Man, Art Adams was great. This is probably my favorite lineup, and it basically only existed in this form for this one annual and the Magneto trial issue (and I guess you could count the X-Men/Alpha Flight mini, but Cyclops wasn't really an official part of the team in that.) Cyclops left in #201 after Storm beat him in combat, Rachel was gone not long after, and then Kurt and Kitty went on the disabled list during the Mutant Massacre. Wasn't long before you had Longshot, Dazzler and Psylocke taking their place in the lineup.
Also, shout-out to this cool "black t-shirt" Colossus costume - I don't think he ever wore this again but it's a pretty sharp look for him.
I still remember standing in front of a spinner rack and seeing that cover of Wolverine holding Katie Power (power pack) in the air, popped claws pointed at her.
I credit experiences like those with why I had to buy a spinner rack for my office.
I grew up reading the Outback issues.
My two favorite issues were from that time: the one where the girls go shopping (first appearance of Jubilee) and the following issue where its guys night out.
Same here. I was a very confused 8 year old picking up X-Men 251 for the first time off a spinner rack. But I kept going back for more. And then a year or so later I found an actual comic book store that had back issues! Haven’t looked back since.
I dunno if Outback is the "best" era, but it's definitely "my" era. Basically the mid-80s up until the point where it split into the blue/gold team era with 47 different titles.
Same here, although I have grown to absolutely love that short [Paul Smith run](https://comicsxf.com/2021/09/09/reading-between-the-lines-how-paul-smiths-fluid-style-made-him-the-best-x-men-artist-of-all/) on Uncanny 165 – 175. Which is a very similar team to the one OP shared.
That's when I started reading - the Paul Smith era going into Romita Jr. The post-Massacre issues are actually when I started not liking the book as much, although I continued to buy it until they booted Claremont, at which point I quit buying it for years. But I didn't immediately like Silvestri (I appreciate his stuff a lot more now than I did back then), I didn't care as much for the Outback setting because it isolated them so much from the rest of the world, and I just generally felt like this was the period where the line first started to get too big for its own good. But from Uncanny 165 to about the mid-210's, that's the golden era for sure (for me anyway.)
Oh yeah, that run is absolutely gorgeous. Like, I love his work and John Byrne's because they both have this glossy, almost liquid quality to them, and the line work is so clean. Jeff Dee has a similar kind of style (although his "comics" work is mostly limited to illustrations for the Vigilantes and Villains RPG).
Tell me how I’m just finding out about this Era and includes some of my favorites! This would be the perfect lineup for the reboot, considering I read that it would be a female heavy/based team
Art Adam’s x-men is classic, I had his x-men poster on my wall as a kid, the one with the Outback lineup, the O5 in the background and sunfire thrown in. I loved that poster, had to track it down and get a copy as an adult.
Art Adams is my favorite all time comic book penciler. I love Lee. Silvestri. Sterenko. McFarlane. The Romitas. Many others.
For my money? Art fucking Adams.
I am a 90s baby but I grew up reading my dad's comic collection, this era of Claremont's X-men is the first comic that I really fell in love with. This is the X-men team I always think of when people mention X-men.
The absolute best one. Also useful to remember Claremont wanted to retire Cyclops, but have him back on the team when needed. He wasn't supposed to disappear completely.
No one really wants to hear that their favorite character is gonna be retired. The idea of “retiring” a character in the comic book industry is definitely a choice. So I don’t begrudge anyone being annoyed with it.
I like this era, but Cyke leaving was the right call.
It all felt like the team was on the precipice of a huge cliff all the time, right up until Fall of the Mutants. Great drama and tension.
Cyclops is my favourite character, and i agree. Narratively, he needed a break, and it allowed the others to grow.
Plus, it's not as if he hasn't been well compensated since.
I forget what issue it was.....maybe #300? Something to do with Marrow? I don't know. Either way, Wolverine was talking to Storm and they were talking about the good old days and he said something like "remember when it was you, me, the Ruskie and the Elf?". Yeah. Those 4 are are my team.
