First Look Review of Uncanny X-Men #2

No One Can Stop The Vanisher!

By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman, and Sam Rosen. Published by Marvel Comics, 1963.

While this is another cool installment of the X-Men that contributes to their evolution and chronology, I really don’t like this villain. Sure, the Vanisher has a decent ability – he can teleport – but I have some problems with his evil plans.

The basic idea of the story is that the Vanisher is stealing things…first he walks into a bank, demands money, and disappears. Then he walks into the Pentagon and warns them he’s gonna steal the continental defense plans. Sure, he might have some huge ego that requires him to make bold proclamations before he does something, but when he takes the defense plans and threatens to give them to enemies if he’s not given a bunch of money, I wonder why he doesn’t just take money from other banks. It just seems that the Pentagon thing is forced and doesn’t fit into the plot very well.

Regardless, the thefts provide an opportunity for the X-Men to do their thing. They fly to DC in an experimental plane that really did exist – Stan did his homework! Once there, Cyclops zaps things with his eye beams, Beast swings around a lot, Iceman makes a snowfist, and Angel zips all over the place on his wings. But while these dramatic abilities all fail to impress the Vanisher, he feels threatened by Marvel Girl’s telekinesis so much that he uses sleeping gas to take her out of the fight.

In the end, Professor X has to step in to erase the mind of the Vanisher so his students can get a win. This only makes me wonder what all the danger room activity is all about when it seems half the issue is the X-Men in there training. If they keep training why do they have so much trouble with real villains?

I could use less danger room and better villains but I do like the fact that Jean Grey is pretty formidable. She’s actually the strongest female hero I’ve seen in early Marvel so far and I’m hoping some of that rubs off on Sue Storm and The Wasp.

The other drawback to The Vanisher is his choice of costume. Why is he wearing a suit with a snake on it and a cobra hood? What do these things have to do with vanishing or teleportation?

I give this issue a First Look Rating of a C- and I hope the issues of the X-Men get better going forward.

This comic can be found on Marvel Unlimited, Comixology or at your local comic book shop.

Comic Corner | First Look Review of Uncanny X-Men #2