For over forty years, Uncanny X-Men has been one of Marvel’s biggest titles. Not even their ex-CEO trying to bury them could keep them from being a top seller. Heck, the multi-billion-dollar behemoth that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe would not exist without the first X-Men movie! And yet, there was a time when the team was c-list at best! This is the story how they became pop culture icons.
The Strangest Super-Heroes of All!
Giant-Size X-Men #1, coming to auction in CGC grade!
X-Men #1 hit stands in Summer of 1962, the same month as The Avengers. Scripted by Stan Lee with art by Jack Kirby, the series introduced the concept of mutants to the infant Marvel Universe. By making the team young adults, they appealed to Marvel’s hip teen audience. By making them mutants whose powers developed at puberty, they saved themselves from writing a bushel of new origin stories.
The series was a moderate success, running for 65 issues. By the time the 1970 rolled around, its sales were flagging, and it wasn’t worth commissioning new material for. However, Marvel had only recently been freed from a highly restrictive publishing agreement. The company was not looking to shrink its output, just the opposite. X-Men kept going bi-monthly with reprinted stories.
Giant-Size X-Men #1
That state of affairs lasted until 1975. Writer/editor Len Wein was a fan of the team’s concept and worked with fan-favorite artist Dave Cockrum to revamp it. Their concept was an international team of heroes, mixing brand new and established mutant characters for a more diverse, well-rounded lineup. Existing heroes included longtime X-Men leader Cyclops, onetime X-Men foes Banshee and Sunfire, and Wein’s co-creation Wolverine. The new characters, partly pulled together from unused designs Cockrum created for Legion of Super-Heroes, included Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Thunderbird.
The new team debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1. The story saw X-Men mentor Professor X traveling the world to recruit the new team of mutants. Why? Well, once the team is assembled, Cyclops explains that the original X-Men had been taken captive on the mysterious island of Krakoa. He was the only one to escape, losing his powers briefly before they returned with a vengeance. The new team’s first mission is to go back to the island and rescue their predecessors. The two squads team up to end the threat hidden on the island, and the issue ends with a whopping thirteen X-Men.
X-Men #94, coming to auction in CGC Grade!
The All-New, All-Different X-Men
Starting with X-Men #94, the series began printing new stories again. With a slimmed-down membership, the All-New All-Different team took over the title. Wein’s editorial duties led to him sharing scripting duties with Chris Claremont, who took over as the series sole writer with #97. Over the next several years, Claremont and his artistic collaborators (most notably John Byrne, who joined the title with #108) would develop it into Marvel’s top-selling title. The Distinguished Competition would follow Marvel’s lead with a drastic revamp of the Teen Titans and their combined influence would be felt throughout the industry for most of the 80s and into 90s.
Giant-Size X-Men #1 is a key turning point in the history of the X-Men, Marvel Comics, and the comics industry in general. It is a must-own for fans of all stripes…and we’ve got two copies coming to auction on January 20th! If you’ve got a collection of key issues like this one, please keep us in mind when you’re ready to sell it. We specialize in getting our consignors the best value for their collectibles without any extra work on their part. Let us do that for you!
Which key issue are you most excited for in our January 20th auction? Let us know below or on social media @b2pcollect!
