The team

The team The X-Men start with five teenagers, one teacher and a school in Westchester. Cyclops, Beast, Angel and Iceman are already there when Jean Grey arrives in X-Men #1. Her first day gives us a way into the place: meet the students, see what they can do, find out what Xavier is preparing them for. That preparation takes up a lot of the debut. These kids have homework that can knock them across a room. They joke, argue and compete while Xavier watches their control and their reactions. The matching yellow-and-blue uniforms make them look like a class, even with wings, a visor and Bobby's snow-covered body breaking up the line. Xavier offers a place where mutants can use their abilities openly. He also expects them to protect humanity from mutants who want to dominate it. Magneto gives that mission an immediate test when he takes over Cape Citadel. The first outing ends with the military thanking the X-Men. That's worth keeping in the picture alongside Xavier's warning about fear and distrust. This particular encounter leaves room for people to accept their help. The teenagers still have to figure out how to work together. Being enrolled at the same school doesn't stop them getting on each other's nerves, and Xavier's classroom rules follow them into their first fight. Story: X-Men #1. Stan Lee, writer; Jack Kirby, pencils; Paul Reinman, inks; Sam Rosen, letters.