TEEN TITANS versus BROTHERHOOD OF EVIL MUTANTS

The Greatest Heroes Of All Time (Marvel/DC)
Where: Unlimited Access #3 When: February 1998
Why: Karl Kesel How: Pat Olliffe

The Story So Far...
Axel Asher was just an ordinary New York University student until a trip down an alleyway turned into a life changing meeting with destiny!

Confronted by a man with a glowing cardboard box - Axel learned the responsibility was his to maintain the balance between two universes as the hero Access! When the two worlds went to war he learnt on the job: first merging the worlds together to stop the warring cosmic brothers that fuelled their fight, then fighting to stop reality as it should be from ceasing to exist!

Access is still trying to keep the worlds apart, but dark forces have begun to tamper with time and space! Thrown between the universes in their different periods, Axel has no choice but to recruit the aid of more crossover heroes! When the Justice League and Avengers go to war, he can only pluck the next generation to come to his aid when The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants strikes!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Juggernaut 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Robin 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Impulse 7 (Lightspeed)
Stamina: Juggernaut 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Toad 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting: Sabretooth 7 (Born Fighter)
Energy: Scarlet Witch 7 (Cosmic)


The Teen Titans are: Robin, Superboy, Captain Marvel Jr, Impulse & Wonder Girl. They come to the aid of inter-dimensional summoner: Access.

As hard as it is to believe, we've got a couple of debuts coming our way on both side of the fight! For the heroes, this is the first time The Comic Book Fight Club has played host to Impulse and "Wonder Girl" Donna Troy!

They're fighting alongside the Tim Drake and Kon-El versions of Robin and Superboy. Important to note because they'd easily be confused amidst the time travel shenanigans that have brought the Teen Titans into conflict with today's villains...

The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants are: Mastermind, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Toad, Mystique, Blob, Sabretooth & Juggernaut.

The time displaced bad guys begin as the original sixties Brotherhood [see; X-Men #6], but get a serious injection of talent from other eras in the form of Mystique, Blob, Sabretooth, and the decidedly non-mutant, but still quite bad: Juggernaut!

For those keeping score at home, this marks the site debut for both Mystique and Blob! This all spells bad news for the kid heroes who are outnumbered, and arguably overmatched when it comes to experience and firepower, as well!

There isn't a lot of crossover experience between the two teams as they exist here, but what there is, is noteworthy. Three of these characters featured in the DC versus Marvel cosmic event: Robin defeated Jubilee [Marvel versus DC #3], Superboy lost to Spider-man [Marvel versus DC #3], and Quicksilver was defeated by former Titan: The Flash [Marvel versus DC #2]! Juggernaut also found himself flung into the path of Superman in an unofficial bout [DC versus Marvel #1], and later fought Wonder Woman in Unlimited Access #1, plucked from a time period after this fight. Donna Troy was the only Titan to participate in the pre-Crisis 1982 Uncanny X-Men/New Teen Titans crossover.

Juggernaut and Blob are arguably menace enough to occupy an entire team on their own. The unstoppable force and immovable object, respectively. They may be able to call upon the physical strengths of Captain Marvel Jr or Superboy to pin either down, but for the Teen Titans to stand any chance, they're going to want to pull some classic team tactics. Impulse's speed, and/or Robin's agility could be the answer to redirecting Juggernaut's unstoppable charge in the direction of Blob. That's a best case scenario that leaves their powerhouses free to occupy the rest of the villains.

Quicksilver's speed could prove problematic, but Superboy might slow him down with some well timed tactile telekinesis and brute strength. Scarlet Witch poses a serious threat with her hex powers, but in the old days, her timid personality will likely take her out of the fight when her brother's hurt. Toad and Mystique are lightweights matched by Wonder Girl and the team. Sabretooth is cunning, brutal and strong, but even if he gets the drop of the team and takes a hostage, the likes of Impulse or Captain Marvel Jr have it covered.

Mastermind may be the most likely danger working for the Brotherhood. His ability to cloud the young heroes' perception with illusions could very quickly render them vulnerable, or even turn them against each other. All the villains could pose serious threats given the right circumstances, but Mastermind's unassuming appearance and tendency to hang back makes him a big one!

We could come at this a lot of ways, but that's the quick version. It's the Teen Titans who need to fight uphill. Let's just find out how they actually did...

The Tape: Sabretooth Ranking: Robin (#32)

What Went Down...

