Classic X-Men #9-12

Reminder: The Classic X-Men backup stories were written roughly 10 years after the original stories, though take place during this time period. This means they will sometimes use characters, or set up storylines that will not take place until much later.

Another set of Classic vignettes on the way!

Classic X-Men #9, Nightcrawler Entertains Dead Boy: This occurs while they are waiting on word about Jean at the hospital. Kurt notices a boy outside so goes to entertain him and keep an eye on him. He eventually walks the boy home. He goes back to the hospital the next day only to learn the boy had died the night before. oooooh... spooooky...

Classic X-Men #10, The Bubbening: Wolverine is in the city trying to chill. He don't like it. He then starts realizing he is being stalked. Eventually, a woman he was interacting with gets killed just around the corner from him. Then, he gets attacked and dragged over the edge of a railing into the river. It was Sabretooth messing with him. This is to establish them as historic enemies, which wasn't the case back when the original 70s comics were written, but would be backstory created in the 80s.

Classic X-Men #11, Author vs Suicidal Thoughts: An author is considering committing suicide by jumping. Storm notices him and tries to talk to him. Then flies him around to try to inspire him. Then a serial killer comes out of nowhere, surprises her with a blow to the head, and the author attacks him to give Storm time enough to recover and incapacitate the man. This one really did nothing for me.

Classic X-Men #12, Magneto Trauma Parade: Magneto is in a hotel in Paris and having nightmares of his past. Of being in Auschwitz. Of surviving the end of the war, and fighting back to prevent his and a woman named Magda's lives from being taken. After the war they fall in love, get married, have a child. Some guy tries to cheat him out of money, his powers manifest and the guy pays up. He is confused how that crowbar moved by itself. Then later, he shows up home to find the inn he lives in on fire. He saves Magda, and is about to go in to save their daughter, but the police, led by the guy who tried to cheat him, show up to arrest him. He pleads with them as his daughter burns. Then he fully manifests his powers and kills them all. Magda runs away in fear. Awake now, Magneto notices that a building across the street is on fire and two humans, a mother and her daughter are caught inside. He thinks it has nothing to do with him, but then changes his mind, and saves them inside a magnetic bubble, lamenting he did not have the power to save his own child before. He then tells her to tell everyone that she was saved by Magneto, the evil mutant.

X-tra Notes: The one from Classic X-Men #12 is fantastic. It brings a lot of Magneto's pathos that he will later be instilled with to the surface. As well as his conflicting emotions. There were also some additional pages inserted into the main story of that one that reference the background he has with Xavier that will be established later.