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Cover: Dave Cockrum

The X-Men #104

Name: The X-Men #104
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Apr 1977 · Marvel · 0.30 USD

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“The Gentleman's Name Is Magneto”

★ 1st appearance — Ch'od★ 1st appearance — Angus MacWhirter★ 1st appearance — Cr'reee★ 1st appearance — Raza

About this Issue

The X-Men #104 is a landmark Bronze Age chapter in the Claremont–Cockrum run, packing an extraordinary number of firsts into a single 17-page story: the debut of Muir Island as Moira MacTaggert's secret mutant-research facility, the first cameo appearance of the Starjammers (Corsair and Ch'od) — the cosmic-pirate team who would anchor the X-Men's entire Shi'ar storyline — and the first on-panel mention of the entity 'Mutant X,' whose name on a containment-cell door foreshadows the character who becomes Proteus nearly twenty issues later. Magneto's dramatic restoration to adulthood also carries lasting structural weight: Erik the Red's ray doesn't simply reverse the infantilisation that occurred in Defenders #16 — later stories imply it actually de-aged Magneto into a younger, more powerful adult, the retroactive explanation for how a Holocaust survivor could credibly continue his schemes for decades to come. Dave Cockrum's cover, a knowing rearrangement of Jack Kirby's very first X-Men #1 composition, signals the creative team's confidence that this relaunched title had fully earned its place in Marvel's pantheon.

In "The Gentleman's Name Is Magneto," the X-Men arrive at Muir Island expecting a routine check-in—only to find Eric the Red has resurrected Magneto in full adulthood, reigniting old tensions. With Maggie clearly unimpressed by the sudden return of the past, the team must navigate a volatile situation where history and power collide. Written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Dave Cockrum, with inks by Sam Grainger and colors by Andy Yanchus, this 1977 issue features a cover by Cockrum that captures the moment’s tension in bold, striking detail.

writer Chris Claremont · artist Dave Cockrum · inker Sam Grainger · colorist Andy Yanchus · letterer Gaspar Saladino · letterer Patterson · cover Dave Cockrum

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (Fine) $22

CGC 9.8 · 159 in census $782

CGC 9.6 · 325 in census $361

CGC 9.4 · 410 in census $192

CGC 9.2 · 296 in census $144

CGC 9.0 · 262 in census $103

CGC 8.5 · 284 in census $92

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CGC 8.0 · 186 in census $80

CGC 7.5 · 143 in census $76

CGC 7.0 · 112 in census $60

CGC 6.5 · 74 in census $49

CGC 6.0 · 41 in census $46

CGC 5.5 · 38 in census $40

CGC 5.0 · 32 in census $40*

CGC 4.5 · 17 in census $39*

CGC 4.0 · 10 in census $37*

CGC 3.5 · 9 in census $31*

CGC 3.0 · 4 in census $28*

CGC 2.5 · 2 in census $21*

CGC 2.0 none in existence

CGC 1.5 none in existence

CGC 1.0 none in existence

CGC 0.5 · 1 in census $20*

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History

Written by Chris Claremont and pencilled by Dave Cockrum with inks by Sam Grainger, the issue was edited by Archie Goodwin and carried a cover date of April 1977, placing it on stands in January of that year — before Star Wars had been released, which is relevant because Cockrum had designed the Starjammers as a space-pirate ensemble he originally intended to anchor their own series. When Marvel repeatedly told him that both try-out venues, Marvel Spotlight and Marvel Premiere, were booked solid for two years, Cockrum brought the concept directly to Claremont, who agreed to fold the characters into X-Men; the creative pair then deliberately wrote Corsair as Cyclops's long-lost father to give the Starjammers narrative hooks that would justify their recurring presence in the book. The Dragonfly subplot seeded here — in which the imprisoned Ani-Men member is noted to have escaped — existed because Cockrum was quietly developing an all-female superhero team that would have included both Dragonfly and Storm, a project that was ultimately shelved before reaching print.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance (cameo) of the Starjammers: Corsair (Christopher Summers) and Ch'od appear aboard the starship Starjammer in a brief but named scene — their first comics appearance anywhere, created by Dave Cockrum.
First appearance of Muir Island, Moira MacTaggert's mutant-research facility off the northwest coast of Scotland, which becomes one of the series' most important recurring locations.
First mention of 'Mutant X' — a name glimpsed on a glowing containment cell door as Magneto departs Muir Island; the entity behind the door is later revealed to be Proteus (Kevin MacTaggert), who first fully appears in Uncanny X-Men #125 (1979).
Magneto is restored to adulthood by Erik the Red using an unspecified aging ray, reversing his infantilisation from Defenders #16; later stories establish that the process also de-aged and power-upgraded him, explaining his continued menace across subsequent decades.
Jamie Madrox (Multiple Man) makes his first appearance in an X-Men comic, having previously debuted in Giant-Size Fantastic Four #4; here he serves as Moira's research assistant on Muir Island.
Dave Cockrum's cover is a deliberate homage to the Jack Kirby cover of X-Men #1 (1963), repositioning Cyclops and a newly adult Magneto in an updated echo of the original composition.
Written by Chris Claremont, pencilled by Dave Cockrum, inked by Sam Grainger, coloured by Andy Yanchus, lettered by Bruce Patterson, and edited by Archie Goodwin; cover-dated April 1977, on sale January 1977.
The issue has been reprinted extensively, including in Classic X-Men #12 (1987, with a new John Bolton backup story), Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 2 (2004), The Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Vol. 1 (2006), X-Men Epic Collection: Second Genesis (2017), and the Phoenix Omnibus (2021).