New X-Men #6
Issue #6 closes the inaugural 'Choosing Sides' arc — the six-issue story that established the entire social architecture of the New X-Men: Academy X era. The definitive squad shake-up lands here: Wither transfers to Emma Frost's Hellions while Icarus crosses over to Dani Moonstar's New Mutants, a swap driven entirely by character motivation rather than editorial fiat, demonstrating DeFilippis and Weir's commitment to earned, character-driven plotting in a teen ensemble book. The issue also formalizes Wind Dancer and Prodigy as co-leaders of the New Mutants squad, directly echoing the dual-leadership model of the original New Mutants, and it closes with the Elixir–Wolfsbane kiss — a taboo student–teacher development that would reverberate through the series for years. As the capstone of the first trade paperback collection, #6 is the issue that sealed reader investment in this new generation of Xavier Institute students during the X-Men Reload era.
"Planet X Part 1 of 5" marks a pivotal moment in the New X-Men saga, with Grant Morrison and Phil Jimenez delivering a bold, emotionally charged start to a high-stakes arc. As the Phoenix awakens and Jean’s resurrection sets off a chain of devastating events, the team races to save Beast and Emma while confronting a fractured Magneto—only to face a shocking turn that leaves the universe itself in peril. The cover by Phil Jimenez and Andy Lanning captures the moment’s intensity, setting the stage for a story that redefines the mutant legacy.
In the climactic finale of "Phoenix Invictus: Planet X Conclusion," the Phoenix Force awakens in the wake of Jean Grey’s death, setting off a chain of desperate rescues and escalating chaos. With Wolverine, Cyclops, and the students racing to save Professor X and their allies, Magneto’s unraveling grip on power leads to a tragic, irreversible act. As the universe itself begins to fracture, the story closes on a haunting note—150 years later, a lone explorer discovers the Phoenix Egg in the Blue Area of the Moon.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
New X-Men: Academy X was a direct continuation of New Mutants (vol. 2, 2003–2004), relaunched under the 'X-Men Reload' publishing initiative that followed Grant Morrison's departure from the X-Men franchise. Writers Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir — a married collaborative team who had helmed the New Mutants predecessor series — carried their cast and thematic focus on institutional adolescent life into the rebranded title, which debuted in July 2004 concurrent with Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men and the broader X-Men line refresh. Issue #6 featured pencils by Michael Ryan, who took over art duties from Randy Green and Staz Johnson starting with issue #5, inked by Rick Ketcham, colored by Pete Pantazis, lettered by Dave Sharpe, and edited by Mike Marts under editor-in-chief Joe Quesada.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Issue #6 is the finale of the 'Choosing Sides' story arc (issues #1–6) and was the first complete arc of the New X-Men: Academy X series, launched as part of Marvel's X-Men Reload publishing initiative in mid-2004.
- Wither (Kevin Ford) permanently transfers from Dani Moonstar's New Mutants squad to Emma Frost's Hellions squad in this issue, feeling betrayed by his former teammates during his FBI arrest in the preceding issues.
- Icarus (Jay Guthrie) simultaneously transfers in the opposite direction — from the Hellions to the New Mutants — after the same incident revealed the New Mutants as the squad that actually tried to protect him.
- Wind Dancer (Sofia Mantega) and Prodigy (David Alleyne) formally settle into a co-leadership arrangement for the New Mutants squad, an explicit callback to the dual-leadership tradition of the original 1980s New Mutants team.
- The issue ends with Elixir (Josh Foley) kissing teacher Wolfsbane (Rahne Sinclair) — a forbidden student–faculty relationship that would become a significant and controversial subplot running through subsequent arcs.
- Written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir; penciled by Michael Ryan; inked by Rick Ketcham; colored by Pete Pantazis; lettered by Dave Sharpe; edited by Mike Marts.
- The issue was collected in the first trade paperback, New X-Men: Academy X Vol. 1: Choosing Sides, and is also included in the New X-Men: Academy X — The Complete Collection (2018), which collects issues #1–15 alongside New X-Men: Hellions #1–4 and the Academy X Yearbook Special.
- The broader New X-Men: Academy X series, of which this issue is an early installment, introduced a large student body at the Xavier Institute whose membership was later catastrophically reduced by the M-Day/Decimation event — from 182 powered students down to 27 — making the squad dynamics established in this opening arc the last sustained portrait of the Institute at full enrollment.
Cast · 18 characters
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↩ Reprints New X-Men #146 (2003), New X-Men #147 (2003), New X-Men #148 (2003), New X-Men #149 (2004), New X-Men #150 (2004)
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