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''Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 was a special issue of the ''
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
''
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
series, published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
in 1975. It was written by
Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men ( ...
and illustrated by
Dave Cockrum David Emmett Cockrum (; November 11, 1943 – November 26, 2006) was an American comics artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus, and Mystique, as well as the antiheroine Black Cat. Cockrum was ...
. 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 The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
'' 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.


Plot

The story opens ''
in medias res A narrative work beginning ''in medias res'' (, "into the middle of things") opens in the midst of the plot (cf. ''ab ovo'', ''ab initio''). Often, exposition is bypassed and filled in gradually, through dialogue, flashbacks or description of pa ...
'', with
Professor X Professor X (Charles Francis Xavier) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as the founder and sometimes leader of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writ ...
recruiting a new team of X-Men, to rescue the original X-Men (
Marvel Girl Marvel Girl is an alias used by at least three fictional Marvel Comics superheroines: *Jean Grey, best known as a founding member of the X-Men *Valeria Richards, daughter of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman (of the Fantastic Four) *Rachel ...
, Iceman and
Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
Beast, who had left the team">Beast_(comics).html" ;"title="ut not
Beast, who had left the team plus X-Men recruits Havok (comics)">Havok and Polaris (Marvel Comics)">Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...
), who had disappeared on a mission to the island of Krakoa, with only their leader
Cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...
escaping. The new team consists of
Sunfire Fire is a series of server computers introduced in 2001 by Sun Microsystems (since 2010, part of Oracle Corporation). The Sun Fire branding coincided with the introduction of the UltraSPARC III processor, superseding the UltraSPARC II-ba ...
and
Banshee A banshee ( ; Modern Irish , from sga, ben síde , "woman of the fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening. Her name is c ...
, who had been introduced in earlier ''X-Men'' comics;
Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...
, who had made his first appearance in ''
The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...
'' #181 (Oct. 1974); and the newly created Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...
,
Nightcrawler, Colossus (comics)">Colossus Colossus, Colossos, or the plural Colossi or Colossuses, may refer to: Statues * Any exceptionally large statue ** List of tallest statues ** :Colossal statues * ''Colossus of Barletta'', a bronze statue of an unidentified Roman emperor * ''Col ...
, and Thunderbird Thunderbird, thunder bird or thunderbirds may refer to: * Thunderbird (mythology), a legendary creature in certain North American indigenous peoples' history and culture * Ford Thunderbird, a car Birds * Dromornithidae, extinct flightless birds k ...
. 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 personality clashes among the individual members, as well as a fatality, the new team succeeds in rescuing the old X-Men and destroying the entity 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">X-Men: Deadly Genesis">"Deadly Genesis" offers a ret-con of this story, which tells how Professor X had initially recruited a different team before the events in this issue.


Credits

*Story, edits —
Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men ( ...
*Pencils, cover inks —
Dave Cockrum David Emmett Cockrum (; November 11, 1943 – November 26, 2006) was an American comics artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus, and Mystique, as well as the antiheroine Black Cat. Cockrum was ...
*Cover pencils — Gil Kane *Inks — Dave Cockrum & Peter Iro *Letters — John Costanza *Colors — Glynis Wein


Reprint

The "Second Genesis" story was reprinted in ''
Classic X-Men ''Classic X-Men'', originally titled ''X-Men Classics'' and later retitled ''X-Men Classic'', is a reprint comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The first volume was a limited series which collected stories from the Roy Thomas/Neal Adams/ ...
'' #1 in September 1986, with substantial editing to reduce its length, and a new backup story by Claremont and
John Bolton John Robert Bolton (born November 20, 1948) is an American attorney, diplomat, Republican consultant, and political commentator. He served as the 25th United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006, and as the 26th United Stat ...
bridging the gap between this and the following issue, ''Uncanny X-Men'' #94.


Collected editions


''Marvel Masterworks''


''Epic Collection''s


''Essential''s


Panini Pocket Books


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 Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...
and illustrated by
Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and recognition for Supe ...
.


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 Joseph Hill Whedon (; born June 23, 1964) is an American filmmaker, composer, and comic book writer. He is the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions, co-founder of Bellwether Pictures, and is best known as the creator of several television series: ...
and illustrated by
Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and recognition for Supe ...
. 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. In November,
Chris Claremont Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is a British-born American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Claremont, Chris. ''Marvel ...
penned a story for issue #4, with artwork by Neal Adams. It also reprinted material related to the death of
Thunderbird Thunderbird, thunder bird or thunderbirds may refer to: * Thunderbird (mythology), a legendary creature in certain North American indigenous peoples' history and culture * Ford Thunderbird, a car Birds * Dromornithidae, extinct flightless birds k ...
from ''X-Men'' #94-95, ''Classic X-Men'' #3 and ''Uncanny X-Men'' #193.


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 ''Classic X-Men'', originally titled ''X-Men Classics'' and later retitled ''X-Men Classic'', is a reprint comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The first volume was a limited series which collected stories from the Roy Thomas/Neal Adams/ ...
'' #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 ''X-Men Gold'' is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics and initially created by writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Ardian Syaf. This series builds off of plot points established in '' X-Men Prime''. The first issue was released April 5, ...
'' #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. )


Dawn of X

Five ''Giant Size X-Men'' one-shots, all written by
Jonathan Hickman Jonathan Hickman (born September 3, 1972) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for his creator-owned series '' The Nightly News'', '' The Manhattan Projects'' and ''East of West'', as well as his lengthy stints as a writer on Ma ...
, were released as part of Marvel's 2019
Dawn of X "Dawn of X" is a 2019 relaunch of the ''X-Men'' line of comic books published by Marvel Comics in the wake of the twin miniseries ''House of X'' and ''Powers of X''. This initiative culminated in the crossover event '' X of Swords'', which was fo ...
relaunch of its ''X-Men'' books between February and September 2020. The first, ''Giant Size X-Men:
Jean Grey Jean Elaine Grey is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix and Dark Phoenix. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack K ...
and
Emma Frost Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. The character first appeared in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #129 (Jan. 1980), and was created by writer ...
'', was drawn by
Russell Dauterman Russell Dauterman is an American comic book illustrator known for work on ''Supurbia'' for Boom! Studios and ''Nightwing'' for DC Comics. Before breaking into comics Dauterman served as a costume illustrator in the movie industry, working on such ...
and colored by Matt Wilson. The second, ''Giant-Size X-Men: Nightcrawler'', was drawn by
Alan Davis Alan Davis (born 18 June 1956) is an English artist and writer of comic books, known for his work on titles such as ''Captain Britain'', ''The Uncanny X-Men'', ''ClanDestine'', ''Detective Comics'', ''Excalibur'', '' JLA: The Nail'' and '' JLA: ...
and colored by Carlos Lopez. The third, ''Giant-Size X-Men:
Magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
'', was drawn by Ramon Perez and colored by David Curiel. The fourth, ''Giant-Size X-Men:
Fantomex Fantomex is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is commonly associated with the X-Men titles. Fantomex first appeared in '' New X-Men'' #128 (August, 2002) and was created by Grant Morr ...
'', was drawn and colored by Rod Reis. The fifth, ''Giant-Size X-Men:
Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...
'', was drawn by Dauterman and colored by Wilson.


Prints


References

{{X-Comics Comics by Len Wein Defunct American comics X-Men titles 1975 comics debuts