The first team of New Mutants characters was created byChris Claremontand artistBob McLeod. They first appeared in 1982'sMarvel Graphic Novel#4 and are subsequently featured in their own title from 1983 until 1991. Like its parent title,The New Mutantshighlighted interpersonal and group conflict as well as action and adventure, and featured a large ensemble cast. With the end of the first series, the characters were relaunched asX-Forcein a new, eponymous series.
The secondNew Mutantsseries, launched in 2003, featured a new group of teenage mutants. Unlike the original New Mutants, they were part of a huge cast ofstudents at the Xavier Institute. In 2004, it was relaunched asNew X-Men: Academy X,after which the central group was formally dubbed the "New Mutants." In the aftermath of the "M-Day"crossoverstoryline in late 2005, the remaining students were merged into one junior team, theNew X-Men.
The thirdNew Mutantsseries, reuniting most of the original team, was launched in May 2009.