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XXL
XXL books are a minimum 39 cm (15.4 in.)

Marvel Comics Library. X-Men. Vol. 1. 1963–1966

200Edition: EnglishAvailability: In Stock
Grab a front row seat to the creation of “The Strangest Super-Heroes of All!” In this colossal collector’s dream, the first 21 X-Men stories from 1963–1966 have been meticulously reproduced from the most pristine copies of these rare comic books— the fourth volume from TASCHEN’s Eisner Award-winning Marvel Comics Library series.

About the Series

Famous First Edition: First printing of 5,000 numbered copiesHardcover11.0 x 15.6 in.10.29 lb666 pages

“TASCHEN’s Marvel Comics Library represents a sincere respect and appreciation for comics history.”

Comic Book Resources
“Comics — because they involve stories of human (and superhuman) conflict and change; because they show hand-drawn pictures, with stylized faces; because they often appeal to us first in childhood — invite identification: We read them in search of ourselves, or our future selves. These facts about comics explain — in part — why the X-Men became the most successful superhero franchise.”
The New York Times
“TASCHEN is known for its glorious art books, so when they promise a 'meticulous' reproduction, believe it.”
Comics Beat
XXL
XXL books are a minimum 39 cm (15.4 in.)
Marvel Comics Library. X-Men. Vol. 1. 1963–1966

Marvel Comics Library. X-Men. Vol. 1. 1963–1966

200

The Strangest Super-Heroes of All

The foundation of a pop-culture phenomenon

When Marvel publisher Martin Goodman asked Stan Lee to deliver another new team book for his line of comics, he had no idea he’d be getting something like The X-Men. In fact, nobody could have imagined the extraordinary phenomenon the X-Men would eventually grow into—not Goodman, not Lee, not even the forward-thinking futurist Jack Kirby. What they started out as was a charming, ragtag team of misfits, devised by Lee and Kirby to be mutantsyoungsters born with “X-tra” powers thrust upon them not by accidentally crossing paths with cosmic rays or a nuclear blast, but by the fate of birth—led by a no-nonsense professor who trained them to become heroes that could protect the world from menaces, mutant and otherwise.

The first years of storytelling laid the foundation for much of what has put the X-Men at the crossroads of comics and popular culture: Hounded by a public that fears and misunderstands them, mutantkind find themselves at the heart of their own civil rights struggle; Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast, and Iceman found safety amongst themselves despite the challenges that set them apart from others in society; and Professor Xavier lined up against his ideological foe, Magneto, who had assembled a Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to take the fight for their self-preservation directly to humankind.

Along the way, Lee and Kirby—who were on fire taking comics into the Marvel Age—introduced a menagerie of villains and supporting characters that would become mainstays of Marvel and its lore: the super-powered siblings Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch; the formidable Blob; the unstoppable Juggernaut; the jungle dweller from the Savage Land, Ka-Zar; the demigod from the stars, the Stranger; and Bolivar Trask and his army of mutant-hunting Sentinels. And as Lee and Kirby gave way to new talents so they could move on to new corners of the Marvel Universe, Atlas era art veteran Werner Roth teamed with writing newcomer and future X-Men legend Roy Thomas to begin their long run on the title.

Close in size to the original artworks, this XXL-sized edition features the first 21 stories of our favorite oddball super heroes from 1963–1966. The most pristine pedigreed comics have been cracked open and photographed for reproduction in close collaboration with Marvel and the Certified Guaranty Company. Each page has been photographed as printed more than half a century ago, then digitally remastered using modern retouching techniques to correct problems with the era’s inexpensive, imperfect printing—as if hot off of a world-class 1960s printing press. A custom paper stock was exclusively developed for this series to simulate the feel of the original comics.

In addition to these seminal tales are an original foreword by modern X-Men mastermind Chris Claremont, reliving the heyday of Lee and Kirby’s foundational years, and an in-depth essay by X-Men writer Fabian Nicieza alongside original art, photographs, and memorabilia from the early years of X.

