Theend of the Krakoan Eraof theX-Menis already fading into the distance, but to commemorate the closing of one door and the opening of the nextFrom the Ashesera, the incredibly talented artist Scott Koblish has created a beautiful, wildly impressive work of art. Spread out across four different X-Men covers, Koblish’s wraparound connecting cover features nearly every major and minor character in the X-Men mythos -from Jean Grey to Sugar Man- in a stunning spread of art honoring 60 years of X-Men publishing.
X-Men#1, written by Stan Lee withart from Jack Kirby, first debuted in 1963, andover the past six decades, the incredible Merry Mutants have spread across the Marvel Universe, becoming one of the most beloved and prolific franchises at the company.
Scott Koblish, who had previously illustrated asimilar cover forThe Fantastic Four, created this massive art spread to cover eight full-size comic covers, wrapping around the front and back ofX-Men#35,X-Men#1,Uncanny X-Men#1, andExceptional X-Men#1, highlightingliterally hundreds of iconic X-Men characters.
Scott Koblish’s Wraparound Cover Features Every X-Men Character Since 1963
It is a truly impressive piece of art honoring the franchise
Marvel claims thatKoblish’s connecting covers feature every character to ever appear in a mainline X-Men cover, spinoff, or limited series, a claim that looks shockingly accurate given just how vast and detailed the art is. The X-Men have lived many lives and encountered innumerable teams they have fought and partnered with, like the Shi’ar, Alpha Flight, X-Calibur, and Magneto’s Brotherhood, all of whom feature in the connecting cover. Koblish has also included an intense number of villains, such as Onslaught, Joseph, Selene, and various Sentinels, while also highlighting some lesser-known baddies like Wendingo and Stryfe.
Koblish also made sure to feature different versions of beloved characters in drastically different eras, so while there are “normal” versions of iconic heroes like Colossus and Cyclops, there are also Phoenix-infused depictions of them from the Phoenix Five event. Among the classic X-Men heroes and villains, there are also heroes from other popular franchises that have crossed over with the X-Men,like members of The Fantastic Four, different versions of the Avengers, and Spider-Man. On a more cosmic level, Koblish’s art features key beings like the Beyonder, the Watcher, and the Magus, all cosmic entities that have interacted with the X-Men at one point or another.
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Krakoa’s destruction left mutantkind broken. They lost their nation, their culture, and are back to navigating a world that doesn’t want them.
Who Is Your Favorite Obscure Mutant To Appear In The Connected Covers?
There are new surprises every place you look
It is incredibly fun to go through Scott Koblish’s X-Men covers and see familiar faces who have allied with, or fought against, the mutants of Marvel over the decades. However,playing a sort of “Where’s Waldo?“may be even more enjoyable with the obscure characters highlighted in the artwork. Some of the best obscure characters to be featured include X-Statix hero Doop, Nightcrawler’s mother Margali Szardos, the incredible X-Babies, Magneto’s robot torturer Nanny, and of course the D’Bari, the tragic people who Jean Grey slaughtered as Dark Phoenix.
The X-Men franchise is filled with so many characters, from the tiniest cameos to the original fiveX-Men, that it must have taken Scott Koblish weeks and weeks, if not months, to complete this complex connecting cover spread. Make sure to check out all four covers so you may try to identify as many heroes, villains, and civilians as possible!
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
