In the early 1980s, Uncanny X-Men was one of Marvel’s most popular books, prompting the introduction of more X-Men titles. The writing/artist team of Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod created the New Mutants, a teenage mutant superhero team who were introduced in Marvel Graphic Novel #4 (September 1982).

Since the original X-Men had grown out of Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, the New Mutants were introduced as the new teenage students. The diverse group of kids was originally led by Xi’an Coy Manh/Karma, a Vietnamese girl with the power to possess other people; co-leader Samuel Guthrie/Cannonball, a Kentucky boy who can create thermo-chemical energy; and co-leader Danielle Moonstar/Psyche (later Mirage), a Cheyenne Native American who can create empathic 3-D illusions. The team also included Roberto da Costa/Sunspot, a Brazilian boy with superstrength derived from the sun; and Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane, a Scottish girl who could turn into a werewolf-like creature.

Claremont and McLeod served as the first writer/artist team on New Mutants, then after the third issue, Sal Buscema was brought in to do the breakdowns then took over as main artist. Bill Sienkiewicz took over as artist, giving it his signature style that differed from most contemporary comics, and paired well with the darker story content that Claremont brought to the book.

New Mutants dealt with real teenage problems, like the angst of growing up and the complexities of being misunderstood mutants. What started out as a comic of age comic turned into stories about mysticism with science fiction and fantasy elements. They saw alternate futures, traveled to demonic dimensions, and met an ancient Roman civilization. The original New Mutants series ran for 100 issues through April 1991.