15 Artists Collaborate to Recreate Jim Lee’s X-Men #1 Cover With D-List Characters

15 artists from around the globe collaborated on a recreation of Jim Lee’s X-Men #1 cover in epic fashion. The twist? It features “D-List” characters from Marvel Comics’ Mutant universe. As a big Cecilia Reyes, Maggott and Marrow fan, I think they deserve C-List status, but that’s just me! 😂 This eXcellent combo of talent brings together a dream team roster that would actually be fun to read in an actual comic.

Burbank, CA: 15 different artists from around the world came together to recreate the acclaimed X-Men #1 wraparound comic cover by Jim Lee. This cover has been “homaged” to death, but this time it features what some fans would label as “D-List” characters in place of the 90s lineup. Why did they do it? Because of their love of the X-Men.

This all started four years ago when artists Jamie Fay and Art of Lucas, who have collaborated in the past, decided to collaborate once again. However, this time they had something bigger in mind. Drawing on the power of social media, they rallied a community of X- Men aficionado artists to join forces in this ambitious undertaking. “To us, our X-Men artists!” Among them, the illustrious Marvel and DC illustrator Luciano Vecchio brought his mastery to the project, amplifying its artistic prowess.

“This was a fun experiment. I did my part while House of X/Powers of X was being released, so I replaced Gay Icon Iceman with Rictor, itching to draw the costume only shown on previews back then. How I dared calling him ‘D-List,’” professed Vecchio whose work can also be seen in the recent X-Men Hellfire Gala comic issue.

“We each chose a ‘D-List’ character that resonated with us and added them to the composition. In the spirit of camaraderie, we conducted a poll to determine which formidable adversary they would confront. To our delight, Mojo emerged as the clear winner, magnificently illustrated by Joel Furtado,” revealed Jamie Fay, one of the driving forces behind the collaboration.

“This piece would not have happened without Marcus Odoms who unified our individual styles with his magnificent colors,” Art of Lucas admitted, who chose to illustrate famed D-Lister himself, Maggott, for this creation.

Credit of artists and their Instagram handles:

• Hope by Kyle Petchock (@k_petchock_art) – Catonsville, MD, USA
• Joseph by Chahine Ladjouze (@chahine.ladjouze.comics) – Nancy, France
• Beak by Gwen Cox (@coxieart) – Lancaster, PA, USA
• Doop by Nate Xopher (@natexopher) – Dayton, OH, USA
• Shark Girl by Corn (@corn.cupine) – Tomelilla, Sweden
• Maggott by Art of Lucas (@artoflucas) – Los Angeles, CA, USA
• Meggan by Danielle St. Pierre (@daniellestpierreart) – Monroe, WA, USA
• Dr. Cecilia Reyes by Sergio Torres (@serge_towers) – El Paso, TX USA
• Stacy X by Jamie Fay (@jamiefayx) – NYC, NY USA
• Rictor by Luciano Vecchio (@lucianovecchioart – Marvel and DC illustrator) – Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Marrow by Matt Skipworth (@crimsonartsillustation) – Cambridgeshire, England
• Feral by Chris Williams (@cdubbart) – Glenolden, PA, USA – with inks by Jake Isenberg (@inkerguy) – USA
• Mojo by Joel Furtado (@joelyface) – Vancouver, Canada
• Colors and background by Marcus Odoms (@confuciusretaliation) – Southern Arizona, USA