Uncanny X-Men #3 – Key Highlights
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Publisher: Marvel Comics
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Publication Date: January 1964
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Editor: Stan Lee
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Cover Artist: Jack Kirby (pencils)
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Cover Inks: Disputed attribution (Sol Brodsky, Paul Reinman, or Frank Giacoia)
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Genre: Superhero
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Pages: 36
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Original Cover Price: $0.12
🔥 Key Significance
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First appearance of the Blob (Fred J. Dukes), one of the earliest recurring adversaries of the X-Men.
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Features the classic creative team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, with Paul Reinman credited for interior inks.
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Introduces the Blob's distinctive mutant abilities: his malleable body can repel bullets, and he can anchor himself to the ground, making him virtually immovable.
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An important early issue in the development of the original X-Men roster and their encounters with newly discovered mutants.
📖 Story Highlights
- “Beware of the Blob!” – 24 pages
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Script: Stan Lee
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Pencils: Jack Kirby
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Inks: Paul Reinman
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Letters: Artie Simek
Professor X detects a new mutant and sends the X-Men to investigate. At a carnival, they encounter the Blob, a sideshow attraction with extraordinary defensive abilities.
The X-Men invite him to join their team, but he refuses and returns to the carnival. Realizing that the Blob now knows their secret, the X-Men lure him back to the mansion, where Professor X wipes his memory.
📌 Additional Details
- Cover Art: Jack Kirby pencils, with the inking attribution disputed:
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Sol Brodsky: Credited by Nick Caputo, Bob Ford, and the original indexer.
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Paul Reinman: Credited by Steve Whitaker.
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Frank Giacoia: Credited by Carl Gafford.
- Story Reprints: “Beware of the Blob!” was subsequently reprinted in Marvel Super-Heroes #22 (September 1969), Amazing Adventures #5–6 (1980), Marvel Masterworks #3, and other collections.
Collector’s Note: The X-Men #3 is a key early Silver Age Marvel issue, featuring the first appearance of the Blob. Jack Kirby's artwork, Stan Lee's storytelling, and the introduction of one of the X-Men's recognizable early adversaries make this an important book for original X-Men collectors.
