Giant-Size X-Men

    (Marvel, 1975)
™ and © Marvel Characters, Inc.

1975’s Giant Size X-Men #2 declared itself to be “an annual collection of The X-Men’s greatest battles.” Thirty years later, here’s #3. The lead story, an eight-pager, is cute, but it’s not enough to warrant the purchase. Joss Whedon’s plot is nice (with a little twist for those up on their X-history), and you have to give Neal Adams credit for apparently drawing this despite problems (sorry, but it’s not his best work!), but it’s essentially filler and fluff.

The real meat here consists of the reprints, showing The X-Men’s early battles against The Avengers (a diversion), The Fantastic Four (mind control), and Spider-Man (a misunderstanding). Most of Marvel’s original Giant-Size issues featured a new lead story, backed by reprints. Giant-Size X-Men always was an odd duck; the first issue introduced the All-New, All-Different in a book-length tale, while the second featured All-Old, All-Same reprints. This late arrival is equally odd, in that the new tale is the icing rather than the cake. You may enjoy them, but it’s hardly the thing itself.

— Jack Abramowitz

		Notes	Writer	Artist
	#1 Date:  6/1/1975 Cover Price:  $0.50 NM Guide:  $3,700.00 No copies available	Reprints from X-Men (1st Series) #43; 1st appearance of Illyana Rasputin; 1st appearance of Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner); 1st appearance of Storm (Ororo Munroe); 1st appearance of Thunderbird (John Proudstar); 1st appearance of Colossus (Peter Rasputin); Origin of Storm (Ororo Munroe); Origin of Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner)	Len Wein, Chris Claremont, Roy Thomas, Arnold Drake, Linda Fite	Dave Cockrum, Werner Roth
	#1 (2nd printing) Date:  9/1/2007 Cover Price:  $0.50 NM Guide:  $1.00 No copies available	Reprints from Giant-Size X-Men #1; 1st Appearance of Colossus (Peter Rasputin); 1st appearance of Illyana Rasputin; 1st appearance of Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner); 1st appearance of Storm (Ororo Munroe); 1st appearance of Thunderbird (John Proudstar); 1st appearance of Krakoa; Origin of Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner); Origin of Storm (Ororo Munroe); Packaged with Marvel Authentics Die-Cast Car Series I; Mini-comic Giveaway	Len Wein, Chris Claremont	Dave Cockrum
	#1 (3rd printing) Date:  6/1/2017 Cover Price:  $1.00 NM Guide:  $2.50 1 copy available for $17.99	Indicia reads “True Believers: Giant-Size X-Men”	Len Wein	Dave Cockrum
	#1 Variation A Date:  9/1/2019 Cover Price:  $4.99 NM Guide:  $5.25 2 copies available from $5.25	Facsimile Edition	Len Wein, Chris Claremont, Roy Thomas, Arnold Drake, Linda Fite	Dave Cockrum, Werner Roth
	#1 Giveaway Version Date:  10/3/2006 Cover Price:  $0.00 NM Guide:  $1.00 No copies available	Reprints Giant-Size X-Men #1; Target stores exclusive giveaway with X-Men The Last Stand DVD	Len Wein	Dave Cockrum
	#2 Date:  11/1/1975 Cover Price:  $0.50 NM Guide:  $79.00 5 copies available from $26.00	Reprints X-Men #57-59	Roy Thomas	Neal Adams
	#3 Date:  7/1/2005 Cover Price:  $4.99 NM Guide:  $4.25 10 copies available from $2.46	Reprints Fantastic Four #28, X-Men #9, 27, 35	Joss Whedon, Stan Lee, Roy Thomas	Neal Adams, Jack Kirby, Werner Roth
	#4 Date:  11/1/1975 Cover Price:  $4.99 NM Guide:  $1.75 5 copies available from $1.75	Reprints X-Men #94-95, Classic X-Men #3, and Uncanny X-Men #193	Chris Claremont, Len Wein	Rick Leonardi, Dave Cockrum, John Romita Jr., John Bolton