The X-Men No. 21

Here are a few scans from issue 21 of 'The X-Men' from 1966. Created in 1963 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, The X-Men was probably one of Marvel's less popular comics. This issue was written by Roy Thomas and Illustrated by Jay Gavin; who's real name was actually Werner Roth but had to use this pseudonym because he was also currently employed by DC at the time. My main problem with most of these early comics is how primitive the storytelling is. The ideas are truly excellent (undeniably so as the franchises are still popular today) and are still quite good to read, but the execution leaves quite a lot to be desired. That's not to say the artwork isn't any good, on the contrary; the artwork is fantastic and enthusiasm in the subject matter still translates well. But it's important to remember that this form of storytelling was still being formulated and experimented with. Many, many comics were churned out (as they always have been I guess), never intended to be great literature, and I'm pretty sure the creators never in their wildest dreams expected to be leaving such a rich legacy of truly inspirational work and ideas. But for all the stories that were churned out, there was always true pioneers reinventing the art form and making it into what it is today.