Giant Size X-Men #1 Second Genesis
Len Wein and Dave Cockrum
Retro Review by Dave Borders
Time for a confession. I had never read this before. I had always assumed that Giant Size X-Men #1 meant the very first issue of the X-men ever. Instead, it’s more of a special issue that came between Uncanny X-men 93 and 94. The issue introduces a new team while watching the old team head off into the sunset. Cyclops sticks around to lead the new team consisting of the most racially diverse team ever assembled. Previously, the X-men had been five white Americans led by Professor X, another white American. The new team featured a Russian, a German, a Native American, a Canadian, a man from Japan, an Irishman and a woman from Africa.
I was studying Russian in the Army the first time I read the X-Men, so I thought it was really cool that Peter actually spoke Russian in the comics. I thought it added some realism to the book.
It was a good issue to set things up for the new team. It did have a few awkward storytelling moments though. Wolverine’s bosses want him to meet ‘Bigwig” Charles Xavier who promptly offers Wolverine a job. When Wolverine accepts his boss gets angry and says that he can’t leave. To show what a tough character he is, Wolverine extends his claws and threatens his superior who acquiesces immediately. Why did they ever invite Professor X to their secret compound in the first place?
The artwork is quite good, though the coloring is a little dated. That is to be expected in a comic that is over 35 years old, however. There are several rather dramatic shots of Wolverine in particular. Remember that he was not a very popular character at first, but visually, he’s always been one of the coolest. It was just a matter of time before he became an icon.
If you can get your hands on early X-Men books it is a good idea to do so. These issues have maintained or increased in value for many years. As more and more movies are made depicting these characters, the fanbase will continue to grow which will lead to more and more demand. It’s a safe bet.
I give this issue a 3 ½ out of 5 or reading enjoyment but a 5 out of 5 for investment purposes.
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Dave Borders is staff reporter for Comicbookinterviews.com and specializes in thought provoking, in-depth reviews of comics of the past.
Dave is also a self-publisher and along with his son has self-published Inteli-corps the story of ten genetically modified animals that have been created to search the universe for a precious element found only in a rare plant.
Dave can be reached at dborders@comicbookinterviews.com
I really appreciate your opinion and take on this book! I have a confession to make as well. I’ve never read this book either. In fact, Ive been an X-Men fan since the cartoon came out when I was a kid, and I have had a soft spot for them ever since, especially for Nightcrawler. I’m 29 years old now, and I still havent read it. Ive never had the opportunity to read it. Its an expensive book, and they are hard to come by. Since Nightcrawler is my favorite X-Men, and this book features his debut, I knew I had to own it. Well, I finally bought this book on ebay today for $600, and It’s CGC graded at 8.0. The ironic thing is that since its slabbed, I still wont be able to read it. Regardless, I am a proud owner of Giant Size X-Men 1.