Having been lured in by an illusion of his girlfriend in peril -- Access has found himself in the super-fast clutches of Quicksilver! Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is working for Darkseid and Access knows he needs help if he's to stop their evil plan. With the Avengers and Justice League busy, he uses his power to open a portal between worlds and summon a selection of Teen Titans!

The young heroes recognize peril where they see it - Impulse the first to act to rescue Access from The Brotherhood! Quicksilver takes exception to the brash, "big-footed" speedster, who opts to skip his lesson in humility!

Meanwhile, Toad gets a lesson in the value of theatrics from Robin. The mutant leaps and kicks circles around his foe, boasting the advantage of being homo superior, but is quickly dispatched with a skill toss of a roped batarang. "Listen, if your name doesn't make your enemies fear you, your actions better!"

Superboy tries a more affectionate approach to subdue the Scarlet Witch, but his charm offensive falls on deaf ears. Her hex power on the other hand, falls on a nearby fire hydrant - which blasts the young hero with a well deserved and intense "cold shower"!

Lucky for Superboy, fresh faced Wonder Girl is more than thrilled to be fighting in his presence! She comes to his rescue with a swift uppercut that dispatches the Scarlet Witch before she knows what hit her!

Captain Marvel Jr isn't sure what's happening to him, either, when his arms begin to turn against him in the form of giant serpents! It's all part of the plan of the illusion projecting Mastermind! Unlucky for him, Junior's mastery of the wisdom of Solomon helps him see through the mentalists trick. The strength of Hercules is more than a match for meek Mastermind, who takes a stiff left!

Unfortunately, it's no trick when Juggernaut comes up behind Marvel Jr and pounds him into the ground with two clubbing, unstoppable fists!

It also isn't an illusion when two Superboys confront Wonder Girl! She has no way of knowing the truth as they both plead their case to being the genuine article. At least, not until Sabretooth lurks up behind her with claws drawn and the real Superboy springs into action to stop him!

Superboy succeeds at torpedo driving Sabretooth into a stationary car, but can't be of any assistance as the second Superboy gets the drop on Wonder Girl - delivering a stiff chop to the neck as he transforms into Mystique!

Robin is busy doing his best to slow down the Blob. His martial arts fail to make an impact, serving only to annoy the hulking mountain of mutant mass! Having collected the bundled up Toad, Blob turns him into a living projectile - hurling his unconscious body at a Robin shaped bullseye!

Still stomping around the fight - the Juggernaut sets his sights on Access and Impulse and starts a-rampaging! Access is relying on Impulse to dash them both to safety at the last second -- when suddenly a beam of energy slams the Juggernaut! And a blast of ice sends him unstoppably slipping and stumbling!

Watching from elsewhere: the master of magnetism Magneto curses the arrival of Xavier's merry mutants: The X-Men! Evil Darkseid assures him all is going to plan. The Brotherhood seem to think so as well, Mystique ordering a strategic retreat as a thundering boom tube opens to whisk them from the battlefield.

Professor Xavier telepathically warns the gathering of young heroes of the New Gods' evil he sensed, leaving them to await further instruction in victory.

The Hammer...

An unexpected end to an unexpected crossover! The momentum may have been shifting to the bad guys, but plan or no plan - we're going to call this one a forfeit victory! That means the Teen Titans are the winners with the assist from the X-Men!

Admittedly - this wasn't an easy call to make. There was no decisive finishing blow. Cyclops & Iceman got the last offensive, but they arguably only stalled their target. The Titans were able to take several villains out of the fight during the melee, even if they had their own visual losses as well. The X-Men's arrival ultimately prompted The Brotherhood's retreat, but the X-Men didn't participate enough share in victory.

For those who might be wondering - the X-Men who arrive on the scene are the earliest first class: Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Beast & Marvel Girl. So new - they don't even recognize Juggernaut: who the team first faced way back in 1965's X-Men #12! Those're some bona fide near mint mutants!

As noted in The Tape; the meeting of Titans and X-Men isn't without precedent. The original 1982 crossover was the last collaboration between DC and Marvel for over a decade. It played up the similarities of teen superhero drama that permeated the pages of both popular books. I'm not sure how many people were clamoring for the 90s Teen Titans to meet the 60s X-Men, but I suppose it has a certain charm. It certainly plays to the sixties retro fad that was going on at the time of publication. Not that comics ever need a reason to be nostalgic!

