Marvel Comics

Jim Lee and Chris Claremont relaunch the X-Men in 1991 with one of the best-selling comic books of all time. The X-Men split into Blue and Gold teams — Cyclops leads Blue with Wolverine, Rogue, Psylocke and Gambit, while Storm commands Gold with Jean Grey, Colossus, Iceman and Archangel. This massive omnibus covers the Mutant Genesis era including the iconic X-Men #1 (which sold over 8 million copies), the introduction of Omega Red, and Magneto's return in the Asteroid M saga. Lee's hyper-detailed, dynamic art defined the look of 90s comics and influenced an entire generation of artists.

Closing of the historic Claremont-Lee collaboration. After editorial differences over creative direction, Claremont left the X-Men after 16 years of uninterrupted writing — the longest continuous run on a superhero title in history. Jim Lee briefly took over the script before leaving to found Image Comics alongside Todd McFarlane and others. A moment of historic transition for Marvel and for American comics that changed the industry forever.

First volume of the 1991 relaunch with Claremont and Jim Lee. Issue #1 of the new series sold 8.1 million copies: the best-selling comic in history. Jim Lee on X-Men is absolute visual reference material: the characters as they were drawn for the next decade, the look that inspired the '90s animated series and subsequent films.