New X-Men (2004 series)
New X-Men is a superhero comic book published by Marvel Comics, a spin-off of the hugely popular X-Men franchise.
First series
New X-Men, formerly known as X-Men volume 2, changed its name when writer Grant Morrison stepped in with issue #114. The idea by the newly appointed Marvel Comics editor-in-chief, Joe Quesada, was for flagship titles like X-Men to regain some of its former glory, as well as regaining critical acclaim.
Morrison's run lived up to the "new" in the name, adding many fresh and original ideas to his X-Men run, and placing the team of Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Beast, Emma Frost and Xorn into the role of teachers. Morrison and artist Frank Quitely redesigned the look of the X-Men, dropping the familiar colourful spandex costumes for a more contemporary look and feel.
Some more of his most notable changes were the "secondary mutation" of Beast to resemble a feline rather than his usual ape like appearance, and the reintroduction of Emma Frost as a member of the team. However, fans would get the biggest shock in issue 115 when the island of Genosha (and its most notable inhabitant Magneto) was completely destroyed, setting a tone that would dominate the rest of Morrison's tenure on the book.
Morrison's New X-Men was met initially with mixed reviews. Many long time, continuity-concerned X-Men fans regarded Morrison's initial issues as nothing more than hype to pick up sagging sales. Others, mostly new readers saw Morrison as a breath of fresh air in the very convoluted world of "X-Books". However sales increased and much of the negative reaction by long term fans changed to praise for revamping a title which was flagging. Morrison's run proved to be one of the most successful runs on any X-Men title and managed to become the critically acclaimed flagship title Quesada had desired.
Morrison's run ended at issue 154, after which Chuck Austen took over for two issues. As of issue 157, the "New" adjective was dropped from the title for the "X-Men Reload" event, reverting back to X-Men.
Storylines
- "E Is For Extinction" issues: 114–117 and New X-Men 2001 Annual; first appearance of supervillain Cassandra Nova is issue 114.
- "Imperial" issues: 118–126
- "New Worlds" issues: 127–133
- "Riot At Xavier's" issues: 134–138
- "Murder At The Mansion" issues: 139–141
- "Assault on Weapon Plus" issues: 142–145
- "Planet X" issues: 146–150
- "Here Comes Tomorrow" issues: 151–154
See also
Other details
- The New X-Men logo, which is the same when viewed upside down, is an ambigram.
References
Second series: "New X-Men: Academy X"
New X-Men (also New X-Men: Academy X), formerly known as New Mutants volume 2, was launched during the "X-Men Reload" event. It resumes directly where the most recent New Mutants series ending, with the same writers, artists and cast of characters.
The 'Academy X' part was dropped from the title when the new creative team of Craig Kyle and Chris Yost took over the series as of Issue #20.
Whereas the other X-Men comics mostly deal with established adult mutants, this comic concentrates on the lives of a group of younger mutants (age range: 15 to 17) who live at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning to learn coping with their strange new powers. They are organized in several teams who share their everyday life.
Featured are two teams, the New Mutants, whose members tend to be more clean-cut, and the Hellions, whose members are generally more belligerent. The rivalry—not only academically, but certainly also in private matters—plays a significant role in the series. The tone set by NXM:AX bears a certain resemblance to the world of Harry Potter.
The cast of this series are described in the following paragraphs.
New Mutants squad
The New Mutants squad's tutor is Dani Moonstar. It is co-led by Wind Dancer and Prodigy.
- Wind Dancer, a.k.a. Sofia Mantega. A girl from Venezuela who controls winds.
- Prodigy, a.k.a. David Alleyne, could absorb any non-superhuman talents from nearby people. currently powerless
- Icarus, a.k.a. Jay Guthrie, can fly, sing mesmerizingly and heal himself rapidly
- Wallflower, a.k.a. Laurie Collins, exudes pheromones which alter the feelings of other people.
- Elixir, a.k.a. Josh Foley, is a healer who ironically was a rabid mutant-hater before he found out he was one himself.
- Surge, a.k.a. Noriko Ashida, is a Japanese girl who has electric and speed powers.
