Recently in X-Men Category

Neal Adams hasn't drawn the X-Men too many times since he left the series way back when.  He got a chance to revisit the characters in this 1997 cover to X-Men Wildcats The Silver Age.

According to Bleeding Cool, Adams may be drawing a Wolverine limited series for Marvel.  That would be fantastic!  Nuff Said!

This 1982 Amazing Heroes cover by Paul Smith appeared during his spectacular run on X-Men.  Marvel fandom cheered when Smith took over the series—and cried when he left nearly a year later.  In the middle of a double-sized issue of X-Men, no less!  Nuff Said!

What is Alan Davis' relationship to the upcoming Fall of the Hulks mini-event from Marvel?  Nothing direct, unless you count this item.

By now you've probably seen this promotional image by Ed McGuinness, showing all the various Hulks (I like to think of them as The Hulk Family) scattered about a barren landscape, utterly devastated by some unknown conflict.

McGuinness was paying a tribute 1988 poster by Alan Davis, which advertised "The Fall of the Mutants",  This event ran during the summer through X-Men, X-Factor, and New Mutants.  If you compare the two, you'll see a lot of similarities between the positioning of the foreground characters. 

Update:  I just found original black and white version of this drawing...

Nuff said!

In 1980, John Byrne was the featured interview in issue #57 of The Comics Journal.  Byrne and his superstar inker Terry Austin provided the cover.  Here's the original black and white version.

The classic core team of Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Wolverine, and Nightcrawler.  Here's the actual color cover...

This was one of my favorite TCJ issues of all time.  The Byrne interview was full of behind the scenes stuff like his love for Wolverine and modeling some of his character from Clint Eastwood.  Byrne also talked openly about his disagreements with Claremont and desire to write his own material.  In addition to all of this, you had Steve Gerber, Harlan Ellison, and a Daredevil story rejected by the Comics Code.  Why did I ever throw away this issue?  Insanity.  Nuff said.

By the time I had discovered the X-Men, the series had already been cancelled!  The first full length X-Men tale I read was in the giant-sized reprint issue, X-Men 68, featuring the first titanic battle with the Sentinels.  I was immediately hooked and bought every X-Men issue after that--and remember, this was when mutants were uncool--in fact, even the Inhumans were more popular.  Some of these reprint issues had nifty original covers.

X-Men King-Size Annual #2 featured a dynamic cover by John Romita Sr, with a sweeping vista of Washington DC in the background as the mutants fought the Scarecrow, Eel, Unicorn, Plantman, and the biggest nutball of all time...the Porcupine!  Sheesh, what a bunch of losers, but Romita manages to sell this issue by giving the Angel and Iceman some terrific action poses.

X-Men #69 featured this cover by Sal Buscema with the Mimic attacking the team.  The Mimic's power can imitate the X-Men's abilities if he's near them.  In the first story, he's a villain, attacking the X-Men and then losing his power at the end of the story. 

Apparently the Mimic was popular, as he returned a few issues later, attacking the team while under the control of the Puppet Master.  By the end of the story, the Mimic is on his way to becoming the bad-boy member of the team--the equivalent of Hawkeye in the Avengers.   I really liked Cal Rankin, because his personality was edgy and he stirred up trouble within the team.  The Mimic only lasted as a team member for a few issues, and I always wanted to see him return.  Cal did make an appearance in Incredible Hulk #161, where he died absorbing the Hulk's gamma radiation.  I know there's more to the story after that, which seems baffling as hell.  I loved it when Judd Winick made an alternate reality version of the Mimic a team member of the Exiles.

The X-Men #76 cover by Gil Kane introduced us to the Banshee.  I like this perspective of the Banshee hurling his sonic terror at New York City, with Cyclops cringing to his knees in the foreground.  No matter how hokey the Banshee seemed in the reprint story, Kane made him cool.  I was excited when the Banshee was a member of the all-new X-Men.

X-Men #79, another Kane cover, introduced the Cobalt Man, or as I thought of him, Iron Man Blue!  Can't say much about the story, but as a kid, I always thought Iceman's power to create these frozen slides and walkways was the coolest way a hero could possibly travel.  I don't care for the way Iceman is drawn now, with all those icicles and ice spikes.  I prefer a clean shaven Iceman!

X-Men #80 (Kane, again) unveiled the threat that had been percolating for a few issues...the threat of the unstoppable Juggernaut.  If you had never seen Juggy before--and I had not--the cover was tantalizing because you only saw him from the back.

Hope you enjoyed this look back at The Strangest Teens of All!  Nuff said.

If you went crazy for the trading card sets that Marvel released in the 1990s, then I’m sure you’ll remember the work done by the Brothers Hildebrandt (Greg and Tim) on various Marvel characters.  They also contributed some Marvel Swimsuit pieces featuring the X-Men.

Here’s Cyclops and Jean Grey on vacation.  I think this picture is proof positive that Jean had plastic surgery sometime during the previous decade.  An untold story!  Scott’s mind does not appear to be wandering.  For a long time, this was the sacred romance in the Marvel universe.  It took Grant Morrison to break them apart.

We all know Rogue and Gambit can’t ever really get it on, without Rogue sucking the life out of her lover.  The Hildebrandt’s are really cruel here having Rogue tease Gambit with what he can’t have.  I think I’ve read somewhere that Mike Carey has devised a way for Rogue to control her powers now?  I can only follow Matt Fraction’s book. 

Check out more Marvel paintings on the Brothers Hildebrandt’s website.  Nuff said.

The best thing from the Marvel Swimsuit issues were the faux advertisements.  Take these two, from Marvel Swimsuit 1991:

The Beast, drawn by George Perez, selling Ultra-X shampoo!  Seeing this reminds me that I prefer the Beast in his blue and furry form.  After reading Dark Avengers #7, do you think it’s possible Marvel will revert him back?

If you’ve ever given a dog a bath, you’ll know how much hair comes out—it can clog your drain if you do it in the bathroom.  The amount of hair the Beast would shed…OMG.  Probably there would be hair all over his bedroom and lab as well.

Wolverine, drawn by Mike Zeck, selling Macho speed stick deodorant!  Notice that it’s misspelled “deoderant”.  Never thought about superhero sweat until reading this ad.  The Marvel Universe must be a very stinky place indeed.  Nuff said.

In 1981, Brent Anderson provided this nifty wraparound cover to the X-Men Marvel Comics Index.

I love this cover because it features the classic X-Men on the left in their yellow and black uniforms.  The new X-Men are gathered around Charles Xavier on the right.  The logo is used as a prop for Nightcrawler to dangle overhead.  Terry Austin did a superb job on the inks, and they corralled Steve Oliff for the coloring.

Brent Anderson was the artists of the classic God Loves, Man Kills graphic novel.  He illustrated many other Marvel comics, including Ka-Zar and one of my favorite non-universe series, Strikeforce Morituri.  Check out Brent’s website.  Nuff said.