A while back, we here at ComicsXF were pondering the origin and frequency of ZARK, give or take a few Z’s, as a, or perhaps the, sound effect for Cyclops’ optic beams.
Surely, ZARK must be up there in terms of mighty Marvel sound effects, along with THWIP, SNIKT and BAMF, right?
In fact, what’s wild is that for the first 21 issues of X-Men Vol. 1, Scott Summers’ optic blasts make no sound at all. It’s not until issue #22, in 1966, that you get a ZAP!, a logical sound effect for what is basically an eyeball laser.
(Yes, yes, it’s more complicated than that; let’s not make this a Gail Simone X thread.)
What follows is an issue-by-issue guide to every sound Cyclops’ optic blasts make from X-Men Vol. 1 #22 to 1986’s Uncanny X-Men #201, the issue where he leaves the team “for good” after losing a fight for leadership with Storm. This accounting does not include annuals or appearances in other comics because, quite frankly, we have lives.
See another sound effect you think would be a better fit for optic blasts? Let us know about it on the socials!
X-Men #22 – ZAP!
X-Men #25 – ZZIT! Zap!
X-Men #26 – KZAP! ZAK!
X-Men #27 – ZOT!
X-Men #29 – ZAK!
X-Men #30 – ZAP
X-Men #31 – TZAT
X-Men #32 – ZAP
X-Men #33 – ZAP
X-Men #36 – ZZZAT
X-Men #37 – SZASK, ZAKT, FRAP
X-Men #38 – ZZAAP, ZAPT
X-Men #39 – FRAP, ZWAK, WOK, ZIK
X-Men #40 – ZAK, BWAK, ZOT, SPTAK
X-Men #41 – ZZZZZ, ZTOK, ZAK, BRAK
X-Men #42 – ZZZZZZ, ZAK, THAP, ZOT,
X-Men #43 – PZAKK, BRAK, KWAAK,
X-Men #45 – ZAP, ZAK, ZAPT
X-Men #46 – ZAPT
X-Men #48 – ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZHAM, ZAMMM
X-Men #51 – CRZZZZ
X-Men #56 – BRRRZZZZZ
X-Men #57 – VRAAP
X-Men #59 – VRAAK, SZRAK
X-Men #61 – KZAK
X-Men #62 – SZZRAK
X-Men #63 – BKAK, SZZRAAK, BRAK
X-Men #64 – FTAKK
X-Men #66 – ZZRAAP, SZZRAAT, SZZAPP, PKTOW
And then for a while, nothing happened (because X-Men was in reprints), but the sound effect variation continues with the advent of the All-New, All-Different team in the 1970s.
X-Men #95 – ZZRRAAP
X-Men #96 – ZZZRRRAAAMM, ZZRRAAUU
X-Men #104 – ZZAKT
X-Men #105 – ZZRAK
X-Men #106 – TZISTT, ZKOW
X-Men #107 – SHZAK, ZAP
X-Men #108 – FZAK, FRAK
X-Men #112 – ZKOW
X-Men #115 – ZRAAP, SHZRAK
X-Men #116 – ZZRAK, ZRAAP
X-Men #119 – SHKOW
Finally, like a bolt out of the blue (or red, I guess), paydirt.
X-Men #121 – ZARK (and SKAKOW, ZRAAP)
On the splash page of X-Men #121 by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Terry Austin, Glynis Wein and Diana Albers, Cyclops fires off a jagged ZARK as his optic beams knock down the gates of the Calgary Stampede in a bid to hunt down Alpha Flight, with whom the X-Men were in the middle of a two-issue fight.
But let’s keep going and see how many more ZARKs we get.
X-Men #123 – ZRRAK
X-Men #124 – ZARP, ZAP, ZOOP, ZORP, ZRAP, ZACK, ZRAM, ZKOW
X-Men #127 – ZAKOW
X-Men #134 – SPDOW, SKRAM
And then, in one of the most pivotal issues in X-Men history:
X-Men #137 – ZARK!
As Scott and Jean make their final stand against the Shi’ar Imperial Guard in the climactic scene of “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” Cyclops lets loose a ZARK! on the Guard members Smasher, Oracle and Starbolt.
Then, in X-Men #138, Scott leaves the team but not the book, as he ends up sailing the seas and having sexytime adventures with Lee Forrester, only to be interrupted by the occasional Brood saga.
Uncanny X-Men #145 – ZKOW
Uncanny X-Men #150 – ZAP!
Uncanny X-Men #154 – ZARK (also ZAP!) — This one comes as Scott is reunited with his father, Corsair, who crashes to Earth on the run from Sidri hunters.
Uncanny X-Men #156 – ZRAK!
Uncanny X-Men #170 – ZAP!
Uncanny X-Men #175 – ZAP!, SKRAM!
Uncanny X-Men #176 – SKROW!
Uncanny X-Men #177 – ZAP (an Arcade robot, but still)
Uncanny X-Men #199 – ZAP, ZORK, BYEOW, KTAK, ZIP, ZARK — that’s all in one panel, btw, a classic establishing-scene Danger Room sequence. I like ZORK as the What The? equivalent of ZARK.
Uncanny X-Men #201 – ZARK (a big, beautiful, SFX-letters-inside-the-optic-beam ZARK, at that), ZOT!, SPZAK!, ZPAM! — This is the big fight-for-leadership issue between Storm and Cyclops. It’s also where Cyclops loses and leaves the book, for real this time, not the flitting in and out he’s been doing since the end of “Dark Phoenix.” After this, he moves on to X-Factor, so it’s where we’ll leave our little accounting practice.
For now — maybe we’ll come back to it if the obsession strikes, and we’ll study every optic blast SFX from X-Factor Vol. 1 #1-70. Shoot, this is starting to sound like a good idea.
Anyway.
Total number of ZARKs: 5. In 201 issues of comics (again, not counting annuals and appearances in other titles).
Here are totals for some of the other non-ZARK sound effects:
ZAP: 14
ZAK: 6
ZOT: 4
ZAPT: 3
ZORK: 1
Clearly, the plan wasn’t for ZARK to take off like we maybe have Mandela effected that it has. Optic beams can make lots of sounds ricocheting off surfaces and hitting their targets, and Cyclops’ sound effects should reflect that. ZAP apparently was much more common, but one could argue it’s also far too generic an onomatopoeia to be a signature anything.
But if you listen closely, with your heart, and you hear a ZARK, you’ll know Cyclops has been there.
Dan Grote is the editor and publisher of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Paul Winston Wisdom. Follow him @danielpgrote.bsky.social.
Adam Reck is the cartoonist behind Bish & Jubez as well as the co-host of Battle Of The Atom. Follow him @adamreck.bsky.social.
