My first serious collection was the All New, All Different X-men. Basically a revamp of an old title that seemingly was relegated to limbo and merely present through reprints. Still, I did collect these reprints - as the presented me with stories that I had yet to read about. I did not mind this at all.
But when issue 94 came out - I was surprised. Suddenly, here was a team that I had no notion about and the only people I knew about the team happened to be in the minority. I knew Cyclops of course, and Charles Xavier - I was even somewhat familiar with the Banshee and had known of, but not followed the Wolverine. The rest? Well, issue 94 showed the old X-men leaving - with the exception of Cyclops who then found no life other than that of being an X-man, so I was relatively saddened... But the issue put forth the change as a fact and showed the 'new' internationally inspired team going through the hoops in their danger Room.
I really liked Cyclops, so I followed his exploits with the new team with keen interest, while I got to know the newbies better... Nightcrawler, a German teleporter, who looked like a demon - and it did not help that the stench of brimstone could be noticed whenever he teleported, then there was colossus, a Russian - the obvious strongman turned Steel (or metal) encased, then there was Storm, African and with the ability to control the weather, and lastly - the short-lived Thunderbird, an American Indian - likewise with strength.
Cyclops was their field leader, making sure they were ready for anything the team needed to prepare for - and I loved all this interactions. I specially liked the fact that despite their seemingly capability to gel as a team, they were not ready to face Magneto's resurfacing - and Cyclops knew it... forcing the X-men to retreat (and Wolvie to get really pissed at Cyclops). But the best was yet to come...
Sentinels, then X-sentinels then the Phoenix... all these are now classic stories and it seemed that the X-men were one action adventure after another. Not to forget the above-mentioned Magneto return. Somewhere along the way, the creative team changed, and so began the great team of Claremont (Writer), Byrne (Artist) and I should not forget Austin (Inker) - starting with the issue where we suddenly get pulled into the Shi'ar empire - hoo boy.
My friends were more Avengers / Ironman or Fantastic Four fans - having relegated the X-team to the third important team of Marvel, but what was happening in its pages in those days would soon change this status quo. Simply put, the stories were amazing and I was not alone in thinking this. The X-men won fan industry awards (the eagle Awards) for their stories, and I was one happy camper. It was also at this point in time that I tried my hand at drawing (I was good - but not superb) and plotting was simply something I could think of doing, but I preferred the plotting by drawing style.
Had I my way in college, I might have taken the arts or maybe medicine - heck, I'd jump at the chance of being an astronaut back then. One was due to my love for the comics - the other due to the imparted concern for others, likewise taught to me by comics, through the heroes' selfless acts... And the last? Well, I did like adventure (somehow influenced by all those Flash Gordon episodes I used to see as well). I was, however in the wrong side of the world - and the more mundane (and reality-shaping) task of learning the ins and outs of business, was what I eventually got to take as a form for higher learning.
Guess that last lesson taught me not to meddle too much in my kids' possible choice of careers - should their time to choose come. Hope I'm up to the task, when it does come. Anyway, college saw me to be a bit of a loner - aside from my small but close circle of friends (who by the way, were also getting to know newer friends), I might have to say that the family status may have helped add to my dissolutionment in life (I lived too far to come to class and still have the energy to study, I literally just came to class - but did not really listen), guess I was also frustrated in not finding opportunities to meet a girl I'd fall for, and the fact that I had no dad really available to help me with my studies. But one thing I did have was my comics collection - where I could escape this world and read up on a better world. Its not to say that I did not read anything else - I was introduced to other literary works, like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings... or Herbert's Dune saga. But as these books eventually ended, I gravitated back to reading the continuing adventures of Marvel's books - specifically, the X-men.
Escapism? Maybe... definitely. But it helped me stay sane too. Next? How comics continued in my changing lifestyle post college campus days, and my introduction to another hobby - RPG, because of Comics.
But when issue 94 came out - I was surprised. Suddenly, here was a team that I had no notion about and the only people I knew about the team happened to be in the minority. I knew Cyclops of course, and Charles Xavier - I was even somewhat familiar with the Banshee and had known of, but not followed the Wolverine. The rest? Well, issue 94 showed the old X-men leaving - with the exception of Cyclops who then found no life other than that of being an X-man, so I was relatively saddened... But the issue put forth the change as a fact and showed the 'new' internationally inspired team going through the hoops in their danger Room.
I really liked Cyclops, so I followed his exploits with the new team with keen interest, while I got to know the newbies better... Nightcrawler, a German teleporter, who looked like a demon - and it did not help that the stench of brimstone could be noticed whenever he teleported, then there was colossus, a Russian - the obvious strongman turned Steel (or metal) encased, then there was Storm, African and with the ability to control the weather, and lastly - the short-lived Thunderbird, an American Indian - likewise with strength.
Cyclops was their field leader, making sure they were ready for anything the team needed to prepare for - and I loved all this interactions. I specially liked the fact that despite their seemingly capability to gel as a team, they were not ready to face Magneto's resurfacing - and Cyclops knew it... forcing the X-men to retreat (and Wolvie to get really pissed at Cyclops). But the best was yet to come...
Sentinels, then X-sentinels then the Phoenix... all these are now classic stories and it seemed that the X-men were one action adventure after another. Not to forget the above-mentioned Magneto return. Somewhere along the way, the creative team changed, and so began the great team of Claremont (Writer), Byrne (Artist) and I should not forget Austin (Inker) - starting with the issue where we suddenly get pulled into the Shi'ar empire - hoo boy.
My friends were more Avengers / Ironman or Fantastic Four fans - having relegated the X-team to the third important team of Marvel, but what was happening in its pages in those days would soon change this status quo. Simply put, the stories were amazing and I was not alone in thinking this. The X-men won fan industry awards (the eagle Awards) for their stories, and I was one happy camper. It was also at this point in time that I tried my hand at drawing (I was good - but not superb) and plotting was simply something I could think of doing, but I preferred the plotting by drawing style.
Had I my way in college, I might have taken the arts or maybe medicine - heck, I'd jump at the chance of being an astronaut back then. One was due to my love for the comics - the other due to the imparted concern for others, likewise taught to me by comics, through the heroes' selfless acts... And the last? Well, I did like adventure (somehow influenced by all those Flash Gordon episodes I used to see as well). I was, however in the wrong side of the world - and the more mundane (and reality-shaping) task of learning the ins and outs of business, was what I eventually got to take as a form for higher learning.
Guess that last lesson taught me not to meddle too much in my kids' possible choice of careers - should their time to choose come. Hope I'm up to the task, when it does come. Anyway, college saw me to be a bit of a loner - aside from my small but close circle of friends (who by the way, were also getting to know newer friends), I might have to say that the family status may have helped add to my dissolutionment in life (I lived too far to come to class and still have the energy to study, I literally just came to class - but did not really listen), guess I was also frustrated in not finding opportunities to meet a girl I'd fall for, and the fact that I had no dad really available to help me with my studies. But one thing I did have was my comics collection - where I could escape this world and read up on a better world. Its not to say that I did not read anything else - I was introduced to other literary works, like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings... or Herbert's Dune saga. But as these books eventually ended, I gravitated back to reading the continuing adventures of Marvel's books - specifically, the X-men.
Escapism? Maybe... definitely. But it helped me stay sane too. Next? How comics continued in my changing lifestyle post college campus days, and my introduction to another hobby - RPG, because of Comics.
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