My X-Men Collection My "Uncanny Journey." This is a story like no other in my life. A telling of a chain of events that put my young mind on a path from which there would be no return. I did not know in the moment....but my life, my oh so young life, would never EVER be the same!
And thus...it begins...
As I begin this story...please know this is 100% a true telling of a very very important moment in my own history. No hyperbole, no blatant exaggeration, no lies. To the very best of my ability, I tell this story as my honest truth. This is exactly how I remember this event in my young life and I am privileged to share it with you, the reader.
This journey began on a summer day in 1978 when I was still in my eleventh year. There was so much going on in my world!
The summer was ending my first year of junior high and I was so very thankful for this much needed respite. Sixth grade at Westchester Junior High had been hell. I hated it so very much and I sought every method of escape made available to a soon-to-be seventh grader.
I was, and I still am, a proud "card carrying" NERD! No really...I was a nerd long before Leonard and Sheldon made it cool.
A geek, a weirdo...whatever the label...I wear it proudly today. Believe me...I earned it. As a kid (and as an adult) I also wore my t-shirts proudly. If there was "Star" in the title...I had it emblazoned across my young chest.
Now, I'm not exactly sure why this would make one a target of bullying in 1978...but a target I was...and every bully had me in their sights. The worst were the ones who at different times in my life had been friends and allies. I've heard the saying "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." Yes, old King Lear said a mouthful....but I'm thinking he never was bullied by a guy that was at his 7th birthday party...or the girl that gave him his first kiss under the T-shacks at recess.
But I digress.
This is actually a happy tale...and I can just pay my therapist a few extra coins to listen to this story again.
In 1978, SO many incredible sci-fi and fantasy characters and properties kept my young mind occupied. The Avengers had just come through the Korvac Saga, and Spider-Man and the Legion of Super-Heroes were having their own epic monthly adventures. My love for the Planet of the Apes was still in full bloom and the Mego toys stood guard along my window sill. Other Mego heroes and villains stood about my room joined by my growing collection of the Micronauts, the Shogun Warriors and of course the sci-fi behemoth that was Star Wars, which was just beginning to really take hold. The Force was definitely with me and I was just learning the Lucas Universe was going to take over the world in a way no other property could.
I was spending the school break with my grandparents in Beaumont, Texas. My grandmother drove me down to the Piggly Wiggly grocery store to pick up some snacks for the stay. I asked her if I could check the comic rack for the latest issue of the Avengers. Superheroes held a special place in my heart. They were the ones that were not bullied and just took it. Captain America comes to mind as a prime example of a true hero to me. If he was being beaten and bruised, he never gave up...he kept on fighting...he stood up to them...he didn't back down and when he was knocked down...he got right back up. He didn't accept the arrows of hatred and anger being hurled at him. He was my kind of hero. He did something about it...and of course later he would say one of the most profound sentences in the MCU..."I can do this all day."
That one line summed up my love for heroes and I dreamed of being that kind of hero...as Steve Rogers' journey continued I followed his every move in Avengers.
I had become a fan of the Avengers artist named George Perez. The way he drew Scarlet Witch and Beast made me a fan of not only those two characters but several others as well. Vision, Wonder Man, Yellowjacket and of course Thor.
As I marveled at the adventures of the Avengers, my young mind was not privy to know what a "mutant" was yet but I would soon find out.
So as I fumbled through the comic rack picking up my 35-cent comics, something caught my eye. There, nestled among the latest comics was something I had never seen. A beautiful red-haired heroine dressed in green...yes...this was my first glimpse of Jean Grey...the Phoenix. I was hooked.
Like Mera, Hellcat and Black Widow before her...the fire-red hair drew me to the comic cover...but this, yes this was different. Very different indeed.
These characters were all new to me. They stood out like no other characters I was familiar with. Banshee soaring into the air, the blue-clad Cyclops shooting a crimson beam of force from his eyes. An unconscious yellow and blue clad man, a man of metal, a blue elf and a beautiful white-haired goddess rounded out this team...this Uncanny team of heroes. A team like no other I had ever seen! This team of mutants....all fighting a helmeted man in the middle of an active volcano! Were they heroes? Were they anti-heroes? What on earth was this?
As I lifted the book from the shelf...my mind raced...what had I stumbled across? As I opened the book...my entire world changed...NOTHING would ever be the same for me...EVER!
X-Men #113 The artwork was amazing! John Byrne in his early days of comics. A truly incredible storyteller. Every expression, every nuance...that amazing art. I didn't know it at the time...but this man would influence me all through my life all the way up to my 59th year on this wonderful earth...my artwork is a direct result of a study of his every pencil stroke.
The X-Men I speak so highly of Mr. BYRNE... but I MUST also shout out to Mr. Chris Claremont. The art was nothing short of amazing...but Chris Claremont gave these characters a voice, a personality...to me...he made them real. For over 20 years he was the guide on the journey that would show the corruption and death of a hero, the time traveler who tries to save the modern world from a horrible future and so many other great stories.
I never dreamed the X-Men would become a household name and the cinematic JUGGERNAUT it has become. I will say I liked it better when only a few of us knew the magic of the mutants. It was our own little pocket universe of "heroes that had sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them." Now we await the MCU debut of the team once again. X-MEN '97 is burning up Disney+ and who in the free world doesn't know the Wolverine?!!
I have, in my life, become a writer and artist based solely on the fact that these uncanny heroes have been influencing me. My first book was published a few years back, a children's book called "Mr. Moon Sleeps In."
I also pursued the art side of the equation and was even turned down as an artist by Marvel Comics for having a style too similar to Mr. Byrne's. Hey...I will own that 100%.
My custom figures are dedicated to Mr. Byrne and a "thank you" as well. Without you pursuing your talent...I might never have pursued mine. You have been such an amazing blessing to me in my life.
Mr. Claremont....I thank you from the bottom of my heart as well. Back a few years ago I was able to thank Mr. Claremont in person at Comicpalooza. He was warm, friendly and very engaging. My hands shook as I handed him my comic to be signed. I was able to tell him how much he changed everything in my life. He smiled and wrote a special passage in my copy of "Lifedeath."
So moms, dads, aunts, uncles and yes even grandparents, please do everything you can to engage the mind of the child in your life. Buy that comic, sit down and watch that movie with them...encourage free thinking and exploring the unknown.
That one "funny-book" is responsible for a huge chapter in my life and I have my sweet grandmother to thank for it. I miss you and I love you and I pray you know how much you meant in my life.
Ok...I think I've rambled on enough. If you are still with me, I thank you.
I'm assuming you never imagined a comic book could have such a profound effect on a kid's life...but perhaps, just perhaps, it should not be dismissed as childish after all.
Take care,
Ricky
*X-Men #113 was released in 1978. The issue was written by Chris Claremont and drawn by John Byrne. It features a famous battle with Magneto titled "Showdown!"*
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