Celebrate the birthday of the book that made a Giant-Size impact on comics! Revisit the fateful day that Professor X gathered an all-new, all-different, multinational mix of mutants - as Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Banshee, Sunfire, Thunderbird and some guy named Wolverine unite with Cyclops in the rescue tale that ushered in four decades of uncanny adventures! See how the original team reacted to the newly expanded roster! Learn the tragic histories of Colossus and Wolverine! Ask yourself "What If?" they all died or never even met! And savor the explosive epic that revealed the group's true deadly genesis - and the ill-fated existence of a previous team! COLLECTING: Giant-Size X-Men 1, 3-4; Classic X-Men 1; X-Men Origins: Colossus; X-Men Origi ns: Wolveri ne; X-Men: Deadly Genesis 1-6; What If? (1989) 9, 23; materi al from X-Men Gold 1

Spider-Man's amazingly popular Omnibus line continues with the storyline that shocked the comics world: Peter Parker's deceased beloved, Gwen Stacy, shows up on his doorstep - kicking off a mind-bending clone saga that would last for decades! The scheming Jackal lines up a murderer's row of foes to take on Spider-Man: Tarantula, Scorpion and Spidey himself! The Punisher sets his sights on Spidey in an adventure guest-starring the X-Men's Nightcrawler! J. Jonah Jameson finally gets the goods on Spider-Man's secret identity! Doc Ock, Hammerhead, Kingpin and the Molten Man are on hand to menace Spidey, but it's not all bad guys for our hero as romance blooms between Peter and Mary Jane, and Nova teams up with Spider-Man! Collecting: Amazing Spider-Man (1963) 143-180, Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1964) 10-11, Nova (1976) 12; material from Marvel Treasury Edition (1974) 14, Marvel Special Edition (1975) 1

Hulk is the strongest! Why? Because it's hard not to be when you go from strength to strength with artists Herb Trimpe and Sal Buscema! Trimpe defined the incredible Hulk in an artistic tenure stretching from 1968 to 1975. When Sal Buscema took over the reins, not only did the series gain a great talent, but one that, unbelievably, would have a tenure longer than even Trimpe's! Add to that Len Wein writing some of his greatest Hulk stories and you've got a bona fi de Marvel Masterworks! The adventures include Hulk smashing his way through the Mole Man, the Gremlin, the Shaper of Worlds, Doc Samson, the Abomination...and, of course, the never-ending military machinations of Gen. "Thunderbolt" Ross! COLLECTING: INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) 184-196, MATERIAL FROM MARVEL TREASURY EDITION (1975) 5

The always incredible Hulk's adventures continue, led by Len Wein and Sal Buscema! They kick things off with an all-out slugfest between the Hulk, Man-Thing and the Glob. While the Hulk fights for his life, romance grows between Betty Ross and Doc Samson. It's the kind of relationship that leads to a battle between green hair and green skin. In HULK #200, it's a microscopic trip - literally - into the mind of Glenn Talbot! His return to the heart of the atom brings him back to his love Jarella, but their return to Earth and tragic events drive the Hulk into a berserker rampage. Also featuring the Defenders, the Absorbing Man and a giant-size Annual where Hulk battles classic Marvel monsters! COLLECTING: INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) 197-209, ANNUAL (1968) 5

This adventure pits Christopher Chance against the organized crime of the world! When he's tasked with protecting a highly placed informant and collecting damaging evidence throughout Europe, every assassin and goon from Paris to Prague will be gunning for the human target!