Royal Mail is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the X-Men franchise with a special stamp collection.
The 17 stamp set features some of the most popular characters from the Marvel comic series, which was first published in 1963.
British comics artist Mike McKone created the main set of 12 stamps, which includes the group’s founder, Professor X, as well as original members Cyclops, Angel, Iceman and Beast.
Other favorite characters Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Colossus, Jubilee, Jean Grey, Storm and Rogue also feature in the collection.
An additional set of five stamps in the form of a miniature sheet was also designed by comic book artist Lee Garbett and will feature some of the mutated enemies the X-Men face: Juggernaut, Mystique, Magneto, Emma Frost and Sabretooth.
The stamp for Professor X, also known as Charles Francis Xavier, shows the founder of the superhero team in a blue suit with one hand raised to his temple and the other outstretched, demonstrating his telepathic powers.
Sir Patrick Stewart played the character in the first three films of the 20th Century Fox X-Men film series and a number of spin-off films, while James McAvoy played a younger version of the character in a series of X-Men films after their initial debut in X-Men: First Class from 2011.
Meanwhile, the stamp of Wolverine, who was played by Hugh Jackman in the film adaptations, shows the character wearing a yellow-and-black superhero suit with his trademark metal claws.
The stamp for Magneto, who has been played by both Sir Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender in the films, sees the character donning his classic red superhero suit and purple cape.
All 17 stamps will be on sale in a presentation pack going on general sale from 16 February for £16.35.
David Gold, director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said: “Generations have grown up enamored with the adventures and personalities of the X-Men and their enemies.
“We’re celebrating the X-Men Universe with these stylish new stamps featuring some of its iconic characters.”
The X-Men superheroes were created by the late writer Stan Lee along with artist and co-writer Jack Kirby.
They depicted the group as founded by mutant telepath Professor X, with his original team consisting of Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast, and Iceman.
They were based in the professor’s house, which was transformed into the School for Gifted Youngsters and named the X-Mansion.
After many of the original X-Men were captured by the mutant island of Krakoa, Professor X formed a new squad to rescue them, bringing heroes like Wolverine and Storm into a new international team.
The professor’s school later became a haven for mutants from around the world, who formed teams such as the New Mutants, Excalibur, and Generation X.
The first film adaptation, X-Men, was released in 2000 and numerous films and spin-offs have followed since then.
The stamps can be pre-ordered through the Royal Mail website.