Marvel is celebrating 50 years since the 1975 release of the landmark Giant-Size X-Men #1 with the release of a series of Giant-Size one-shots in an event that the publisher promises "rewrites mutant milestones" - including the reveal of a long-lost "X-Man that never was."
Written by current NYX scribes Colin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, the five one-shots will span the biggest stories in X-Men history, including Giant-Size X-Men #1, Days of Future Past, Age of Apocalypse, and the Dark Phoenix saga, which Marvel says will reveal "mysteries long buried and secrets that will define the future of Marvel’s mutants."
It all starts with a new Giant-Size X-Men #1 written by Kelly and Lanzing, with art by legendary X-Men artist Adam Kubert, with each of the subsequent one-shots to be drawn by artists yet to be announced. And as for what the story entails, it seems that none other than Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel will be taking a time-tossed journey through some of the biggest moments in X-Men history.
Additionally, each one-shot will feature a so-called 'Revelations' back-up story by
"X-Men creators past and present" that unveils lost secrets and hidden truths behind classic X-Men lore, including a story by writer Al Ewing and artist Sara Pichelli in Giant-Size X-Men #1 that introduces the aforementioned "X-Man that never was."
Here's a gallery of unlettered interior pages from Giant Size X-Men #1, along with the cover of the one-shot:
"No hype: every issue of GIANT-SIZE is here to blow your mind and break your heart," Lanzing and Kelly, who refer to their writing collective as "the Hivemind," promise in a statement.
"Mutantkind is the grandest, most sprawling canvas in the Marvel canon - moreover, it's the one the Hivemind's been arguing and geeking out about since we were teenagers at our local comic shop," Lanzing and Kelly continue. "Now, alongside the absolute legend Adam Kubert and three more of the best artists in the industry, we're posed to completely wreck and reassemble the history of the X - with our favorite hero Kamala Khan front and center. It's an honor, a joy, and a huge responsibility. Free Comic Book Day is just a taste. What comes next will be marvelous."
Does this mean that all of X-Men history will be rewritten to make Kamala Khan the retroactive star of the entire saga of mutantdom? Well, no, probably not - though the wording might make you think so.
That said, Kamala will indeed be front-and-center in the adventure, which may just reveal her still unknown mutant power, which has remained dormant following the reveal that in addition to being an Inhuman, she also has a mutant X-Gene.
In addition to the interior pages and cover for Giant-Size X-Men #1, Marvel has released a checklist for the one-shots, which includes some hints at what each one will entail.
Here's the checklist, followed by the descriptions given for each one-shot:
Giant-Size X-Men #1: "Witness history's first fracture as Kamala Khan is pulled into the X-Men's past."
Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga #1: "A new revelation about Jean Grey's fate could change everything."
Giant-Size Age of Apocalypse #1: "Reality is warping. Is this the world Apocalypse was always meant to rule?"
Giant-Size House of M #1: "Mutants rule supreme...but at what cost? Kamala must face Magneto."
Giant-Size X-Men #2: "The shocking finale redefines mutant history forever!"
Giant-Size X-Men #1 goes on sale May 28, followed by Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga #1 and Giant-Size Age of Apocalypse #1 in June, and Giant-Size House of M #1 and Giant-Size X-Men #2 in July.
Stay up to date on all the new X-Men comics Marvel has planned for release.
