Two of comics all time greatest writers had a wonderful panel. X-MEN IN THE ’70S WITH CHRIS CLAREMONT & ROY THOMAS panel was informative and amazing. I could listen to either one of these gentlemen talk for hours upon end.
This panel discussed how the X-Men evolved from the 60s through the 70s. Roy Thomas had become the editor-in-chief for Marvel Comics and helped set up the idea for the Giant Sized X-Men. Chris Claremont was a “Gofer”, aka an intern.
The X-Men were never a big time comic during the 60s and early 70s. They were way down the list of team comics below the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and the Defenders. But the changes that Roy help plan would change all of that. Roy left Marvel before the Giant Sized X-Men was written and came out.
Chris Claremont was making his voice heard and giving ideas for the X-Men before Giant Sized X-Men. He came up with the idea how to solve the problem of how to beat the sentinels. Claremont figured out how to beat the Krakoa, living island. Chris chomping at the bit to write a book and no-one wanted the job of writing X-Men.
Chris took over writing the X-Men after the Giant Sized X-Men. He discussed the process that he and artist Dave Cockrum used to create the stories post the Giant Size X-Men. They had to figure out how to narrow the number of current X-Men down since they were at 13 members. They went from a quarterly release to a monthly release so they were instantly behind schedule.
It was a wonderful panel. I love Chris and Roy and they were amazing together.
Stay Geeky!