Hellions squad
The Hellions squad's tutor is Emma Frost. It is led by Hellion.
- Hellion, a.k.a. Julian Keller, is telekinetic.
- Dust, a.k.a. Sooraya Qadir, is a shy girl from Afghanistan who can turn herself into a living whirlwind of dust. She regularly dresses in a burka.
- Mercury, a.k.a. Cessily Kincaid, can turn herself into a mercurial substance which bears a certain resemblance to "T-1000" from the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
- Rockslide, a.k.a. Santo Vaccaro, consists of solid rock and can shoot his appendages at targets.
- Tag, a.k.a. Brian Cruz, could "tag" a person so that bystanders are compelled to run away from the person. deceased
- Wither, a.k.a. Kevin Ford, can destroy organic matter on touch. He accidentally killed his father when his powers manifested.
Other squads
There are also other teams advised by different X-Men.
- Alpha Squadron, tutored by Karma (formerly by Northstar). Consists of:
Anole (leader), Rubbermaid, Indra, Kidogo, Loa, and Network.
- The Corsairs advised by Cyclops consists of:
Stepford Cuckoos (co-leaders), Specter, Dryad and Quill.
Match (leader), Trance, Wolf Cub, Pixie, D.J., and Preview.
- Gambit's squad, introduced in X-Men, consists of:
Bling, Flubber, Onyxx, and Rain Boy
- A squad led by Rogue was shown in Uncanny X-Men, Lepperchaun (leader), Puck, Goblin, Elve, Imp and Sylph
- Storm's squad that was mentioned in New X-Men has one survivor, the student called Nezhno.
- The Excelsiors, Iceman's squad, and the Exemplars, whose mentor is Beast, have only been mentioned, never having appeared.
Decimation
In New X-Men #20 we deal with the after effects of the "House of M", in which the student body has been almost entirely depowered, going from 182 students to "about" 27. Wind Dancer, Prodigy, Aero, Preview, Network, Tag and even teacher Dani Moonstar were amongst the mutants at the Xavier Institute who lost their powers.
Ironically, Wither and Mercury, who would love to lose their powers, are still mutants. (Thinking his powers were gone in the initial shock, Wither nearly killed Wallflower with his touch). Emma Frost ordered that all non-mutants leave the school, Dani among them. At the end of the issue, Icarus was found with his wings missing, but whether this is part of the power loss is unknown. The issue also has X-23 being asked to come to the school and aid the remaining mutants in their training.
As of New X-Men #21, X-23, who was introduced as Wolverine's 'sister' has returned to the academy. Prodigy has said that he will be leaving the academy soon to attend a college near the area so he can still be close to Noriko. There seems to be a falling out between Sofia and Julian after Julian made a rather insensitive comment about how the depowered mutants weren't one of them anymore. This also offended Cessily, seeing how Julian is also insensitive to Tag's situation, given that he is Julian's best friend.
M-Day survivors
It has been stated that the mutant student body in the academy dropped from 182 to 27 (excluding X-23). The following are the students that have been confirmed to have retained their powers.
New Mutants (4)
- Joshua "Jay" Guthrie (Icarus)
- Laurie Collins (Wallflower)
- Josh Foley (Elixir)
- Noriko Ashida (Surge)
Hellions (5)
- Julian Keller (Hellion)
- Sooraya Qadir (Dust)
- Cessily Kincaid (Mercury)
- Santo Vaccarro (Rockslide)
- Kevin Ford (Wither)
Corsairs (4)
- Celeste Cuckoo (The Three-In-One)
- Mindee Cuckoo (The Three-In-One)
- Phoebe Cuckoo (The Three-In-One)
- Maxwell Jordan (Quill)
Alpha Squadron (3)
Paragons (4)
Gambit's Squad (2)
Storm's Squad (1)
Other Students (4)
Note: Most of the students listed above were confirmed in New X-Men #21 and in X-Men: The 198 Files. Indra and Quill were confirmed in Decimation - The Day After, while Bling was confirmed in X-Men vol 02 #177.[1].
