Giant-Size X-Men
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Giant-Size X-Men #1 was a special issue of the X-Men comic book series, published by Marvel Comics in 1975. It was written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dave Cockrum. Though not a regular issue, it contained the first new X-Men story in five years, titled Second Genesis. The issue serves as a link between the original X-Men and a new team. Chronologically it is placed after X-Men #66 and before X-Men #94. The 68-page book was published with a May 1975 cover date and distributed to newsstands in February of that year.
Publication history[]
The X-Men title stopped producing new stories after #66 in March 1970. From December 1970 through April 1975, Marvel reprinted many of the older X-Men issues as #67–93. Following the May publication of Giant-Size X-Men #1, Marvel began again publishing new issues of X-Men with #94 in August 1975.
The comic also collects reprints from X-Men #43, #47 and #57.[1]
Plot[]
The story opens in medias res, with Professor X recruiting a new team of X-Men, to rescue the original X-Men (Marvel Girl, Iceman and Angel [but not Beast, who had left the team], plus X-Men recruits Havok and Polaris), who had disappeared on a mission to the island of Krakoa, with only their leader Cyclops escaping. The new team consists of Sunfire and Banshee, who had been introduced in earlier X-Men comics; Wolverine, who had made his first appearance in The Incredible Hulk #181 (Oct. 1974); and the newly created Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Thunderbird. These members are gathered from all over the world, and Professor X uses his telepathic powers to teach them all English so that they can communicate with each other.
The team soon learns that Krakoa is not just an island, but a giant mutant as well. Despite a number of personality clashes among the individual members, the new team succeeds in rescuing the old X-Men as well as destroying the island by shooting it into outer space with Polaris' power. The issue ends by posing the question of the future of a 13-member X-Men team.
The later storyline "Deadly Genesis" offers a ret-con of this story, which tells how Professor X had initially recruited a different team before the events in the title who failed.
Credits[]
- Story, edits — Len Wein
- Pencils, cover inks — Dave Cockrum
- Cover pencils — Gil Kane
- Inks — Dave Cockrum &
- Letters — John Costanza
- Colors — Glynis Wein
Reprint[]
The "Second Genesis" story was reprinted in Classic X-Men #1 in September 1986, with substantial editing to reduce its length, and a new backup story by Claremont and John Bolton bridging the gap between this and the following issue, Uncanny X-Men #94.
Collected editions[]
Marvel Masterworks[]
| Title | Volume | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men | 1 | Giant-Size X-Men #1; Uncanny X-Men #94–100 | December 2009 | 978-0785137023 |
Epic Collections[]
| Vol | Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Second Genesis | Giant Size X-Men #1; Uncanny X-Men #94-110; Iron Fist #14-15; Marvel Team-Up #53, #69-70, Annual #1; material from FOOM #10 | April 11, 2017 | 978-1302903909 |
Essentials[]
| Title | Volume | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential X-Men | 1 | X-Men #94–119; Giant-Sized X-Men #1 | May 2008 | 978-0785132554 |
Panini Pocket Books[]
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second Genesis | Giant Size X-Men #1; Uncanny X-Men #94-103 | July 2004 | 978-1904419402 |
Second issue[]
Marvel published a second issue of Giant-Size X-Men later in 1975. This November issue had no new material, instead featuring reprints of stories from X-Men #57, #58, and #59, written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Neal Adams.[2]
Third and fourth issues[]
In 2005, Marvel published two new Giant Size X-Men issues to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original. Issue #3 in July contained a story written by Joss Whedon and illustrated by Neal Adams. The issue also reprinted several older X-Men team-ups: the group's appearance in Fantastic Four #28, an Avengers guest appearance in X-Men #9 and a story featuring Spider-Man in X-Men #35.[3] In November, Chris Claremont penned a story for issue #4, with artwork by Neal Adams. It also reprinted material related to the death of Thunderbird from X-Men #94-95, Classic X-Men #3 and Uncanny X-Men #193.[4]
40th Anniversary edition hardcover[]
The series has also been collected into a hardcover paperback titled Giant-Size X-Men: 40th Anniversary Edition. The hardcover collects Giant-Size X-Men #1, 3-4; Classic X-Men #1; X-Men Origins: Colossus; X-Men Origins: Wolverine; X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1-6; What If? (1989) #9, #23; and material from X-Men Gold #1. The second Giant-Sized issue was likely omitted, due to it being reprints of X-Men #57-59. The 440-page paperback was released June 2015. ISBN 978-0-7851-9777-5)
Dawn of X[]
Five Giant Size X-Men one-shots, all written by Jonathan Hickman, were released as part of Marvel's 2019 Dawn of X relaunch of its X-Men books between February and September 2020. The first, Giant Size X-Men: Jean Grey and Emma Frost, was drawn by Russell Dauterman and colored by Matt Wilson.[5] The second, Giant-Size X-Men: Nightcrawler, was drawn by Alan Davis and colored by Carlos Lopez.[6] The third, Giant-Size X-Men: Magneto, was drawn by Ramon Perez and colored by David Curiel.[7] The fourth, Giant-Size X-Men: Fantomex, was drawn and colored by Rod Reis.[8] The fifth, Giant-Size X-Men: Storm, was drawn by Dauterman and colored by Wilson.[9]
Prints[]
| Issue | Publication date | Writer | Artist | Colorist | rating[10] | Estimated sales to North American retailers (first month) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giant Size X-Men: Jean Grey and Emma Frost | February 26, 2020 | Jonathan Hickman | Russell Dauterman | Matt Wilson | 8.6 by 19 professional critics | 63,077[11] |
| Giant-Size X-Men: Nightcrawler | March 25, 2020 | Alan Davis | Carlos Lopez | 7.5 by 16 professional critics | 46,861[12] | |
| Giant-Size X-Men: Magneto | July 15, 2020 | Ramon Perez | David Curiel | 7.7 by 13 professional critics | Data not yet available | |
| Giant-Size X-Men: Fantomex | August 5, 2020 | Rod Reis | 8.2 by 7 professional critics | |||
| Giant-Size X-Men: Storm | September 16, 2020[13] | Russell Dauterman | Matt Wilson | 8.7 by 12 professional critics | ||
References[]
- ^ Giant-Size X-Men #1, ComicBookDB.com
- ^ Giant-Size X-Men #2, Grand Comics Database.
- ^ PREVIEW: Neal Adams' "Giant Size X-Men" #3 Story
- ^ Taking An Early Look at "Giant-Size X-Men" #4
- ^ Giant Size X-Men: Jean Grey and Emma Frost #1
- ^ Giant Size X-Men: Nightcrawler #1
- ^ Giant Size X-Men: Magneto #1
- ^ Giant Size X-Men: Fantomex #1
- ^ Terror, Jude (February 17, 2020). "Jonathan Hickman and Russell Dauterman Give Storm the Giant-Size X-Men Treatment in June". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ "Giant Size X-Men (2020)". . Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ "February 2020 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
- ^ "March 2020 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- ^ "Marvel Comics' September 2020 comic book solicitations and covers". GamesRadar+. June 19, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
Categories - Comics by Len Wein
- Defunct American comics
- X-Men titles
- 1975 comics debuts