# A random X-Men question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888 "2012-02-05T20:29:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/21 "2012-02-07T21:09:34Z")
In the very first X-men comics (I just re-read them on my Kindle Fire and boy, are they awful) Magneto was described as being the second strongest mutant in the world, and that gave him the force of will needed to resist Xavier, even if his power wasn’t telepathic in nature. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/22 "2012-02-07T21:24:59Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > In the very first X-men comics (I just re-read them on my Kindle Fire and boy, are they awful) Magneto was described as being the second strongest mutant in the world, and that gave him the force of will needed to resist Xavier, even if his power wasn’t telepathic in nature. Those same early comics depict Magneto with the ability of astral projection, basically going out for a “soul walk”, presumably to watch soul movies and eat soul pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/23 "2012-02-07T21:48:09Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Uh, the properties of that metal are _why_ he uses that material for his helmet. He didn’t just find a helmet in a dumpster somewhere and it just-so-happens to block mind powers. Well, I meant ‘how convenient in that such a metal would exist in the first place’, but I was only kidding anyway. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/24 "2012-02-08T08:26:52Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > “Infused” and “bonded” are the words they usually use. Used to be “laced”–that might have been a Claremontism. ---
**Author:** ![Baboonanza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f475e1/32.png) [@Baboonanza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baboonanza)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/25 "2012-02-08T09:08:36Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > In the very first X-men comics (I just re-read them on my Kindle Fire and boy, are they awful) Magneto was described as being the second strongest mutant in the world, and that gave him the force of will needed to resist Xavier, even if his power wasn’t telepathic in nature. I’m doing the same thing at the moment. The quality is really staggering - the adverts trying to scam kids (“Your old coins could be worth thousands! Send $2 to the following address to get a book about valuing old coins and make thousands!”) are better written then the comics. At what point do they become worth reading? I don’t think I can make it through 10 years of drivel. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/26 "2012-02-08T09:56:59Z")
> [@Baboonanza](#): > > I’m doing the same thing at the moment. The quality is really staggering - the adverts trying to scam kids (“Your old coins could be worth thousands! Send $2 to the following address to get a book about valuing old coins and make thousands!”) are better written then the comics. > > At what point do they become worth reading? I don’t think I can make it through 10 years of drivel. Jump forward to Giant Sized X-Men #1 (1975) and read from there. > **[Giant-Size X-Men](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant-Size_X-Men)** > > Giant-Size X-Men #1 is a special issue of the X-Men comic book series, published by Marvel Comics in 1975. It was written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dave Cockrum. Chris Claremont contributed to the plot, having conceived the idea of Polaris using her powers to propel Krakoa into space, but went uncredited. Though not a regular issue, it contained the first new X-Men story in five years, titled "Second Genesis." The issue serves as a link between the original X-Men and a new team. Chronologi... > [@](#): > > Giant-Size X-Men #1 was a special issue of the X-Men comic book series, published by Marvel Comics in 1975. It was written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dave Cockrum. Though not a regular issue, it jump-started the series after a five-year hiatus. The issue serves as a link between the original X-Men and a new team. Chronologically it is placed before The Uncanny X-Men #94. The 68-page issue was published with a May 1975 cover date and distributed to newsstands in February of that year. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/27 "2012-02-08T22:16:24Z")
> [@Baboonanza](#): > > I’m doing the same thing at the moment. The quality is really staggering - the adverts trying to scam kids (“Your old coins could be worth thousands! Send $2 to the following address to get a book about valuing old coins and make thousands!”) are better written then the comics. > > At what point do they become worth reading? I don’t think I can make it through 10 years of drivel. I skimmed pretty heavily until the reboot with the new team that started with Giant-sized X-men. The really annoying thing, though, is the sheer number of crossovers. You can’t get a comprehensive version of any major events just by reading X-men, between X-factor, New Mutants, X-Force, Excalibur, and the New X-men. Plus all the individual character miniseries that affected continuity. Not to mention the big events that ran in Avengers and FF and elsewhere. You’re constantly getting dropped into some apocalypse that’s halfway in, then the next issue is dealing with the aftermath, but you never see the actual resolution. I did try downloading and reading the Secret Wars series, but god, it was badly written. And yeah, the advertisements are amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/28 "2012-02-09T00:27:23Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > I skimmed pretty heavily until the reboot with the new team that started with Giant-sized X-men. The really annoying thing, though, is the sheer number of crossovers. You can’t get a comprehensive version of any major events just by reading X-men, between X-factor, New Mutants, X-Force, Excalibur, and the New X-men. Plus all the individual character miniseries that affected continuity. Not to mention the big events that ran in Avengers and FF and elsewhere. You’re constantly getting dropped into some apocalypse that’s halfway in, then the next issue is dealing with the aftermath, but you never see the actual resolution. The Essential X-Men Collections conveniently include the requisite issues for the Crossovers, if you don’t mind reading in black-and-white. I know it’s not all the details of all the stories, but at least you’re getting a coherent Crossover plot. I really enjoyed boning up on my X-history via the Essentials, for the most part felt like everything made sense. Right now I’m reading through my husband’s old issues from the 1990s, and I agree the advertisements are the best thing about them. Of course, as a person notoriously susceptible to ads, I would totally be sending in my coins. Hell, I’m still drooling over Game Genie. