Bret Blevins

The gathering storm before Inferno — the buildup to one of the most emotionally devastating X-Men crossovers ever told. Madelyne Pryor's descent into madness as the Goblin Queen, the demonic corruption of New York, and the secrets of Sinister's manipulations are all set up across the X-line in these central prelude stories. The relationships between Cyclops, Jean Grey and Madelyne reach a breaking point that would define X-Men continuity for decades.

The New Mutants face their darkest challenges yet as Chris Claremont and Louise Simonson steer the team through the Mutant Massacre aftermath, the Fall of the Mutants, and the Inferno crossover. Magik loses her soul to Limbo's demons, Cypher is killed in battle — a genuinely shocking death for the era — and the team is reshaped under Magneto's controversial mentorship at Xavier's School. The book also features Barry Windsor-Smith's stunning work and the introduction of Bird-Brain and the Ani-Mator. These stories pushed the New Mutants into increasingly mature territory, dealing with real loss and moral complexity that set them apart from every other teen team book on the market.