WOSM2 9

[Leoparis]

My attention was brought to this issue. I carefully read the thread and was surprised to see how off-track it went.

Paul Bourcier, Somebody, Michael, Jason Doty all identified the flashback as belonging to the early years. Even Jeph acknowledged the Silver Age look of Scott, but then derailed the discussion with this erroneous statement "but somehow the fact that it's a school for mutants is public knowledge."

The wrong name on the plaque outside the school sent the discussion much later in X-Men chronology but there was universal agreement to dismiss it.

So let's review this flashback. The flashback is drawn by a different penciler, Patrick Olliffe. And that's significant. Olliffe is the penciler of Untold Tales of Spider-Man, taking place in Silver Age continuity. He reprises this role in ASM Annual 37, just prior to WOSM2 9.

It starts with the tag "Many years ago." Scott makes introductions like he does in M3 15 (4 - 5)-FB. This is the dialogue with Mrs. Smithson,
"Professor Xavier, please, please reconsider my Tyler for the Spring term. At least for the waiting list-- I have a new IQ test--he scored eights points higher--and his Zener cards readings are up to 45%--"
"I'm sorry, Zener cards generate far too many false positives for clairvoyance and are nigh-useless to detect telepathy."
"And using Korotkov's perturbation technique, Tyler did great identifying Kirlian auras--"
"Pulsed electrical field excitation, yes. I find Korotkov's methodology faulty."

Nowhere in this conversation is it stated that Mrs. Smithson thinks her boy is a mutant. The first thing she mentions is the IQ test, which is congruent with the School for Gifted Youngsters of the Silver Age. The next things she mentions are ESP phenomena. Given Xavier's known status as a mutation specialist, all we have is a mother who wants her son to receive the specialised education she feels he deserves.

When Cyclops mentions the case in the main story, he talks about "indigo children," "The spoon-bending set believed kids with an indigo aura were the next stage of evolution." "Guess they didn't get the memo about us mutants." "One woman who really believed this stuff kept writing the professor, begging him to take her kid."

Mrs. Smithson is not a woman who thinks her son is a mutant. So the above objection is not quite valid.

How public does the school have to be for her to contact Xavier? Not much, Mrs. Henson could have heard about it through the Greys, the Worthingtons or through Fred Duncan.

In issue 14 Prof. Xavier contacts the TV network only having to give his name to get through to the director of programming. They answer, "It will be a privilege to present a scientist of your stature." He's famous in his field on his own.

On TV he's presented as an authority on education and talks about mutation. Note that Magneto, who could not find the school in issue #5 can now ambush the X-Men there in #17. Obviously this TV appearance had consequences.

You can place the flashback after this TV appearance, after #18 if you think you need the TV appearance for Mrs. Smithson to contact Pr. Xavier, or any time that would fit the Spring term reference.

[StrayLamb]

There was a lot of talk in the original topic about no one knowing that Xavier teaches mutants, and that the school couldn't be found, but as Leoparis points out, Mrs Smithson isn't advocating that her son is a mutant, just that he's somewhat gifted, and hey! the school sports a name on the gate "School for Gifted Youngsters," or "Xavier Institute for Higher Learning." It's not that hard to find. Just drive down Graymalkin Lane, and you'll see the sign at the gate. As a registered school, it's probably in the phone book. They didn't advertise it as a school for mutants, or home of the X-Men, but they did advertise it as a school for gifted youngsters. Why wouldn't Mrs Smithson try to enroll her son there?

There was a fair consensus that the sign for Xavier Institute for Higher Learning was wrong in WOSM2 9, and could be put down to an art error.

There was also an objection that at this time, the X-Men were grad students, and there wouldn't have been a Spring term, but would Mrs Smithson know that? She could be assuming there was a Spring term at the School for Gifted Youngsters.

You can place the flashback after this TV appearance, after #18 if you think you need the TV appearance for Mrs. Smithson to contact Pr. Xavier, or any time that would fit the Spring term reference.

The next location for that would probably be between X-Men 21 & 22, or between X-Men 31 & 32 for the following year.

The main advocate for a later date and current position was Jeph. Maybe he would like to review this..? If you're out there somewhere, Jeph?