger Cruz

When the X-Men realize that they accidentally loosed a demon in X-Men #33, they enlist the help of Dr. Strange to send it back.

Not much to be concerned with this issue.

The Fit: Awkward. If it’s after #33, then it must also be after the Factor Three story that ends in #39, so the characters should be in their individual costumes. Maybe they were in the wash. Even in the silver age the X-Men went back to their student costumes occasionally, particularly in the hiatus period. Also, the characters all act as if they’ve never been to Greenwich Village before, but that was Bobby and Hank’s standard hangout since X-Men #7. It’s best to just hand-wave those lines aside. As we’ll see in this series, the team do start to hang out in the Village at the Coffee @-Go-Go (an already outdated update of the Coffee A-Go-Go) after this issue, but future issues should also take place well before this…. We’ll place this between X-Men #39-40.

X-Men: First Class #5 (January 2007)
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Roger Cruz

The X-Men team up with Thor to fight the Vanir and Ymir the Frost Giant.

Cute story. Bobby is very excited to meet Thor. Wouldn’t you be? This builds on how Kirby drew Iceman to be impressed with Thor in X-Men #9.

 

 

 

The Fit: And we’re back to the early days of the title, because this has to take place before X-Men #9, when the X-Men meet Thor in a fight with the Avengers. So let’s say it’s between #8-9.

 

 

 

X-Men: First Class #6 (February 2007)
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Roger Cruz and Paul Smith

The X-Men deal with a group of Skrull imposters who are trying to discredit mutants so that humans snuff them out before they become a big enough impediment to a Skrull invasion.

The Coffee A-Go-Go has been updated into an internet café called the Coffee @ Go-Go, and Zelda is now a barista. Bobby again acts very excited to see girls and clueless about how to flirt with them.

The Fit: No real markers for continuity here, so let’s say it immediately follows the preceding issue between X-Men #8-9.

 

X-Men: First Class #7 (March 2007)
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Roger Cruz

Angel dates Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver’s not taking it well.

A cute little story that honestly helps to smooth the transition between Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch’s Brotherhood days and joining the Avengers. It’s also nice to have a whole issue just focused on a very teenage story.

A cute running gag has Jean calling them the “Brotherhood of Mutants” (the current name of the group), and Bobby interjecting “Evil Mutants” (what they were originally called from the 60s to the 90s) – the name change reflects the fact that the characters aren’t supposed to believe they’re evil.

We finally see Mastermind stuck as a statue in the mansion, following his fight with the Stranger in X-Men #11. Oddly, Jean refers to him by his real name, which she shouldn’t know at this point (it never came up in the Silver Age – why would it? And Jean/Phoenix didn’t recognize it when he used it during the lead up to the Dark Phoenix Saga).

The Fit: It has to take place shortly after X-Men #11, when the Brotherhood disbands, and before Avengers #16, when Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch join the Avengers. Those two issues both came out in May 1965, so there’s only a very small window for this story to appear. Let’s put it in the gap between #11-12.

X-Men: First Class #8 (April 2007)
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Roger Cruz

The X-Men team up with Gorilla Man to save Xavier in Africa.

Nothing much of interest Bobby-wise here. The story seems to be hinting that Xavier was in Africa looking for Storm, which is consistent with many stories that suggest he wanted to recruit her before Giant Size X-Men #1.

The Fit: It makes sense that this is the trip Xavier was on in the previous two issues, so lets say it follows the previous issue between X-Men #11-12.

 

 

X-Men: First Class Special (May 2007)
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Kevin Nowlan, Nick Dragotta, Colleen Coover, Paul Smith

A collection of shorts that feel even more slightly out-of-continuity than the usual series.

In the first story, Bobby and Hank visit a museum where the meet a mutant with the appearance of a gargoyle, Alistair. It’s cute. It could fit basically anywhere in the Silver Age stories, if you forgive the fact that Alistair never turns up again. Let’s place it between X-Men #11-12 after X-Men: First Class Vol 1 #8.

The second short is a comedy bit in which we learn Bernard the Poet is a mutant who can cause hallucinations with his slam poetry. It ends with Xavier suggesting that Bernard abandon performance poetry and focus on writing. Unfortunately, this doesn’t fit anywhere, because it’s meant to take place before Bobby and Zelda are a couple, and Bernard appears throughout that story.

The final story has adult Scott telling teenage Kitty about the time Jean Grey adopted Dragon Man, only for the X-Men to eventually take him to Monster Island. We should probably take the story within the story at face value, although Scott could just be making something up (it doesn’t seem like him though). It probably best fits between X-Men #29-30.

Where to find these issues: They’re all on Marvel Unlimited. They were also all collected in trade paperbacks as well as a hardcover edition ten years ago.

Next Week we’ll take a look at the first half of X-Men: First Class Vol 2.