Print-N-Pixel: X-Men the Arcade Game – Part 2

Is the pixelated and physic defying world of video games a perfect playground for the over-the-top characters found in comic books? There is only one way to find out:

What is Print-N-Pixel?

Print-N-Pixel is an in depth Group look at Comic Books In Video Games. Print-N-Pixel is more than just playing comic book related video games, its also a “book club,” a month long comic book club.

Even if you don’t play video games and you only read comic, or vise versa, stick around and participate in the discussion of either the game or the comics. And if you missed the introduction to Print-N-Pixel you can find it here.

Part 2: Recommended Reading

The last installment of Print-N-Pixel introduced X-Men the Arcade Game as the featured game and recommended a couple comics to read. This week we will be looking at the characters featured in both the game and the comics. We will also take an look at, and hopefully discuss, my favorite X-Men vs Magneto story that was featured in the “Recommended Reading” last week: Uncanny X-Men #112 and #113.

For more about the history and how to play the game check out the first installment of “Print-N-Pixel: X-Men the Arcade Game Part 1.”

Characters and Setting

Characters and settings in the Game:

Good Guys: Cyclops, Colossus, Dazzler, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Wolverine are all playable with Professor X, Lockheed the dragon, and Kitty Pryde.
Bad Guys: The Blob, Emma Frost, Juggernaut, Magneto, Mystique, Nimrod, hundreds of Sentinels, and Wendigo.

Characters and settings in the Comic:

Good Guys: Banshee, The Beast, Cyclops, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Wolverine are all featured in the comic with Professor X and Lilandra making a brief appearance.
Bad Guys: Magneto and his loyal robot Nanny

Recommended Reading: Uncanny X-Men #112 & #113

When I first started to really get into comics in the early 90′s I loved the old 80′s Marvel books because each comic had it’s own self contained story and it’s outcome directly tied into the next issue. Because of that I wanted to hunt down every comic that came before and/or after the book I just read. That connection between issues is how I came across my favorite “vs Magento” story in X-Men #112 and #113 after reading issue #114.

The story begins with the X-Men flying through the upper part of the atmosphere in a circus wagon as prisoners of Magneto. Before being captured by Magneto, the X-Men were captives of the Mesmero and his circus (Uncanny X-Men #111). Magneto did not like the idea that someone other than him might kill the X-Men. Believing that he had earned the “right to destroy” his oldest foes, the Master of Magnetism recaptured the mutant heroes from Mesmero.

Using the his magnetic power Magneto whisks the circus wagon from Texas to one of his bases of operation in Antarctica. Antarctica is a deadly place and perfect for an evil villain’s lair, but not deadly enough for Magneto. Instead he built his base inside a volcano buried deep within the arctic ice. Once safely in the Magneto’s base, the X-Men attack their arch enemy one-by-one in hopes of escaping. Cyclops attacks first, but is no match for Magneto alone. Colossus, Beast, Storm, Nightcrawler, Banshee, Cyclops again, Phoenix, and Wolverine each attack in that order and are easily swatted away by Magneto.

Successfully beating his “deadliest foes” without killing them, Magneto imprisons the X-men once again. Instead of prison cells, each X-Man is strapped to a chair that is directly connected to the hero’s central nervous system. The last time that Magneto was defeated by Professor X, he was imprisoned within his own mind by the professor’s powerful telepathy. Magneto explained his imprisonment as being “reduced to infancy” with no power or ability to move, yet he was able to remember who and what he had been before being captured. While imprisoned in his own mind Magneto wanted nothing more than vengeance, and that is exactly what he hopes to accomplish by imprisoning the X-Men in chairs that scrambles their every thought.

With the X-Men imprisoned and unable to do anything but think, Magneto leaves the heroes in the care of his robot servant Nanny. While Magneto is off planet working in his main lair, Asteroid M, Storm starts to break free of the prison’s power and regain control of her movement. Storm who was orphaned while still an infant was also trained to be a master thief while still an infant, something Magneto should have taken into account before mentally reducing her to an “infant” state. Storm, relying on her skills as a young thief, manages to free herself from her restraints.

An alarm sounds on “Asteroid M” indicating a problem at volcano base, overconfidently Magneto dismisses this as an equipment malfunction and returns to the under arctic volcano. As soon as the villain arrives, the X-Men launch an unified attack on Magneto that sends him flying into the bases’ main control panel. As the X-Men are about to claim victory over their enemy the base begins to crumble. With the main computer destroyed in battle, all of the base’s systems begin to malfunction, including those that protect it from the magma surrounding it. With the X-Men focused on surviving the cave-in, Magneto escapes as his volcanic base collapses and is consumed by molten rock. The story ends with Phoenix saving herself and the Beast, and it is not until the next issue that the rest of the X-Men dig themselves out of the rubble.

To me this is the ultimate X-Men vs Magneto story. It’s a story where the heroes are on the ropes about to lose to a seemingly more powerful villain. It’s a story where the heroes never give up and work together as a team to ultimately win in the end. And, it’s a story where the villain escapes to fight another day leaving the reader hoping for another awesome story. This method of storytelling is what made movies like Rocky and the Karate Kid awesome, and like those movies these two comics are one of my all time favorites.

What is your favorite X-Men vs Magneto story? Share it in the forums.

This week’s SpaceBooger Achievements

SpaceBooger Achievements are earned by playing the featured game, and also for comic book related tasks such as reading and obtaining recommended comics. SpaceBooger Achievements can be earned for any game or comic at any time, but I encourage all participants to attempt to earn the achievements when they are posted.

This week’s SpaceBooger Achievements are:

“Recommendation”

Suggest other comics that may be relevant to enjoying this feature. (Medium)