Also available in a Collector’s Edition of 1,000 numbered copies



© 2023 MARVEL

Marvel Comics Library. X-Men. Vol. 1. 1963–1966
Hardcover28 x 39.5 cm4.67 kg666 pages

ISBN 978-3-8365-9454-7

Edition: English
Download product images here

The Marvel Comics Library has earned well-deserved raves from comic collecting diehards for combining an old school comic book reading experience with a luxurious oversized book format, winning the industry’s coveted Eisner Award for Best Publication Design. These XXL collectors’ dreams, close in size to the original artwork, feature comics sourced from collecting greats Shelton Drum and Bob Bretall. Rather than recolor the original artwork (as has been done in previous decades’ reprints of classic comics), TASCHEN has attempted to create an ideal representation of these books as they were produced at the time of publication. The most pristine pedigreed comics have been cracked open and photographed for reproduction in close collaboration with Marvel and the Certified Guaranty Company. Each page has been photographed as printed more than half a century ago, then digitally remastered using modern retouching techniques to correct problems with the era’s inexpensive, imperfect printing—as if hot off of a world-class 1960s printing press. A custom paper stock was exclusively developed for this series to simulate the feel of the original comics. The library offers collectors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lay their hands on the world’s most desirable comics. Each volume includes an essay by a comic book historian alongside archival photographs, ephemera, and original comic book artwork.

5

/5

5 Ratings

Perfection.

Yale S.,November 7, 2023
Taschen's reprint series is everything I've ever wanted a reprint series to be. Every volume has been utterly exceptional, and I have no doubt that they will continue to be for the duration of this endeavor.

Un Must Have…

didier p.,October 2, 2023
Un classique pour les amateurs…

The Holy Grail of Comicdom

Amazon C.,September 21, 2023
Pray to the comic gods that Taschen can speed up production without sacrificing quality and get us up to X-Men 280! Just skip any tie-ins or spin-offs or events, and end with X-Men v2 1-3. Love the letters pages and all the extras. This is a wow. A showpiece in and of itself. 10/10

Excellent Vendor

E M.,July 17, 2023
Taschen Marvel series is excellent, and the X-Men volume is one of the best. Vendor (from Germany) shipped the book immediately. Ordered on July 3, it arrived at my door on July 10. Exceptionally well packaged, this over-sized book arrived in perfect condition.

Kreative Erlebnisse in sorgfältig Reproduktion

Highlightzone,July 8, 2023
Taschen feierte bereits die ersten Comicauftritte von Spider-Man, den Avengers und den Fantastic Four in überformatigen Büchern ab. Doch während es sich hierbei um Comics handelte, die in den 60er-Jahren für große Aufmerksamkeit und hohe Auflagen sorgten, konnten die 1963 von Stan Lee und Jack Kirby kreierten X-Men nicht von Anfang an begeistern. Vielleicht lag es am sich nicht gerade selbst erklärenden Titel, vielleicht auch an den im Vergleich zu den anderen Marvel-Teams sehr viel weniger charismatisch wirkenden in blaugelben Uniformen steckenden Mutanten. Erst als Mitte der 70er-Jahre die X-Men internationaler wurden und originelle Figuren wie der kanadische Wüterich Wolverine, die afrikanische Wetterhexe Storm oder der bayerische Mutant Nightcrawler Aufnahme ins Team fanden, wurde die Serie zu Marvels Topseller. Das Vorwort zu diesem Prachtband stammt daher auch vom Briten Chris Claremont, der als Autor das Schicksal der X-Men von 1975 bis 1991 bestimmte. Dieser outet sich als Marvel-Fan der ersten Stunde. Er dankt Stan Lee und Jack Kirby für “einige der besten kreativen Erlebnisse“. Claremont lädt die Leser dazu ein, sich auf jene Geschichten einzulassen, ohne die es viele Comics, TV-Serien und Filme nicht gegeben hätte. Dieses Bestreben ging so weit, dass für den Abdruck der Titelbilder und Backcover Hochglanzpapier und für die Innenseiten Offsetpapier mit matter Oberfläche verwendet wurde. Die Comics, inklusive der ebenfalls recht amüsanten Leserbriefseiten und Werbeanzeigen, kommen in englischer Sprache im Format von 28 x 39,5 cm zum Abdruck, also doppelt so groß wie einst die Originale. Beim Betrachten dieser sorgfältig reproduzierten Seiten wird klar, wie nachlässig und unsensibel neu koloriert diese Comic-Meilensteine bisher in Neuauflagen präsentiert wurden. Erst diese liebevoll aufgemachte Taschen-Edition ermöglicht es, nachzuvollziehen, warum es ohne diese Comicseiten keine Marvel-Blockbuster geben würde.