UNCANNY X-MEN #40: The Mark of the Monster!

The X-Men meet frickin' Frankenstein's monster, that's what happens.

Originally published January 1968

This story begins with an oddly testy Professor Xavier calling the X-Kids away from a typical training session to reveal their latest mission...

That's right, not only has Professor X always figured that one of the most popular and influential works of 19th century fiction was actually true, his hunch turns out to be correct.

He also takes the opportunity to get in a snide, "Oh, you only saw the movie?" remark.

So naturally, the X-Men go investigate the museum lab where the creature is being examined, and naturally they pick a fight with him and naturally it doesn't go well.

Personally, I don't remember anything about the monster having optic blasts but then agian, per Professor X, I only watched the movie.

After some initial trouble, the X-Men corner the monster on a ship bound for the tropics, where Iceman wisely uses his powers to defeat it, somehow guessing that if it was frozen in the arctic for over a hundred years, it might be vulnerable to ice.

That's when the Prof reveals the true origin of Fraknenstein's Monster:

That's right, he's a damn alien robot! What a twist! And the reason he hates the X-Men is that they wear "colorful costumes" like the aliens who created him, and later hunted him to the edge of the Earth

Well of course he's a robot, when have the X-Men ever fought anything else?

Further Thoughts:

Okay, so, this story doesn't have a lot to it, besides the Bananaballs nutty concept of the X-Men fighting the "seriously for real actual" Frankenstein's Monster, but let's unpack that premise a little further shall we? According to this book:

• Mary Shelley's novel is not, in fact, a work of Fiction, but rather an account of actual events (insinuating that one of the most celebrated authors - female or otherwise - of all time is actually some kind of fraud?)
• Mrs. Shelley was seemingly the only person of her time aware of the existence of a giant killer robot from the stars - the "how" of which seems like it would be a much more interesting story than this one.
• Furthermore, while she knew it met its fate in the Arctic (per the novel, which I'm sure you've all read by now) she was either unaware that it was in reality a robot sent from space, or preferred to write that it was a reanimated corpse monster (which at least reinstills some of Mrs. Shelley's original creativity.)
• Professor X read this book and thought "Yes, this all seems like it may have actually happened." But put that hunch in his back pocket for a while.
• In forming the X-Men, his stated purpose was to:
• Train young mutants in the use of their powers
• Safeguard the Earth from "evil" mutants
• Safeguard the Earth from extraterrestrial threats (with which he was also familiar.)
• Safeguard the Earth from supposedly-fictional characters who may turn out to be real.

To be honest, I was hoping the story where the X-Men discover that Frankenstein's monster is real and they must fight him would be a bit more fun.

This issue also features a reference to some kind of secret project that Xavier has looped Jean in on, and I honestly hope it doesn't get teased out as long as the mystery of Ted and Ralph Roberts' rivalry because I just don't think I could stand it.