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."[1] 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.)[1]
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."[2]
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.[3] 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.[3]
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.[3]
A supplementary The New Mutants Annual series began in 1984. These annuals were always written by whoever was the regular New Mutants writer at the time and often included significant changes to the status quo. These changes were not explained in the parent series, so that readers would have to buy The New Mutants Annual to follow events in both series. The 1985 annual was solicited as The New Mutants Annual #2, but published as The New Mutants Special Edition #1 because it exceeded the maximum page count for an annual.[4]
With Claremont taking on Wolverine and Excalibur, he left The New Mutants and the series was turned over to writer Louise Simonson and illustrator Bret Blevins with issue #55 (September 1987). Simonson was intended to be only a fill-in writer for the six months Claremont needed to get the two new series launched, but Claremont ultimately remained with his new projects, and Simonson ended up writing the series for over three years.[1] During her run, due to his unpopularity with readers and artists, Cypher is killed off in The New Mutants #60 (February 1988). Simonson recalled, "He wasn't fun to draw. He just stood around and hid behind a tree during a fight... Every artist who ever did him said 'Can't we kill this guy?' We would get letters from fans about how much they hated him."[1]
The most controversial issue of Simonson's run was The New Mutants #64 (June 1988). Titled "Instant Replay!", the story 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. Simonson holds it to be her favorite New Mutants story, though she acknowledges that many readers found it too morbid.[1]
Sales of the series had slumped for several years, but took a sharp upturn after Rob Liefeld took over the penciling and co-plotting chores at the end of 1989. A new mentor for the group, the mysterious mercenary Cable, was introduced,[5] further helping sales. However, the relationship between Liefeld and Simonson was fraught with tension, and Simonson claims that editor Bob Harras dealt with the situation by rewriting her plots and dialogue so that the characterizations did not make sense: "Although I wasn't being fired, I think I was being shoved out the door with both hands by Bob Harras. Bob was only doing what he had to do, I expect, which was make Rob Liefeld happy."[1] Simonson eventually gave in, leaving after issue #97. When Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, who wrote dialogue based on Liefeld's plots, took over as writers of the final three issues of the series, they included several harder-edged characters.
The New Mutants was cancelled in 1991 with issue #100, but the new platoon-like team formed by Cable continued in X-Force, a successful series (whose first issue sold approximately five million copies)[6] that would continue until 2002 and feature a variety of the former New Mutants cast.
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.[8]
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.[9] 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.[10] 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.
