Last month, Marvel announced Giant-Size X-Men, the latest addition to their expanding line-up of X-Men titles spinning out of Jonathan Hickman‘s wildly popular reboot of the line. Billed as a series of one-shots teaming Hickman with all-star artists, the first one-shot features a team-up between Emma Frost and Jean Grey illustrated by Russell Dauterman. Now Marvel has released details for the second one-shot, which finds Hickman teamed with artist Ben Oliver for a story focusing on a signature member of Krakoa’s quiet council, Magneto.
Story details are still forthcoming on the issue, the second of five Giant-Size X-Men one-shots, though Marvel did describe the story broadly as one in which Magneto must deal with humans as part of his role on Krakoa:
An unrelenting champion for mutantkind, Magneto once again finds himself leading a mutant nation, but this time, he has all of mutantkind including the X-Men standing at his side. Determined to make this new dream of Krakoa prosper, Magneto must now make dealings with his former sworn enemy— humanity!
Formerly one of the X-Men’s greatest foes, Magneto has been an on-again/off-again member of the team for decades, depending on how he’s feeling and whether or not his mind has been wiped. The Hickman-written House of X and Powers of X relaunch for Marvel’s mutants found Magneto working with Charles Xavier and Moira MacTaggert to form the mutant nation of Krakoa, and potentially a shape a world in which mutants have a real chance at a future.
Oliver is no stranger to the X-Men, having worked on a handful of issues of Ultimate X-Men and Young X-Men. Giant-Size X-Men: Magneto will be Oliver’s first time working with Hickman.
Check out the full text of the announcement from Marvel below. Giant-Size X-Men: Magneto is due out in stores in March 2020.
New York, NY— November 26, 2019 — When Giant-Size X-Men hits stands next year, X-Men fans will get to see Jonathan Hickman’s bold vision for mutantkind unfold in epic adventures told by the industry’s most acclaimed artists. These large-scale but standalone stories will be specifically designed to highlight the artist’s talents, and each issue will focus on a specific character. This March, Hickman will team up with legendary artist Ben Oliver to turn the spotlight on the master of magnetism, Magneto!
Created by Stan Lee himself, Magneto’s been a fixture in the X-Men mythos since the very beginning. Although he debuted in 1963’s X-MEN #1 as the X-Men’s premiere super villain, he eventually became one of their fiercest members. Under Chris Claremont’s pen, Magneto was equipped with a tragic backstory, shedding light on his motivations and developing him into one of the most complex characters in the Marvel Universe. An unrelenting champion for mutantkind, Magneto once again finds himself leading a mutant nation, but this time, he has all of mutantkind including the X-Men standing at his side. Determined to make this new dream of Krakoa prosper, Magneto must now make dealings with his former sworn enemy— humanity!
Ben Oliver, known for his seminal work on ULTIMATE X-MEN, is the perfect artist to capture the emotion behind Magneto’s new role as mutant ambassador. “It’s been many years since I last worked on an X-Men related project, and I couldn’t be happier than to be working with Jonathan,” Oliver said. “I’ve long been a fan of Jonathan’s work, and Magneto as a character, so to collaborate on this project is fantastic.”
GIANT-SIZE X-MEN: MAGNETO will be the second of five essential one-shots with the first, GIANT-SIZE X-MEN: JEAN GREY AND EMMA FROST debuting in February. Uniting Jonathan Hickman with the best artists in the industry, these stories are destined to be instant classics that fans won’t want to miss! Stay tuned for upcoming announcements about more GIANT-SIZE X-MEN issues coming your way next year and which of your favorite artists will be showcased next!
