Editing New Mutants (section)

== 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 (comic book)|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."<ref name="PoorDoug">{{cite news | last = Grant | first= Paul J. | date = August 1993 | title = Poor Dead Doug, and Other Mutant Memories | work = [[Wizard (magazine)|Wizard]]: X-Men Turn Thirty | pages = 66–69}}</ref> The name was a modification of [[Stan Lee]]'s original name for the X-Men, "The Mutants".<ref name="PoorDoug"/>

The New Mutants were teenaged students of [[X-Mansion|Professor Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters]] and wore matching uniforms, much like the original X-Men, who had since grown into adulthood.<ref name="back29">{{cite journal|last=Buchanan|first=Bruce |title=The New Mutants: From Superhero Spin-Off to Sci-Fi/Fantasy|journal=[[Back Issue!]]|issue=29|pages=62–68 |publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]]|date=August 2008|location=Raleigh, North Carolina}}</ref> These students resembled the "all-new, all-different X-Men" of their era in terms of ethnic diversity.<ref name=CFeature51>{{cite magazine |first=James |last=Van Hise |authorlink=James Van Hise |title=Heroes: The New Mutants |magazine=[[Comics Feature]] |issue=51 |date=January 1987 |publisher=Movieland Publishing |pages=10–15}}</ref>

The original team consisted of:

* '''[[Cannonball (Marvel Comics)|Cannonball]]''' (Samuel Guthrie), a mild-mannered 16-year-old [[coal miner]]'s son from [[Kentucky]], [[United States]]<ref name=CFeature51/> and eventual co-leader, with the ability to generate thermo-chemical energy and propel himself through the air, during which he is invulnerable.
* '''[[Karma (character)|Karma]]''' (Mạnh Cao Xuân), a 19-year-old girl from [[Vietnam]] and the team's original leader, who could mentally possess other people's minds.
* '''[[Danielle Moonstar|Mirage]]''' (Danielle Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche), a [[Cheyenne people|Cheyenne]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] girl and eventual co-leader after Karma's apparent death, who could create visual [[empathy|empathic]] three-dimensional illusions.
* '''[[Sunspot (Marvel Comics)|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.
* '''[[Wolfsbane (character)|Wolfsbane]]''' (Rahne Sinclair), a 13-year-old [[Presbyterian]] girl from [[Scotland]], [[United Kingdom]] who could transform into a [[werewolf]]-like creature.

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 [[The New Mutants (graphic novel)|''Marvel Graphic Novel'' #4]] (December 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 (comics)|Bob McLeod]]'s [[honeymoon]].<ref name="PoorDoug" />

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.<ref name="back29"/> 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 (comics)|Hellfire Club]], and began a rivalry with their young apprentices, the [[Hellions (Marvel Comics)|Hellions]].

Karma was dropped from the series after six issues under initially unclear circumstances. ''The New Mutants'' #6 ends on a cliffhanger as the building the New Mutants are in explodes, but issue #7 skips ahead several days and opens with the New Mutants grieving the missing Karma, with no explanation for how she was lost.<ref name=CFeature51/> It was not until a flashback by Sunspot in issue #10 that Karma's absence was explained. Adding further to the confusion, while Karma was dropped from the series head roster for the cover of issue #7, she returned to the head roster on the covers of issues #8 and 9, even though she was still gone.<ref name=CFeature51/> After the apparent death of Karma, Cannonball and Dani Moonstar act as co-leaders.<ref name="NM#7">{{cite comic | writer = [[Chris Claremont|Claremont, Chris]]| penciller = [[Sal Buscema|Buscema, Sal]]| inker = [[Bob McLeod (comics)|McLeod, Bob]]| colorist = [[Glynis Wein|Wein, Glynis]]| letterer = [[Tom Orzechowski|Orzechowski, Tom]]| editor = [[Louise Simonson|Jones, Louise]]| story = Flying Down to Rio!| title = [[The New Mutants (comic book)|The New Mutants]]| volume = 1| issue = 7| date = September 1983| publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]| location = [[New York, NY]]| id = {{ISSN|0747-4601}}}}</ref> New recruits included:

