Cover of New Mutants vol. 3 #1 (April 2009) by Diogenes Neves. Clockwise from top left: Warlock, Sunspot, Cannonball, Danielle Moonstar, Magma, Karma, Magik, Cypher, and Legion
The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutantsuperheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, subsequent stories have depicted the characters as adult superheroes (in their eponymous series as well as in related titles such as X-Force and The Avengers) or as teachers and mentors to younger mutants.
The team first appeared in The New Mutants (September 1982) by Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, part of the Marvel Graphic Novelline, followed by the ongoing seriesThe New Mutants 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 title was later 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.
By the early 1980s, 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."[2] The name was a modification of Stan Lee's original name for the X-Men, "The Mutants".[2]
The New Mutants were teenaged students of Professor Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and wore matching uniforms, much like the original X-Men, who had since grown into adulthood.[3] These students resembled the "all-new, all-different X-Men" of their era in terms of ethnic diversity.
The original team consisted of:
Cannonball (Samuel Guthrie), a 16-year-old boy from Kentucky, United States and eventual co-leader, with the ability to generate thermo-chemical energy and propel himself through the air.
Karma (Mạnh Cao Xuân), a 19-year-old girl from Vietnam and the team's original leader, who could mentally possess other people's bodies.
Mirage (Danielle Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche), a girl who is a CheyenneNative American and eventual co-leader after Karma's apparent death, who could create visual empathic three-dimensional illusions.
Sunspot (Roberto da Costa), a 14-year-old boy from Brazil who had superhuman strength fueled by sunlight and could store solar energy in his body to use his super strength.
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 (December 1982), which continued a plotline from Uncanny X-Men.[2]
In addition to very serious 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.[3] Locales included demonic dimensions, alternate futures, and an ancient Roman civilization hidden within the Amazon rainforest. The New Mutants also encountered a secret society called the Hellfire Club, and began a rivalry with their young apprentices, the Hellions.
After the apparent death of Karma, Cannonball and Dani Moonstar act as co-leaders.[4] New recruits included:
Cypher (Douglas Ramsey), an otherwise ordinary young man who could learn to read or speak any language rapidly, whether it was human, alien, or machine, making him an unmatched computer expert.
Magik (Illyana Rasputin), sister of the Russian X-Man Colossus and long-time resident of the X-Mansion, an accomplished mystic who could open "teleportation discs" allowing travel to Limbo and from there, any point on Earth.
Magma (Amara Juliana Olivians Aquilla), a fiercely tempered native of a secret Roman society in the Amazon who can control lava.[3]
Warlock, an extraterrestrial of the techno-organic race known as the Technarchy. Considered a pariah due to the uncommon trait of empathy.
A supplementary New Mutants Annual series began in 1984, though rather than producing an Annual, Marvel skipped a proper Annual in 1985 in favor of "New Mutants Special Edition". The first Annual (#1) featured the first appearance of Lila Cheney, a musician styled after Joan Jett who became a love interest to Cannonball and was Bob Mcloed's final work on the original series. The second Annual (#2, 1986) featured the first American appearance of Psylockes; it along with Annual #3 (1987) were drawn by Alan Davis. The 1988 (#4) and 1989 (#5) Annuals were part of the Evolutionary War and Atlantis Attacks "crossover" event, with Annual being the first issue of New Mutants drawn by Rob Liefeld. The 1990 Annual (#6) was part of the "Days of Future Present" mini-series. It also featured the first appearance (in pin-up form) of Shatterstar, as part of a planned line-up change preview that was ultimately discarded when Louise Simonson left the series. The final Annual (#7) was part of the 1991 "Kings of Pain" crossover; it holds the distinction of the last issue of the original series to be published as it takes place and was published between New Mutants #100 and X-Force #1.
Furthermore, in 1990, Anne Nocenti and Brett Blevins produced an 80 page special called "New Mutants Summer Special". The special saw several New Mutants (Boom Boom, Wolfsbane, Sunspot, and Warlock) be dragged into a world of television, which served as a vehicle for Nocenti to discuss mass media theory.[5]
In 1986, Professor X was written out of the series. Before he left, he made the X-Men's one-time nemesis, Magneto, headmaster of his school.[6] Magneto would be the team's longest-running headmaster, holding the position from New Mutants #35 through to #75. Fiercely overprotective of his students, particularly after the events of the "Mutant Massacre" and "Fall of the Mutants", he was increasingly used as an uptight foil for the adventurous New Mutants, setting rules that they would inevitably break in the interests of helping their friends.
