Cover: John Buscema & John Verpoorten

The X-Men #42

Mar 1968 · Marvel · 0.12 USD

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“If I Should Die...!”

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.

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writer Roy Thomas · artist Don Heck · inker George Tuska · letterer Sam Rosen · cover John Buscema, John Verpoorten

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Cast · 11 characters

Bobby Drake Changeling Charles Xavier Cyclops Grotesk Hank McCoy Jack Winters Jean Grey Kevin Sidney Living Diamond Warren Worthington III

Full credits

writer Roy Thomas

artist Don Heck

inker George Tuska

letterer Sam Rosen

cover pencils, inks John Buscema

cover pencils, inks John Verpoorten

Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers

▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers

Grotesk, still seeking his revenge against humanity, looks for a device to accomplish this task - the oscillotron. Professor X attempts to stop Grotesk single-handedly, but fails; Grotesk turns on the device, but the X-Men arrive in time to help destroy the machine before it can cause a massive earthquake. In the aftermath of the battle, Professor X apparently dies.

Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).