The X-Men #80

The X-Men #80, published by Marvel Comics in August 1974, arrived during a transitional period for the X-Men franchise. At this stage, the series was primarily focused on reprinting older stories from the mid-1960s, a practice Marvel adopted after the original title's initial cancellation due to declining interest. This specific issue features a reprint of the story found in X-Men #39, which was originally written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by George Tuska.

The design of these reprint-era issues maintained the classic Silver Age aesthetic, bridging the gap for readers before the 1975 debut of Giant-Size X-Men #1. These reprints were intended to keep the characters in circulation and gauge interest in the mutants ahead of their eventual creative reboot. The covers from this period were often recycled or repurposed from original run material, serving as a functional, if stopgap, piece of comic history that paved the way for the title's massive success in the late 1970s.