As in a lot of the crossovers of this period, they get away with some fun nods. Wonder Girl quizzes Marvel Girl about the X-Men being "misfit heroes like the old Doom Patrol". A fun jab at an old comparison. Of course, they also kinda did it a couple of years earlier, when the Amalgam mash-ups delivered X-Patrol. I'm not sure X-Force fit the bill quite as well, but it's close enough.

If you've been keeping up with our regular Hero of the Week entries, you know Doom Patrol is a series I've had on my mind [04/11/2016]. I'm hoping we'll get a chance to talk more about them some time soon. Today's feature was a nice chance to delve into another neglected corner of the DCU - the Teen Titans!

Admittedly, I've never been a big fan. Reading the adventures of Robin, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash had its thrills as a small boy, but the melodrama and sidekick angst of iconic Titans never geld with me. Not even as a teen. Kid heroes struck me as disappointingly second-rate as a kid. My peers ain't no Justice League! I'm slowly coming around, though. The idea of bundling existing young heroes together is certainly a good one.

The deviation of Doom Patrol's Changeling to iconic Teen Titan is the kind of living evolution that makes comics great. At least until line-wide reboots erase the chronology. DC's Rebirth is fixing to reinject first and third generation heroes into the New 52 line-up. It's something, I suppose.

The Titans line-up featured here may not be traditional - but it's much easier to appreciate. I've particularly enjoyed watching Captain Marvel Jr climb the site ranks. Glad to have Impulse on the record, as well. I wasn't sure on first look, but he's often struck me as a better junior alternate to the Flash than latter day versions of Kid Flash. Giving the Teens their own identity and mythology always helps. Especially when it isn't soaked in self-serious sobbing and lame rejects.

If you noticed me ducking references to Wonder Girl, it's largely because I'm a little sketchy on what was going on with Donna Troy during the short 'n' nerdy years. Undoing that predicament in the years that followed - a good idea. With any luck we'll get a chance to explore all of these characters at a later point.

Sadly, we won't be adventuring further into the realm of big league comics crossovers! This feature concludes our April celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Marvel versus DC and the 10th of our original feature(s). Fear not, though! There are still plenty of weird and wonderful combinations I'm sure we'll dig up in the future! You can also dig through the back issues via our Secret Archive Index, character tags and links, or by hitting up our recent retrospective in Old Comics Wednesday: DC versus Marvel!

Coming soon: We turn our attentions to heroic battles of another kind! Be here next week when we witness one of the first ever showdowns between two of Marvel's greatest hand-to-hand combatants of all time! See you then!

Winners: Teen Titans (w/ X-Men)

#25 (+7) Robin

#59 (+40) Captain Marvel Jr

#100 (+195) Superboy

#280 (new) Wonder Girl (Donna Troy)

#281 (new) Impulse

#38 (+1) Beast [+1 Assist]

#61 (-1) Angel [+1 Assist]

#64 (-1) Cyclops [+1 Assist]

#103 (-1) Marvel Girl (Jean Grey) [+1 Assist]

#109 (-1) Ice Man [+1 Assist]

#343 (-15) Scarlet Witch

#349 (-9) Juggernaut

#774 (new) Blob

#775 (new) Mystique

#786 (-243) Mastermind

#805 (-21) Toad

#808 (-11) Sabretooth

#813 (-8) Quicksilver

THE X-MEN versus XORN
Planet X: Conclusion (Marvel comics)
Where: New X-Men #150 When: February 2004
Why: Grant Morrison How: Phil Jimenez

The story so far...
As a safe haven for gifted youngsters and adults alike, the X-Men welcome those in need with open arms, but sometimes this generosity comes with hazardous risk.

Having infiltrated the X-Men under the assumed identity of Xorn, Magneto reveals himself not as a beloved teacher, but rather as a drug-addicted man desperate to make his nightmarish vision a reality.

Under the influence of the power enhancing drug Kick, Magneto takes his old friend Charles Xavier prisoner along with several other misguided young X-Students, and proceeds to tear New York City asunder.
Has drug abuse pushed Magneto over the edge, or does the helmet that birthed his deception hide more secrets regarding the true identity of "Xorn"?

