The time between teams (Part 1 of 2)?

I really enjoy collecting high grade X-men appearances from the Bronze Age during the time when the X-men did not have a title of their own. It?s cool to see what our favorite heroes (and villains) were up to between the last issue with the old team, X-men #66 (03/1970), and the first issue featuring the new team, X-men 94 (08/1975).

Check out this special announcement from Stan (Lee), Roy (Thomas) and Neal (Adams) at the conclusion of X-men #66?

?This is the final issue of THE X-MEN.

At least for the time being. Though Roy and Neal have devoted long hours to recent issues (as have our fill-in artists)- and though a mountain of mail has assured us that many Marvelites truly enjoy the job they?ve been doing- the plain truth is that the magazine?s sales don?t warrant our continuing this title. We feel that the artists and writers involved can better devote their time to other projects, other characters.

And so the X-men go on the shelf.

We doubt if they?ll stay there, though. Our misunderstood mutants, like most of our other heroes, have often seemed to possess a life all their own- and we?ve got an educated hunch that they?ll be zooming into the pages of various Marvel mags in the not-too-distant future. Shed no tears for them, friends; they?ll be around.?

As a huge X-men fan, I can?t imagine what it must have been like back in 1970 when Marvel cancelled that title, but I know I would have been excited to see an appearance by anyone associated with the X-men. I?ve listed all of the appearances I could find below in chronological order?the issues I own have an asterisk* next to them. Who knows, maybe someday I?ll be fortunate enough to own high grade copies of all of them (THAT would be something)!

I just recently completed my Captain America X-men crossover in issues #172-#175 (check out my earlier journal entry for more on that one). My latest addition, and oldest CGC 9.6 to date in my collection, is Hulk #150 from 04/1972 featuring the first ever crossover appearance of Havok and Polaris. This issue picks up right where X-men #66 left off two years earlier, where Iceman and Havok had been fighting over the affections of Lorna (aka Polaris), and just before Captain America #174 where they were captured by the Secret Empire. This is a tough issue to find in high grade and at a fair price, but worth the wait! I will continue to add more when able and will be sure to journal my experiences for anyone who may be interested. Enjoy!

03/70 ---------- OLD X-MEN ENDS ----------

09/70 Fantastic Four #102 (Magneto)

10/70 Fantastic Four #103 (Magneto)

11/70 Fantastic Four #104 (Magneto)

11/70 Ka-zar #1 (X-men)

01/71 Amazing Spider-man #92 (Iceman)

04/71 Marvel Tales #30 (Angel)

11/71 Amazing Adventures #9 (Magneto)

01/72 Amazing Adventures #10 (Magneto)

03/72 Amazing Adventures #11 (Beast)

*04/72 Incredible Hulk #150 (Havok, Polaris)

05/72 Amazing Adventures #12 (Beast)

07/72 Amazing Adventures #13 (Beast, Blob)

08/72 Avengers #102 (Sentinels)

08/72 Sub-Mariner #52 (Sunfire)

09/72 Avengers #103 (Sentinels)

09/72 Amazing Adventures #14 (Beast)

09/72 Sub-Mariner #53 (Sunfire)

09/72 Marvel Team-up #4 (X-men)

10/72 Avengers #104 (Sentinels)

10/72 Sub-Mariner #54 (Sunfire)

11/72 Amazing Adventures #15 (Beast, Angel)

*01/73 Amazing Adventures #16 (Beast, Juggernaut)

03/73 Incredible Hulk #161 (Beast, Mimic)

*04/73 Avengers #110 (X-Men)

*05/73 Avengers #111 (X-men)

*02/74 Incredible Hulk #172 (X-men, Juggernaut)

*04/74 Captain America #172 (Banshee, Cyclops)

*05/74 Captain America #173 (X-men)

*06/74 Captain America #174 (X-men)

06/74 Iron Man #68 (Sunfire)

*07/74 Captain America #175 (X-men)

07/74 Daredevil #111 (Silver Samurai)

07/74 Marvel Team-up #23 (Iceman, X-men)

08/74 Iron Man #69 (Sunfire)

09/74 Iron Man #70 (Sunfire)

*09/74 Defenders #15 (Magneto, Blob, Professor X)

10/74 Defenders #16 (Magneto, Blob, Professor X)

10/74 Incredible Hulk #180 (Wolverine)

*11/74 Incredible Hulk #181 (Wolverine)

12/74 Incredible Hulk #182 (Wolverine)

02/75 Fantastic Four Giant Size #4 (Multiple Man)

08/75 ---------- NEW X-MEN BEGINS ----------

Til next time?

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