A Grotesk Marvel: Part 3

Finally, the third installment in the Grotesk blogging journey is here (see parts one and two). Following on from the last post, the final chapter of this particular story unfolds in X-Men #42 (1963). Quite a famous issue, this one.



I should have mentioned the names of the authors and artists previously. Crucial information! My excuse is that I got carried away with all the grotesqueness.



I love Stan. Especially his interjections about things that happened "last ish!" (Meaning: in a previous issue/series.)

The story resumes with more biffo between Grotesk and the X-Men.




Grotesk goes through a variety of hairstyles in this issue. I call this one the 'Carol Brady.'



Meanwhile, mutant patriarch Professor X is acting strangely. After sending Cyclops and Beast to wrangle with Grotesk, he forbids any of the others from helping and retreats into his study.



It makes no sense. Things get messy as poor faithful Jean Grey is left to hold off the angry hoards.



Meanwhile, Grotesk has a helpful vision.



After unleashing a mysterious gas to befuddle his attackers...



Grotesk hurries off to the nuclear plant to destroy the world.



It is interesting to note how often Grotesk makes reference to his name and its origins. He is constantly mulling over his grotesqueness when alone, and announcing it when encountering others. 'Grotesk' does double duty as name and adjective - a fact that understandably plays on the antagonist's mind.



In a face-off with the nuclear technician, Grotesk discovers a shocking truth.



Thus unmasked, Professor X sends a mental call for help and everyone boofs and paffs each other again. Then one hearty fool makes a terrible mistake:



NEVER. TOUCH. THE HAIR.


Enraged beyond reason, Grotesk applies his limited technical skills to the nuclear device, with explosive results.





Is this the end of Grotesk? The X-Men certainly believe so. Strangely unaffected by the (nuclear?) explosion, they are quick to forget our gross friend.



Not so for Professor X, who has been the recipient of one too many biffs from Grotesk. He dedicates his final words to explaining his killer's motives. Which is odd, because this backstory has been repeated many times before.



Honestly, I'm surprised that Grotesk is not a more well-known character given his influential role in such a famous event. The Marvel comics time-line wouldn't be the same without him. Of course (spoiler) Professor X isn't actually dead. But he could have been, and that was a big deal in 1963.

As it turns out (spoiler again), Grotesk isn't dead either. He returns to battle Ms Marvel in 1977. I have those comics, obviously, so you will be seeing him again soon.

A Grotesk Marvel: Part 2

Picking straight up where part 1 left off... The next portion of the story features more flagrant untruths as the X-Men continue to deceive their lady friends.



More importantly, Grotesk retreats into underground tunnels to mull over his new and lost identities.





Who was Grotesk before he was grotesque? Luckily his memory comes back quickly in the form of a flashback. Cutting a short story shorter: Grotesk used to be Prince Gor-Tok of the Gor-Tokians, a civilisation living beneath the surface of the earth.



Despite their obvious architectural talents, the Gor-Tokians were prone to warring with each other. Just as it seemed Prince Gor-Tok had sorted everybody out, nuclear testing caused the caverns to explode and pretty much ruined everything. It also mutated the prince, who is the last of his group left alive.



I'm going to pause here and pick out a few interesting points.

First, the fact that Grotesk lives in underground caverns is significant. The word 'grotesque' evolved from the Italian grotta or 'grotto,' meaning cave. Grotesque is the modern version of 'grotto-esque' - from the cave. The fact that the writers chose to name a subterranean character grotesque/Grotesk suggests that they were aware of the term's etymological origins.



It is also interesting that the writers continually reinforce the sub-human nature of the grotesque character. The grotesque is not just unusual or disgusting, it is less than human. In this context, being subterranean is equated with being sub-human: below the ground, below the species. This interpretation segues with historical ideas about 'primitive' cultures, and reminds me of Leonard Cassuto's discussion of the racial grotesque. However, unlike other racial grotesques, Grotesk is consistently depicted as pale skinned. Still, many of his other attributes could be argued to resemble the stereotype of the 'wild man' or 'primitive.'

Anyways, back to the story.



Professor X is clearly up to something, but none of it makes sense until the next issue, so I'm going to ignore it for now.

Having remembered the whys and hows of his primal rage, Grotesk heads off to the nearest nuclear facility to bully some nerds and maybe steal a nuke.



Thus engaged, he is interrupted by more dweebs.



Will the puny surface-dwelling worms save the world from grotesqueness? Or will our hero prevail?

You will have to wait and see.




'The Death of Professor X' is quite a famous issue, so beware of copious spoilers in my next few posts if you were planning on reading it. Where Grotesk goes, I must follow!

To be continued... again...

A Grotesk Marvel: Part 1

As promised in my last post, the blogging odyssey begins with the very first comic starring Marvel's Grotesk.


Uncanny X-Men #41, published in 1963, features Grotesk as a new adversary for the X-Men crew.





They are definitely going for the 'wild-man' look with this cover, which is strange considering Grotesk's relatively civilised back-story. But I'm getting ahead of myself.



The story begins with a giant, as-yet unnamed 'sub-human' erupting into a subway tunnel in front of a train. The drivers exclaim with excitement (spelling out their every observation and sensation, as comics characters in the 60s were wont to do).





Who should happen to be riding in that same train? Why, Beast and Iceman from the X-Men, of course!



After ditching their non-super girlfriends with an excuse about finding matches or something, the two dudes transform into their mutated alter egos and engage the antagonist in spirited discussion.







I gently draw your attention to the last panel, where the first overt discussion of grotesqueness takes place.



Here 'grotesque' is used to indicate something unpleasant to look at. The 'sub-human' adopts the description willingly, as a replacement for a lost identity.

It is odd that the spelling is changed, and 'grotesque' turns into 'Grotesk.' Especially as this distinction is speech-bubble relevant only. Both words sound the same, so this transition is presumably significant to/aimed at readers only...

Having accepted the mantle of grotesqueness, our (anti)hero makes sure everyone knows it.






And Grotesk slips away into the darkness, leaving only the echo of his "loud booming voice."

Where did he come from? Where is he going? What's with that outfit? Stay tuned to find out more.

To be continued...

Grotesquing the Stone

I am writing mostly to myself, but just in case anybody else pops by: welcome to Groteskology.

Whatever the grotesque means to you, to me it is the topic of my PhD thesis and thus intricately complicated and endlessly fascinating.

It is also fascinating to you, even though you may not know it. You discuss it almost every day, each time your pet eats some other creature's poo and you say "ew gross."

(Please note, this does not apply to mentions of 'gross income' - that is a different kind of gross, unless you find your income really disgusting: in which case I can do nothing for you.)

Every time you hold forth upon that "grotty guy with the BO" who sat behind you on the bus... you're talking about the grotesque. So this blog is about something we all love but rarely critique.

The ancient stone carving above right is called a grotesque. The beastly dude on the left is (blog namesake) Grotesk from Marvel comics circa 1968. Clearly there has been some water under the bridge.