The ’90s are so back in X-Men comics - for better and for worse

The X-Men are relaunching this summer with a new status quo that’s also a total throwback

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“Mutants are hated and feared… More than ever!”

That’s the message being sent at the very start of the trailer (seen above) for Marvel’s just announced new X-Men comic book line, dubbed ‘From the Ashes’, which will center around three core titles featuring three different teams, as laid out in a promo image by artist Ryan Stegman and colorist Marte Gracia, seen below.

And whether you love orhate the idea, the X-Men are back to their classic status quo as fugitive superheroes, fighting to save themselves and other mutants from those who despise them for who they are.

Announced during the Future ofMarvel Comicspanel at SXSW, the new X-Men line will be centered around three core titles: X-Men by writerJed MacKayand artist Ryan Stegman, Uncanny X-Men by writer Gail Simone and artist Marquez, and Exceptional X-Men by writer Eve L. Ewing and artist Carmen Carnero.

MacKay and Stegman’s X-Men, debuting on July 10, centers around a team led by Cyclops and Magneto (as Professor M), along with Beast (apparently the heroic Beast who was recently revived), Psylocke, Kid Omega, Temper (formerly Oya), Magik, and Juggernaut operating out of a base in Alaska.

Simone and Marquez’s Uncanny X-Men, launching on August 7, features a team led by Gambit and Rogue operating out of New Orleans, with Jubilee, Wolverine, and Nightcrawler rounding out the roster.

Finally, starting on September 4, Ewing and Carnero’s Exceptional X-Men will be based out of Chicago, following Kate Pryde back to her hometown as she reluctantly teams up with Emma Frost to educate a trio of brand new mutant heroes named Bronze, Axo, and Melee.

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Other titles teased in a graphic without creative teams or release dates attached include Phoenix, Storm, Wolverine, NYX, X-Factor, and X-Force, all of which sport ’90s style throwback logos in the announcement.

There’s a very ’90s X-Men vibe about the entire line, on first blush, with the multiple teams featuring many of the mutants who were most famous and popular back in the X-Men’s heyday, along with the actual logos and presentation of the new teams.

It’s also interesting to note that Jed MacKay, who will be writing the adjectiveless X-Men book, is also the current writer of Avengers, with Marvel giving no indication that he won’t be staying on both.

One writer handling both Avengers and X-Men is an extreme rarity in Marvel’s history, with the most notable example being Stan Lee himself all the way back in the early ’60s. Marvel is putting a lot of eggs in MacKay’s basket, with his other ongoing titlesVengeance of the Moon KnightandDoctor Strange, and his upcoming summer crossover eventBlood Hunt.

Is it possible that MacKay taking on both Avengers and X-Men simultaneously could lead to some sort ofAvengers Vs. X-Men 2? The 10 year anniversary of the classic event passed in 2022, so it could be long enough that Marvel is willing to go back to that well for a new generation of readers.

“Over their 60-year history, the X-Men have been many things. Outcasts. Teachers. Revolutionaries. Heroes. Above all, they’re a species, and the future is still theirs for the taking! Krakoa showed the world what homo superior is truly capable of, and now, the X-Men have to fight harder than ever to keep Professor X’s dream alive,” reads Marvel’s announcement. “These three core series will approach the X-Men’s vital mission with distinct and relevant perspectives while remaining faithful to the storytelling power of the mutant metaphor!”

New the X-Men line kicks off in July, but you can get an early glimpse in Marvel’sBlood Hunt/X-Men Free Comic Book Day one-shot, and the oversizedX-Men #700.

Read all about thebest X-Men storiesof all time.

I’ve been Newsarama’s resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I’ve also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

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