This year marks the 60th anniversary of the classic X-Men. Long before characters like Wolverine joined the team, the X-Men were five teenage mutants at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. These X-Men were never as popular as later incarnations, but whenever they regroup, it’s still a big deal. Now the ol’ gang is back together again, with a twist. Announced via AIPTComics, Original X-Men #1 hits in December. This new one-shot spotlights the “O5,” from writer Christos Gage (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and artist Greg Land (Phoenix: undersong).
So what’s the twist? In this story, the Phoenix Force, who can’t seem to ever leave poor Jean Grey alone, plucks from time the original five X-Men—Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Iceman, and Angel. All for a sacred mission across the Multiverse After the cosmic entity restores the team’s lost memories, this story will explore themes introduced by Brian Michael Bendis when he brought the original five to the present day in 2012’s All-New X-Men series. More importantly, it will set up a brand-new X-Men series launching next year.
The first-ever mutant heroes to call themselves X-Men name once traveled into their own futures to bring back the adult Cyclops from going down a dark path. Now another multiversal mystery calls them forth. When the dust settles, one hero will remain, trapped in the world as we know it. How this ties into the current Fall of X era in Marvel’s mutant comics is a mystery. But we can’t wait to find out the answer.
The original X-Men team broke up after the iconic Giant Size X-Men #1 in 1975. The same issue introduced the All-New, All-Different X-Men. A decade later, they reformed as X-Factor, before finally rejoining the X-Men proper in 1991. Then their teenage selves traveled into the future in the previously mentioned All-New X-Men series, before finally returning to their proper timelines in 2017. But in the world of Marvel’s mutants, nothing is ever that simple. And when the multiverse is involved? Even less so.
Original X-Men #1, written by Christos Gage, with art by Greg Land and a cover by Ryan Stegman, goes on sale on December 20.