* '''[[Cypher (Marvel Comics)|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 Rasputina), younger sister of the X-Man [[Colossus (character)|Colossus]] and long-time resident of the X-Mansion, an accomplished mystic who can open "teleportation discs" allowing travel to [[Otherplace|Limbo]] and any point on Earth.
* '''[[Magma (comics)|Magma]]''' (Amara Aquilla), a fiercely tempered native of a secret [[Rome|Roman]] society in the [[Amazon Basin|Amazon]] who can control [[lava]].<ref name="back29"/>
* '''[[Warlock (New Mutants)|Warlock]]''', an extraterrestrial of the [[techno-organic virus|techno-organic]] race known as the [[Technarchy]]. Considered a pariah due to the uncommon trait of empathy.

A supplementary series, ''The New Mutants Annual'', 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. ''Annual'' #1 (1984) featured the first appearance of Cannonball's love interest, rock musician Lila Cheney, and was drawn by McLeod. The 1985 annual, which 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,<ref name="NM#30 letters page">{{cite comic | editor = [[Ann Nocenti|Nocenti, Ann]], [[Peter Sanderson|Sanderson, Peter]]| story = Report Card [letters page]| title = [[The New Mutants (comic book)|The New Mutants]]| volume = 1| issue = 30| date = August 1985| publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]| location=[[New York, NY]]| page = 22–23| id = {{ISSN|0747-4601}}}}</ref> saw Mirage inducted into the [[Valkyrior]] and Cypher and Warlock merging into one body for the first time. A 1987 issue of ''[[Comics Feature]]'' called ''The New Mutants Special Edition'' #1 "the single finest New Mutants tale to date and one of the best comics published in the past decade", citing Claremont's penchant for fantasy, artist [[Arthur Adams (comics)|Arthur Adams]]'s depiction of Warlock, and the strong individual development of all the characters.<ref name=CFeature51/> ''Annual'' #2 (1986) featured the first American appearance of Psylocke; it, along with ''Annual'' #3 (1987), was drawn by Alan Davis. ''Annual'' #4 (1988) saw Mirage's powers dramatically enhanced so that she created physical manifestations of people's fears and desires rather than illusions. ''Annual'' #5 (1989) covers the New Mutants' return to Earth after a lengthy stay in [[Asgard (comics)|Asgard]] in the main series. ''Annual'' #6 (1990) was part of the "[[Days of Future Present]]" crossover. 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. ''Annual'' #7 (1991) was the last issue of the series.

Furthermore, in 1990, [[Ann Nocenti]] and [[Bret Blevins]] produced an 80-page issue called ''The New Mutants Summer Special''. The special saw several New Mutants (Boom Boom, Wolfsbane, Sunspot, and Warlock) dragged into a world of television, which served as a vehicle for Nocenti to discuss [[mass media]] theory.

