Flashback to the ‘90s Via Russell Dauterman’s Wraparound Cover for X-MEN ‘97

By Dustin Gebel

on February 8, 2024

Marvel revealed a sprawling variant cover for the upcoming launch of X-Men ‘97 #1, the official comic prequel to the new animated series. The series, which features writing by Steve Foxe and art by Salva Espín, established what Cyclopes and the X-Men have been up to in between series. It is set to not only catch up on existing team members, but also set-up plotlines for the reboot thanks to collaboration with the showrunners.

The cover in question comes from Marvel mainstay artist Russell Dauterman, who’s illustrated everything from Hellfire Gala covers to Giant-Sized issues. His wraparound cover for the issue features an action packed line-up of characters like Cyclops, Jubilee, Jean Grey, Storm, and more. More interesting however, is the origin of the cover, which is an updated version of a Dauterman fanart origin according to the announcement.

Russell Dauterman spoke about the opportunity to illustrate the animated version of the characters in the press release, stating:

“X-Men: The Animated Series was everything to me as a kid, and sparked my love of the X-Men and comics—I wouldn’t be a comic book artist without it! This piece is based on an X-Men: The Animated Series fan art I did a decade ago — the fan art that got me hired at Marvel! Now, it’s completely redone as an official cover to celebrate the new show. Absolutely thrilled to do this piece, and can’t wait for ’97!”