PROFESSOR CHARLES XYLOPHONE

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Real Name: Charles Xylophone

Identity/Class: Extradimensional/alternate reality (Earth-88131) extraterrestrial (Melmacian) Melmutant (see comments)

Occupation: School principal, mentor

Group Membership: Uncanned X-Melmen (Brogue, Dark Kleenex (formerly Marble-Cake Girl), Häagen-Dazzler, Michigan Wolverine, Molossus, Nightcaller, Psych-Major) (all Earth-88131)

Affiliations: Gordon Shumway (Fantastic Fur, later ALF) (Earth-88131)

Enemies: Emma DeFrost, Juggernougat, Magmeato, Sentimel (all Earth-88131)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Professor X

Base of Operations: Melaware, planet Melmac (Earth-88131)

First Appearance: ALF#22/1 (mid-November, 1989)

Powers/Abilities: The elderly Charles Xylophone is a powerful melepath (telepath) and can read other people's minds. He has an obsession with his personal xylophone, which he keeps with him at all times, sometimes banging it loudly to gain attention. He is confined to a self-propelled wheelchair. He has the usual physical attributes of a Melmac native (compared to humans), with heightened immunity, extended lifespan (set at 650 years) and a large appetite open to many forms of food (including cats).

Height: 4' (approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Black
Hair: Bald head, ginger fur

History:

(ALF#22/1 (fb) - BTS) - Professor Charles Xylophone established the Professor Charles Xylophone's School for Gifted Melmutants as a cover for the X-Melmen team of super-powered Melmacian melmutants.

(ALF Special#2/5 (fb)) - One of Prof. Xylophone's original group of X-Melmen was Marble-Cake Girl, who grew close to teammate Psych Major. Hurled into space, Marble-Cake Girl was transformed into the cosmic Dark Kleenex.

(ALF#22/1 (fb)) - On Melmac, after being attacked by the nefarious Magmeato, orbit guardsman Gordon Shumway (later known as ALF) crash-landed at Prof. Charles Xylophone's School for Gifted Melmutants. Prof. Xylophone introduced Shumway to the Uncanned X-Melmen (Brogue, Häagen-Dazzler, Michigan Wolverine, Molossus and Psych-Major). Staying back at the school, Prof. Xylophone had Shumway guide to Magmeato and they successfully defeated the megalomaniac.

(ALF Special#2/5 (fb)) - Despite Michigan Wolverine's protestations at Prof. Xylophone's guard duty schedule, Prof. X left with Brogue, Häagen-Dazzler and Molossus to watch the public fireworks celebrating Eat Something Blue Day. However, they were all captured alongside runaway Michigan Wolverine by a giant Sentimel robot designed by the government to hunt Melmutants. The formerly missing Dark Kleenex appeared just as Psych-Major and Shumway arrived on the scene and blasted the robot away. The X-Melmen recovered and Prof. Xylophone claimed he had telepathically instructed Shumway how to overpower the Sentimel, but the X-Melmen just humored him. Shumway departed and the X-Melmen soon started infighting again, much to Prof. Xylophone's anger.

(ALF 44 (fb)) - Prof. Xylophone announced to the team that Häagen-Dazzler had left the X-Melmen and new member Nightcaller joined. Prof. X allowed Nightcaller to use his xylophone to smack Michigan Wolverine over the head to end the ruffian's continued belligerence. Prof. X then sent the X-Melmen on a space mission, but their home planet later exploded in a separate incident, leaving the space-bound X-Melmen as some of the very few surviving Melmacians.

   Later, back on Earth, Shumway played with his Melmutant action figures, confident the real Melmutants were still alive due to their uncanny ability to survive.

Comments: Created by Michael Gallagher, Dave Manak, Marie Severin.

I ASSume that a Melmutant is simply a mutant on the planet Melmac.

If (and when) ALF returns, could Prof. Xylophone meet the New Melmutants, his former students, who, in turn, have become mentors to the next generation of melmutants as the Teenage Mutant Picnic Tutors? Meeting Cannonrumballs? Sunday Spot? CAPSLock and Spyder? Dani Mooncake? And what about future warrior Cable TeeVee and Domino Melpizzas, who'll surely upset the applecart?

Prof. Charles Xylophone is a clear parody of Prof. Charles Xavier, principal and mentor of Earth's mutant X-Men.

Further details on the Melmacian alien species (according to the ALF television show) can be found on a Melmac fansite. No problem!

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Prof. Charles Xylophone has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
ALF#22/1, p5, pan1 (main image)
ALF Holiday Special#2/5, p2, pan3 (headshot)
ALF#44, p, pan (beating his xylophone)

Appearances:
ALF#22/1 (mid-November, 1989) - Michael Gallagher (writer), Dave Manak (pencils), Marie Severin (inks), Sid Jacobson (editor)
ALF Holiday Special#2/5 (Winter, 1990) - Michael Gallagher (writer), Dave Manak (pencils), Marie Severin (inks), Sid Jacobson (editor)
ALF#44 (August, 1991) - Michael Gallagher (writer), Dave Manak (pencils), Marie Severin, Michael James & Ruth Leon (inks), Fabian Nicieza (editor)

First posted: 11/29/2022
Last updated: 11/29/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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