STORY: "Re-enter: the Mimic" (20 pages)  The Mimic regains his powers and bullies his way onto the team, becoming deputy leader.  The Puppet Master tries to take control of the Mimic, but the X-Men defeat him.

What you need to know:
The Angel spends the issue recovering from his injuries in the previous story.  This issue also has the first throwaway reference to the idea that mutants generally heal faster - awfully convenient for writers of superhero comics.

Cyclops, being Cyclops, gets dreadfully angst-ridden over the Angel's injuries and decides that he must be a terrible field leader.  He's also worried that he subconsciously wanted rid of Angel, as a rival for Jean.  As a result, he resigns as field leader.

The Mimic regains his powers in a lab explosion, and returns to the X-Men hoping to absorb their powers permanently.  As he points out, since he knows their true identities, they don't really have much choice in the matter.  (Well, they could always wipe his mind again, I suppose.  But it didn't stick last time round.)

Cerebro has detected "a new mutant menace."  As we'll find out in the next few issues, that's a reference to the Banshee and Factor Three.  Since Jean's off at college, Warren's injured and Scott's having a crisis of confidence, Professor X goes on a recruitment drive, inviting Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch and Spider-Man to join the team.  They all politely tell him to get lost.

Since Professor X is absolutely desperate for manpower, he allows the Mimic onto the team, and appoints him as deputy leader.  The Mimic becomes the first new member to join the X-Men since the book was launched - not that he sticks around very long.

The Puppet Master (who fought the X-Men when they guest starred in Fantastic Four vol 1 #28) has a stab at taking over Xavier.  But Xavier's too powerful, so he settles for the Mimic instead.  The Puppet Master doesn't seem to have any particular plan in mind, but then he's only there to provide a villain for the issue.

At Metro College, Jean is still hanging around with Ted Roberts.  In a horribly contrived scene, she asks him why he works so hard at athletics.  Ted starts giving an explanation about being overshadowed by his older brother Ralph.  This is the first time Ralph is mentioned; he'll turn up in a few months time, as the Cobalt Man.

The X-Men get "new costumes", although the only actual change is that the belts are now red instead of yellow.  This is (very marginally) more significant than it sounds.  It's the first time that the the X-Men insignia on the team's costume appears as a black cross on red, which goes on to be the standard.  This is also the version which was used for the original New Mutants' costumes. 

Xavier has a theory about why the X-Men haven't detected many mutants lately.  Presumably he thinks Factor Three are getting there first.

A more innocent time:
The Mimic regains his powers after a particularly old-school lab explosion.  Poor Ted Roberts is halfway through explaining his angst when there's an explosion off panel and Calvin staggers out of the lab with his powers restored.  Wonderful.

Jean gets to design the X-Men's new costumes, because she's a girl.

Iceman compares the Puppet Master's robot guard to Ringo Starr.

Comments:
An oddity of X-Men history, as a little known and largely forgotten character becomes the first new character to join the team - and then leaves two issues later, never to return.  Roy Thomas was apparently entertaining the idea of making the Mimic a proper, long-term member of the team, but it never came off.  It probably wouldn't have worked; the Mimic is too much of a gimmick character, and he'd have overshadowed the other X-Men by duplicating everyone.  Fine for a few issues, but it wouldn't have worked beyond that.

The Puppet Master is really only here to provide a token conflict with a previously established villain.  The real thrust of the story is Roy Thomas' attempts to humanise the Mimic and give him a bit of introspective angst to go along with his arrogance.  The big idea is that the Mimic comes to realise that he's dependent on having other people around to empower him, and so he'll never be as autonomous as he wants. 

FEATURE CHARACTERS
Professor X, Cyclops, the Angel, the Beast, Iceman and Marvel Girl I (all next in Strange Tales vol 1 #156)
The Mimic I (joins the X-Men)

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
Vera Cantor and Zelda (both between issues #22 and #31)
Ted Roberts

VILLAINS
The Puppet Master (between Tales to Astonish #80 and #100)
The Banshee (behind the scenes)
Factor Three: the Mutant-Master, the Blob, the Changeling, Mastermind I, the Ogre, Unus the Untouchable and the Vanisher (all behind the scenes)

GUEST APPEARANCES
Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch (both between Thor vol 1 #134 and Avengers vol 1 #36
Spider-Man (last in Amazing Spider-Man vol 1 #43; next behind the scenes in Thor vol 1 #141)

OTHER CHARACTERS
The students of Metro College (last in Fantastic Four vol 1 #41)

Written: 3 October 2004

back | next