X-MEN #1 -- FCBD 2020

UPDATE: Marvel just announced that this will drop on 15 July!

X of Swords Prelude

"So let's see what the future holds... Shall we?"

Original Post: It really doesn't get any better than this! Thanks Pepe! And thanks again Miguel. An awesome cover and a great addition to my Dawn of X collection and my Gallery of [X]! And after I bought this, I received an email from Miguel saying that Pepe had very kindly included a print of the digital layout that he had presented to Marvel for approval - see Additional Images. How cool is that!

I hadn't planned on posting this stunning cover by Pepe until 2 May when Free Comic Book Day 2020 was due to take place, but with everything that's going on and hearing that FCBD has sadly had to be postponed to a later date, I needed to cheer myself up and I guessed others might need that too, so I thought I might as well post this now! Incidentally, I have to say it's been great to see the support from publishers like Marvel sharing details of comic book shops offering special deliveries and curbside pick-ups. Awesome!

The solicitation for this one said: "FCBD is headlined by a brand new X-Men story by Jonathan Hickman and Pepe Larraz that will lead into a game-changing summer for all of X!" which we now know is Marvel's X of Swords event. I'm really looking forward to seeing Jonathan Hickman working with Pepe Larraz again. It will absolutely be worth the wait!

When Pepe first posted this on Instagram, he said: "I confess I just wanted any excuse to draw #magik and #rogue" Later he posted a few process shots (see Additional Images) as well as fascinating videos showing him adding white paint to this stunning piece, saying, "Hey family, here are the #inks for the#XMEN #FCBD #cover I did recently! Swipe for #process: #digital #sketches, #tracing on light box , finished #pencils , #inking, #inkwash and #gouache for #lights. A lot of steps, really. #marvel #comics #pepelarraz #magik #rogue #wolverine #nightcrawler #storm #dawnofX" Well worth a look!