Previous Form:
Wolverine (#4): Wolverine joined the X-Men in the defeats of Nimrod and Magneto.
Professor X (#61): Professor X was instrumental in the defeat of Magneto.
Cyclops (#112): As team leader suffered defeat to Namor.
The X-Men: As a team the X-Men defeated a Hydra controlled Wolverine, Nimrod and Magneto.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Beast 5 (Super Strength)
Intelligence: Beast 6 (Genius)
Speed: Beast 4 (Olympic Sprinter)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Toad 5 (Cat-like)
Fighting Ability: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Xorn 7 (Solar Power)

A fairly interesting crew of X-Men here, and an ill-defined threat in the form of Xorn. More on the controversy of the Xorn character in The Hammer section of the article, so for the time being, bare with the analysis as it is described here.

Xorn certainly possesses abilities here comparable of Magneto's own, which places him in a noteworthy class as a threat to the X-Men.
Playing the role of passificist, assessing the destructive or offensive capabilities of Xorn would be difficult prior to this occasion. For the most part his powers were used to manipulate characters in subversive ways, even using nanosentinel technology already in the X-Men's bloodstream to cast the illusion of healing on Charles Xavier's spine.

The necessity of the Kick drug and the characterization seen as Magneto suggest Xorn is perhaps not as limitless in his energy as the true Magneto has been seen to be. Other contemporary appearances, such as X-Men #25, have highlighted Magneto's abilities to draw upon the magnetic forces of the planet, possessing a rich well of mutant power.

Against forces like Professor X, Cyclops, Wolverine, Emma Frost, Phoenix and Fantomex, even Magneto has to stand up and notice.
With Xorn showing an unhinged personality, he starts to look like a bit of a chump. Particularly when considering this is Jean Grey heading straight back to cosmic town with the Phoenix force flowing through her veins.

There's certainly debate for this one to go several ways, and with the Kick drug allowing Xorn monumental capabilities (such as twisting bridges), the right shot could be the difference. That said, the level headed forces of the X-Men seem far too strong for such a renegade presence.

Unfortunatley Toad is not an equaliser.

Average: The X-Men 22 (+3)
Overall: The X-Men 176 (+119)
The Pick: The X-Men

What went down...
So, MagnaXorn is in his evil skyscraper lair in New York, which he has renamed New Genosha because he's a little bit crazy on drugs.
Humanity is not without hope, however, as a long X-Man has arrived. An animalistic X-Man. An X-Man of keen instinct. Sometimes described as a loner.
An X-Man named... Beak.

Wielding a metal bat... Not a great idea.
Much like Wolverine's metallic claw attack, the metal baseball bat is quickly turned to MagnaXorn's advantage as he tears it from Beak's dweeby little talon-claws.

Looming at the window, however, is salvation.
Atop the hovering EVA, Fantomex prepares to spring into action, breaking through the skyscraping icey glass of MagnaXorn's sinister tower -- and fires off round sof bullets that may or may not have some sort of obscure properties to them, allowing them to hit the target. Being shot at upsets him, and he demands Fantomex be destroyed. [Looking at you, Sean McKeever... Shyeah... - Mistaken Mike]

Esme, otherwise aiding MagnaXorn, objects to the prospect of being shot, so it's up to Toad to leap into the fray and put himself on the line. Which isn't such a good idea, because Fantomex makes no bones about shooting his knees off...

Of course, like all good things, Fantomex' rampage comes to an end.
MagnaXorn deflects his bullets, and wraps Weapon Thirteen up in bits of metal and trimmings from around his highrise citadellium. What he doesn't notice is that Fantomex' bullets pierce the glass tube that contains the helpless and tubed-up Professor X, beginning the draining of the freak brain neutralizing fluids inside.

While Fantomex gets wrapped up like a douche, another roamer in the night is picked out by Esme just before he uses his mega optic blast to explode through the floor. MagnaXorn is flung into the air by the crimson might of Cyclops.

Xorn falls back to Earth and Cyclops gives him a bitch slapping with all manner of emotionally charged punches.

Then, as if an ass whooping at the fists of Cyclops isn't bad enough, he decides to just pour optic salt into the wound by firing off a round at point blank range -- straight into the face of MagnaXorn!

The Magneto helmet is shattered, and Xorn is left a smoldering, burnt-up, facially disfigured and partially bald mess.

Furious and only briefly blinded, he uses the Xorn helmet as an unseen weapon, bringing it up behind Cyclops before driving it into the back of his skull, thus knocking the X-Men team leader out cold.

