Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: marvel, new mutants, x-men

New Mutants Gets 40th-Anniversary Issue in September

Published Tue, 07 Jun 2022 13:10:09 -0500

They may be the New Mutants, but they aren't necessarily the Young Mutants. Marvel's New Mutants are celebrating their 40th-Anniversary this September with New Mutants #30, and Marvel plans to celebrate that birthday in the best way possible: by putting out an oversized issue you can pay extra money for in the merry Marvel manner.

From the press release:

In 1982, X-Men visionary Chris Claremont and legendary comic book artist Bob McLeod expanded the mutant mythos with the first of many X-MEN spinoff books: NEW MUTANTS. Introducing the next generation of mutantkind with hard-hitting, thrilling coming-of-age adventures, the series represented a profound shift for the franchise and is celebrated for its diverse and layered cast of characters and its influential, and at times experimental, storytelling.

Over the last 40 years, NEW MUTANTS has continued to be a timeless yet contemporary voice for the marginalized youth who must grow up in a harsh, cruel world. This September, Marvel Comics is proud to honor the anniversary of this groundbreaking series with a supersized issue! Crafted by current series writer Vita Ayala, NEW MUTANTS #30 will be a mosaic love letter dedicated to the mutant youngsters who have become the beacon and hope of a new generation of X-Men.

Commemorating classic and new characters alike, this collection of shorts featuring artwork by talents such as Alex Lins, Jason Loo, Emma Kubert, and more, celebrates four decades' worth of the joys and tribulations of being young, brave and gifted in the world of X. In honor of the book's anniversary issue, McCleod has returned to his creation, showcasing the team's original roster on a new variant cover.

New Mutants co-creator Bob McLeod had the following to say about creating a variant cover for the book:

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. 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!

And guest-writer Alyssa Wong, who contributes a Deadpool short to the book, adds:

What an honor to come aboard NEW MUTANTS for its 40th anniversary! NEW MUTANTS is such a delight. It's gonna be a party — so of course, I'm bringing Deadpool.

Look, if the kids from Archie Comics can stay in high school for 80 years, who are you to begrudge the original new Mutants only aging about 5 or 6 years over the last four decades? Check out the covers for New Mutants #30 below.

NEW MUTANTS #30
Written by VITA AYALA & ALYSSA WONG
Art by ALEX LINS, JASON LOO, EMMA KUBERT & MORE
Cover by RAFAEL DE LATORRE
Variant Cover by BOB MCLEOD
On Sale in September