Classic Comics - Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975)
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| The cover for the relaunched X-Men title. |
A bit of background for this book. In 1963, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the X-Men, a team of teenaged mutants, led by the telepath Professor Charles Xavier. Although it was an initially successful publication, sales began to decline throughout the 1960s, before the title was cancelled, having been filled with backup stories and reprints for many years. The original X-Men team consisted of Scott Summers, known as Cyclops, Warren Worthington III, known as Angel, Bobby Drake, called Iceman, Henry 'Hank' McCoy, codenamed Beast, and finally Jean Grey, known as Marvel Girl, and the only female member of this original incarnation. The team was later joined by Alex Summers, who is Scott's brother and codenamed Havok, and also Lorna Dane, AKA Polaris.
The issue begins in Winzelfdorf, Germany, and an angry mob. The mob is chasing a blue skinned man, called Kurt Wagner, who is mutant. Before the mob can kill Kurt. they suddenly stop due to the mental commands of Charles Xavier. He explains to Kurt that he is also a mutant, and that he would like him to come with him and join his school. This process continues in Quebec, Canada with Wolverine, who I doubt I should have to explain. The next member visited is Banshee, Nashville, then to Kenya, Africa, where we meet Ororo Munroe, known as Storm. The next recruit is in Japan, with Sunfire, who says that he does not owe Xavier anything, but he owes something to himself. The penultimate recruit that Xavier visits is Piotr Rasputin, in Siberia. Xavier appears to him after Piotr has saved his sister Ilyana from a tractor. The final recruit is John Proudstar, a Native American, in Camp Verde Arizona. He is initially hesitant to join Xavier, but soon joins him after being told to prove himself.
Chapter Two of the issue begins with all of the new X-Men assembled at Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters in Westchester, New York. Sunfire is beginning to get impatient, when Xavier tells them that they are awaiting the arrival of the person who can fully explain the present situation. This is revealed to be Cyclops, the original leader of the X-Men. He tells them that his team have gone missing on the island of Krakoa, and that somehow he had been sent back to Westchester. The new team sets off on their first mission, after brief resignations from Sunfire. The team member recieve their new codenames: Kurt is now 'Nightcrawler', John Proudstar is now 'Thunderbird', and Piotr recieves the name 'Colossus'. When they arrive at the island, they are all split off in to teams of two, to survey the island. As they split off, each team gets attacked by an unseen force. All of the teams reache a temple on the island, where they find the lost X-Men members, and rescue them. Warren snaps at Scott, calling him a 'fool', that this was all a trap. It is revealed that the mutant that they had originally been sent to find was not a human ... but the island of Krakoa itself.
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| The combined X-Men forces battle the island of Krakoa. |
As the final chapter begins, they go into battle against Krakoa. Eventually, they manage to defeat the behemoth. However, a storm begins, and the ground they stand on is launched in to the air. With the help of Bobby's ice, they are saved. They eventually find the Blackbird aircraft that had brought them here, and they leave the hellish place, as the issue ends.
As a relaunch for a title, I believe that this works very well. It was probably the best option for Marvel at the time, as it was much easier than just rebooting the concept completely. Sure the writing may not be incredible, but it is much greater than the writing of the original run.
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