Becoming more and more unhinged, and dribbling confused ramblings that actually lend credence to the eventual decision that this was merely an impostor Magneto, MagnaXorn unleashes desperation.
As Esme threatens to psychically attack his exposed brains with "Alzheimer's in fast forward", MagnaXorn lashes out, ripping the earrings from the young girl's ears. Mangled and disfigured ears -- the kinda pain that renders a teenage girl unconscious.

Xorn again dons the... Xorn helmet... protecting himself once more from psychic attack, just as Emma Frost appears on the scene in diamond form.
She consoles Esme [as she dies], and reunites with the distant Cyclops who is preparing to begin a romance with her.

Using his amped up Kick powers, MagnaXorn begins seriously messing with time and space and gravity, which seriously messes with the enjoyment of humanity in the world. Thus, the X-Men run stalling maneuvers to give time for Phoenix to take care of business.

Then Beast comes flying out of nowhere, and generally starts punking the crap out of Magneto. He pounds down on him, delivering an neutralizing solution for the Kick, whilst expressing his disappointment, "I can't believe you'd do this, Xorn! You of all people, Xorn!"

Xorn whips the needles out and stabs Beast with them, which gives him an opportunity to call Wolverine into the fight.
Wolvie brandishes his claws all up in Xorn's grill, but that matters for naught as a Phoenixified Jean Grey enters the battle proper as more than a transport vehicle for people who've been lost at sea, or thrown into the sun.

Taunting manages to get the unhinged false-Magneto to remove his helmet in an attempt to prove his identity as the master of magnetisim, but this exposes him to mental attack from the recovered Professor Xavier.

Phoenix lingers over Magneto's seizing body, and he reaches a frail and weak hand to hers, and something happens to make Jean scream.
Having broken the concentration of his attackers, MagnaXorn reveals his treachery.

MagnaXorn dons his helmet once more... Only to be decapitated.

Xorn dies, Jean dies.
They'll both be back.

The hammer...
As you may have noticed, the winner of this match with the assist from various X-Men - Wolverine. Which almost made up for having his adamantium stripped in a previous entry.

I say almost, because as was mentioned in the Tape, we have a bit of a situation concerning the identity of Xorn. Most comic fans from the last couple of years will be well in-the-know, but for those who came in late, it lays out pretty simply like this:

Magneto gets killed in Genosha for the umpteenth time when Sentinels flatten the place. In Grant Morrison's New X-Men Magneto becomes firmly established as a Che Guevera style t-shirt icon, and an inspiration to disillusioned semi-retarded teen mutants worldwide.

In an incredible twist of fate the new mutant named Xorn turns out to be an elaborate ruse by Magneto to infiltrate Xavier's school, and generally cause problems and lead children astray whilst taking drugs.

The drgs increase his powers and we arrive at the issue reviewed here, where Wolverine unceremoniously cuts his freaking head off. Four more issues to go and then Morrison leaves the book, and returns to DC where he has clearly been better nurtured and embraced by his own standards.

Marvel clearly had some issues with Morrison's ground breaking X-Men, which reinvigorated the franchise. Obviously as a franchise, the viability of killing off Magneto seemed unlikely, and likewise they enjoyed Xorn as a character... So the solution was to immediatel reorder the house of X by revealing Magneto was actualy hiding out on Genosha recovering (a redeemable Holocaust survivor once more) -- and drugged up, headless Magneto was an impostor.

I'm going to come clean, there were some serious lapses of concentration here, and that's largely due to the fact that what started out like a good idea for an entry, kinda drove me a little batty.

It gets messy beyond this issue, and after some vague attempts from Chris Claremont and Chuck Austen, and some unfortunately vivid delivery from Brian "I should stick to street solo characters" Bendis -- Xorn becomes his own character.
Well, his own character and a brother...

Beyond the farce and well on the safe side of a paying job, Morrison has said his intentions were for the character were exactly what he delivered: Magneto's last hurrah, fucking up New York City.
But we here at Secret Earths are bound by canon as tightly as possible.
So as cathartic as it may have been, sorry Wolvie. Wrong head.

A lot of people seem to talk about their 'period away from comics,' and usually it comes across as super-poseable bullshit, and an excuse to talk about how Blankets or something else flavoursome 'brought you back to comics.'

I'm not going to say I ever left comics. I've read them my entire life, but for a while there I wasn't buying much more than Mutant X... So while I was never gone to be brought back, New X-Men certainly renewed my interest in the X-franchise en masse, and was the gateway into which I began making much larger and expansive purchases.

