The Xavier Institute students thought they had it tough when Professor X was running things - but now Cyclops and Emma Frost are in charge! As a new semester begins, the students adopt code names and costumes, and are separated into training squads...and Dani Moonstar's New Mutants soon find themselves feuding with Emma Frost's Hellions. But can the two teams work together to save Wither from himself? Then, something is haunting the halls of the Institute, and the students must get to the bottom of it! Prodigy tests his powers! A forbidden relationship is revealed! A teacher is mourned! And drama unfolds at the school dance! Can the New Mutants rediscover their shattered friendship? And what trouble will the Hellions get up to on summer vacation? COLLECTING: NEW X-MEN (2004) 1-15, NEW X-MEN: ACADEMY X YEARBOOK 1, NEW X-MEN: HELLIONS 1-4

A bold new direction for the Xavier Institute! In the mutant-controlled "House of M" reality, the New Mutants clash with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Hellions over the fate of the human resistance. But when the real world is restored, almost all of Earth's mutants find themselves depowered! With their species all but gone and emboldened enemies looming on all sides, the remaining New X-Men close ranks and form a new squad - but what about their suddenly-human friends and classmates? And what happens when X-23 arrives at the mansion? The rules have changed, the safeties are off - and Reverend Stryker has found a terrifying new weapon in his holy crusade against mutants! The New X-Men will be battered, beaten and worse, and suffer assaults on all fronts. Can this untested new team summon the strength to survive and triumph? COLLECTING: NEW X-MEN (2004) 16-32

As a new semester begins at the Xavier Institute, the students learn that they are to be placed into different squads and separated from their best friends.

X-23's past has returned to haunt the New X-Men! Can she and Hellion rescue Mercury before the horrifying, mutant-eating Predator X is unleashed? Then, the demonic Belasco pulls the X-Mansion into Limbo - and he's looking for Magik! Illyana Rasputin has returned to life, and Belasco will put the New X-Men through a literal hell until he finds her! With the team scattered, wounded and terrified, all hope seems lost. But Illyana has arrived, mad as hell...and she wants her soul back! Can Pixie, of all people, help save the day? And when Magik's quest catches the attention of the other demon lords, the X-Men must help Illyana fi nd herself before an ancient evil is unleashed! COLLECTING: NEW X-MEN (2004) 33-39, 40-42 (A STORIES), 43; X-INFERNUS 1-4, SAGA; MATERIAL FROM X-MEN UNLIMITED (2004) 14; X-MEN: DIVIDED WE STAND 2

An astonishing array of A-list talents unleash their unlimited imaginations on the mutants of Grant Morrison's New X-Men! Phoenix, Wolverine, Beast, Storm, Psylocke, Cyclops, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Professor X and more take center stage in insightful and exciting solo stories - while foes take the focus in tales of Magneto, Sabretooth and Juggernaut! But which camp does Emma Frost, the newest teacher at the Xavier Institute, belong to? Shadowcat grieves for her best friend, Illyana Rasputin - and the love of her life, Colossus! Storm battles Magneto and lets loose with Yukio! Two sinister sisters adopt Lockheed! Nightcrawler undertakes a swashbuckling rescue mission! Wolverine must protect a mystical sword! And are the X-Men ready for a movie about their lives? COLLECTING: X-MEN UNLIMITED (1993) 35, 37-39, 46-47, 49-50; X-MEN UNLIMITED (2004) 1; MATERIAL FROM X-MEN UNLIMITED (1993) 34, 36, 40-43, 48

The children at the X-Mansion thought they had it tough when Professor X was running things - but now that Cyclops and Emma Frost have taken over the reins of the school, they're wishing for the simpler times of yesterday! As a new semester begins at the Xavier Institute, the X-Men-in-training are just getting comfortable with one another as the devastating news hits: The teachers plan to separate them into different squads! What happens when best friends are torn from one another in the name of school policy? And what do the New X-Men do about it?

The X-Men comic book franchise is one of the most popular of all time and one of the most intriguing for critical analysis. With storylines that often contain overt social messages within its "mutant metaphor," X-Men is often credited with having more depth than the average superhero property. In this collection, each essay examines a specific era of the X-Men franchise in relationship to contemporary social concerns. The essays are arranged chronologically, from an analysis of popular science at the time of the first X-Men comic book in 1963 to an interpretation of a storyline in light of rhetoric of President Obama's first presidential campaign. Topics ranging from Communism to celebrity culture to school violence are addressed by scholars who provide new insights into one of America's most significant popular culture products.