The Uncanny X-Men #262
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeUncanny X-Men #262 is a mid-arc chapter from one of the most narratively ambitious stretches of Chris Claremont's record-breaking run — the 'dissolution' period in which the classic X-Men lineup had been deliberately scattered, with individual members operating in isolation across the world. The issue advances three simultaneous plotlines that all feed directly into the 'X-Tinction Agenda' crossover later that year: the Morlock menace beneath the ruins of Xavier's mansion, the diplomatic crisis building between the U.S. government and Genosha over the refugees Phillip Moreau and Jennifer Ransome, and the Reavers' campaign of destruction against the Hellfire Club. It also deepens Forge's characterisation through Vietnam War flashbacks, exploring how his past as a soldier shaped the mutant weapons-maker — an angle Claremont rarely got to develop in the team's more crowded ensemble stories. The issue sits squarely in the transitional window between the Siege Perilous storylines and the Jim Lee era, making it a document of what the title looked and felt like in the months immediately before its creative landscape shifted.
In "Scary Monsters," the X-Men descend into the dark heart of the Morlock Tunnels, where Forge, Jean Grey, and Banshee confront unseen horrors beneath the city. Meanwhile, Colossus steps into a quiet moment at an art show, drawn to a mysterious woman—Callisto—whose presence lingers long after the gallery closes. The issue’s eerie tone and striking visuals, by Kieron Dwyer and Josef Rubinstein, elevate a story where danger isn’t just outside, but something deeper, stirring beneath the surface.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was written by Chris Claremont, with guest pencils by Kieron Dwyer — filling in for the series' rotating roster of artists in the months before Jim Lee came aboard as regular penciler — and inked by Josef Rubinstein, lettered by Tom Orzechowski, colored by Glynis Oliver, and edited by Bob Harras under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco. It was released in April 1990 with a June 1990 cover date. Dwyer, who had recently contributed fill-in work on X-Factor, brought a style that contemporary readers noted sat somewhere between the Silvestri look the book had established and something rougher in execution. The Gentlemen of Leisure X-aminations blog noted that this was the first of a revolving set of guest pencilers 'killing time before Jim Lee comes aboard,' with Dwyer considered the high point of that interim run.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Story title: 'Scary Monsters!' — Part 2 of a 3-part arc; cover-dated June 1990, released April 1990.
- Creative team: Writer Chris Claremont, guest penciler Kieron Dwyer, guest inker Josef Rubinstein, colorist Glynis Oliver, letterer Tom Orzechowski, editor Bob Harras, editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco.
- Main plot: Forge and Banshee fight Morlock creatures in the tunnels beneath the ruins of Xavier's mansion to rescue an unconscious Jean Grey, who has been abducted and physically altered by the Morlock Masque.
- Jean Grey confirms to Forge and Banshee that the X-Men are still alive — a key story beat during the 'dissolution' period following the team's passage through the Siege Perilous.
- Secondary plot: Val Cooper and the U.S. Secretary of State hold a tense clandestine meeting with Genoshan officials (including Pipeline) who demand the return of mutate refugees Phillip Moreau and Jennifer Ransome, and threaten action against the X-Men — direct setup for the 'X-Tinction Agenda' crossover.
- Third subplot: The Reavers (under Donald Pierce, alongside Lady Deathstrike) are shown destroying property owned by the White Queen, Emma Frost, as part of Pierce's vendetta against the Hellfire Club Inner Circle.
- Colossus appears in his post-Siege Perilous alter ego as SoHo artist Peter Nicholas; in this issue he encounters the Morlock Masque, who teleports him away — continuing the thread of his amnesiac civilian life.
- The issue is indexed in the Official Marvel Index to the X-Men (Vol. 2) #5, and the Marvel Database records three reprints of this issue.
Cast · 14 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Spécial Strange #75 (1991), Essential X-Men #9 (2009), X-Men by Chris Claremont & Jim Lee Omnibus #1 (2012), X-Men Epic Collection #17 (2019), De X-Mannen #102, La Patrulla-X #104
Key issues in The Uncanny X-Men
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