Purchases like the graphic novels Blankets and Maus... [Kidding!]

New X-Men was a hot ticket item and tough to get from the comic store rack, but the issues I do have were a real delight. I can honestly say it's the first time X-Men has ever been a regular priority.

I've been wanting to feature an issue somewhere along here, but the curious thing is that as much action and violence as there was, there really weren't a lot of simple, break it down fights. I went with this one, and I stand by my choice, but the true brilliance to this run was the overall presentation.
Even the leather jacket uniforms, which were a happy compromise between the filmick black leather, and the classic primary yellow, were a brilliant step forward for the X-team.

Despite a distinct Marvel bias over the past few months, I've actually been sitting on the DC side of the fence for the last few years. Having grown up a Marvel youngster, I really feel post-Jemas the company went though a period of very disappointing creative direction.
While I feel they are now recovering, there's still a ways to go before I can ever expect to read and X-Men comic with the same vim as New X-Men.

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 5.5
Additional Stats: Victory also to Beast and Cyclops, with assists to the rest of the team.
Xorn fatal injury inflicted on Esme.

THE X-MEN versus THE BROTHERHOOD OF EVIL MUTANTS & NAMOR
The Sub-Mariner joins the Evil Mutants (Marvel comics)
Where: X-Men #6 When: July 1964
Why: Stan Lee How: Jack Kirby

The story so far...
Once friends, two of the Earth's most powerful natural forces - Professor Charles Xavier, and the man called Magneto - become bitter enemies as they are divided by philosophy.

Forming their own mutant factions, each pledged to their own ideals of a better world for mutantkind, they come to blows as rivals.

In these formative days, both Xavier and Magneto consider the possibility that the legendary war hero - the Sub-Mariner - may in fact be a mutant, and thus begins a race to pledge the mighty warrior to each other's cause.
Will the stubborn ruler succumb to Magneto's deception, or recognise the righteous path of Xavier? Stay tuned!

Previous Form:
Sub-Mariner (#60): Sub-Mariner defeated Tigershark and Dr. Dorcas with the aid of Spider-man.
Beast (#75): Beast assisted in the capture of Wolverine, controlled by Hydra.
Cyclops (#76): Cyclops was also present whilst tracking the Hydra influenced Wolverine.
Magneto (#116): Magneto was devoured by zombies, despite a valiant fight.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Sub-Mariner 5 (Super Strength)
Intelligence: Beast 6 (Genius)
Speed: Quicksilver 6 (Sound Speed)
Stamina: Magneto 6 (Generator)
Agility: Ice Man 7 (Unlimited)
Fighting Ability: Sub-mariner 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Scarlet Witch 7 (Solar Power)

Happy New Year all! Naturally my computer is succumbing to the crippling effects of the Y2k07 bug, and updates have slowed again. Apologies!

Moving right along, we have some of the most prominent names in the Marvel Universe making their first feature appearances. I don't know how the X-Men have managed to stay off the radar this long, or more notably their chief adversary - Magneto, master of magnetism.

Certainly Magneto is well regarded as one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel universe, much more impressive in the comic books than his big screen appearances, which perhaps mirror some of his earlier appearances such as the story featured here.

Over time we've come to know Magneto as a much more formidable force, difficult to exhaust, and even harder to get near. His magnetic forces are capable of doing everything from repelling attacks; physically manipulating other individuals by the tiny amounts of iron in their blood; and his power even extends so far as to affect the movement of the Earth.
In prime condition, Magneto is not a guy to be messed with.

It is said Professor Charles Xavier is of comparable stature, but the broad application of abilities is what certainly gives the master of magnetism his edge. Something as simple as the helmet adorned atop Magneto's head can render Xavier's abilities naught, while such devices are much less likely to curb the mutant skills of Magneto.

Lurking between these giants is a less likely power, but one no less omnipotent.
Scarlet Witch, similarly to Jean Grey, reveals herself to have great, but uncontrolled potential. Recently displayed in the House of M series, Scarlet Witch has highlighted her hex magic is capable of extending it's reaches so far as to reshape reality in any image she sees fit.
An ability very likely shared by Jean Grey when in possession of the Phoenix power. A power with which Grey has come to be closer and closer associated.

The likes of Quicksilver and Cyclops, thought more specific, should not be scoffed. Though their mutant capabilities occupy a much narrower field, they each possess their own impressive bredth.

