| Generation X | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Publication date | (vol. 1) Nov. 1994–Feb. 2018 (vol. 2) Jul. 2017–Jan. 2018 |
| No. of issues | (vol. 1): 80 (vol. 2): 9 |
| Main character | Generation X |
Generation X is the name of severalcomic book titles featuring the teamGeneration X and published byMarvel Comics, beginning with the originalGeneration X comic book series which debuted in 1994.
Generation X debuted during the 1994 "Phalanx Covenant" storyline, and appeared in their own monthly series in September 1994 withGeneration X #1 (November 1994).[1]
Generation X consisted of teenagemutants designed to reflect the cynicism and complexity of the series'namesake demographic.[2]
The book's original creators left it in 1997. The series was cancelled with issue #75 in 2001. Sixteen years after the original series had ended, a second volume debuted in 2017 as part ofResurrXion, withJubilee mentoring a group of students in the rechristenedXavier Institute.
Many members of Generation X debuted during the "Phalanx Covenant" storyline, acrossover spanning across every X-Men-related comic book in the summer of 1994.[3] ThePhalanx, an extraterrestrialcollective intelligence attempted to absorb many of Earth's mutants into its matrix and captured several of the young mutants who would make up Generation X as "practice" before moving on to the X-Men.[4]
In September of that year,Generation X #1 was published, establishing the team at Frost's Massachusetts Academy. It also introduced their nemesisEmplate, avampire-like mutant who sucked the bone marrow of young mutants.[5] As the series continued, fans and critics raved about Bachalo's quirky, complex artwork and Lobdell's realistic teenage characters. The series soon became one of the most popular X-Books.[citation needed]
Lobdell and Bachalo departed in 1997, leaving writerLarry Hama and artistTerry Dodson to reveal the long-standing mysteries behind M, Penance and Emplate. Hama revealed that M was in fact an amalgamation ofMonet St. Croix's two younger sisters, who could merge as part of their mutant powers; Emplate was their brother who, after experimenting with black magic, was caught in a strange limbo and needed mutant bone marrow to escape; and Penance was the actual Monet St. Croix, transformed by one of Emplate's spells. All of this was revealed in a surreal, mystic epic inGeneration X #35–40 (1997–1998) that was greeted with disapproval by most fans (Lobdell's original plan had involved the twins, but did not include a "real" Monet).[citation needed]
The saga ended with the actual Monet St. Croix taking on the role of M, but fans' reactions did not get much better and sales began to dip.[citation needed] Hama's successor,Jay Faerber, attempted to revive the title, bringing in a regular human student population at the school and making Emma's sisterAdrienne Frost another headmistress inGeneration X #50 (1999).
In 2000, writerWarren Ellis, known for his dark, sarcastic style, was hired to revampGeneration X, as part of theCounter-X rebranding of several second-tier X-titles (the others beingX-Force andX-Man). Ellis acted as 'plotmaster', whileBrian Wood handled the actual scripting chores and later acted as sole writer of the series. Fan response was positive, largely because Ellis and Wood dealt with the teenaged cast without resorting to cliché.[citation needed] However, in early 2001, Marvel editor-in-chiefJoe Quesada cancelledGeneration X, in addition to five other X-Books, arguing that so many mutant superhero books had become redundant.[citation needed] Also,X-Men writerGrant Morrison wanted to add a new cast of teenage mutants to the Xavier Institute in New York. InGeneration X #75, the team disbanded and the Massachusetts Academy closed.[6]
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Origin of Generation X | Generation X #1;Cable #16;Excalibur #82;The Uncanny X-Men #316- 317;Wolverine #85;X-Factor #106;X-Force #38;X-Men #36–37 | June 2001 | 978-0785102168 |
| Generation X Classic: Vol. #1 | Generation X #1–4;The Uncanny X-Men #316- 318;X-Men #36–37 | December 2010 | 978-0785149675 |
| Generation X Classic: Vol. #2 | Generation X #5–11;Generation X Annual '95;Generation X San Diego Preview | January 2013 | 978-0785166863 |
| Generation X Epic Collection: Back To School | Uncanny X-Men (1981) 316-318,X-Men (1991) 36-37,Generation X (1994) 1-9,Wolverine (1988) 94,Generation X Collectors' Preview (1994) 1,Generation X Ashcan Edition (1994) 1 | August 2021 | 978-1302930769 |
| Generation X Epic Collection: Emplate's Revenge | Generation X (1994) 10-23,Generation X Annual '95-'96,Generation X San Diego Preview (1994) 1, material fromIncredible Hulk Annual '97 | May 2022 | 978-1302946494 |
| Generation X Epic Collection: The Secret of M | Generation X (1994) 23-32,Generation X Annual '97,Generation X Underground (1994) 1,X-Men Unlimited #16,Spider-Man Team-Up #1,Daydreamers #1-3 | June 2023 | |
| Generation X Epic Collection: Pride and Penance | Generation X 33-47, 1/2,Generation X/DraculaAnnual '98;X-Men Unlimited #20;Generation X Christmas Special | June 2024 | |
| X-Men: Operation Zero Tolerance | Generation X #26–31,X-Force vol. 1 #67–70,X-Men #65–70,Uncanny X-Men #346,Wolverine #115–118,Cable #45–47,X-Man #30 | August 2012 | 0785162402 |
| Counter-X Vol. 2 | Generation X #63–70 | September 2008 | 978-0785133056 |
| Counter-X: Generation X – Four Days | Generation X #71–75 | February 2013 | 978-0785167303 |
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generation X, Volume 1: Natural Selection | Generation X #1–6 | November 14, 2017 | Paperback:978-1302907365 |
| Generation X, Volume 2: Survival of the Fittest | Generation X #6–9, #85–87 | April 3, 2018 | Paperback:978-1302907372 |
