A great page from one of the best of the early X-MEN issue, layouts by Jack Kirby, pencils by Werner Roth and inks by Dick Ayers.

Lots of Kirby border notes still visible on this one:

HAND SHOOTS OUT OF DARKNESS AND NAILS CYCLOPS.(KEEP FIGURES ALMOST SILHOUETTE WITH DRAMATIC HIGHLIGHTS)

CYCLOPS REACTS—SHOOTS FORCE RAY FROM WHERE BLOW CAME—BUT HITS NOTHING

HAND SHOOTS OUT FROM BEHIND CYCLOPS AND BELTS HIM GOOD

CYCLOPS IS DOWN. HE TRIES TO SHAKE OFF BLOW. HE LISTENS FOR ADVERSARY BUT CAN’T HEAR HIM. IT’S AS IF HE VANISHED.

CYCLOPS BLASTS RAY IN ALL DIRECTIONS

CYCLOPS LISTENS. HE MADE ALL ROUND SWEEP OF THE ROOM. IF HE HIT ANYONE HE DIDN’T HEAR HIM FALL.

CYCLOPS TRIES TO GET

HAND COMES OUT OF

And Stan has notes for production man Sol Brodsky:

SOL—COULD ARM BE MORE VAGUE?

SOL—MORE VAGUE?