Uncanny X-Men #13
Continued good work from Lee & Kirby. Kirby, already a master, is getting more comfortable with the X-Men with each passing issue.

This book lacks the emotions of the previous although it does have some top notch fight scenes. Lee does enjoy coming up with impossible enemies and then trying to figure out ways to beat them. Unfortunately, much like when the team took on the Vanisher or the Blob, the final solution turns out to be Xavier blasting the bad guy with a mental whammie.

I'm a big fan of the guest appearance of the Human Torch in this issue as it helps the feel that this book is set in the greater Marvel Universe. Although I am still at a loss as to why Xavier felt the need to mindwipe the Torch. Certainly you can trust a member of the Fantastic Four to keep your base location a secret and other than that what did the Torch know?

I can't help but suspect that Xavier gets some kind of joy out of erasing people's memories. It does seem like he resorts to it often and when it is unnecessary. I can easily imagine him and Cyclops taking a cab.

"Professor! I left my wallet in other uniform!"

"Never mind, Cyclops. With my extreme mental powers it is no difficulty for me to simply wipe this cabbie's mind! He'll think he's driving an empty taxi cab!"

"But, sir isn't that morally wrong and violate every principal of mutant-human harmony that you stand for?"

"Keep asking questions like that Cyclops and you'll find your own brain a little lighter!"

B+

Uncanny X-Men #12
Now we're getting somewhere! This issue introduces the Juggernaut as well as revealing more of Xavier's backstory, which is the bulk of the issue. The issue is set-up that Xavier is telling the story of him and his step-brother Cain Marko, who it seems has returned and has begun storming the mansion. While Xavier tells his story, the mansion's defenses are breached one by one as Cain slowly but surely makes his way closer and closer to Xavier.

The tension built in this issue is just fantastic. We're never given a clear look at the Juggernaut until the last panel, allowing the reader's imagination to run wild as we attempt to picture this massive, unstoppable figure.

It is amusing that the Juggernaut is such a Stan Lee creation. How do you come up with a foe for the physically handicapped yet extremely intelligent Xavier? Well, you make a brother who is extremely strong but slightly stupid. The dichomoty is overly obvious, yet again Lee makes it work.

A-

Uncanny X-Men #11
This story isn't great. We're introduced to the character who goes only by the name of the Stranger, an alien who we later discover goes from planet to planet collecting mutations for his race to study. While the two teams fight to recruit him to their side, he is actually judging which of them will make the best specimen for his people to observe.

I never felt like the Stranger really paid off. He feels more like a plot device to take Magneto out of the picture, which to be honest, he probably is. Despite the promise that the Stranger vows that Magneto shall never be returned to Earth, I can't help but feel that this is really Lee just trying to buy some Magneto-free issues. Despite how great a character he is and such a wonderful foil to Xavier, I can see how one might grow tired of continually thinking up ways for the two men to combat each other

I respect all that but this issue still comes off as perfuctonary.

C-

Uncanny X-Men #10
"The Coming of... Ka-Zar"
Written by Stan Lee
Drawn by Jack Kirby

I don't care for this story at all. I find the Savage Land an interesting concept but it just doesn't seem to interest me in this instance. I'd have rated this issue a C- if it weren't for Kirby's art. This is really the best chance he's gotten to shine so far. Since there is no pre-concieved notion of how the Savage Land looks, he really gets to get creative. Also he gets to take some larger panels to show the action which displays just how different he was from his contemporaries, how energetic he was.

C