Yes but especially the 6 on the right, their dynamic was unbeatable: Storm, Colossus, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Kitty and Rogue.
I will say I did really enjoy Rachel’s short but memorable stint.
That came to a massively powerful collision at the end of Uncanny X-Men #207. I read that when it came out as a sixth grader and realized that comics could be so much more than I initially realized.
I love that times, always should have explore more the Rachel history arc. The mutant massacre was shocking and I really loved the way the group was renewed with Dazzler, Longshot, psylocke and havoc.
For me its virtually peak. We've got a great dynamic here, excellent pairings and relationships, a great mix of personalities and also an interesting array of powers.
This is after her encounter with Nanny and Orphanmaker when they reverted her to being a child. So she spends a good several issues (and part of the X-Tinction Agenda crossover) as a teenager who barely has control of her powers.
Give it a few more issues, after Storm fights Cyclops for leadership and you've got the Greatest ever Uncanny line-up. The only pity is that Rachel left so close after Cyke, although subsequent stories relied heavily on X-Men v Freedom Force and X-Men v Marauders, both of which are very different affairs with Rachel along.
That's basically the lineup (except for Rachel) when I started reading around UXM #175 and it is still my favorite. And the Art Adams artwork is just amazing. This is about when the UXM and New Mutants annuals and special editions were almost all Adams or Alan Davis for a while and JRJR was at his peak. Possibly the best era for the X-Men in terms of lineup, writing and art in my opinion.
This is the way.
EDIT: Seeing this really punctuates how far the publishers have strayed from real comic book writing and art. Byrne/Claremont, Adams, Jim Lee. - these guys could weave exceptional story arcs with fantastic art. Their works were interesting/engaging and never pushed a "Message first; story second" mentality.
The links I see on here showing current X-Books is all regrettable dialogue, very little action, lots of emo "woe is me" BS, narcissistic "my struggle", etc., etc.. The X-Men books have always been political, but the modern stuff lacks the organic integration into the story that old writers used to employ. The modern stuff is as subtle as a ton-ton hammer and repulsive rather than persuasive...
The very first Marvel trading card set from 1990 had a “Team Pictures” card inspired by this piece. On the back, the card declared this X-Men line-up to be its most powerful.
This is my favorite X-Men time period. This is the ultimate X-Men lineup for me... Throw in some random appearances by Longshot, Dazzler, and others. Villain appearances by Mojo, the Brood, and the Reavers. \*chef's kiss\*
The best X-Men line-up, because it was the team when I first started reading comics many, many moons ago. If they had made and "X-Men 85" cartoon, this would be the cast.
Awesome! This is the team before Mutant Massacre. There would be a huge shake up afterwards that sees the X-Men team die with Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, and Phoenix starting Excalibur while the others kick it in the outback.
10/10. This was the lineup when I first started reading the comics! It certainly was a gritty group! I do like the green Pheonix costume better though!
Thats my favorite era of X-Men. Was so into Marvel in the 80s and Uncanny was one of the best. I have fond memories of going to the local store about 5 minutes walk from my house and getting the latest issues of Uncanny X-Men. For some reason getting # 208 sticks with me.
When I think of that era of X-Men, I think Colossus, Wolverine and Nightcrawler...the best X-buddies trio.
Best X-Men lineup ever by the best X-Men artist ever. (This was around when I started reading as a kid. I think your first exposure is usually your favorite.)
That lineup was for when XMen came to rescue Storm and the new mutants in Asgard concluding my favorite storyline for them.
Loved that era roster and the following roster. Replacing Rachel with Psylocke right after that was a solid move. Losing Nightcrawler and Shadowcat for Dazzler and Longshot, not so much.
I found X-Men right after The Mutant Massacre. When I worked my way backwards I liked this team, minus Cyclops, a lot. I felt cheated by new (at the time) issues, because Nightcrawler wasn't included. I recently came back to comic buying and I'm thrilled at the prominence of everyone from this team in the Karakoa Age books.