With his solar generated energy blasts, Cyclops can make range attacks of incredible destructive force. With the aid of his ruby quartz visor these attacks are famously referred to being as refined as to shoot through a keyhole, or so wide that they could span a football field.

Alternatively a character like Quicksilver can move at speeds so fast, he may appear as little more than a blur. This proves useful offensively, whilst also ensuring the potential safety of companions, particularly his sister, the Scarlet Witch, over whom he keeps a stubborn guard.

Mastermind's psychic abilities do not approach Jean Grey or Professor Xavier's, but he is none the less effective as creating illusion and minor distraction. Not terribly effective alone, but as a tool for someone as dangerous as Magneto, the slightest doubt can be the turning point.

Of course, I haven't even begun to acknowledge the presence of the special guest of the story. A character pledged by the Brotherhood, but not yet specifically aligned to either side -- the Sub-Mariner.

A mutant himself, Sub-Mariner arguably approaches the level of power possessed by Xavier and Magneto, although his own skills have their own slant.
Existing in the deepest pressures of the ocean, Namor's strength is impossible, as is his iron will and endurance, which are arguably powers unto themselves.

Between the evenly matched forces of the X-Men and the Brotherhood, Sub-Mariner could very realistically be recognised as the deciding factor. However, the X-Men are a better balanced team, compared to the top heavy Brotherhood. Without the Sub-Mariner, the Brotherhood also find themselves outnumbered, which is no small edge.

Average: The X-Men 22.83 (+1.5)
Overall: The X-Men 137 (+9)
The Pick: The X-Men

What went down...
At the dawn of the Marvel Universe proper, things were a little different.
Sub-Mariner had preceded all these bozos by about thirty years, and he was even best pals with Captain America, so he was something of a big man on campus.

Magneto has beaten Xavier to the pledge, but things aren't going all in the Magster's favour. Having arrived on Magneto's secret island, the Atlantean monarch is not at all impressed.
Knowing a good thing when he has it, Magneto tries to seduce Namor with the use of his attractive young daughter - the Scarlet Witch. Unfortunately she has little reign over her powers, and accidentally solicits the firing of a couple of electric bolts at Namor's back.

Unphased, Namor finally notices the charms of the young girl, but it's at this time that the Angel swoops in for an attack, knocking Mastermind down, and prompting Toad to use his inspired powers to leap.

It's after that unceremonious entrance that Angel reveals he has a message for Magneto, but by then he's none too interested. Instead, Magneto tosses a bunch of magnetized boulders Angel's way.
Just to show how much of a bigshot he was at the time, Namor tells Magneto to shove it while he shows him what REAL power is! Nobody's getting away with that these days, nosiree.

Real power, as it were, apparently involves snatching out of the air before tossing him in a non-consensual fastball special. How humiliatin'!

Fortunately Beast is waiting on the plank of the X-Men's pirate ship [I wonder if they call it the blackbeard... Yuk yuk... - Merciful Mike] and with the help of Iceman, they bring Angel to safety.

Magneto continues to wreak havok, using a giant magnet to blast the X-Men's ship to smithereens. It is only by Beast's strength that Prof X doesn't end up a legless man in a swimming contest, and Iceman is quick thinking enough to freeze up some solid ground for the team to regroup.

As the team make their way to the secret island, mysterious thorny roots emerge apparently from nowhere. Professor X is steady when he orders to Cyclops to walk directly toward the spikey thorns without hesitance. No doubt the Professor can see through what is clearly an illusion cast by the Mastermind, but hey, even if he's wrong it's probably a win-win.

The illusions failing, Quicksilver enters the field to halt Cyclops as he attempts to sabotage the mighty magnet. Quicksilver's staggering speed leaves the X-Man shooting at air until Jean Grey intervenes, using her telekinesis to snatch Quicksilver into the air, and jerk him around until he's too dizzy to run.

From the safety of his lair, Magneto berates the Scarlet Witch as she pleads with her master to save Quicksilver from the clutches of the X-Men.
Ever the chivalrous chap, Namor steps in with the intention of tearing Magneto's machines asunder as punishment for speaking in such a way to a woman.

The noble Sub-Mariner finds himself assaulted as pieces of metal hurl themselves at his mighty muscles, binding and constricting his very movement.

