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Uncanny X-Men (1963)
Uncanny X-Men (1963-2011) #54
Cyclops awakes to find himself in a museum's Egyptian exhibit, held at gunpoint by a police officer accusing him of the murder of the Living Pharaoh!
21 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 10, 1969
About the author
Arnold Drake
324 books11 followersArnold Drake was an American comic book writer and screenwriter best known for co-creating the DC Comics characters Deadman and the Doom Patrol, and the Marvel Comics characters the Guardians of the Galaxy, among others.
Drake was posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.
Drake was posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 19, 2018
So... Scott has a brother? This was written-off as extremely nonchalant. The Pharaoh villain was pretty bad, as was the backup story of Warren’s origin. Hopefully next ish improves the intro of Havok.
January 12, 2016
Was disappointed by the flippant "oh-by-the-way Scott has a brother" in this.
January 20, 2025
I’m okay with Scott having a brother seemingly out of nowhere, but I don’t see why the other X-Men had to be as clueless as the reader. We assume they have chats with each other when the comic isn’t showing us stuff going on, we don’t need to see them every time they use the toilet. But to have the others not know this important detail is why it feels like ‘suddenly brother appears’.
The art is surprisingly good this issue, Don Heck has not given us his a-game on this run, but this is definitely a highlight. The panelling is especially great, with a lot of interesting jaunty angles and curves, it’s actually great.
Though the actual story isn’t the most elaborate, I’d say it’s still fairly good. It opens with the hook, Cyclops guilty of murder, then goes back to how we got here, with the introduction of Alex Summers.
This new villain, The Living Pharaoh, wants to kill Alex, as the only one who can stop him… for some reason. He is then surprised by the existence of the X-Men, not, apparently, knowing of the rise of mutants. There’s some world-building here, where he says that the pharaohs were mutants, which is why they ruled Egypt and were worshipped as gods. I know this is worked in later to the mutant lore, so it’s interesting to see the birth of that here.
While he’s not super interesting as a villain, and I am confused what he mutant powers actually are since he calls its all magic and uses trick rings and things, at least the mystery of the issue keeps it interesting, and the visuals give more enjoyment to the telling of the story.
I did forget to mention the Angel story at the end, which probably says something about it. There’s really nothing to it, Warren gets wings and is confused, uses wings to save boys at his school. That’s it. He wears an actual angel costume to save them, as though a blonde wig and a white dress is enough to conceal your very obvious face right up close.
The art is surprisingly good this issue, Don Heck has not given us his a-game on this run, but this is definitely a highlight. The panelling is especially great, with a lot of interesting jaunty angles and curves, it’s actually great.
Though the actual story isn’t the most elaborate, I’d say it’s still fairly good. It opens with the hook, Cyclops guilty of murder, then goes back to how we got here, with the introduction of Alex Summers.
This new villain, The Living Pharaoh, wants to kill Alex, as the only one who can stop him… for some reason. He is then surprised by the existence of the X-Men, not, apparently, knowing of the rise of mutants. There’s some world-building here, where he says that the pharaohs were mutants, which is why they ruled Egypt and were worshipped as gods. I know this is worked in later to the mutant lore, so it’s interesting to see the birth of that here.
While he’s not super interesting as a villain, and I am confused what he mutant powers actually are since he calls its all magic and uses trick rings and things, at least the mystery of the issue keeps it interesting, and the visuals give more enjoyment to the telling of the story.
I did forget to mention the Angel story at the end, which probably says something about it. There’s really nothing to it, Warren gets wings and is confused, uses wings to save boys at his school. That’s it. He wears an actual angel costume to save them, as though a blonde wig and a white dress is enough to conceal your very obvious face right up close.
January 5, 2015
Story is a little light in himself, but open up for an interesting part with the origin of Angel and Scott's brother.
May 4, 2026
3/10 - By the Way, I have a Brother
The only thing worth pointing out is the first appearance of Alex Summers. However, it is addressed as if it were nothing, quickly shifting attention to a lame villain who supposedly has a connection with him as Pharaoh's descendant.
The dialogue makes you cringe, the story lacks much sense, and everyone keeps moving and acting as if they were in a second-rate movie with zero interest in being part of it. There's a cliffhanger and a continuation in the next issue that I couldn't care less about.
Don Heck's art is decent, but the action panels feel lifeless and dull.
5/10 - Learning to Fly
Just a passable origin on par with the other stories that explore the origins of the other members. The problem is that they are generic and barely add anything remarkable to the characters.
The only thing worth pointing out is the first appearance of Alex Summers. However, it is addressed as if it were nothing, quickly shifting attention to a lame villain who supposedly has a connection with him as Pharaoh's descendant.
The dialogue makes you cringe, the story lacks much sense, and everyone keeps moving and acting as if they were in a second-rate movie with zero interest in being part of it. There's a cliffhanger and a continuation in the next issue that I couldn't care less about.
Don Heck's art is decent, but the action panels feel lifeless and dull.
5/10 - Learning to Fly
Just a passable origin on par with the other stories that explore the origins of the other members. The problem is that they are generic and barely add anything remarkable to the characters.
April 1, 2019
So much simpler a time for comics, but still enjoyable!
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December 28, 2024we finally meet Alex Summers, and how warren became angel
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews