Dave Cockrum

Artist Dave Cockrum appeared in Marvel comics as a fictionalized version of himself — a real-life X-Men penciler who stepped into the pages of the very title he helped shape, rubbing shoulders with characters like Nightcrawler and Colossus that he co-created.

There's something wonderfully meta about Dave Cockrum turning up in the comics he helped define — a Bronze Age Marvel legend stepping from the drafting table onto the page itself. Debuting in The X-Men #105 in 1977, this in-universe version of the real-life artist shares adventures alongside icons like Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus — the very characters Cockrum co-created and rendered with such iconic flair. With appearances spanning an impressive 32 years and a presence in titles like X-Men: Die by the Sword and the playful Marvel Fumetti Book, he's a charming piece of Marvel self-mythology. For collectors who love the human story behind the superhero page, a character who is literally the artist in the story is about as special as it gets.