Hello loves!!

This is going to be a quick post about X-Men #19.

I wanted to post about it before I get into May of 1966, since those issues start new, multi-issue arcs for both titles and this is just a stand-alone issue. It is also the last issue written by Stan Lee. Staring with issue #20, Roy Thomas will be at the helm.

So, in this issue the X-men fight Mimic. He’s basically a jack-ass with the power to “mimic” the talents, knowledge, and powers of anyone he’s close to. He decides to take on the X-Men to gain their powers so that he can retrieve a machine his father was building that would allow him to keep the powers he mimics forever, instead of them fading away when he’s no longer close to X-Men.

It’s a fun story. I have a few issues with it, and a few things I love about it. My biggest issue is that, yet again, Jean is a damsel in distress. Mimic kidnaps her in order to lure the rest of the X-Men to the mine where his machine is buried. It’s really frustrating to constantly get excited about character development for her, just to take two steps backwards. I wouldn’t even mind it so much if we were given a reason why Jean was the one captured. Like, maybe Mimic needs her telekinetic powers for the first phase of his plan. But no, we get no such reasoning. It’s just because she’s the girl, and thus the easiest to capture.

On the other hand, her capture does allow for some of the story line that I loved! And speaking of love, Scotty-boy is in L-O-V-E you guys!! **SQUEE** I can’t begin to tell you how much I love Scott’s love for Jean, especially in the early days before he really tells her how he feels. It’s adorable, and he makes himself into such a martyr. I can’t help but fall for a guy who has those kind of issues. (I realize that I’m probably revealing a bit too much about myself right now, but oh well!) While sometimes, in the future, Scott’s blind devotion to Jean and his martyr act will become problematic, right now it’s just super corny and so sticky-sweet that it gives me cavities. And I love every second of it!!!

But enough about our young love birds. Let’s talk about powers again. Because in this issue, Professor X seems to be able to use his “mutant brain” to no only sense the presence of machinery, but also to effect in a way similar to how he effects people. This seems like a bit of a stretch to me. I find myself looking forward to the day that all of these character’s powers are named and given power sets that the writers adhere to for the most part. It’s becoming too convenient for the writers if Professor X or Magneto can basically do whatever they need to do and it’s all chalked up to “magnetism” or a “mutant brain” Also, according to this issue, Iceman has to worry about running out of ice? Since when? This has NEVER been mentioned before. I’ll be keeping my eye out for an instance where he either mentions it again, or he actually runs out of ice!!

And on that note, it’s time for me to leave you again my darlings. I must read the next arc of Avengers and X-Men! I can’t wait to see what Roy Thomas brings to the table. So, until next time, my loves! Keep searching….