The X-Men #98
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeX-Men #98 is the narrative detonator for what would become the Phoenix Saga — the opening salvo of a multi-issue arc that ends with Jean Grey's transformation in issue #101 and fundamentally reshapes the X-Men for decades to come. It is also the first issue to establish, in print, that Wolverine's claws are a biological part of his body rather than retractable hardware built into his gloves, overturning creator Len Wein's original conception and cementing one of the most consequential character details in Marvel history. The issue's dense crowd scenes serve as a cross-company playground, smuggling in cameos from DC's Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and editor Julius Schwartz alongside Marvel's own Stan Lee and Jack Kirby — a playful, confident gesture that captures the collegial and self-aware spirit of mid-1970s Bronze Age comics. All of this arrives wrapped in a Christmas-set thriller that also introduces Amanda Sefton, a character whose hidden identity as Jimaine Szardos would eventually pay off as one of Claremont's signature long-game subplots.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was written by Chris Claremont, penciled by Dave Cockrum, inked by Sam Grainger, colored by Janice Cohen, lettered by Joe Rosen, and edited by Marv Wolfman — the core creative unit that was steadily transforming the once-dormant X-Men title into one of Marvel's most ambitious books. Claremont has recounted that because issue #100 loomed as a milestone number, he and Cockrum deliberately engineered #98 to fire off as many plot threads as possible and get the cast into jeopardy in time for that landmark; in his own words, the 100-issue landmark made it feel like they had to 'pack a lot in.' The Wolverine claw revelation was nearly left uncommented upon until editor Wolfman stepped in and suggested the other X-Men should react, a nudge that Claremont credits with crystallizing Wolverine's now-iconic laconic retort to his teammates. The issue hit spinner racks on January 20, 1976, carrying an April 1976 cover date.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Amanda Sefton (real name Jimaine Szardos), who would later be revealed as Nightcrawler's sorceress foster sister and eventually take the codenames Daytripper and Magik II; she is created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum.
- First appearance of Betsy Wilford, a minor supporting character and Colossus love interest; her surname was taken directly from the maiden name of Claremont's then-wife, Bonnie Wilford.
- First time Wolverine is shown unmasked and, critically, the first in-print confirmation that his claws are part of his body — not housed in his costume gloves as Len Wein originally intended.
- First full appearance of the Mark III Sentinels, created by villain Dr. Stephen Lang as part of his 'Project Armageddon,' an orbital campaign to exterminate mutants.
- The issue opens the Sentinel/space-station arc that leads directly into X-Men #100 and #101, the latter featuring Jean Grey's transformation into Phoenix.
- Uncredited crowd cameos include DC Superman editor Julius Schwartz, Clark Kent, and Lois Lane on one street corner, and X-Men co-creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby passing Cyclops and Jean Grey outside the Rainbow Room.
- Additional background cameos include Nick Fury, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Matt Murdock, writer Chris Claremont himself, and Dave Cockrum with his then-girlfriend (later wife) Paty — plus Doctor Doom spotted ice skating.
- The issue has been widely reprinted, including in Classic X-Men #6 (1987), Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 (2003), The Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Vol. 1 (2006), X-Men Epic Collection: Second Genesis (2017), and the Phoenix Omnibus (2021).
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Reprints
Reprinted in Comic Reader #126 (1976), Spécial Strange #9 (1977), Die Gruppe X #2 (1985), Classic X-Men #6 (1987), The Official Marvel Index to the X-Men #5 (1988), El Asombroso Hombre Araña Presenta #43 (1989), Marvel Masterworks #11 (1989), X-Men Saga #1 (1990), L'Uomo Ragno #65 (1991), X-Men Classic #2 (1995), Essential X-Men #1 (1996), X-Men #109 (2001), X-Men : l'intégrale #1975-1976 (2002), Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men - Barnes & Noble Edition #1 (2003), Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men #1 (2003), X-Men pocket 1 #[nn] (2006), The Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #1 (2006), Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men #1 (2009), Marvel Gold. La Imposible Patrulla-X #1 (2011), Die offizielle Marvel-Comic-Sammlung #34 (2015), Marvel. Официальная коллекция комиксов #71 (2016), X-Men Epic Collection #5 (2017), X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga Omnibus #[nn] (2018), X-Men: Children of the Atom #[6] (2019) + 5 more
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