254 - Year 43 Creator: Peter Milligan

Coming over from X-Force/X-Statix, Milligan carves out a darker, weirder niche for Adjectiveless in contrast to the more traditional super-heroics of Claremont & Whedon on Uncanny & Astonishing.

#2005XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60 #XMen

253 - Year 43 Cover: Astonishing X-Men #12

Kinda sums up the X-Men/Xavier relationship for the next dozen plus years in one image, doesn't it?

#2005XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60 #XMen

Peter Milligan & X-23 come aboard, Psylocke returns, and Danger debuts! The Greys end! The ANAD X-Men celebrate their 30th birthday by killing Banshee! Wolverine joins the Avengers, Magneto rules the House of M & no more mutants in #2005XMen!
#60YearsOfX #XMen60 #XMen

252 - Year 42 Memorable Moment: Colossus Returns

Colossus' return midway through Astonishing's inaugural run is all the more surprising given how Morrison was told they couldn't bring him back just a scant few years earlier.

#2004XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60 #XMen

251 - Year 42 Fun Fact: Alan Davis Redux

According to Davis, he was asked back to Uncanny out of a desire to make the X-books more kid-friendly, a sentiment he agreed with, leading to his reunion w/Claremont & the X-Men.

#2004XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60 #XMen

Year 35 Character Runner-Up: Marrow

Perhaps no new member of the revamped post-OZT lineup got more of a spotlight than Marrow, w/a re-introductory solo team-up w/Spider-Man, a role on Iceman's ad hoc team, & a showdown w/Wolverine.

#1997XMen #60YearsOfX #Xmen60 #Xmen

250 - Year 42 Comic: Astonishing X-Men #1

While not as significant a sea change as Giant-Size, Adjectiveless or even New X-Men #114, it still marks a return to more traditional superheroics & the beginning of the long "Cyclops in charge" era.

#2004XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60 #XMen

More memorable #1981XMen moments: Banshee has a daughter, Magneto almost kills Kitty, Kitty spins a yarn, and the mansion is destroyed (for the first time)!

#60YearsOfX #Xmen #XMen60

249 - Year 42 Character: Xorn

In which Grant Morrison does too good a job at creating a fake identity for Magneto, so Marvel decides to make the fake ID an actual character (& bring back Magneto), to deeply confusing results.

#2004XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60

More #1998XMen covers! Which is your favorite?

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248 - Year 42 Creator: Joss Whedon

Though his star's rightly dimmed of late, Whedon helming a new ongoing X-book as part of a high profile creative team is both a significant moment for #XMen & the "celebrity author comes to comics" trend.

#2004XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60

247 - Year 42 Cover: Astonishing X-Men #2

John Cassady? Pretty good at art. An elegantly simple but absolutely arresting image for Astonishing's second issue.

#2004XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60 #XMen

245 - Year 41 Fun Fact: Death x2

Jean's death at the hands of Xorneto lasts more than twice as long as her first apparent death at the end of "Dark Phoenix Saga" - it lasts longer even if you stop counting when Young Jean comes to the present.

#2003XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60 #XMen

244 - Year 41 Comic: New X-Men #150

Morrison's run crescendos as "Planet X" reaches its climax w/an epic X-Men/Magneto showdown that underscores the limits of Magneto's influence even as he strikes a final devastating blow.

#2003XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60 #XMen

1976 Character Runner-Up: Storm

Outside of Jean's transformation, Storm is the member of the ensemble who really steps out from the chorus in this year, receiving more of a traditional "origin" along w/the establishment of her claustrophobia.

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243 - Year 41 Character: Anne Ghazikhanian

Largely forgotten these days, Nurse Anniee was a key piece of Austen's run in 2003, pining for both Havok & Iceman and playing a key role in the disintegration of Havok & Polaris' near-marriage.

#2003XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60 #XMen

242 - Year 41 Creator: Chuck Austen

It may be due to infamy more than anything, but when you write two X-Men stories in one year that are consistently cited as some of the worst stories ever by fans, you kind of own the year.

#2003XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60 #XMen

241 - Year 41 Cover: X-Men Unlimited #43

The somewhat limited scope of this project means I never really got to showcase any Bill Sienkiewicz art back when he was on New Mutants, so when a loophole presents itself to do so, I'm gonna use it!

#2003XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60 #XMen

The manga boom hits the #XMen as Kia Asamyia comes aboard! There's a riot at Xavier's, Xorn is Magneto & Jean Grey dies (again) as Morrison's run hits its climax! Meanwhile, over in Uncanny, some of the worst X-Men stories ever! All that & more in #2003XMen! #60YearsOfX #Xmen60

240 - Year 40 Memorable Moment: Juggernaut joins up

One of the few decent ideas from Austen's run, Juggernaut accepts a place w/the #XMen, a surprising move which still feels like a not entirely unnatural turn given Cain's past characterization.

#2002XMen #60YearsOfX #XMen60