"X-Men"- the Combination of Editorial and Superhero Comic Techniques

As acknowledged in Tuesdays class, "X-Men" marked a shift in superhero comics, which developed the medium as a mode of editorial. As we saw in the podcast and as is reinforced in the introduction of "X-men Fallout!," aspects of editorial stemmed in large part from the allegorical manifestation of conflicting political ideologies in Professor Xavier and arch-rival Magneto. These two central characters are reminiscent of Martin Luther King Junior and Malcolm X, parallels, which would have been more definitive for audiences of the era in which the comic was conceived. While this editorial facet makes it so that "X-Men" is ephemeral, the classical aspects of the Superhero genre, make it so that the comics are also timeless. The diversity in characters and the progressive representation of female superheroes coincide with modernist views and therefore, whereas "X-Men" may have been a somewhat radical editorial at the time in which it was conceived, it persists in its timeless entertainment.

I was surprised by how explicit some of the editorial content was. For example, on page 57 of "X-Men Fallout!" from 1991, Magneto versus Xavier find each other in a face-to-face battle. Magneto describes his reluctance to fight Professor Xavier and his students, who, like Magneto, are also mutants. Nevertheless, he explains that he must fight them in order to overpower the humans and thus secure the existence of the mutant race. Professor Xavier describes that even in victory, Magneto's success will be tainted by the consequences of his violence. He very literally states that the those who die as a result of Magneto's violence will taint the ensuing freedom of the mutant race. The overtness of scenes such as this one demonstrate the obvious editorial of the "X-Men" series, which is vastly different from the subtle commentary offered by previous superhero comics.