ICEMAN : The Coolest X-Man

"Oh... sorry! Was that cold? Just be glad it wasn't Wolverine giving you the wake-up call!" --ICEMAN
With the X-Men First Class movie looming in the horizon, we need to educate the non-comicbook readers who were part of the real X-Men First Class… before its too late.




Who is ICEMAN?
ICEMAN is Bobby Drake, a mutant who is able to transform his body into ice. With his power he can create his ice slides, shields, spikes, and also freeze others. He is one of the original X-MEN.

ICEMAN is a Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. He was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, (September 1963).A mutant, ICEMAN has the ability of cryokinesis where he can freeze anything around him and can also turn his body into ice. Although he is an Omega-level mutant, Drake has yet to tap his full mutant potential.



CHANGING LOOKS
X-Men First Class
ICEMAN was given a training uniform by Prof. X. It is a modified version of the X-Men's first costumes to suit ICEMAN's special abilities. He initially covered himself in snow, and his outfit was a yellow shorts and a pair of boots, though they sometimes, like the pants, were iced over.

ANGEL : High Flying X-MAN

"I bet I'm the first ANGEL who had to break into heaven!" --ANGEL
With the X-Men First Class movie looming in the horizon, we need to educate the non-comicbook reader who were part of the real X-Men First Class… before its too late.




Who is ANGEL?
ANGEL is Warren Worthington III, a wealthy individual gifted with the ability of flight due to his mutation of large bird-like wings. But his ANGELic look hides a dark side when he was experimented upon by an evil mutant and turned him into a lethal ANGEL of Death.

ANGEL is one of the original members of the X-Men. He was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-creator Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men (vol. 1) #1 (September 1963). A mutant, ANGEL originally possesses a pair of large feathered wings extending from his back, enabling him to fly. He is the heir and CEO of the multi-billion dollar Worthington Industries. This privileged background results in Warren being stereotyped as an arrogant and self-absorbed playboy during his early years with the X-Men. This personality was ultimately replaced with a more introspective and brooding personality in the late 1980s, when the character was revamped into the more grim and gritty "ArchANGEL" persona.



CHANGING LOOKS
X-Men First Class
ANGEL first appeared wearing a standard training uniform by Professor Charles Xavier.

MYSTIQUE : The Shape-Shifting Enigma

"Who am I? That, my dear, is an excellent question. Though not one easily answered." --MYSTIQUE
X-Men First Class spotlight: We'll take a look on the may faces of the CBM character MYSTIQUE.




Who is MYSTIQUE?
MYSTIQUE is Raven Darkhölme, but as a shape-shifter she has several other identities. MYSTIQUE, throughout her history has been fighting in both side of the fence, once as a member of the evil Brotherhood and at times with the X-Men. Whatever are her motivations and actions it is occasionally shrouded in mystery.

MYSTIQUE is a Marvel Comics' character created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, she first appeared in Ms. Marvel #16. Despite MYSTIQUE's history of crime, she works with the X-Men's Professor X, in a short-lived series. She is later voted straight into the X-Men.



CHANGING LOOKS
First Appearance
MYSTIQUE powers allows her to assume many forms but she does have a default form of blue skin, red hair and yellow eyes, and in this form she usually wears a uniform. The first time we meet MYSTIQUE in her true form she wore a white bodysuit and long skirt slit to the waist on each side, held by straps on each side, which made it unclear whether one saw skin at the sides or a blue-black bodysuit underneath. The skull belt was not only decoration. Actually, the skulls were small weapons or other devices which MYSTIQUE could shift back to their proper form whenever she wished to use them.

HAVOK : The Mutant X

"this is what I have been most afraid of, ever since I first manifested my powers -- using it to kill." --HAVOK
Another X-Men First Class spotlight, now we will focus on the CBM character HAVOK.




Who is HAVOK?
HAVOK is Alex Summers, usually known as Cyclops' younger brother, but HAVOK is turning out to be his own man, and moving farther away from his brother's shadow. He is a capable leader with powerful plasma blasts that when used, appropriates the name he bears.

HAVOK is a mutant superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe. He first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #54 (March 1969), and was created by Arnold Drake, Don Heck and Neal Adams.HAVOK creates powerful “plasma blasts”, an ability he has had difficulty controlling. He is the son of Corsair, the younger brother of the X-Men’s Cyclops and older brother of Vulcan. He often resents Cyclops’ authoritative attitude and reputation as a model X-Man.In contrast, HAVOK and his longtime love interest Polaris have had a love/hate relationship with the team, often finding themselves roped into it.



CHANGING LOOKS
First Appearance
HAVOK's first costume was created by the man who made the sentinels, Larry Trask. The strange headgear with a special gemstone in its center and special circuits in the costume limited his energy powers to a controllable degree. The pulsating circles on the chest indicate the amount of cosmic energies HAVOK has stored. Although Alex later learned to control his plasma blasts, he continued to wear this outfit for a very long time.

BANSHEE : The Sonic Screamer

"The BANSHEE is a tough son o' the auld sod and me jaw's had enough time to recover! I'm ready for ye again!" --BANSHEE
With X-Men First Class looming in the horizon it would be nice to spotlight characters on that movie. So, let us know more about the CBM character BANSHEE.




Who is BANSHEE?
BANSHEE is Sean Cassidy, an Irish mutant possessing a "sonic scream," capable of harming enemies’ auditory systems and causing physical vibrations. He is named after the BANSHEE, a legendary ghost from Irish mythology, said to possess a powerful cry. BANSHEE was a former Interpol agent and NYPD officer, an X-Men and mentor of the team Generation X.

BANSHEE is a Marvel Comics superhero created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Werner Roth, BANSHEE first appeared in X-Men #28 (January 1967).

CHANGING LOOKS
First Appearance
BANSHEE's first appearance he acted as an adversary to the X-Men under coercion, but soon he befriended the team. BANSHEE's first costume was a green suit with a yellow triangle in front that became a high collar in the back. He wore matching tight yellow gloves and boots. Distinct to his costume was the black and yellow winglike stripes, connecting the arms to his hips, which made it easier for him to fly. While serving in Factor Three (a villainous group), he was outfitted with a headband that allowed the group to influence him, this was lined with explosives to prevent him from tampering with it.