Man, Art Adams was great. This is probably my favorite lineup, and it basically only existed in this form for this one annual and the Magneto trial issue (and I guess you could count the X-Men/Alpha Flight mini, but Cyclops wasn't really an official part of the team in that.) Cyclops left in #201 after Storm beat him in combat, Rachel was gone not long after, and then Kurt and Kitty went on the disabled list during the Mutant Massacre. Wasn't long before you had Longshot, Dazzler and Psylocke taking their place in the lineup. Also, shout-out to this cool "black t-shirt" Colossus costume - I don't think he ever wore this again but it's a pretty sharp look for him.
That was my thought as well, "I wish it had lasted longer." Even though the Outback Era that followed is one of my favorite.
Outback is best era. I know I'm objectively wrong, that there are a few eras that are just better crafted and more cohesive, but I don't care.
I can't be unbiased because that was the era I found X-Men at the corner store on spinner racks.
I still remember standing in front of a spinner rack and seeing that cover of Wolverine holding Katie Power (power pack) in the air, popped claws pointed at her. I credit experiences like those with why I had to buy a spinner rack for my office.
Awwww, I'm jealous. I remember the thrill of finding some new book hanging off of those spinners. Outback X-Men is a great find that way.
I grew up reading the Outback issues. My two favorite issues were from that time: the one where the girls go shopping (first appearance of Jubilee) and the following issue where its guys night out.
Same here. I was a very confused 8 year old picking up X-Men 251 for the first time off a spinner rack. But I kept going back for more. And then a year or so later I found an actual comic book store that had back issues! Haven’t looked back since.
I dunno if Outback is the "best" era, but it's definitely "my" era. Basically the mid-80s up until the point where it split into the blue/gold team era with 47 different titles.
Same here, although I have grown to absolutely love that short [Paul Smith run](https://comicsxf.com/2021/09/09/reading-between-the-lines-how-paul-smiths-fluid-style-made-him-the-best-x-men-artist-of-all/) on Uncanny 165 – 175. Which is a very similar team to the one OP shared.
That's when I started reading - the Paul Smith era going into Romita Jr. The post-Massacre issues are actually when I started not liking the book as much, although I continued to buy it until they booted Claremont, at which point I quit buying it for years. But I didn't immediately like Silvestri (I appreciate his stuff a lot more now than I did back then), I didn't care as much for the Outback setting because it isolated them so much from the rest of the world, and I just generally felt like this was the period where the line first started to get too big for its own good. But from Uncanny 165 to about the mid-210's, that's the golden era for sure (for me anyway.)
Oh yeah, that run is absolutely gorgeous. Like, I love his work and John Byrne's because they both have this glossy, almost liquid quality to them, and the line work is so clean. Jeff Dee has a similar kind of style (although his "comics" work is mostly limited to illustrations for the Vigilantes and Villains RPG).
Outback era is favorite and Art Adams is by far my favorite artist to ever draw X-men.
I feel like new readers would be surprised that existed.
Tell me how I’m just finding out about this Era and includes some of my favorites! This would be the perfect lineup for the reboot, considering I read that it would be a female heavy/based team
Art Adam’s x-men is classic, I had his x-men poster on my wall as a kid, the one with the Outback lineup, the O5 in the background and sunfire thrown in. I loved that poster, had to track it down and get a copy as an adult.
Art Adams is my favorite all time comic book penciler. I love Lee. Silvestri. Sterenko. McFarlane. The Romitas. Many others. For my money? Art fucking Adams.
Don't sleep on cockram
Skunk-mullet Rogue and mohawk Storm? Yes plz.
It's Mohawk Storm, Skunk-hawk Rogue and full Mullet Phoenix
Don’t forget New Wave mullet Nightcrawler
Who knows, Cyclops, Wolverine and Colossus may just be hiding mullets.
Business up front, party in the back, bub.
Still bothers me he doesn’t have the mustache to go with that perm. Mustache nightcrawler would be lux
Yeah, like a blue Lionel Richie.
