The X-Men weren’t always that popular. The comic had a spotty life, after being introduced in the early ‘60s by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. But things took off in the mid ‘70s with the introduction of the Uncanny X-Men. They’ve been huge ever since. This art was painted for a RPG box set, featuring all things X-Men. The atomic blast was suggested from the notion that the mutants are “Children of the Atom.”