Issue(s): Uncanny X-Men #29
Cover Date: Feb 67
Title: "When titans clash!"
Credits:
Roy Thomas - Writer
Werner Roth - Penciler
John Tartaglione - Inker

Review/plot:
The Fantastic Four have Super-Skrull, the Avengers have Super-Adaptoid, and the X-Men have Mimic. In this issue, Roy Thomas gets the fun idea of having two of these guys fight each other. The Mimic is nominally a good guy now and a member of the team now, so all that's needed is bringing in one of the other two. However, revealing that the Super-Adaptoid has set up a secret lair in an abandoned Revolutionary War era tunnel on the grounds of Xavier's school (or at least within walking distance) is a pretty contrived way of doing so.

Ah well, we still get our fight.

You'd think the X-Men and Mimic would have the edge here, since one of the four Avengers that the Adaptoid has duplicated powers from is Hawkeye, and he doesn't even have the bow anymore (and kudos to Thomas for keeping track of the fact that the bow was destroyed; it would be entirely forgivable for the robot to have forged a new bow and not even mentioned it)...

...but in fact the Adaptoid seems like more than a match for the X-Men.

Mimic is unable to replicate the Adaptoid's powers and vice versa. But Mimic is able to use Professor X's powers to mind-control the Adaptoid into trying, and that's what zaps him and forces him to lose all of his Avengers powers, ending the fight.

I'm always surprised when Xavier's powers work on robots.

A lot of time is wasted in this story with Mimic being a jerk.

The end of issue #27 established that the Mimic feels like he doesn't have his own identity, which is a fine theme (although the fact that Mimic was able to use the Banshee's powers against him in the following issue was pretty cool; basically any bad guy the X-Men face can't be that bad of a threat because Mimic will be able to use the same powers. That's pretty badass, dude!), but instead of actually developing that here, Thomas just has him acting like an idiot.

Xavier even kicks him off the team (but he comes back in time for the fight).

Even when the Adaptoid shows up, the Mimic debates teaming-up with him instead of fighting him.

Actually, that's a weird point. The Adaptoid can apparently turn anyone into Adaptoids like him. He originally intends to do so to the other X-Men. But when he finds out that they're not interested in becoming Adaptoids, he abandons the idea. He can apparently only do so to willing subjects. But when the Mimic volunteers, he changes his mind when he learns that he'll become the Super-Adaptoid's mindless slave. Who would willingly agree to become a mindless slave? AIM programmed the Adaptoid wrong here.

Mimic also loses his powers in the same zap that defeated the Super-Adaptoid. The Adaptoid lands in water and escapes.

Mimic, however, supposedly learns to stop being a jerk. Although who cares now that you're powerless?

The issue opens with a downtime scene of the X-Men ice skating. Jean is wearing the shortest skirt this side of the Spider Queen's.

We continue to be teased about whatever is behind Xavier's locked door.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - Mimic loses his powers

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• In Uncanny X-Men #26, Cyclops accidentally zapped Angel. Cyclops worries that he did so because he is subconsciously jealous of Angel, so he tries to test his control of his eyebeams in this issue. The test is a failure, but that's what alerts the Super-Adaptoid to the X-Men's presence.
  
• The Super-Adaptoid believes that it killed Captain America in Tales of Suspense #84 but the X-Men tell him that's not true. The Adaptoid also believes that his creators, AIM, are no longer in existence.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men vol. 3

I think the idea is supposed to be that the Super-Adaptoid needs the person's consent to change them into an adaptoid but he can "forget" to mention the part about them becoming mindless slaves.
Xavier's powers working on robots makes sense when the robot has some degree of sentience (Super-Adaptoid, Nimrod, etc.) but it makes no sense when the robot is just basically following orders like the Sentinel in X-Men 98.

interesting dialogue from the Super Adaptoid on the splash page, very Silver Surfer-ish. wonder where they were going with that characterization?

I really liked this story. I like Thomas' attention to detail and the concept of the fight. I like your reference to Super Skrull and having him fight either of these antagonists or both would be very cool. I also liked the gag that Iceman could skate on his ice covered bare feet but not on ice skates.

I don't mind Xavier disabling Sentinels and the like with mental bolts; I figure that organic brains and robot ones both function with electrical impulses, so why shouldn't it work? I'd probably not have him doing anything more sophisticated than that, though.