Iconic X-Men Comic Featuring Multiple First Appearances (& Wolverine Joining the Team) Hits Auction At An Unbeatable Price

The X-Men is one of the most beloved comic book super teams. With characters like Wolverine, Storm, Jean Gray, and Professor X on the roster, it’s one of the most versatile and powerful teams, capable of taking on the heaviest hitters in the Marvel universe. In fact, they’ve even gone toe-to-toe with The Avengers on several occasions. However, some of you may not know that the lineup we know today is quite different from the one that started it all. Some of the most popular X-Men joined almost 12 years after the team’s first appearance.

Fans will know that Wolverine’s first appearance was in Incredible Hulk #180, however, he only joined the mutant superhero team a year later in 1975’s Giant-Size X-Men #1. This issue was a major milestone for the X-Men, as it introduced the classic X-Men ‘97 team to the main roster. The likes of Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus, and Thunderbird made their first appearances in this landmark issue, which currently ranks number 5 on Overstreet’s list of Top 25 Bronze Age Comics. So, it’s pretty surprising to see this iconic issue going for just $5,750 at Heritage Auctions.

One Of The Most Popular X-Men Comics Of All Time Is On Auction For An Absolute Steal

Giant-Size X-Men #1 starts off when Professor Charles Xavier’s original team is sent on a mission to investigate an anomaly on the island or Krakoa, but loses contact with the base. Xavier is forced to assemble a new team, featuring these new heroes, in order to rescue them. It turns out that the island is actually a living being, and is eventually defeated by launching it into space. It may sound a bit corny now, but it was pretty awesome at the time. 

Read Next

10 Best X-Men Stories for Non-X-Men Fans

Along with the issue and the story itself, even the cover art by Gil Kane and Dave Cockrum is pretty epic. It features discoloured sketches of the original X-Men team in the background, with the new team literally bursting out into the forefront in colour. It did a great job in introducing the new generation of the X-Men, who would eventually become more popular than their predecessors. Cyclops, Jean Gray, and, to a certain extent, Beast were the only original members to stay on in a permanent role, while the others would make occasional appearances.

The issue is rated 9.6 by CGC, and, while that’s great, the more interesting thing about it is that it has white pages. With vintage comic pages turning off-white, cream, and eventually yellow over time due to oxidation, an issue with white pages is considered rare, bumping up its total value. The market value for an issue like this is currently $6,000, so it’s currently going for a discount.