Dave Cockrum Week

Comic Book Catacombs features a page from Alter Ego Magazine (issue 78), that was originally to be included in Giant-Size X-Men #2.  That book was cancelled when Marvel decided to publish the story in the ongoing series starting with X-Men #94.  According to the site:

"Apparently when plans for "Giant-Size X-Men #2" were originally scrapped in favor of continuing with new material in their own title (which had become a reprint-only series), the planned content was divided into issues #94 and #95 of the regular, bi-monthly X-Men series, and this excellent page simply got cut. Just look at those lush, full pencils and you too will salivate at the incredible talent that Cockrum brought to his 1970's efforts."

http://comicbookcatacombs.blogspot.com/2008/06/lost-page-of-dave-cockrums-x-men.html

One Minute Later

This art was actually repurposed by inker Joe Rubinstein over John Byrne's pencils for another project.  It comes to us from Comicartfan's One Minute Later gallery, a series of commissions depicting what happened just after the original cover.

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=118778

First Genesis!

When Marvel decided to launch a revamped X-Men in the 1970's, there were many characters and ideas that didn't make the final cut.

Originally, Dave Cockrum brought in a set of characters he had intended to use in a Legion of Superheroes spinoff, called The Outsiders.  Nightcrawler was a character he created years earlier, whose personality was very different from what was portrayed in the X-Men.

Typhoon could control the weather:

And Black Cat was a character created specifically for the X-Men, to be a shapeshifter.

Eventually, Black Cat's hair was changed and she was given Typhoon's powers, and Storm was born!

Vampyre was a character idea that was dropped because he was too similar to Nightcrawler.

Thunderbird and Marvel Girl went through some costume changes before their final looks were decided.

Another group created by Dave Cockrum for use in the Legion, the Strangers included a character called Wolverine, and early versions of Raza and Liandra from the Starjammers.

The character he called Wolverine was later introduced into the Imperial Guard and called Fang.

On a side note, in his last issue, Dave Cockrum gave Wolverine Fang's costume, with the intent that it would be his new uniform.  He is shown here with fellow Guard member Oracle.

This has been an astounding exercise in What-Iffery!  Just imagine if any or all of these characters had been

assembled into an alternate team of X-Men!  Also, check back all week as Dave Cockrum Week shall continue!

X-Factor - Marvel Comics of the 1980's

Courtesy of Jason Shayer's fantastic blog "Marvel Comics of the 1980's", here are several unused covers to X-Factor #1, featuring the original X-Men reunited for the first time since Giant-Size X-Men #1.

Here's a version by Bob Layton that's very similar to the published cover.

Also, here are some unused costume designs:

This last image doesn't show Jean Grey, because it was printed in a Marvel Age article when her return from the dead was still a secret.  

 And finally, here is Walt Simonson's final cover art!  For more great 1980's Marvel masterpieces, check out

http://marvel1980s.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Jason!

Krakoa Re-Imagined

John Byrne has done a lot of excellent commission work over the last few years.

To get the full effect of this awesome re-imagining of the battle from the end of Giant-Size X-Men #1, you'll want to click on the image in John Byrne's gallery to see the full sized version.

http://www.artofjohnbyrne.com/gallery/commissions/commissions-large/Krakoa.a.jpg.php

New Image

Here are some Giant-Size X-Men #1 homage covers published by Image.

Stan Lee Presents!

In the spirit of continuing to cover material related to Giant-Size X-Men #1, I present this painted piece by Dave Cockrum.  This paperback presented the original comic in black and white, with several panels on each page.  Dave's painting really makes the characters come alive.

If you're interested, the book can be purchased at Amazon.com by clicking here.

All New, All Different: Revisited

In 1983, Marvel published Special Edition X-Men, which was basically a reprint of Giant-Size X-Men #1, with a new backup story by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum.  It also featured a great wraparound cover by Dave.

Here is a page by Dave that wasn't completely used in published book.  As shown, the top panel was used, and the story jumps ahead to show Kitty Pryde and Magik already in the water.

The inside front cover of the book also has a pinup of the X-Men by Dave.  This was used many years later as the cover of Back Issue Magazine #29.  Interestingly, the magazine mentions that Dave had intended to use the illustration as an Uncanny X-Men cover during his second run on the title.  It's unclear which issue this artwork was originally intended for.

To purchase Back Issue Magazine #29, or to check out other publications by TwoMorrows, click here.

All New, All Different...

Welcome to The Unpublished X-Men, a collection of rare X-Men art.  While this site will feature a lot of unpublished material, it will also show promotional art, commissions and material not published in the main X-Men books.  I had planned on starting with Giant-Size X-Men #1 from 1975, and working my way forward, backward, and sideways throughout the history of the X-men.  To begin with, I would like to feature a number of covers based on the design of Gil Kane and Dave Cockrum's popular cover:

Here's the original iconic design by Gil and Dave.

This What If? cover turns the formula around by featuring the original team.

This Marvel Age cover does the same, but they left out Jean Grey,

since her return from the dead was supposed to be a big surprise

for X-Factor #1.  Note the costume designs, which would change

before that issue came out.

Uncanny X-Men Annual #10 featured Art Adams designs for the

New Mutants, who had to come to the rescue of the X-Men.

Uncanny X-Men 254 by Jim Lee featured the X-Men supporting cast defending Muir Island from the Reavers.

Excalibur 45 shows the Technet as the "N-Men" by Alan Davis.

X-Men 45 by Andy Kubert shows the X-Babies reinvented for the 90's.

This Carlos Pacheco cover shows the new mutants who joined

the team all to briefly in X-Men 70.

X-Statix #1 by Peter Milligan shows old and new members of the ever changing roster.

X-Men Deadly Genesis by Marc Silvestri shows the team of

Giant-Size X-Men #1 as skeletons, an eerie foreshadowing of

the story of Professor Xavier's recruiting a new team of X-Men 

who were destined to die.

Giant-Size X-Men #3 by Dave Cockrum and John Cassaday, sadly,

may be Dave's last X-Men work.  After Dave did this cover, he 

became too sick to complete the interior story.  That story was

 completed by Neal Adams out of respect for Dave.

X-Men Legacy 233 has a comical Deadpool variant cover.

The cover of the Uncanny X-Men Omnibus features a painted version of the original cover by John Watson.

Astonishing X-Men 32 gives us a Marvel Superhero Squad

variant cover.

X-Men Giant-Size shows the very first X-Men in their original

costumes.  The story takes place in the past and the present.

Giant-Size Defenders #1 may be the only cover on this list not X-Men related.  There are many other covers and parodies of the original cover, and they will be featured in later posts.  For now, I've concentrated on covers produced by Marvel Comics.  Add a comment if you know of any that I've missed!