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/29 "2012-02-09T01:25:16Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > They seem to flip-flop on that a bit…one story they’re half-brothers, the next they’re step-brothers. > > The wiki hosted by Marvel right now lists them as step, with Xavier’s mother marrying Marko’s father after the deaths of Xavier’s father and Marko’s mother. > > Edit: _sigh_, actually, it lists them as both. Their character pages list them as step-brothers, Juggernaut’s disambig page lists them as half-brothers. They might mix up the terms quite a bit, but every story I’ve ever read involving the relationship has had it be a step-brother related by marriage situation, never a blood relation such as half-brother would properly indicate. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/30 "2012-02-09T03:23:22Z")
The stuff before the Cockrum/Wein/Claremont reboot that is really professional isn’t the early early stuff, it’s the later pre-Claremont stuff. Some of it’s by Neal Adams, I believe. John Byrne later made the point that he wasn’t sure when he and Claremont were on X-Men how much of the fandom was following him, how much Chris, and how much the characters. Byrne left, but Chris Claremont stayed with it so long that it was really weird seeing him leave (and seeing people like Scott Lobdell try to step in and carry on). ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/31 "2012-02-10T06:05:06Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > “Infused” and “bonded” are the words they usually use. Originally, Wolverine’s bones were supposed to be solid adamantium. Then, a reader pointed out that if he had solid metal bones, he didn’t have any bone marrow, therefore he couldn’t manufacture blood cells. So, TPTB revamped it to “laced”, “infused”, or “bonded”. Of course, no one pointed out that with his innate healing factor, he didn’t actually need to make blood cells, just heal the ones he had (and, I suppose, create new ones if he’d lost some through bleeding). ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/32 "2012-02-12T00:54:21Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > Originally, Wolverine’s bones were supposed to be solid adamantium. Then, a reader pointed out that if he had solid metal bones, he didn’t have any bone marrow, therefore he couldn’t manufacture blood cells. So, TPTB revamped it to “laced”, “infused”, or “bonded”. > > Of course, no one pointed out that with his innate healing factor, he didn’t actually need to make blood cells, just heal the ones he had (and, I suppose, create new ones if he’d lost some through bleeding). Well, there have been stories where he’s lost his healing factor, and as a result winds up as a hemophiliac, supposedly due to the adamantium skeleton. I think it was during the first Genosha arc, back during the Claremont/Silvestri days when the X-Men were “dead” and living in Australia, but I’m not 100% sure that’s when. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/33 "2012-02-12T01:17:14Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > The stuff before the Cockrum/Wein/Claremont reboot that is really professional isn’t the early early stuff, it’s the later pre-Claremont stuff. Some of it’s by Neal Adams, I believe. The very first X-Men comic I ever bought was a Neal Adams piece, and he was immediately my favorite artist. He didn’t seem to do much comic art after that, at least that I was aware of. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/34 "2012-02-12T22:22:36Z")
And there have also been arcs where he’s lost the adamantium, and his healing factor goes to 11, since it’s no longer having to continually deal with a large quantity of foreign material in his body. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/35 "2012-02-13T19:13:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And there have also been arcs where he’s lost the adamantium, and his healing factor goes to 11, since it’s no longer having to continually deal with a large quantity of foreign material in his body. X-23 the female clone of Wolverine has a much stronger healing factor because she only has the adamantium claws (bonus ones in her feet too). ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/36 "2012-02-13T20:32:48Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > X-23 the female clone of Wolverine has a much stronger healing factor because she only has the adamantium claws (bonus ones in her feet too). The latest _Avengers Academy_ has Hank Pym cautioning another student about injuring her too much because her healing factor isn’t as strong as Wolverine’s. These things vary as needed by the plot. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/37 "2012-02-13T20:55:43Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > The latest _Avengers Academy_ has Hank Pym cautioning another student about injuring her too much because her healing factor isn’t as strong as Wolverine’s. > > These things vary as needed by the plot. The writer admitted it was a mistake based on misreading her wikipedia entry. You can easily fan wave it as Pym just being wrong. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888/38 "2012-02-14T00:09:39Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And there have also been arcs where he’s lost the adamantium, and his healing factor goes to 11, since it’s no longer having to continually deal with a large quantity of foreign material in his body. Hell, one time it healed his nose off. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-random-x-men-question/611888.md?page=1)