One of the most beloved X-Men teams of all time, the iconic New Mutants, are being honored for their indelible addition to the mutant mythos at Marvel Comics with a giant-sized 40th anniversary issue! The New Mutants, which debuted 40 years ago this year, have pushed the boundaries of diversity and storytelling since their debut, and it is finally time for Marvel to celebrate this groundbreaking team in the way they deserve.
First introduced in 1982 by X-Men legend Chris Claremont and beloved artist Bob McLeod, The New Mutants was the first ever X-Men spin-off title and debuted as the junior class of mutant students at Xavier’s School for Gifted youngsters, the first official new class since the original five X-Men were introduced. The first team of New Mutants were comprised of Mirage, Karma, Cannonball, Sunspot, Rahne, and eventually Magik, Magma, Cypher and Warlock, and quickly became fan favorites because of their diverse line-up, emotional coming-of-age stories, and juicy teen drama.
The giant-sized anniversary special announced by Marvel Comics will take place in New Mutants #30 will be written by New Mutants scribe Vita Ayala and feature a massive all-star lineup of talented artists including Alex Lins, Jason Loo, and Emma Kubert. The New Mutants have seen a resurgence in popularity in their Krakoan era New Mutants series written by Vita Ayala and illustrated by Rod Reis, as the original New Mutants become teachers to a new team of powerful young mutants on Krakoa. Ayala has managed to continue the long tradition of the New Mutants telling stories that exist as a, “...timeless yet contemporary voice for the marginalized youth who must grow up in a harsh, cruel world,” highlighted in the touching story of No-Girl transforming into Cerebella and the Proudstar brothers being reunited after decades apart. As tribute to the astounding legacy of The New Mutants original artist Bob McLeod has returned to illustrate a gorgeous variant cover for New Mutants #30 of the original team, with McLeod reflecting:
“So many fans have come up to me at conventions and told me what a huge impact the New Mutants had on them in their teen years, and how relatable they were in all of their diversity. Native Americans, African Americans, Kentuckians, all finally seeing themselves represented in the comics. It’s been very humbling,” McCleod said of the team’s impact. “Our New Mutants have gone through so many changes over the decades that I often didn’t recognize them as the same characters we created. So I was very pleased to get the chance to come full circle and do a variant cover homage to their very first published appearance on the cover of AMAZING HEROES #16. I hope fans continue to enjoy them for another 40 years!”
Marvel describes New Mutants #30 as “…a mosaic love letter dedicated to the mutant youngsters who have become the beacon and hope of a new generation of X-Men” filled with a series of short stories, “Commemorating classic and new characters alike.” The original New Mutants series lasted for years and crossed over with major X-Men events throughout the 80s and 90s like Fall of the Mutants and Inferno before transitioning into the first official X-Force team, lead by the time-traveling Cable. Throughout their original run they pushed the boundaries of comics featuring young people, featuring the tragic death of Doug Ramsey, Dani Moonstar leaving the team to become a Valkyrie, and Magik struggling with her time imprisoned in Limbo. Now, the Krakoan Age, the characters of Cypher and Magik are major players in the fledgling nation, acting as a Krakoan War Captain and the Voice of Krakoa, respectively. Additionally, the supersized issue will feature a short story featuring one of the most beloved characters to be introduced in The New Mutants, the fourth-wall breaking mercenary Deadpool, in a story written by the talented Alyssa Wong.
The New Mutants are an iconic group of mutants who represented a monumental new direction for the X-Men in the 80s, and in the 40 years since never stopped highlighting the struggles of growing up different and coming into one’s identity, continuing to offer a much needed escape for fans young and old.
The giant-sized 40th anniversary X-Men special will debut in New Mutants #30 from Marvel Comics in September.