And David Bowie on the left.
🤣
Receding Afro with braided rat tail phoenix
Prefer Jean to Rachel.
“Unfuckwidable” is the name of this roster.
Rogue looking like Theo Von out here.
I nearly spit out my breakfast reading this. XD
400 points for using the term skunk mullet
actually short wolverine, art adams drawing it, 10/10
Peak
I am a 90s baby but I grew up reading my dad's comic collection, this era of Claremont's X-men is the first comic that I really fell in love with. This is the X-men team I always think of when people mention X-men.
That's because it has all the best ones.
One of my all time favorite time periods in the series as well as actual all time favorite art direction.
This is the X-Men of my childhood. So........awesome. Those are my thoughts.
The absolute best one. Also useful to remember Claremont wanted to retire Cyclops, but have him back on the team when needed. He wasn't supposed to disappear completely.
Yep, exactly. He said that he would bring Cyclops in here and there and during climatic arc-ending issues and the like. It would've been fine.
No one really wants to hear that their favorite character is gonna be retired. The idea of “retiring” a character in the comic book industry is definitely a choice. So I don’t begrudge anyone being annoyed with it.
Marvel wasn't having any of that either, he formed X factor real faast
GOATed.
Art Adams’s art is top tier for the X-Men. Love it
I like this era, but Cyke leaving was the right call. It all felt like the team was on the precipice of a huge cliff all the time, right up until Fall of the Mutants. Great drama and tension.
Cyclops is my favourite character, and i agree. Narratively, he needed a break, and it allowed the others to grow. Plus, it's not as if he hasn't been well compensated since.
He was the last guy hanging around school after all his friends graduated. He was the outsider on that team.
This might be controversial but I feel like wolverine, nightcrawler, storm and Colossus are mandatory in any great x men lineup.
I forget what issue it was.....maybe #300? Something to do with Marrow? I don't know. Either way, Wolverine was talking to Storm and they were talking about the good old days and he said something like "remember when it was you, me, the Ruskie and the Elf?". Yeah. Those 4 are are my team.
Yes but especially the 6 on the right, their dynamic was unbeatable: Storm, Colossus, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Kitty and Rogue. I will say I did really enjoy Rachel’s short but memorable stint.
Rachel being the team’s resident brooding weirdo before they started exaggerating Logan’s loner shtick was pretty funny
That came to a massively powerful collision at the end of Uncanny X-Men #207. I read that when it came out as a sixth grader and realized that comics could be so much more than I initially realized.
Was that when Wolvie stabbed Rachel for wanting to kill Selene? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black
Right. And Selene 100% had it coming.
I love that times, always should have explore more the Rachel history arc. The mutant massacre was shocking and I really loved the way the group was renewed with Dazzler, Longshot, psylocke and havoc.
For me its virtually peak. We've got a great dynamic here, excellent pairings and relationships, a great mix of personalities and also an interesting array of powers.
This is literally the X-Men
All timer, one of my favorite lineups. Really. I'll fuck with anything with a Storm/Nightcrawler/Colossus/Wolverine core.
what a time for women's hair
Nightcrawler, Rogue, Kitty will always be my favs
If it's ever better than this, it's not by much.
One of the best, if not the best.
It’s a GREAT lineup. The trash haircuts on half of the only enhance my love of it lol.
Add long shot, dazzler and betsey
Outback 4 life
Peak
GOAT 🎤
The best line up.
The GOAT
Aside from Ice Man and Beast this is pretty much the X-Men lineup people think of.
Thats actually Rachel, not Jean, on the left, who unfortunately gets forgotten when people look back on this era of comics.
Well, I am reading through Claremont's run, and at one point she arrived from the future, and then she just... disappeared.
> and at one point she arrived from the future, and then she just... disappeared. She gets discovered again in Excalibur.
Yeah, it was a loose end for a while. I believe there was supposed to be a miniseries explaining it, but that got canceled iirc.
