In 1981, I bought my first comic book. It was Uncanny X-Men #141 printed by the Marvel Comics Group. On the cover stood two figures lit by a searchlight in a dirty alleyway. The person in the foreground looked like a mean son of a gun. His face was set in a hateful grimace as he stood poised to attack with a set of razor-sharp, steel claws. Behind him cowered the brown-haired woman he was defending. On the wall behind them was a poster picturing mugshots of various super heroes. They were tagged "apprehended" or "slain". It was my introduction to Kitty Pryde and the awesome Wolverine.
The issue drawn by Canadian John Byrne and written by Byrne and writing partner Chris Claremont was called "Days Of Future Past", a pivotal storyline in X-Men lore. Its impact would be felt for years to come. The storyline gave the X-Men super hero team a peak into an unmerciful future that might or might not come to pass. Fearful of those with super powers, humans have brought about another holocaust turning New York City into an concentration camp guarded by killer Sentinel robots. There, mutants are registered and imprisoned. An avid reader at age 11, I was taken aback at the maturity of the story being told. This wasn't some kiddish Superman or Super Friends romp found on Saturday morning television. This was serious business. Racism, fascism, love, death and the strength of the human spirit, all in one 30 page book! What more could you ask for?
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