Amazing Adventures featuring the Original X-Men #8 – cover blurb box: “Assault on Fortress Magneto!”
This was a reprint of the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby classic Uncanny X-Men #4 with a new cover by Al Milgrom. When I was a kid, if you wanted to read the original stories that made Marvel history this was how you did it. No one could have predicted just how expensive the back issues were going to get, but an early issue of X-Men was already out of my price range.
So, titles like Amazing Adventures (and Marvel Triple-Action, which usually featured Avengers’ stories) was the way to go. I first read it when a bunch of kids were passing it around at a church camp type event longer ago than I like to remember. When I recently saw a copy in the bargain bin of what passes for my local comic shop, I eagerly snatched it up.
This issue re-presents the debut of Magneto’s counter to Xavier’s X-Men, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and it sported a pretty respectable line up of opposite numbers: illusionist Mastermind, the leaping literal “toady” Toad, sardonic speedster Quicksilver, and the unpredictable hex powers of the Scarlet Witch. This is probably my favorite incarnation of the villainous team, though it was obvious even then (when first published and to reprint readers like myself, who were learning how present day MU got the way it was.) that Stan and Jack were laying the groundwork of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch’s ultimate redemption.
With a stolen naval warship and the Brotherhood’s help, Magneto conquered the tiny South American nation of Santo Marco. Without a trace of irony or self-awareness, Magneto has the human thugs helping him maintain control dress like Wehrmacht soldiers circa WWII. Xavier has the X-Men go in to root out the evil mutants. There is the usual fight where Xavier’s students, and more importantly the Brotherhood, get to display their various powers.
In order to delay the X-Men while the Brotherhood escape, Magneto activates a nuclear bomb with the power to destroy the tiny nation. Except old Quickie wasn’t going to let Magneto just blow everything up. Once his sister is safely away, he zips back and disarms the bomb in a nearly invisible blur.
Quicksilver has no great love for humans, but he won’t be party to a senseless massacre either. It is something of a surprise ending. With Xavier out of commission due to one of Magneto’s booby traps, everyone would have died, X-Men included, if it weren’t for their fast-footed opponent.
Finally, a word about Al Milgrom. To judge by all the hate I see online, Al catches a lot of shit about his art, especially his covers. Personally, I love this one! It has good depth of field and has a wonderful minimalist Toth/Kubert vibe. Considering all the covers Milgrom has drawn for Marvel over the years, he must be doing something right. Cut the guy a break, kids!
