The original 1960s run of the X-Men was an interesting and breakthrough time in the world of comics. Stan Lee created most of the characters, and it was a type of comic the world had never seen before. Little did they realize it was going to blow up into something they never dreamed with success they never expected.
The X-Men was first published in September of 1963 and the team consisted of five members; Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast, and Iceman. The stories were quite different than other titles as they involved mutants who had to deal with discrimination and intolerance due to their special abilities. The original run also included Professor X, who was the leader of the team. He had a dream of coexistence between humanity and mutants which ultimately became a core theme for the entire series.
One of the main characters from this original run was Jean Grey. She was initially known as Marvel Girl, but later on her name changed to Phoenix after she started using her telepathic powers more frequently. She often had to battle against powerful enemies such as Magneto and Juggernaut with her powerful telekinetic powers, that made her one of the strongest characters in this run. Her psychic prowess also came with dangers, including an evil side that could take control if she wasn’t careful.
As a huge comics fan there’s one thing I’ve wanted to write a blog about for awhile but haven’t had time until now. It’s something that may be widely known, but is still interesting nonetheless.
I want to focus on the first 20 issues of the x-men comics. For those who haven’t read it, here is an overview of the early 20-30 issues.
The X-Men issues 1-20 from the 1960’s run focus on a group of mutants with unique abilities who are fighting for survival and equality. Professor X recruits young mutants, including Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, Angel, and Jean Grey, to form the X-Men and battle against those who fear and hate mutants.
Throughout these issues, the X-Men face various threats and enemies, including:
Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
The Juggernaut
The Sentinels
The Blob
Unus the Untouchable
The Vanisher
Mastermind and the Hellfire Club.
The X-Men also face personal challenges, such as Jean Grey’s transformation into the powerful Phoenix, and must work together to overcome these obstacles and protect both mutants and humans from harm.
The part I want to bring your attention to is Jean Grey’s powers. The very first time her powers were introduced to the reader was Issue #1 and it described it as “Teleportation.”
They continued to reference it as “teleportation” up until around Issue #19, when they eventually changed it and started using the word “Kinetics” or “Kinesis.” It was an improvement, but still, technically wasn’t the correct term to use.
It wasn’t up until multiple issues later they finally got it right and started referring to it as Telekinetic or Telekinesis. If you go back through the old original letters int eh comics, a lot of people complained about the incorrect term, but they still (despite the letters) never updated it until later.
Something that isn’t a big thing, but as someone who loves comics and likes to psycho-analyze them it was a unique fact that I’ve been wanting to write about.
Just for reference here are explanations of what Teleporting, Kinesis, and Telekinesis are.
Teleportation refers to the hypothetical ability to instantaneously transport a person or object from one location to another without physically moving through the intervening space. It is often depicted in science fiction and fantasy as a form of travel or transportation.
Kinesis refers to the ability to move, alter, or control physical matter or energy through mental effort. This term can refer to various paranormal or supernatural abilities, such as telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and cryokinesis.
Telekinesis is the ability to move objects using only the power of the mind, without physical contact. This is the most well-known and commonly depicted form of kinesis in popular culture. Telekinesis is often portrayed in fiction as a powerful psychic ability, that allows the user to levitate objects, control machinery, or even cause physical harm to others.
Kinesis was very close to the correct term, but they eventually corrected it to the right name. Very interesting and fun fact, especially for someone who loves the original run of the X-Men and other comics from around that same time period.
Other comic book related blog posts can be found here.
You can find out more about Jean Grey here.