During Simonson's run, Magma is written out of the book,[7] and Magik is de-aged back to childhood.[8] Due to his unpopularity with New Mutants readers and artists, Cypher is killed off in The New Mutants #60 (February 1988). Simonson also folded the X-Terminators, a group of young wards from X-Factor, into the New Mutants.[9]
The X-Terminators added to the team were:
Boom-Boom (Tabitha Smith), a teen runaway who could create "plasma bombs."
Skids (Sally Blevins), a former Morlock who could project a frictionless force field around her body.
In 1989, Simonson crafted a saga in which the team journeyed to Asgard, the home of the gods of Norse mythology. The storyline wrote Dani Moonstar out of the series, as she joined the Norse pantheon as one of the Valkyrior.[10] Titled "Instant Replay!", the story in New Mutants #64 deals with the New Mutants' mourning for Cypher, and includes a scene in which Warlock attempts to resurrect Cypher by taking his corpse out of its coffin and showing it to Cypher's loved ones.
A new mentor for the group, the mysterious mercenary Cable, was introduced.[10] Over the next year, several longtime team members were written out or killed off. When Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza took over as writers of the final three issues of the series, they included several harder-edged characters:
Feral (Maria Callasantos), who possessed a bestial temperament and appearance.
Shatterstar (Gaveedra Seven), a swashbuckling warrior from another dimension.
Warpath (James Proudstar), the younger brother of slain X-Man Thunderbird and a former Hellion, an Apache who possessed super strength and speed.
The New Mutants was cancelled in 1991 with issue #100, but the new platoon-like team formed by Cable continued in X-Force, and feature a variety of the former New Mutants cast.
Critical response
Literary scholar Ramzi Fawaz emphasizes the significance of the original run. He argues that in contrast to the original X-Men stories, New Mutants "radically reassesses the concept of the 'mutant superhero.'" For example, Fawaz writes that mutant powers are re-envisioned as traumatic experiences of shame. He argues that this is a response to the fragmentation of social liberation movements in the 1980s. He writes that "Like the social movements of the 1980s that destabilized instrumentalist understandings of politics, The New Mutants recast the figure of the superhero as a contingent political actor detached from an assumed role as a purveyor of liberal ideals."[11]
New X-Men: Academy X
New Mutants (Training Squad)
The New Mutants from New X-Men: Academy X #2 by Randy Green. From left to right: Danielle Moonstar, Surge, Prodigy, Wind Dancer, Elixir, Wallflower.
The series featured a handful of the dozens of mutant teenagers attending the Xavier Institute, as well as their instructors, which included various X-Men as well as former members of the original New Mutants (Karma, Magma, Dani Moonstar, and Wolfsbane).
The featured group of students never refer to themselves as "the New Mutants" before the series relaunch as New X-Men: Academy X in 2004, and the reorganization of the Xavier Institute student body into various training squads. The New Mutants, advised by Dani Moonstar, were:
Elixir (Josh Foley) – Josh is an Omega-Level mutant who can manipulate his or others' biologies to heal or harm. In addition, Elixir possesses gold skin which converts to black when he uses his powers offensively. He was one of the 27 students at the Xavier Institute to retain his powers after "M-Day". He was seemingly killed by the Dark Riders before returning with vastly enhanced abilities.
Icarus (Joshua "Jay" Guthrie) – Jay possesses red angelic wings on his back that allow him to fly and which grant him an accelerated healing process. Furthermore, he possesses the ability to manipulate his own voice. He was one of the 27 students at the Xavier Institute to retain his powers after "M-Day". Jay's wings are amputated by Stryker,[12] who later kills him.[13]
Prodigy (David Alleyne) – David was the team's co-leader who could temporarily gain the knowledge and skills of those near him. Although he was de-powered after "M-Day", he has retained all the knowledge he had acquired prior to the "Decimation".[14].
Surge (Noriko Ashida) – Noriko is Japanese. She absorbs electricity from her environment which she can discharge as powerful electric blasts or utilize as superhuman speed. She requires mechanical gauntlets to prevent overcharge. Surge was one of the 27 students at the Xavier Institute to retain her powers after "M-Day".
Wallflower (Laurie Collins) – Laurie is a shy girl who generates highly potent pheromones that influence people's emotions. She was one of the 27 students at the Xavier Institute to retain her powers after "M-Day". Laurie was later killed by one of Stryker's men.[15]
Wind Dancer (Sofia Mantega) – Sofia was the other co-leader and was a temperamental aerokinetic who was particularly adept at using this power to manipulate sound. She was depowered after "M-Day" and joined a group of fellow ex-mutants as part of the New Warriors. Donning a variety of mechanical gear, she took up the codename Renascence before the group disbanded.
