The X-Men #41
The X-Men #41 (cover date February 1968, released December 12, 1967) is a pivotal Silver Age chapter in the original X-Men run because it introduces Grotesk — Prince Gor-Tok, the sole survivor of a subterranean civilization wiped out by humanity's underground nuclear tests — giving Marvel one of its most tragedy-driven anti-villain concepts of the era. The issue also quietly sets in motion one of the most audacious long-play deceptions in Silver Age Marvel storytelling: the Changeling (Kevin Sydney) is secretly impersonating Professor X throughout these pages, a swap set up by the real Xavier so he could prepare a mental defense against the alien Z'Nox, unbeknownst even to the X-Men themselves. That impersonation thread, continued into issue #42, would result in the Changeling's death — making him the first X-Man to die in action — and seeding a years-long editorial mystery not resolved until X-Men #65 (1970). The issue was later selected for inclusion in Penguin Classics' prestige Marvel collection, a mark of its recognized place in the foundational X-Men canon.
In "Now Strikes...the Sub-Human!", Jack Winters' desperate experiment at the Cyclotron transforms him into the Living Diamond, a man forged of pure crystalline matter. Written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Werner Roth with inks by John Verpoorten, this 1968 X-Men tale introduces a chilling new threat with a shocking metamorphosis. The cover by Don Heck and George Tuska captures the eerie brilliance of the newly formed diamond man.
In the depths beneath the Earth, a lone survivor of a buried civilization rises with a vengeance, driven by the memory of his people's destruction. When Dr. Hunt and Mr. Chalmers uncover the ancient ruins, they awaken a fury from the past — and the sub-human Gor-Tok is no longer content to remain hidden.
When Jack Winters transforms himself into a living diamond, he becomes a dangerous force of pure, unyielding power—unstoppable and cold. Now, with Joe and Charlie caught in the crossfire, they must find a way to stop a man who’s become something far beyond human.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 22 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
CGC 7 ▾ $115–$150 2 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $2.95–$399 15 listings
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Written entirely by Roy Thomas under editor Stan Lee, the issue carried two separate creative pairings: the lead 'Now Strikes…the Sub-Human!' story was penciled by Don Heck and inked by George Tuska (with coloring tentatively attributed to Marie Severin per Grand Comics Database notes), while the backup 'The Living Diamond!' — continuing the 'Origins of the Uncanny X-Men' serial — was penciled by Werner Roth and inked by John Verpoorten. The pencil/ink attribution on the lead story has been a minor point of scholarly debate: researcher Nick Caputo credits Heck on pencils and Tuska on inks, while a competing attribution by Rich Donnelly reverses the assignments. Thomas was by this stage well into his tenure as series writer (having taken over from Stan Lee around issue #20) and was responsible for creating both Grotesk and, earlier in the Factor Three arc, Changeling himself.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance and origin of Grotesk (Prince Gor-Tok), the last survivor of a subterranean race destroyed by humanity's nuclear tests, who adopts the name 'Grotesk' after Beast describes his physique as 'grotesque' during their first subway confrontation.
- First appearance of King Krono (Grotesk's father, dies in flashback) and Princess Ingar (Grotesk's intended, dies in flashback) — both characters introduced exclusively in this issue's origin sequences.
- Changeling (Kevin Sydney) appears throughout this issue secretly disguised as Professor X; his true identity as a shapeshifting stand-in — arranged by the real Xavier to prepare against the alien Z'Nox — would not be revealed to the X-Men until issue #65 (1970).
- The backup story 'The Living Diamond!' continues the multi-part 'Origins of the Uncanny X-Men' serial focusing on Cyclops (Scott Summers), depicting Jack Winters (Jack O'Diamonds) bombarding himself in a Cyclotron to transform himself fully into a living diamond.
- Two creators drove the entire issue: Roy Thomas scripted both the lead and backup stories, with Don Heck and George Tuska handling the lead and Werner Roth (inks: John Verpoorten) handling the backup.
- Released December 12, 1967, with a cover date of February 1968; the cover was penciled by Don Heck and inked by George Tuska.
- The lead story was reprinted in X-Men #89 (August 1974); the backup 'Living Diamond' story was reprinted in Amazing Adventures (3rd series) #4 (March 1980); the backup was also reprinted in The Marvel Saga #4 (March 1986).
- Issue #41 was selected for the Penguin Classics Marvel Collection anthology, which collects key Silver Age X-Men issues including #1, #41, and #42.
Cast · 14 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Fantastic! #80 (1968), Fantastic! #81 (1968), Hit Comics #103 (1969), Strange #41 (1973), The X-Men #89 (1974), Amazing Adventures #4 (1980), Spidey #57 (1984), The Marvel Saga the Official History of the Marvel Universe #4 (1986), The Official Marvel Index to the X-Men #2 (1987), Marvel Special #4 (1995), Marvel Special #15 (1998), Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men #4 (2004), Essential Classic X-Men #2 (2006), The X-Men Omnibus #2 (2011), Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men #4 (2011), X-Men Epic Collection #2 (2016), X-Men: Children of the Atom #[3] (2019), X-Men (Penguin Classics Marvel Collection) #[nn] (2023), Los Hombres X #39
Key issues in The X-Men
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.