X-Men Ashcan Edition, CGC 9.8 (05), Marvel '94

Promotional ashcan cover for the Age of Apocalypse launch.

The X-Men Ashcan Edition is a 1994 Marvel promotional one-shot produced ahead of the Age of Apocalypse event, one of the most significant X-Men storylines of the decade. Ashcan editions occupied a specific and now largely forgotten corner of 1990s comics publishing: small-format, low-print promotional items distributed to generate advance awareness for upcoming launches. This one preceded the coordinated Age of Apocalypse rollout that saw the entire X-Men line temporarily replaced by its alternate-reality counterparts, a publishing event that remains a touchstone for readers who followed the X-titles in that era.

This copy has been graded CGC 9.8, the top grade assigned to all but the rarest of submissions and one that very few copies of any promotional ashcan reach. Promotional items from this period were distributed without the care given to retail releases; they were handed out, folded into store bags, and generally treated as ephemera. A 9.8 example represents the condition ceiling for the format. Certification number 4350585005 confirms the grade on the CGC label.