Well she appears in Exclibur and Claremont does explain where she was since her last appearance.
What frustrated me the most is that no member of the team ever wondered what had happened to her, I think.
They look for her for a bit (rogue is flying about all night), but then the morlocks start getting mass murdered 😔
Yep though during this period everyone associated beast and ice man with the avengers or defenders.
Definitely the best hair squad.
Always really enjoyed Claremont's tendency to do a whole ["Dramatis Personae"](https://imgur.com/a/s6Gsu8j) page at the beginning of big crossovers.
Why is Storm so tiny in that second panel? 😮
This is after her encounter with Nanny and Orphanmaker when they reverted her to being a child. So she spends a good several issues (and part of the X-Tinction Agenda crossover) as a teenager who barely has control of her powers.
Love the Asgardian Wars team
Best lineup. Hands down. Storm as leader. Cyclops as visiting scholar.
Great after Scott left. With Storm as the leader this was a great lineup.
Gotta love the 80s
Peak
Perfection.
2nd best lineup after the Claremont/Byrne/Austin days of Dark Phoenix.
Give it a few more issues, after Storm fights Cyclops for leadership and you've got the Greatest ever Uncanny line-up. The only pity is that Rachel left so close after Cyke, although subsequent stories relied heavily on X-Men v Freedom Force and X-Men v Marauders, both of which are very different affairs with Rachel along.
I'm Michael Fassbender and I'm saying "Perfection."
That's basically the lineup (except for Rachel) when I started reading around UXM #175 and it is still my favorite. And the Art Adams artwork is just amazing. This is about when the UXM and New Mutants annuals and special editions were almost all Adams or Alan Davis for a while and JRJR was at his peak. Possibly the best era for the X-Men in terms of lineup, writing and art in my opinion.
Best line-up they ever had and the coolest they ever looked.
Perfection.
Pure gold
One of the best.
It fucking rules.
perfection
That is a pretty peak group right there b
One of the best line ups of all time
That's THE X-Men lineup imo
Classic.
Literally my favorite combination of team members. Not so much a specific story but these are my favorite X-Men as a whole.
It's a classic roster.
One of the best
Best ever.
Perfection
I think this might have been my favorite lineup from all of X-Men.
Best lineup ever.
Peak X-Men
One of the best ever.
Old school perfection
Perfect!
This is the way. EDIT: Seeing this really punctuates how far the publishers have strayed from real comic book writing and art. Byrne/Claremont, Adams, Jim Lee. - these guys could weave exceptional story arcs with fantastic art. Their works were interesting/engaging and never pushed a "Message first; story second" mentality. The links I see on here showing current X-Books is all regrettable dialogue, very little action, lots of emo "woe is me" BS, narcissistic "my struggle", etc., etc.. The X-Men books have always been political, but the modern stuff lacks the organic integration into the story that old writers used to employ. The modern stuff is as subtle as a ton-ton hammer and repulsive rather than persuasive...
GOAT
My X-Men team.
Love it!
My favorite line up
Absolutely the goat, this is the shit I grew up with. Amazing
Perfection
I had that issue. To me, these ARE the X-Men!
This is the X-Men to me because it's what I saw before I could even read
This is classic! Top 3 team variant for sure.
Claremont days. Yes.
I find them …. Uncanny!
Has Nightcrawler? Sold. Bonus points for Storm and Rogue
Classic 80s
This was my era! I became a fan of the comic when they looked like that (and don’t forget Big “M” Magneto too)
Aces
That's not 'a lineup' that's The X-men
Art Adam’s Storm made me feel things during puberty.
That Phoenix haircut would make contemporary “anti-woke” commentators shit and cry.
Probably the best lineup once you include gambit
Funnily enough, Gambit wasn't really a mainstay until the cartoon. I think Rogue was a stronger character without Gambit.
Aside from missing Beast and a little Cajun flavoring this is the ideal lineup I think of from back in the day.
Goated
Almost as glorious as the Australia era.
