STORY: "The Plague of the Locust" (20 pages)  Jean leaves the school and starts attending Metro College.  The X-Men fight the Locust, a mad scientist who plans to unleash giant insects on the world so that he can beat them himself and become a hero.

What you need to know:
Jean's parents pack her off to Metro College, forcing her to leave the school.  Not entirely unreasonable bearing in mind that, so far as they know, she graduated back in issue #7.  (Of course, it causes continuity problems these days because of a couple of later stories which seem to suggest that the Grey family always knew about the school's real purpose.)  The Human Torch was also attending Metro College around the same time, but that never leads to anything.

Jean doesn't leave the X-Men - she just keeps visiting when she can.

Naturally, Scott and Jean still can't bring themselves to talk to one another before she leaves.  Much angst ensues.  Scott also considers leaving the X-Men himself and looking for a more normal life.

The X-Men get their first proper recurring supporting character (Zelda and Vera don't do anything, so they don't really count) as Ted Roberts makes his debut.  Roberts was another student at Metro College and he's been pretty much forgotten about ever since Jean left, although he did put in a brief appearance in the recent Avengers/Thunderbolts miniseries.  His main claim to fame is that his brother was the original Cobalt Man.  Ted is already flirting with Jean in only his second panel.

A more innocent time:
Well, they're fighting a guy called Professor Hopper, dressed as a Locust.  Even at the time, the narration calls him "a real oddball baddie."  He's a real old-school villain, complete with goatee beard and dialogue like "Bah!  Why do I waste my time on prattling dolts?"

It's not the same without Kirby.  The students on campus are... well, they're dressed conservatively, but at least they aren't wearing suits.

Johnny Storm and Wyatt Wingfoot are clearly visible in the background of one panel, complete with an arrow pointing at them and a caption saying that it isn't them because they're off in the Himalayas in another story.  Well, it's cheaper than fixing the art, I guess.

Xavier uses his mechanical legs again.  For some reason, he also dresses up as a 19th century hermit (seriously - "some sort of hermit, in the garb of a past century!"), and just walks up to the Locust to have a philosophical debate with him.  Quite what this is meant to achieve is anybody's guess.

Comments:
This is actually quite fun.  In theory, the Locust is a terrible character - and there's a good reason why he's only shown up twice since this issue.  But the issue is so ridiculously over the top that you've kind of got to love it. 

Hopper prowls around grumbling that people seem to think he's mad for some reason, and describing his Locust identity, with all seriousness, as "ingenious."  His costume consists of dressing up like a giant insect.  Jean actually manages to identify him by the voice and beard - something that really isn't meant to happen.  And she defeats him by telekinetically tying his antennae in a knot.

Unusually for the period, the story ends with the Locust realising that he's completely nuts.  ("I understand at last, old man!  I have been... ill!")  Oddly enough, all of this is for the best - if they'd played the Locust straight, it wouldn't have worked at all.  By acknowledging that this guy is a complete lunatic even by Marvel Universe standards and playing it accordingly, it actually works.

FEATURE CHARACTERS
Professor X, Cyclops, the Angel, the Beast, Iceman and Marvel Girl I

SUPPORTING CHARACTER
Ted Roberts (first appearance; a classmate of Jean Grey)

VILLAIN
The Locust (Professor August Hopper; next in Incredible Hulk vol 2 #194)

OTHER CHARACTERS
The students of Metro College (first appearance; next in Fantastic Four vol 1 #50)

Written: 22 September 2004

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