Nightcrawler #1

History

Dave Cockrum originally conceived the character who would become Nightcrawler during his U.S. Navy service, and later pitched him unsuccessfully to DC Comics as a prospective member of the Legion of Super-Heroes — editor Murray Boltinoff reportedly rejected the design as too bizarre-looking. After leaving DC in a dispute over original artwork, Cockrum brought the character to Marvel, where it was folded into the 1975 New X-Men revival. For the 1985 limited series, Cockrum returned to the X-Universe after his second regular run on Uncanny X-Men had concluded, taking sole writing, penciling, and inking duties; his wife Paty Cockrum provided the colors throughout, and Ann Nocenti served as editor under editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. The story deliberately called back to Nightcrawler's earlier solo adventure in Bizarre Adventures #27 — the encounter with the Well at the Center of Time — threading that continuity into the new series' premise.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First solo series ever headlined by Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner); a four-issue limited series cover-dated November 1985–February 1986, with issue #1 releasing on newsstands August 6, 1985.
• Entirely written, penciled, and inked by Dave Cockrum — Nightcrawler's co-creator — with coloring by his wife Paty Cockrum and lettering by Jim Novak; Ann Nocenti edited under editor-in-chief Jim Shooter.
• First appearance of Shagreen the Sorcerer (villain): a shark-faced dark wizard of the alternate dimension Earth-5311 who can neutralize Nightcrawler's teleportation via his magic staff.
• First appearance of Jinjav Sabree: an alien noblewoman ('Jinjav' being the equivalent title of 'princess') from the floating city of Bel Amee Anora on Earth-5311, who becomes a key ally and brief romantic interest for Kurt.
• First appearance of Captain Long John McGurk and several other Earth-5311 characters (Sharmond, Thorfan, Meg) who populate the dimension's sky-pirate culture.
• The story ties back to Nightcrawler's prior solo outing in Bizarre Adventures #27, using the 'Well at the Center of Time' as the dimensional gateway through which Kurt is pulled after Kitty Pryde accidentally activates it in the Danger Room.
• The Vanisher (Telford Porter) appears in flashback, providing the in-universe explanation for why Nightcrawler is familiar with the Well at the Center of Time.
• The issue has been reprinted multiple times, including in Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 12, X-Men Epic Collection Vol. 12: The Gift (2015), and The Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Vol. 5 (2023), and was translated for several European markets in 1985–1988.

Cast · 8 characters

Full credits

Variants (2)