In 1986, [[Professor X]] was written out of the series. Before he left, he made the X-Men's one-time nemesis, [[Magneto (Marvel Comics)|Magneto]], headmaster of his school.<ref name="Uncanny X-Men #200">{{cite comic | writer = [[Chris Claremont|Claremont, Chris]]| penciller = [[John Romita Jr.|Romita Jr., John]]| inker = [[Dan Green (artist)|Green, Dan]]| colorist = [[Glynis Oliver|Oliver, Glynis]]| letterer = [[Tom Orzechowski|Orzechowski, Tom]]| editor = [[Ann Nocenti|Nocenti, Ann]]| story = The Trial of Magneto!| title = [[The Uncanny X-Men]]| volume = 1| issue = 200| date = December 1985| publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]| location = [[New York, NY]]| id = {{ISSN|0274-5372}}}}</ref> Magneto would be the team's longest-running headmaster, holding the position from ''The 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 (literature)|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,<ref name="NM#57">{{cite comic | writer = [[Louise Simonson|Simonson, Louise]]| penciller = [[Bret Blevins|Blevins, Bret]]| inker = [[Terry Austin (comics)|Austin, Terry]]| colorist = [[Glynis Oliver|Oliver, Glynis]]| letterer = [[Tom Orzechowski|Orzechowski, Tom]]| editor = [[Ann Nocenti|Nocenti, Ann]]| story = Birds of a Feather| title = [[The New Mutants (comic book)|The New Mutants]]| volume = 1| issue = 57| date = November 1987| publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]| location = [[New York, NY]]| id = {{ISSN|0747-4601}}}}</ref> and Magik is de-aged back to childhood.<ref name="NM#73">{{cite comic | writer = [[Louise Simonson|Simonson, Louise]]| penciller = [[Bret Blevins|Blevins, Bret]]| inker = [[Mike Manley (artist)|Manley, Mike]], [[Al Williamson|Williamson, Al]]| colorist = [[Glynis Oliver|Oliver, Glynis]]| letterer = [[Joe Rosen|Rosen, Joe]]| editor = [[Bob Harras|Harras, Bob]], Edelman, Daryl, [[Mark Gruenwald|Gruenwald, Mark]]| story = The Gift| title = [[The New Mutants (comic book)|The New Mutants]]| volume = 1| issue = 73| date = March 1989| publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]| location = [[New York, NY]]| id = {{ISSN|0747-4601}}}}</ref> 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."<ref name="PoorDoug" /> Simonson also folded the [[X-Terminators]], a group of young wards from ''[[X-Factor (comic book)|X-Factor]]'', into the New Mutants.<ref name="NM#76">{{cite comic | writer = [[Louise Simonson|Simonson, Louise]]| penciller = [[Rich Buckler|Buckler, Rich]]| inker = Palmer, Tom| colorist = [[Glynis Wein|Wein, Glynis]]| letterer = [[Joe Rosen|Rosen, Joe]]| editor = [[Bob Harras|Harras, Robert]]| story = Splash!| title = [[The New Mutants (comic book)|The New Mutants]]| volume = 1| issue = 76| date = June 1989| publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]| location = [[New York, NY]]| id = {{ISSN|0747-4601}}}}</ref>

The X-Terminators added to the team were:

* '''[[Tabitha Smith|Boom-Boom]]''' (Tabitha Smith), a teen runaway who could create "plasma bombs."
* '''[[Rusty Collins]]''', a [[pyrokinesis|pyrokinetic]] wanted by the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]].
* '''[[Rictor]]''' (Julio Richter), a young [[Mexico|Mexican]] who could create [[shock wave]]s.
* '''[[Skids (character)|Skids]]''' (Sally Blevins), a former [[Morlocks (comics)|Morlock]] who could project a frictionless [[Force field (technology)|force field]] around her body.

In 1989, Simonson crafted a saga in which the team journeyed to [[Asgard (comics)|Asgard]], the home of the gods of [[Norse mythology]]. The storyline wrote Mirage out of the series, as she joined the Norse pantheon as one of the Valkyrior.<ref name="NM#87">{{cite comic | writer = [[Louise Simonson|Simonson, Louise]]| penciller = [[Rob Liefeld|Liefeld, Rob]]| inker = [[Bob Wiacek|Wiacek, Bob]]| colorist = Rockwitz, Mike| letterer = [[Joe Rosen|Rosen, Joe]]| editor = [[Bob Harras|Harras, Bob]]| story = A Show of Power!| title = [[The New Mutants (comic book)|The New Mutants]]| volume = 1| issue = 87| date = March 1990| publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]| location = [[New York, NY]]| id = {{ISSN|0747-4601}}}}</ref> ''The New Mutants'' #64 deals with the team's mourning of 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.<ref name="PoorDoug" />

A new mentor for the group, the mysterious mercenary [[Cable (character)|Cable]], was introduced.<ref name="NM#87"/> 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:

* '''[[Vanessa Carlysle|"Domino"]]''' (Vanessa Carlysle), Cable's pale-skinned, black-garbed mercenary lover. She is later revealed to be Copycat impersonating [[Domino (character)|Domino]].
* '''[[Feral (character)|Feral]]''' (Maria Callasantos), who possessed a bestial temperament and appearance.
* '''Shatterstar''' (Gaveedra Seven), a swashbuckling warrior from another dimension.
* '''[[Warpath (comics)|Warpath]]''' (James Proudstar), the younger brother of slain X-Man [[Thunderbird (John Proudstar)|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 (comic book)|X-Force]]''. That team featured a variety of the former ''New Mutants'' cast.