Wither (Kevin Ford) – Kevin could cause organic material to decay with his touch. He eventually switches to the Hellions squad.[16] He is later killed by Elixir.[17]
Another such group, advised by Emma Frost, was known as the Hellions and, like their predecessor, was the arch-rival of the New Mutants. Whereas the original New Mutants series revolved around battles with world-threatening menaces, New Mutants volume 2 focused on the characters' personal relationships and struggles with controlling their powers.
After "M-Day", the cataclysmic event that decimated the world's mutant population, only 27 of the 182 students enrolled at the Xavier Institute retained their powers. The New Mutants and the other training squads were disbanded, and the remaining students were folded into a single junior team, the New X-Men.[18]
Original team reunion
New Mutants
Variant cover to New Mutants, vol. 3 #1 by Bob McLeod.
The reunion is spun from events from the limited series X-Infernus. Magik shows up at the X-Men headquarters in San Francisco, claiming to be from the future and warning that Dani Moonstar and Karma are in danger. Once tests show that Illyanna is not an imposter, Cannonball leads a rescue mission with her. They are joined by Magma and Sunspot.[19] They end up taking on Legion.
In later issue, Warlock returns to Earth[20] and Cypher reappears alive, under the control of Selene. After Warlock frees him from Selene's control, Cypher joins the team.[21][22]
During "Siege", Hela empowers Dani (now going by the codename Mirage[23]) as a Valkyrie to bring the souls of the fallen Asgardians to her. During "X-Men: Second Coming", Karma loses her leg after being repeatedly stabbed by Cameron Hodge.[24] It is replaced with a bionic one.
Magik leads the team to Limbo, as part of her plan for revenge against the Elder Gods. Cyclops has her imprisoned for her actions.[25] In the same issue, Cannonball and Karma also leave the team.
When the X-Men split in X-Men: Schism, the team sides with Cyclops and stays on Utopia.[27] Their next mission is to find Blink. After locating her and helping her defeat a mutant rock band (Diskhord), Blink returns with them but decides to join the X-Men at the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning.[28] She does join them during the last issues of the series.[29]
Later issues were featuring older New Mutants Karma, Magik, Mirage, Warlock, Warpath, and Wolfsbane acting as teachers and mentors to a new group of younger students known as the Lost Club.[32] This new group of students (which includes Anole, Scout, Rain Boy, Cosmar, and No-Girl) falls under the influence of, and later into conflict with the Shadow King, culminating in an adventure through the astral plane.[33]
New Mutants members
In 1982, the original New Mutants team debuted in Marvel Graphic Novel #4.[34] Originally led by Professor X, and later by Magneto, the lineup gradually expanded to include additional recruits, with subsequent volumes and titles have features a variety of team members and associated characters.
The graphic novel Rahne of Terra, by Peter David, is set in a heroic fantasy universe in which Wolfsbane's counterpart is Princess Rain of Geshem. Other denizens of Terra include Rain's lady-in-waiting Tabby (Boom-Boom), the knights Richard (Rictor), Robert (Sunspot), and Samuel (Cannonball) and the peasant boy Douglas (Cypher). The Terrans all duplicate the powers of their counterparts in one way or another.[37]
New Mutants: Truth or Death
In 1997, a three-issue reunion series written by Ben Raab and illustrated by Bernard Chang, New Mutants: Truth or Death, featured the young New Mutants traveling forward in time to meet their older, jaded selves in X-Force.
Worst X-Man Ever
Here the New Mutants consist of X-Ceptional, who can explode permanently, Riches, who turns whatever he touches to gold, Minerva, who can manipulate reality, and Riches' sister Rags. Riches kills Professor X and takes over the world. Rags begins a relationship with Gambit, and Minerva goes to pure idea. X-Ceptional grabs Riches and explodes, killing them both.[38]
Ultimate Marvel
In Ultimate X-Men, the Academy of Tomorrow (previously called New Mutants) is founded by Emma Frost. It is loosely linked to the X-Men via Emma Frost's professional relationship with her former lover and teacher Charles Xavier. This Academy accepts any talented students, regardless of their genetic status. The team is headed by a non-telepathic and more pacifistic version of Emma Frost and headed by field leader Havok. During Ultimatum, the Academy of Tomorrow is destroyed in a terrorist attack by Multiple Man.[39] Former members include Angel, Beast, Cannonball, Dazzler, Karma, Northstar, Polaris, Sunspot and non-mutant Cypher. [40]
^ abcGrant, Paul J. (August 1993). "Poor Dead Doug, and Other Mutant Memories". Wizard: X-Men Turn Thirty. pp. 66–69.
^ abcBuchanan, Bruce (August 2008). "The New Mutants: From Superhero Spin-Off to Sci-Fi/Fantasy". Back Issue! (29). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 62–68.
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