Marvel Announces Giant-Size X-Men (Exclusive)

The Krakoan age of the X-Men begins wrapping up in May, and that includes the era's final installment of Giant-Size X-Men. Giant-Size X-Men #1 will focus on the Angel and introduce a brand-new X-Men villain to the Marvel Universe. Legendary writer Ann Nocenti (Daredevil, Longshot, The Seeds) wrote the new story in Giant-Size X-Men #1, with artwork by Lee Ferguson. The issue pairs a new story, set in the present day of the Marvel Universe, in which Warren Worthington III encounters an unfamiliar villain, with a reprint of Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, and Ron Wilson's Angel and The Thing team-up story from Marvel Two-in-One #68. Bryan Hitch's cover for the issue can be found below. Here's Marvel's synopsis for Nocenti's story:

"A mysterious card has lured the dashing Warren Worthington III, A.K.A.. ANGEL of the X-MEN, to a quiet New York City street…where he will undergo a torturous trial unlike any he's ever faced before! A brand-new villain has it out for mutantkind – and aims to start by knocking Angel out of the sky!"

"Doing an X-Men tale set in the past is intriguing in that the story can drill deeper into a missed moment, like a 'behind the scenes / between the scenes' extras reel," says Nocenti, whose recent Marvel Comics work includes such "between-the-scenes" stories published in X-Men Legends and the recent Storm series. "For those stories, you can give deep fans a deeper dive into an X-Men historical highlight. That said, it feels great to write a present-day tale."

Of taking on Angel, an often-overlooked character in the X-Men roster despite being one of the founding five X-Men, Nocenti says, "When editor Annalise Bissa first called me, many of the X-Men were too busy or unavailable (see current storyline!). We joked about Angel, and how Warren, perhaps because of his background of extreme wealth and privilege, gave him a clueless arrogance that was not popular with X-Men fans. So, it became a fun challenge for me to take on. I had done a short Angel story with David Mazzucchelli in Al Milgrom's Marvel Fanfare long ago, and I loved how we focused on what an angel represents. In that story, his beautiful angelic look inspires a frightened lady to finally leave her house. That got me thinking of a game all the X-Men could play, a game that would dig deeper into a character's evolution and mythic symbolism in a fun way."

Finally, Nocenti commented on Maze, the new villain she's introducing in the issue. Nocenti revealed where she drew inspiration for the character, who assaults Angel's mind as much as his body.

"An idea popped into my head inspired by those '90s mind games like EST and The Forum; sensory deprivation weekends which promised enlightenment," Nocenti explains. "So, I thought, what if Arcade had an apprentice who designed with her own idea of a Murderworld? Only, instead of a slaughter trap, she offers a way out--you simply had to tell the truth about yourself, and you escaped the trap. Maze's game is called 'Truth or Die' and Lee Ferguson did a cool, pop-art design for her. The question for Angel is: can Warren see the truth of who he is in time to avoid a bad fate? We designed the story so the reader can hopefully play along, wondering how truthful they are about themselves."

Giant-Size X-Men #1 goes on sale on May 8th. The issue's solicitation information follows.

• GIANT-SIZE X-MEN #1
• ANN NOCENTI (W) • LEE FERGUSON (A) • Cover by BRYAN HITCH
• THE AVENGING ANGEL LOSES HIMSELF IN A DANGEROUS MAZE OF THE MIND!
• A mysterious card has lured the dashing Warren Worthington III, A.K.A.. ANGEL of the X-MEN, to a quiet New York City street…where he will undergo a torturous trial unlike any he's ever faced before!
• A brand-new villain has it out for mutantkind – and aims to start by knocking Angel out of the sky!
• PLUS: Includes a reprinting of MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #68 by Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, and Ron Wilson – a classic Angel-and-Thing team-up tale of daring, drama, doom…and disco?!
• On Sale 5/8