how long did it take new X-men to catch on after GS #1?

[Wally's Comics]

A lot of collectors said they didn`t like Chris Claremont`s art.

 

Dave Cockrum

 

 

[seank]

A lot of collectors said they didn`t like Chris Claremont`s art.

 

I'm not too fond of his writing either. Too many words.

 

 

[DrWatson]

Austin

Byrne

Claremont

Cockrum

Smith

 

 

All are better than the piddle that gets passed off today.

[joe_collector]

Please add Paul Smith to that list.

[DrWatson]

Corrected. How can someone so smug, be so consistently right?

[MutantKeys]

Please add Paul Smith to that list.

Shouldve done more issues

[joe_collector]

Please add Paul Smith to that list.

Shouldve done more issues

 

Sure, but what he did do was pretty darn good.

 

Plus my fave Paul Smith work on X-Men isn't even from that run...

[DrWatson]

Please add Paul Smith to that list.

Shouldve done more issues

 

Sure, but what he did do was pretty darn good.

 

Plus my fave Paul Smith work on X-Men isn't even from that run...

 

So, which one?

 

[EastEnd]

I remember going into a new comic shop in my neighborhood, Richie's Comic Den, in the summer/fall of 1978 and being surprised to see a copy of X-Men #94 on his back wall for a whopping $12. With that, I started buying new X-men issues as they came out. So there was X-Men buzz (at least in NY) by that time.

 

 

[MK Ultra]

Was John's popularity due to his work at Charlton, or was it when he went to Marvel and did Iron Fist, that was his first stuff there right? Then MTU then Champions before going to X-Men.

[DrWatson]

Was John's popularity due to his work at Charlton, or was it when he went to Marvel and did Iron Fist, that was his first stuff there right? Then MTU then Champions before going to X-Men.

 

JC?

[EastEnd]

Was John's popularity due to his work at Charlton, or was it when he went to Marvel and did Iron Fist, that was his first stuff there right? Then MTU then Champions before going to X-Men.

 

I don't recall any of Byrne's other work being popular before he did X-Men and after the new X-Men hit, I think demand for his other work was limited to Iron Fist #15 (the X-Men crossover issue).

[joe_collector]

Was John's popularity due to his work at Charlton, or was it when he went to Marvel and did Iron Fist, that was his first stuff there right? Then MTU then Champions before going to X-Men.

 

JC?

 

Tough question, especially since today, we equate "popular" with "valuable", when it wasn't always like that. I know I picked up every Byrne comic I could get, but didn't really notice the trend until MTU 59 or so. I found that I had a gap between MTU 53, 54 and 55 to 59, then I figured out why...

 

He certainly had a growing fanbase, but in terms of valuation, no, the big Byrne price ramp-up only started well into his New X-Men run.

 

Interesting bit of trivia: Byrne was not scheduled to take over New X-Men, and was instead slotted in as the penciller for Logan's Run - only after than book was canceled, did Byrne get the X-Men assignment.

[MK Ultra]

Well, it seems like the X-Men machine started after Byrne got there so I was just wondering if there was some sort of fan base built up, or if was just the perfect storm.

 

BTW did anyone else get a PM from ebbowman offering to sell a 9.0 94 for $700? Odd.

[namisgr]

I had been buying off the newstand since '71, and remember that the new X-Men took a bit of getting used to. Many of us were hoping the original crew would return with a good creative team at the helm. Also, we were raised on the brawny "Kirby" style of art, and the delicate thin lines of Cockrum were very different.

 

With that being said, the creative spark behind the new team was apparent early on. Remember, by 1975 creativity for the other available fare had gotten really weak - Adams, Steranko, Windsor-Smith, Wrightson, Brunner and many other great pencillers had left. Stan wasn't writing anymore, Jack's new stuff for his return to Marvel was quickly forgettable, and Batman was perhaps the only appealing monthly character at DC. The heyday of great undergrounds was also in the past. Indeed, by the middle of '76 I stopped buying new comics alltogether for a 5 year period (X 101 was my final ish). If you could get used to the different style of the art and the failure to revive the original team, it was quickly apparent that the new X-Men was the very best ongoing series. For me, personally, it wasn't enough on its own to maintain my interest in comics.

[Sal]

Please add Paul Smith to that list.

Shouldve done more issues

 

Sure, but what he did do was pretty darn good.

 

Plus my fave Paul Smith work on X-Men isn't even from that run...

 

Marvel Fanfare 4?

 

[otherworldsj33]

I was living in Fla. at the time, and picked up only a handful of issues between GS1 and 110. By 111 I was hooked tough, up till about 170. I had the impression, talking to other collectors, and hearing the owner of the comic store talking to other collectors, that by issue 100, 101 the X-Men starting taking off, and by 110, 111, it was obvious there was a real core there.

[the blob]

Honestly, I remember my older brother being excited about bringing a copy of #94 back from a con in 1977. Of course, given his budgetary restrictions, I doubt he paid more than a buck or two for it.

[Warlord]

I started collecting in 1976 but did not pay attention to anything Marvel until the mid-1980's. I always wondered how long it took the new X-men to really catch on.

 

Were they a hit right after GS #1 and #94 hit the shelf?

 

Or did it take until Byrne came along? Or later?

 

I remember seeing Chuck 2 page ads in all comics in the late 70's and #94 was already at what I thought was a crazy price level (I think it was $50).

 

What are your recollections. How long did it take for this title to really catch on like crazy with the public.

 

 

After they got hot/valuable, I used to remind my LCS owner how cheaply (cover price) I bought from him almost all of the early new X-Men issues (up through #10* or so) when they were nearly new. His response was that he couldn't even give them away until about they hit 110-120 range, so he was glad to "unload" them.

[COMICKINGS]

I bought a copy of #94 at a mall show here in Va.Beach in 1978 for $6.I remember showing it to my friends and all of saying it was good deal. I think they were going for $10-$15 at the time. Howard the Duck #1 was going for more though!