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Remember when the X-Men visited the State Fair of Texas?

Throughout Marvel Comics' many illustrious years, its superheroes have visited (and saved) many amazing and exotic locations. Places like, you know, the State Fair of Texas.

Back in 1983, subscribers to The Dallas Times Herald got something special in their newspaper: an exclusive X-Men comic.

Uncanny X-Men at the State Fair of Texas is a short, self-contained X-Men story that is exactly as advertised: In it, the X-Men go to the State Fair. The comic begins when Professor Xavier informs several of the mutants at his school (Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus and Ariel, aka Kitty Pryde) that he has learned of a new mutant working on a ranch just outside Dallas.

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The problem? Series villain Magneto has also, somehow, found out about this mutant. So it's a race to see who will find him first amid the huge crowds at the State Fair.

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That's a problem because, even though there are seven X-Men and Professor X can read minds (and he proves, earlier in the comic, that he has no qualms about invading the privacy of others' thoughts), they simply can't locate their guy. You see, the fair is just too big to see everything in one day. That's directly from the mouth of Professor X: "It's obvious that this fair has too much to see in just one day! We'll have to return tomorrow starting at the Cotton Bowl!"

Yeah, this comic was a promotional item. What tipped you off?

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Dallas' own mutant protector

Longtime X-Men fans might look at the cover of this issue and ask, "Who's that horse guy with wings?"

That's Danny Wiley, the mutant native to Dallas who starts using the moniker Eques. This comic is his only appearance in the entire Marvel universe. (Of course, that doesn't stop him from having multiple wiki pages devoted to him.)

A copy of "The Uncanny X-Men at the State Fair of Texas. The book was inserted into the...
A copy of "The Uncanny X-Men at the State Fair of Texas. The book was inserted into the Dallas Times Herald in the early '80s.(Carly Geraci / Staff Photographer)

Professor X calls Eques a centaur, but the dude clearly has wings. While I don't know what was going through the heads of the comic's creators, I like to think that Eques' appearance is a nod to Dallas' obsession with Pegasus.

At the end of the comic (spoilers), Professor X offers Daniel a spot on the X-Men team. But Daniel refuses.

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"It would be an honor to join the X-Men," he says, "but your life seems too wild — I prefer to stay in Dallas — in peace — with my horses."

Professor X replies, "We understand and we gladly accept your invitation to see more of this wonderful State Fair!"

Seriously. That's one less hero available to fight the forces of evil, but Xavier is still stoked because, hey, corny dogs.

Big Tex literally kicks butt

"Wonder if ol' Big Tex knows where our brother mutant is hiding?" asks Wolverine at one point, as any gruff mutant from Canada would say casually.

During a hectic fight sequence, Magneto is defeated when the giant boot of Big Tex swings in from off-panel and kicks the super villain from behind. The X-Men initially assume that Storm did this with her powers, but a not-at-all-subtle wink from the big man himself in the final panel implies that, a la Toy Story, this cowboy is alive.

Spider-Man is a shill

Flip through this special issue of X-Men and you'll notice something else: Spider-Man will be a spokesman for anything and everything. Want to get a "Super Spider Man Saving!" on a 25" RCA color TV with SignaLock electronic tuning? It can be yours for a mere $498 at Bee Appliances.

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Need new boots? Don't worry! "Don Morgan & Spiderman want to share the incredible savings with you!" says an ad that features an, um, awkward situation between Spidey and a boot-wearing cowboy. Are they swinging together? Is Spider-Man holding the cowboy up by his belt?  With the way the cowboy is holding onto Spidey's chest, and how Spidey is gazing back at him, this feels like a moment on which we shouldn't intrude.

The Morgan Boots ad
The Morgan Boots ad(Carly Geraci / Staff Photographer)

Are the X-Men Longhorns or Sooners?

On their second day at the fair, the X-Men spend time at the Cotton Bowl. It's clearly the Red River Showdown day, because one random guy in the crowd waving an OU flag says to his friend, "Whooee! If that's what Texas has playing for them — we're doomed!"

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In the back of Uncanny X-Men at the State Fair of Texas, there is a note from Tom McCartin, who was then the publisher of The Dallas Times Herald: "Today's story, of our Marvel Comic book heroes at the State Fair of Dallas, will give you an idea of the kind of action-packed adventures you can expect in the comic books yet to come in 1983. ... And remember, the only place to find these one of a kind collector's item comic books is right here in the Dallas Times Herald."

It was an interesting play, made when a newspaper deal with Marvel was much more affordable than a deal with the juggernaut of pop culture would be today. Honestly, now it's hard to imagine any local newspaper being able to afford Moon Knight, much less Spider-Man.

But at least we have history. This wasn't the only superhero comic to take place in Dallas, but the image of Cyclops and Storm in front of Big Tex is iconic and well worth remembering.

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Guide Editor Sara Frederick Burgos contributed her copy of  The Uncanny X-Men at the State Fair of Texas to this story.