Latest addition...3 years, worth the wait!

I let this one get away from me a couple times, once on eBay a few months ago, and three years before that at the SDCC. Check out this comment I made in my Success at SDCC!!! journal from 2009- It killed me, but I had to pass on a FF #104 CGC 9.6...it was in my hand, but the seller wouldnt take less than $600 and thats not gonna happen. So glad I held out, because I finally picked it up, and for less than half that price! This is proof that good things do come to those who wait!

There are a number of reasons I love this book...

1) Published the year I was born so theres some sentimental attachment there- I was a baby when this book Im holding in my hands was made, and it looks better than if it had just come off the rack!

2) Features an appearance by President Nixon, before he committed suicide in Cap #175

3) Oldest X-men (or X-villain) cover appearance after the flagship title entered reprint mode

4) Continues the story from X-men #63

I will elaborate on that last point. The first thing I thought of when I saw this cover for the first time was, Why is Magneto wearing this weird outfit? So I did a little research. It started with Magnetos defeat in Avengers #53 which led to X-men #62-63 where it was revealed that Magneto had fallen down an ocean gorge and into an underground series of caverns leading to the Savage Land. The new suit Magneto created for himself served two purposes- to allow movement to his damaged limbs (presumably suffered in the fall), and to syphon off the majority of his magnetic powers which he used to mutate the Savage Land natives (reminds me of the device Magneto used in the X-men movie to mutate Senator Robert Kelly). When the Sub-Mariner found Magneto unconscience on the outskirts of the Savage Land in Fantastic Four #102 he was still wearing this outfit.

I think its pretty cool that Stan Lee and John Romita continued with the same outfit and storyline for Magneto in Fantastic Four #102-104 that Roy Thomas and Neal Adams began a year earlier in X-men #62-63. Im sure it helped that Stan was the editor too- way to keep up with continuity Stan, we do notice and appreciate it!

Note: While in the Savage Land, Magneto also took the liberty of creating an energy-draining costume for Angel which he used against the X-men in Avengers #111, but thats a story from another journal (What happened to the X-men Part 2).

Til next time...

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