Marvel Klassik #3
Marvel Klassik #3 is the German-language hardcover that gathered the first nine issues of the original 1963–64 X-Men run into a single prestige volume, giving German-speaking readers their first convenient collected-edition access to one of Marvel's most consequential debut arcs. Within those pages sit the first appearances of Cyclops, Jean Grey (as Marvel Girl), Beast, Angel, Iceman, Professor X, and Magneto himself — together the foundational cast that would eventually become the cornerstone of decades of mutant storytelling. The volume also carries the debuts of the Vanisher, the Blob, and the full Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (Magneto, Mastermind, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Toad) — six new characters introduced across just four issues — establishing the template of a superhero team defined by social allegory rather than cosmic accident. By packaging these issues in a high-quality hardcover format, Panini Deutschland brought the Silver Age origins of Marvel's mutant metaphor to an audience that had largely encountered the X-Men only through later translated monthly serials.
In "Wer stoppt ... Vanisher?", a disillusioned Beast leaves the X-Men after a violent encounter with a mutant-hating mob, only to find himself in the ring as a professional wrestler. When he crosses paths with Unus, a mutant immune to touch seeking to join Magneto’s Brotherhood, the X-Men must confront both a new threat and the unexpected consequences of Beast’s invention. Written by Stan Lee and Michael Strittmatter, with iconic art by Jack Kirby and inks by Chic Stone, this 1998 issue features a cover by Kirby, Brodsky, and Giacoia.
In "Hütet euch vor Blob!", the X-Men are sent to investigate a new mutant detected by Professor X, leading them to a traveling carnival where they meet the immovable Blob—whose thick, bouncy form deflects bullets and anchors him to the ground. Though they offer him a place at the mansion, the Blob refuses and returns to the carnival, forcing the team to lure him back to erase his knowledge of their secret.
In "Da waren es nur noch vier!", the X-Men face their greatest test when Xavier’s powers vanish, leaving the team adrift without guidance. With Magneto manipulating events from the shadows and the Toad’s shocking victory in a public athletic event drawing suspicion, the team must confront both the Brotherhood and their own limits. When Angel is taken to Asteroid M, the X-Men launch a daring rescue—only to discover the truth behind Xavier’s absence may be more complex than they imagined.
In "Sub-Mariner schlägt zu!", Namor finds himself at the center of a clash between ideologies when Magneto invades his underwater realm with an offer to join the Brotherhood—spurred by a rumor that he might be a mutant, a theory first sparked by Xavier's curiosity. Drawn in by the Scarlet Witch’s spell, Namor nearly commits to Magneto’s cause, but when the X-Men arrive to stop the invasion, he must choose his own path.
In "Die Rückkehr von Blob!", the X-Men's graduation marks a turning point when Professor Xavier steps aside, entrusting Cyclops with leadership and unveiling Cerebro. When Magneto recruits the Blob and the mental barriers holding his past secrets collapse, the mutant's forgotten connection to the X-Men surfaces—sparking a crisis that pulls the team back into action. As old loyalties are tested and betrayal looms, the Blob faces a choice between vengeance and the life he once left behind.
In "Bedroht von Unus, dem Unberührbaren!", Beast, disillusioned after a violent encounter with a mutant-hating mob, leaves the X-Men behind to pursue a career in professional wrestling. When the seemingly untouchable mutant Unus arrives with ambitions to join Magneto’s Brotherhood, the X-Men are pushed to their limits—only to discover Beast has built a machine meant to amplify Unus’ powers, leading to unexpected consequences.
In "Bühne frei für ... die Rächer!", Xavier tracks down Lucifer in Bavaria, only to discover the villain’s heartbeat is tied to a massive thermal bomb. With the X-Men and Avengers both arriving on the scene, the two teams must navigate a tense standoff as the X-Men work to prevent the Avengers from defeating Lucifer—knowing that doing so would destroy the world. After Xavier incapacitates Lucifer with a mind blast, he calls for help, and the Avengers agree to let the X-Men handle the crisis alone. Cyclops then uses his eye beams to disable the bomb, but the full stakes of the situation remain unresolved.
In "Im Reich von... Ka-Zar!", the X-Men journey to the Savage Land at Xavier’s urging, drawn by rumors of the noble savage Ka-Zar. What begins as an expedition quickly turns perilous when Jean and Warren are captured by the savage Swamp Men, forcing the team to intervene before the ritual sacrifice.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Marvel Klassik series was Panini Deutschland's late-1990s answer to Marvel's own Marvel Masterworks program — a line of numbered hardcover volumes reprinting the earliest, most historically significant Marvel runs in durable collected form. The series ran to at least 13 volumes, with other entries collecting Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, and Thor material from the same Stan Lee–Jack Kirby era. Volume #3, covering the X-Men, was published in 1998, the same year Marvel US issued its own new Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men hardcover, suggesting Panini licensed and scheduled the volume in coordination with that wider anniversary publishing push around the X-Men's 35th year.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Reprints X-Men #1–9 (cover dates September 1963–February 1965), the complete Stan Lee and Jack Kirby opening run through at least issue #9, published originally by Marvel Comics.
- X-Men #1 (September 1963): first appearances of Professor X (Charles Xavier), Cyclops (Scott Summers), Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), Beast (Hank McCoy), Angel (Warren Worthington III), Iceman (Bobby Drake), and Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr) — all created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
- X-Men #2 (November 1963): first appearance of the Vanisher (Telford Porter), a teleporting mutant villain and one of the X-Men's earliest adversaries.
- X-Men #3 (January 1964): first appearance of the Blob (Frederick Dukes), an immovable carnival strongman whose refusal to join the X-Men and subsequent memory-wipe by Professor X sets a morally complex early tone for the series.
- X-Men #4 (March 1964): first full appearance of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, led by Magneto and including Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff), Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), and Toad (Mortimer Toynbee).
- X-Men #9 features the first appearance of Unus the Untouchable (Gunther Bain) and prominently involves Ka-Zar (Kevin Plunder) and his sabretooth companion Zabu; it also brings the Avengers — Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man (Hank Pym), and Captain America (Steve Rogers) — into conflict with the X-Men.
- Published by Panini Deutschland (Marvel Deutschland imprint) in 1998 as part of the Marvel Klassik hardcover series, a German-market equivalent of the Marvel Masterworks reprint program that ultimately ran to 13 volumes.
- The stories collected here were written by Stan Lee with pencils by Jack Kirby and inks by Paul Reinman, representing some of the earliest Marvel Silver Age superhero storytelling and the genesis of the mutant-as-minority metaphor central to X-Men's enduring cultural resonance.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints The X-Men #1 (1963), The X-Men #2 (1963), The X-Men #3 (1964), The X-Men #4 (1964), The X-Men #5 (1964), The X-Men #6 (1964), The X-Men #7 (1964), The X-Men #8 (1964), The X-Men #9 (1965), The X-Men #10 (1965), Marvel Masterworks #3 (1987)
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