X-Men #27

Featuring: X-Men
Release: October 11, 1966
Cover: December 1966
12 cents
Edited by Stan Lee
Scripted by Roy Thomas
Drawn by Werner Roth
Inked by Dick Ayers
Lettered by Sam Rosen (Wouldja believe Artie Simek?)
20 pages

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Fantastic Four #60	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #37
X-Men #26	X-Men	X-Men #28

…as long as there are evil mutants abroad in the world, the X-Men must remain vigilant!

Recall last issue ended with Cyclops accidentally (or so he claims) injuring Angel. Meanwhile, Jean Grey ran into Cal Rankin at Metro College. Cal Rankin had fought the X-Men as Mimic, but he doesn’t recall the encounter because Professor X futzed with his brain.

We pick up with the X-Men battling Mimic again, now seeming to recall their last encounter. After the in media res opening, we see how we got here.

An explosion in the chemistry lab had restored Cal Rankin’s memory. Remind me I’d wanted one of these days to reflect on the ethics of Xavier’s constant mind-tampering.

Meanwhile, the Puppet Master continues to plot his revenge on the Fantastic Four. Given his power to force anyone to obey his will, I struggle to imagine that’s as hard as he makes it seem to be.

Though we see his power does have limits, as Xavier’s psychic powers spare him from Puppet Master’s control.

Xavier can tell someone tried to possess him, but “there is no time to dwell on that”. This has the same energy of Reed seeing lightning in the shape of Doom and deciding to take a vacation.

Quicksilver claims he and Wanda were unwilling tools of Magneto. Not how I remember it. Also, let’s remember those words in issues to come.

With Angel out of commission, Jean in college, and Scott being whiny, Professor X needs to recruit. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch turn him down, as they are Avengers.

Spider-Man turns them down as he’d just had a bad experience nearly joining the Avengers.

Finally, Mimic accepts his offer. Mimic becomes the first hero to join the X-Men since the first issue. He won’t be the last. They’ll get at least a few more members over the decades. Marrow, Armor, maybe a couple others.

Besides the first new recruit, we also get new costumes. They were designed by Jean, the one girl on the team. Red belts, more blue. And Jean has a whole new mask design.

Mimic not only joins the team but is now the deputy leader, taking Cyclops’ place. That feels like an insult to Hank and Bobby.

And there new leader goes crazy and attacks them. Maybe we can forgive him since it seems to be Puppet Master’s fault.

Puppet Master has a robot called the Defender that can mimic the powers of the X-Men. That’s two characters in the issue who can mimic their powers.

Puppet Master is defeated but escapes. He’s pretty quick for an old guy.

Mimic joins a distinguished line of reformed villains turned heroes, including the aforementioned Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, as well as Hawkeye and Black Widow.

From a continuity perspective, this battle must take place in parallel to the Avengers’ battle against Living Laser and in fact takes place before the final scene in Avengers #35.

Second continuity note is that Professor X notes Human Torch is absent from Metro College. I’d been wondering how he could be traveling the world searching for the Inhumans, when he was supposed to be in school. This seems to clarify he is missing classes. When he left for Wakanda in Fantastic Four #52, they were on break. But he’s still not back in school yet. We read this comic around the time Human Torch and the FF were battling Surfin’ Doom, which fits with these context clues.

Rating: ★★★☆☆, 52/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆

I read this story in X-Men Epic Collection vol. 2: Lonely are the Hunted.

Characters:

• Mimic/Cal Rankin
• Marvel Girl
• Iceman
• Beast/Hank McCoy
• Cyclops
• Professor X
• Angel
• Ted Roberts
• Puppet Master
• Scarlet Witch/Wanda
• Quicksilver/Pietro
• Vera
• Zelda
• Spider-Man
• Defender

Story notes:

• Marvel Girl out of practice from spending time at college.
• Mimic tries to trick them with Xavier’s telepathic ability.
• Iceman needed practice to throw hailstones, and Mimic hasn’t learned it yet.
• Mimic defeats the X-Men; Xavier implies this was all a test.
• We go back in time to an injured Angel returning to the mansion. Angel will recover but his power of flight may not.
• Cerebro has warned Xavier of a new mutant menace.
• At Metro College, Jean Grey rooting for Ted as he runs track.
• Ted sets new school record in pole vaulting… without mutant powers.
• Ted drives himself hard because of his older brother Ralph.
• An explosion in the chemistry lab restores Cal Rankin’s memory.
• Puppet Master learned from Mad Thinker in Fantastic Four #28 that Professor X leads the X-Men, but he doesn’t know Professor X’s name. Well, he knows the name Professor X, but not what the X stands for.
• Doll generates feedback; Xavier’s psychic powers probably blocked it, but this confuses the Puppet Master.
• Iceman cools plastisthene tubing, reducing its size to make it easier to install. Cyclops increases ultra-magnetic splicer reading by 3.2 degrees to join cylinders. Device assembled precisely 30 seconds later. Device is a multi-frequency booster for Cerebro.
• It has been some time since they discovered an evil mutant, and Professor X has a theory why. He won’t share it.
• Wanda and Pietro in central Europe. Their powers are fully restored.
• Wanda has a trained falcon.
• Wanda and Pietro turn down Xavier’s offer for membership in the X-Men because they are Avengers.
• Bobby offers to buy Zelda a dog and cherry soda… but has no money.
• “I somehow sense you are unimpressed by my verbal virtuosity!” — Hank McCoy to his date.
• Bobby and Hank need to run off and change to foil a bank robbery. How will they explain this to Vera and Zelda?
• Unfortunately for them, Spider-Man saved the day first.
• Professor X directs Beast and Iceman to offer Spider-Man membership. He declines, citing his recent bad experience with the Avengers.
• Iceman noticed Spider-Man shooting pictures of the hoods.
• Spider-Man reflects it would be nice to work with heroes his own age.
• Professor X notes Human Torch has not been at Metro College lately, as he’s been wandering abroad. A reminder Jean and Johnny go to the same college. But he doesn’t know that as her identity isn’t public.
• Jean returning to school for weekend.
• Mimic offered membership in the X-Men.
• Jean has redesigned the X-Men costumes. Now with red belts, and streamlined yellow tops revealing a blue side. Plus a new mask style for Jean.
• Cyclops had asked to step down as X-Men leader; Mimic is now the deputy leader, second to Xavier.
• Professor X can tell a force has taken control of Mimic. Puppet Master controls the Mimic.
• Professor X traced Puppet Master’s radioactive brainwaves.
• Editor notes that Puppet Master doesn’t know Mimic needs to stay near the X-Men.
• Professor X has thoughts on Warren; they think of him as frivolous, but he may be the bravest of all.
• After meeting Mad Thinker, Puppet Master devised an android guard called the Defender.
• Defender duplicates X-Men powers.
• Angel smashes the doll, ending Mimic’s control.

Previous	#636	Next
Fantastic Four #60	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #37
X-Men #26	X-Men	X-Men #28