On the Rack: Marvel 100th Anniversary Special X-Men

This week Marvel celebrates the X-Men in Marvel 100^th Anniversary Special X-Men, and like the two previous issues, they walk the fine line between examining the future of one of Marvel’s best loved teams, and paying fitting tribute to their past. Since their creation by Stan Lee in 1963, the X-Men have explored themes of tolerance and unity. From issue one, the team of mutant heroes has acted a parable for acceptance and in the 100^th Anniversary issue, Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, is inaugurated as President of the United States to the protest cries of angry Americans in the streets.

In the face of demonstrations, Cyclops swears an oath to the American people, makes his wedding vows to Emma Frost and it seems like everything he’s worked for is coming to fruition. Everything seems to be in order, until Emma mysteriously vanishes in the middle of the night and Scott is the only one who remembers that she ever existed. The story turns into a violent feud between humans and mutants and features a wide range of X-Men, including many of those new mutants currently residing with Cyclops in the abandoned Weapon X facility. Wolverine also makes an appearance, in fact he mentions that he and Cyclops have set aside their differences after Schism and I’m pretty thrilled to see him in a book that is set 47 years after his death.

Marvel has demonstrated a healthy respect for their past and what made them the entertainment giant they are today. In the course of publishing these special issues, they have woven in the themes that made their characters so iconic to pop-culture. They have managed the delicate balancing act of looking back while looking forward. The idea of imagining where their most iconic characters will be in 47 years is intriguing, and has made for an exciting celebration of the past 53 years.