The original comics were also the 3rd and 2nd last comics in the John Byrne run. There's a tradition in the comics industry to have the last comic or the last few be more eccentric, sort of a "I'm out of here soon, so I can do what I want" thing. They are a bit darker and more brutal than anything else in that run. The last comic of the run was about a 14 year old shadowcat, alone in the x-mansion, being attacked by a monstrous demon. It rules.
The big black and white
Essential X-men 1&2 graphic novels have a buttload of important moments and I would highly recommend them to anyone curious about the X-Men's history. You can
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