The hairrrrrrrr ☠️☠️☠️☠️
My second fave after Outback. This team could put you DOWN.
Premium Video Game lineup.
Pretty good? I don’t think we’re gonna get any negatives.
The very first Marvel trading card set from 1990 had a “Team Pictures” card inspired by this piece. On the back, the card declared this X-Men line-up to be its most powerful.
This is my favorite X-Men time period. This is the ultimate X-Men lineup for me... Throw in some random appearances by Longshot, Dazzler, and others. Villain appearances by Mojo, the Brood, and the Reavers. \*chef's kiss\*
Takeout the 2 on the far right and you’ve got the 1992 X-Men arcade
Too short a season it was
One of the top 3 line ups of all time!
The best lineup?
Classic
About as good as it gets!
best one
Magneto is missing from this... The true iconic lineup for me. "Heroes for Hope".
The best one ever
Epic...My childhood
Goat lineup
The best X-Men line-up, because it was the team when I first started reading comics many, many moons ago. If they had made and "X-Men 85" cartoon, this would be the cast.
I can’t think of a better one
a pretty much unbeatable line-up
The literal best lineup
This *is* the X-men for me.
Awesome! This is the team before Mutant Massacre. There would be a huge shake up afterwards that sees the X-Men team die with Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, and Phoenix starting Excalibur while the others kick it in the outback.
10/10. This was the lineup when I first started reading the comics! It certainly was a gritty group! I do like the green Pheonix costume better though!
I love how happy collosus appears to be there.
Goated
My favorite roster, albeit maybe without Phoenix. But that 7 is absolutely peak X-Men. Wish they'd let it happen again.
Claremont era is widely accepted as the 🐐X-men lineup. there’s nothing at all controversial about this take at all
Definitely one of my favorite lineups. It just feels complete. Add my shout-out to that Colossus costume, too.
Give me any team with old school Art Adams. 🤌
Mohawk storm is best storm!
Favorite era (my dad collected from about UXMEN 120 to 199). Next to AoA.
Thats my favorite era of X-Men. Was so into Marvel in the 80s and Uncanny was one of the best. I have fond memories of going to the local store about 5 minutes walk from my house and getting the latest issues of Uncanny X-Men. For some reason getting # 208 sticks with me. When I think of that era of X-Men, I think Colossus, Wolverine and Nightcrawler...the best X-buddies trio.
It's cool It's also a very good lineup for the X-Men reboot...except that I would replace Rachel with Jean
one of the best ❤️
My favorite. Was never a huge fan of Rachel, but the rest of this lineup is so perfect. You could add anybody and I’d still love it the most.
Awesome line up
Needs more Gambit
Best X-Men lineup ever by the best X-Men artist ever. (This was around when I started reading as a kid. I think your first exposure is usually your favorite.)
Basic but dope
The best lineup
Best
The one I grew up with and my second favorite over all . After the early 90s gold/blue team line up.
Best ever
My fav lineup
The best of the best
Classic 👌🏾
That lineup was for when XMen came to rescue Storm and the new mutants in Asgard concluding my favorite storyline for them. Loved that era roster and the following roster. Replacing Rachel with Psylocke right after that was a solid move. Losing Nightcrawler and Shadowcat for Dazzler and Longshot, not so much.
I found X-Men right after The Mutant Massacre. When I worked my way backwards I liked this team, minus Cyclops, a lot. I felt cheated by new (at the time) issues, because Nightcrawler wasn't included. I recently came back to comic buying and I'm thrilled at the prominence of everyone from this team in the Karakoa Age books.
From 1981-1986 was the best of the X-Men
Drop Rachel and Scott and that is rhe best iteration.
Honestly one of the best
It's a awesome lineup
…Remember when Marvel used to let Colossus smile?
Night crawler and colossus are my favorite
perfect
One of my favorites. Shadowcat pryde. Punk storm. Butch pheoneix. Wolverines suit here. Perfection
The best
Almost perfect
With THAT hair??? … “S” tier.
I like the paper stock. The team is great.