crm/ow pgs
Jack Kirby cover & art; origin and 1st app X-Men; 1st app Magneto; Comic Book Impact rating of 10 (CBI)
Stan Lee once explained that his original title for this series was "The Mutants" but publisher Martin Goodman didn't like the sound of it. Lee, in a stroke of genius, named the newly formed group after its founder, Professor X, and thus the X-Men were born. They were a motley band of outcasts, hated and feared by the human world. The title was almost canceled due to lagging sales but was reborn with a new cast of characters in the 70s which went on to make them a perennial favorite ever since. Everybody can relate to what it is like being an outsider, and that is what draws us to the X-Men. With a staggering number of comic spin-offs, blockbuster movies, and a variety of TV shows and cartoons, the popularity of this first issue has proven to be a strong investment in the marketplace.