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The X-Men #42 cover
Cover: John Buscema & John Verpoorten

The X-Men #42

Mar 1968 · Marvel · 0.12 USD
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In "If I Should Die...!", the X-Men face their darkest hour when the vengeful Grotesk unleashes the deadly oscillotron, threatening to shake the world apart. With Professor X confronting the threat alone and the team racing to intervene, the fate of the mutant leader hangs in the balance. Written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Don Heck with inks by George Tuska, this pivotal 1968 issue features a cover by John Buscema and John Verpoorten.

Contains 2 stories
If I Should Die...!
15 pp · Superhero

In "If I Should Die...!", Grotesk, driven by a relentless hatred of humanity, hunts for the powerful oscillotron to unleash devastation. With Professor X confronting him alone and ultimately falling in the battle, the X-Men arrive just in time to stop the machine—but not before the cost becomes tragically clear.

The End...Or the Beginning?
5 pp · Superhero

In the aftermath of a devastating clash, the Living Diamond is reduced to atoms, leaving Professor X and Scott Summers standing amidst the wreckage. With the threat neutralized, Professor X turns to Scott with a quiet but profound request: to help build something new— a team dedicated to bridging the divide between humans and mutants.

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta
Raw (VG) $30
CGC 9.8 · 3 in census $16,926*
CGC 9.6 · 12 in census $5,766
CGC 9.4 · 31 in census $2,519
CGC 9.2 · 38 in census $904
CGC 9.0 · 71 in census $904*
CGC 8.5 · 96 in census $795*
Show all 21 grades
CGC 8.0 · 96 in census $613*
CGC 7.5 · 84 in census $415
CGC 7.0 · 86 in census $408*
CGC 6.5 · 63 in census $342*
CGC 6.0 · 67 in census $290*
CGC 5.5 · 49 in census $237*
CGC 5.0 · 51 in census $224*
CGC 4.5 · 26 in census $190*
CGC 4.0 · 27 in census $164*
CGC 3.5 · 14 in census $155*
CGC 3.0 · 11 in census $121*
CGC 2.5 · 2 in census $106*
CGC 2.0 · 2 in census $82*
CGC 1.5 none in existence
CGC 1.0 · 1 in census $54*
* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade
Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available
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Cast · 11 characters

Full credits

writer Roy Thomas
artist Don Heck
letterer Sam Rosen
cover pencils, inks John Buscema
cover pencils, inks John Verpoorten

Reprints

Reprinted in Fantastic! #82 (1968), Fantastic! #83 (1968), Los Hombres X #40 (1969), Hit Comics #103 (1969), Strange #42 (1973), The X-Men #90 (1974), Amazing Adventures #5 (1980), Spidey #58 (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), HIP Comics #19103

Key issues in The X-Men

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