Giant-Size X-Men #1 is 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. Chris Claremont contributed to the plot, having conceived the idea of Polaris using her powers to propel Krakoa into space, but went uncredited. 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. The issue has been cited as a start point of the bronze age of comics, and is notable for expanding the membership of the X-Men from beyond the white American cast to one of a more international flavor, an attempt to attract more readers from outside the US,[ The Real Reason Marvel Created SHE-HULK - Nerdist] even if some characters were portrayed somewhat stereotypically.
Publication history
The
Uncanny 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.[ Giant-Size X-Men #1, ComicBookDB.com]
Plot
The story opens
in medias res, with
Professor X recruiting a new team of X-Men, to rescue the original X-Men (
Jean Grey, Iceman and Angel, 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 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 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
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
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| Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men | 1 | Giant-Size X-Men #1; Uncanny X-Men #94–100 | December 2009 | |
Epic Collections
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| 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 | |
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Essentials
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| Essential X-Men | 1 | X-Men #94–119; Giant-Sized X-Men #1 | May 2008 | |
Panini Pocket Books
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| Second Genesis | Giant Size X-Men #1; Uncanny X-Men #94-103 | July 2004 | |
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.
[ Giant-Size X-Men #2, Grand Comics Database.]
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.
[ PREVIEW: Neal Adams' "Giant Size X-Men" #3 Story] 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.
[ Taking An Early Look at "Giant-Size X-Men" #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;
#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. )
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.
[ Giant Size X-Men: Jean Grey and Emma Frost #1] The second,
Giant-Size X-Men: Nightcrawler, was drawn by
Alan Davis and colored by Carlos Lopez.
[ Giant Size X-Men: Nightcrawler #1] The third,
Giant-Size X-Men: Magneto, was drawn by Ramon Perez and colored by David Curiel.
[ Giant Size X-Men: Magneto #1] The fourth,
Giant-Size X-Men: Fantomex, was drawn and colored by Rod Reis.
[ Giant Size X-Men: Fantomex #1] The fifth,
Giant-Size X-Men: Storm, was drawn by Dauterman and colored by Wilson.
Prints
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| 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 |
| Giant-Size X-Men: Nightcrawler | March 25, 2020 | Alan Davis | Carlos Lopez | 7.5 by 16 professional critics | 46,861 |
| Giant-Size X-Men: Magneto | July 15, 2020 | Ramon Perez | David Curiel | 7.7 by 13 professional critics | rowspan="3" |
| Giant-Size X-Men: Fantomex | August 5, 2020 | Rod Reis | 8.2 by 7 professional critics |
| Giant-Size X-Men: Storm | September 16, 2020 | Russell Dauterman | Matt Wilson | 8.7 by 12 professional critics |
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50th Anniversary Event
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first
Giant-Size X-Men issue, it was announced that five one-shots written by writing duo Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing and illustrated by
Adam Kubert, C.F. Villa and Francesco Manna, will be released between May and July 2025. The event will involve
Kamala Khan being pulled by Legion in a battle across time, where she would encounter the X-Men during their most iconic moments in history and alternate timelines, including the "Second Genesis" and "The Dark Phoenix Saga" storylines and the
Age of Apocalypse and "House of M" continuities. The event will begin with
Giant-Size X-Men #1 and be followed by
Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga #1,
Giant-Size Age of Apocalypse #1,
Giant-Size House of M #1 and
Giant-Size X-Men #2. In addition, each issue will feature a back-up
Revelations story.
Issues
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| Giant-Size X-Men (vol. 3) | 1 | Collin Kelly
Jackson Lanzing | Adam Kubert | Laura Martin | May 28, 2025 |
| Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga | Rod Reis | June 11, 2025 |
| Giant-Size Age of Apocalypse | C.F. Villa
Rafael Loureiro | Edgar Delgado | June 25, 2025 |
| Giant-Size House of M | Francesco Manna | July 16, 2025 |
| Giant-Size X-Men (vol. 3) | 2 | Adam Kubert | Laura Martin | August 13, 2025 |
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Footnotes