Cyclops blasts his way into the fort, sending the Brotherhood sprawling. Mastermind casts the illusion of a fog, giving them the opportunity needed to retreat deeper into Magneto's lair, but the Scarlet Witch is too slow. Magneto, declaring his survival of greater importance to the mutant race, leaves her to the men he has painting as demons.

Fortunately the Sub-Mariner assumes the role of burly protector!
Enforcing the Witch's pleas for her brother's freedom, Sub-Mariner engages in combat with the Beast. Again the Sub-Mariner proves his superiority, besting Beast's strength.

Field-leader, Cyclops, tries to organize the troops to make a strategized attack against Namor, but the hot-headed Angel is too impetuous.
He leaves Cyclosp to plan, as he flies into battle, crossing directly into the path of a helpless Beast, man-handled by the Sub-Mariner.

With his hand forced, Cyclops makes a spotaneous attack, unleashing his optic blasts with unforgiving force.

Pinned to the wall Namor boasts the potency of his enduring will, challenging him to do his worst.

Cyclops does not have opportunity to tire, suffering the probability altering hex power of the Scarlet Witch, who sees fit to aid the man who did defend her.
As the rocks beneath his feet loosen, Cyclops' breaks his beam and the Sub-Mariner is free to deliver vengeance to the X-Men once more.

The intervention of Professor Xavier stays Namor's hand, and while the Atlantean royal takes offense to being referred to as a "pawn," he does not follow through with his fury.

Instead, Magneto launches one final bitter attack from the mechanical electro-magnet. The invisible magnetic force pins the Sub-Mariner to the ground, crushing down on him with untold force.
Unable to move, Namor strikes his mighty fists to the ground again, and again, and again, shaking the ground. His blows unsettle the island, toppling the giant magnet and ending it's attack.

Tired of the insolence of the squabbling mutants, Namor returns to the ocean, leaving the Brotherhood to escape on board a rocket, while the X-Men see to repairing their ship.

The hammer...
Well, I think this is a first as we close out the year.
Since he ended up fighting everyone and winning, the sole victor here is Namor, with an assist from Scarlet Witch.

I can't say I have many comics from the sixties, so it's quite fun to feature this, the oldest comic seen on Secret Earths thus far.
Particularly as it harkens back to a time when a dear favourite of mine, the Sub-Mariner, was almost the kind of celebrity we now recognise Wolverine or Spider-man as.

In the latter part of this decade Namor has enjoyed a more noteworthy time in the spotlight, featuring in The Illuminati, while also having a unique connection to the heart of the on-going Civil War crossover.
It seems fitting that Namor's connection, the death of his cousin Namorita, stems at the very beginning of the event. As I've often said here, Sub-Mariner is the Kevin Bacon of the Marvel Universe.
Spidey has his pals, but Sub-Mariner has links to everyone.

While I enjoy the fact that such an integral character to Marvel's history is again enjoying more priminent success, I do have to be somewhat reticent about the approach. I've had several people alerting me to the confirmation of a new Namor on-going title, and as good news as that is, one can't help but imagine what's coming won't last.

As much of a purest I am, I'm just expecting something a little too plain, and I think to succeed in a starring role, Sub-Mariner needs something a little bit different. A little bit spicey, and unexpected, but still with grounding that makes sense.
I don't think it's necessarily required, but I consider it a good idea to distance Namor from Atlantis. For whatever reason, it just isn't a compelling scenario, no matter how ingrained it is to the character.

I'm a fan of the idea of Namor in the "real world," interacting with elements he's familiar with, but still struggling to come to terms with them.
I tihnk he works on the surface so well because he has spent so much time there over the years. He becomes a very versatile character when you cast a net over all the ideas that have been tried, and I think that's where you really find the strength of the character.

I love that there's a corporate history, I love that there's a mutant connection, I love that he's dealt with Daredevil and Luke Cage and Iron Fist.
I think if you bring this all together, and think about the character's history, you find a lot of compelling story potential.

I also like the fact that he's incredibly connected, despite being something of a solemn loner character, and a character who really hasn't had to connect with the world, or understand it on anyone else's terms. He's a character of dichotomy, even down to his genetics, which is also a source of story, I believe.

Those reading can probably tell I'm just dying to talk about my 'pitch,' but I'll let you guys off easy today. Let's just say, I'm disappointed Marvel haven't discussed there plans with me, because they're really not helping!
Still, Iron Fist as Daredevil? I can work with that...

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 5