X-Men #1 [Cover A]

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

From the editorial file The best-selling single comic book of all time by print run, October 1991, shipped in five variant covers by Jim Lee. Enormously common in any grade, which is precisely why it matters historically: this is the issue that proved variants could move numbers.

First appearance of Fabian Cortez - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Marco Delgado - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Anne-Marie Cortez - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Chrome - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Allen Marc Yuricic - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Nance Winters - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

• Five covers exist, four regular plus a gatefold. Each is filed separately here; confirm which one is on offer, as they are not interchangeable.
• Print run was in the millions. Condition and grade are the only real variables.
• Confirm the UPC box: a publisher mark instead of a barcode means direct edition, a barcode means newsstand.
• Glossy covers of this era show edge chipping easily. Check black edges closely in the photos.
• Check the staples and centerfold; heavily read anniversary and key issues loosen there first.