The New Mutants is a comic book series which debuted in 1983, featuring the team the New Mutants and published by Marvel Comics.
The team first appeared in the graphic novel The New Mutants (November 1982) by Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, part of the Marvel Graphic Novel line, followed by their first ongoing series which ran from 1983 until 1991. Like the X-Men parent title, also written by Claremont, The New Mutants featured an ensemble cast, with stories often focused on interpersonal relationships and coming-of-age arcs, blending teen drama with action and adventure. The series was taken over by writer Louise Simonson, ultimately taking a more action-oriented focus under artist Rob Liefeld, who relaunched the characters as X-Force following the series' end.
Since their inception, several New Mutants series have been published, either focusing on the continuing adventures of the original lineup, new groups of young mutants, or some combination of both.
Contents
Publication history
Original run
By the early 1980s, The Uncanny X-Men (under the authorship of Chris Claremont) had become one of the comic book industry's most successful titles, prompting Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter to launch The New Mutants, the first of several X-Men spin-offs. X-Men editor Louise Simonson recalled "Neither Chris [Claremont] or I really wanted to do it. We wanted X-Men to be special and by itself, but Shooter told us that if we didn't come up with a new 'mutant' book, someone else would." The series was primarily written by Claremont and Simonson, with Rob Liefeld plotting the final three issues and Fabian Nicieza scripting issues #91 and 98–100.
The team was intended to debut in their own series. As the first issue was nearing completion, Shooter ordered it to be reworked into a graphic novel so that Marvel Graphic Novel could make its deadline for the next issue. Thus, the New Mutants debuted in Marvel Graphic Novel #4 (November 1982), which continued a plotline from The Uncanny X-Men. (Despite this, the graphic novel missed its shipping slot by two weeks due to artist Bob McLeod's honeymoon.)
Reflecting later on his run on the title, Claremont spoke about the appeal of stories focused on this younger cast: "The X-Men are fun but they're grown-ups. They're already set. The kids are the fungible ones. They're making mistakes and they don't know quite what they're doing. This adventure might lead them to Asgard, the next one might lead them to someone committing suicide. It's like seeing the evolution of Prince Hal through Henry IV 1 & 2, leading up to Henry V. It's about growing and learning and taking responsibility."
The series was originally written by Claremont and illustrated by McLeod, the team's co-creators, but McLeod soon passed artistic duties on to Sal Buscema. McLeod was unprepared for the demands of doing both pencils and inks on a monthly book, prompting him to have Buscema do the breakdowns after the first three issues, and left entirely after issue #8 when he began to lose interest in the stories. Claremont gave the series a darker tone, which was heightened with the arrival of artist Bill Sienkiewicz. Sienkiewicz's avant garde art style and painted covers broke through the conventional comic book boundaries of the day and helped The New Mutants stand out on the shelf.
In addition to depictions of teenage angst and growing pains, the series featured themes of mysticism. The stories also relied on wilder, more far-fetched premises than were typical of X-Men at the time, shaping into more of a science fiction and fantasy series than the superhero coming-of-age comic it had been touted as in its early days.
2003 series
The second incarnation of the New Mutants debuted in 2003 with the ongoing series New Mutants, written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir. The series followed Mirage, Karma, and Wolfsbane as they taught a new generation of students, and featured appearances from other original New Mutants members. The series would continue for 13 issues, until June 2004, before being relaunched as New X-Men: Academy X in July 2004, with a greater focus on the newer and younger characters.
2009 series
In May 2009, a third volume of New Mutants was launched. The series was initially written by Zeb Wells and pencilled by Diógenes Neves with the titular characters forming a new field team for the X-Men. The team is a reunion of the cast from the first volume.
The story is spun from events from the limited series X-Infernus, and revisited many of the stories from the first volume of the series, including a lingering plot thread from the X-Men event Inferno. The series also intersected with the greater X-Men line during crossover events Necrosha, Second Coming and Age of X.
Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning took over writing duties with issue #25, with the series ultimately finishing at issue #50. During the run, Abnett and Lanning introduced Nate Grey and Blink to the team.
2019 series
New Mutants was relaunched in November 2019 as part of Dawn of X. The series was at first written by Jonathan Hickman and Ed Brisson, doing rotating issues, and was drawn by Rod Reis. Hickman's story saw the original New Mutants cast head off on a space adventure after reuniting on the island of Krakoa, before coming back to merge with Brisson's group of other younger mutants, as they faced down challenges from both Krakoa and afar.
Vita Ayala took over the title with issue #14 in December 2020. Their run saw the New Mutants characters position themselves as teachers to the younger mutants on the island.
After issue #30, an anniversary issue that celebrated 40 years of the New Mutants, writing duties were handed to Charlie Jane Anders, whose run centered on the mutant Escapade. The series lasted until issue #33, before being wrapped up in the five-issue mini-series New Mutants Lethal Legion by Anders and Enid Balam in 2023.
Contributors
Collected editions
Volume 1
The New Mutants has been reprinted in several trade paperbacks, some containing specific story arcs (such as the "Demon Bear Saga" by Claremont and Sienkiewicz), and some collected as part of a larger crossover of the various X-titles. Only in 2006, however, did a chronological reprinting of the series begin, with the commencement of The New Mutants Classic series of trade paperbacks.