The Uncanny X-Men #510
Uncanny X-Men #510 serves as the explosive climax of Matt Fraction's 'Sisterhood' arc, delivering what Fraction himself called the biggest single fight scene of his run — twenty-two pages of all-out battle as Madelyne Pryor's Sisterhood lays siege to the X-Men's Graymalkin Facility. The issue is narratively pivotal because it reveals, on its final page, that the entire raid was a 'heist' for a lock of Jean Grey's hair that Wolverine had been secretly keeping, establishing the genetic-resurrection stakes that drive the arc toward its conclusion. It also functions as Psylocke's functional re-introduction into the main X-Men cast after several years' absence — her appearance on the Sisterhood's side (the fruit of the Red Queen's resurrection ritual from earlier issues) set up her eventual defection back to the X-Men. Equally significant is a ghostly Jean Grey vision that breaks Emma Frost free of Lady Mastermind's psychic shackle, a quietly charged moment that threads the long shadow of Jean's death through Fraction's San Francisco era.
In "Sisterhood, Part Three," the X-Men face a brutal assault as the Sisterhood storms the mansion, turning the familiar halls into a battlefield. With the X-Kids rallying to turn the tide, the fight escalates—until Wolverine delivers a quiet, chilling revelation about Madelyne and Jean Grey’s hair. Written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Greg Land, with inks by Jay Leisten, colors by Justin Ponsor, and lettering by VC and Joe Caramagna, this 2.99 USD issue from 2009 delivers high-stakes action and lingering tension. The cover, by Greg Land, captures the intensity of the clash.
ComicBooks.com Value
This exact issue on ebay
CGC 9.8 ▾ $110–$2,000 8 listings
CGC 9.6 ▾ $282–$360 3 listings
CGC 9.4 ▾ $345–$395 3 listings
Raw — NM ▾ $3.99–$159 9 listings
Raw — NM- ▾ $6.6–$95 4 listings
Raw — VF/NM ▾ $2.99–$30.99 2 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $4.99–$1,200 20 listings
More listings for this title
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by penciler Greg Land, inked by Jay Leisten, and colored by Justin Ponsor, with editorial oversight from Nick Lowe (editor) and Axel Alonso (executive editor). It is the third chapter of the four-part 'Sisterhood' story arc that ran through Uncanny X-Men #508–511 and was later collected in the trade paperback Uncanny X-Men: Sisterhood (ISBN 978-0-7851-4105-1). Fraction had been deliberately constructing the Sisterhood threat since issue #500, describing the arc in pre-publication interviews as a long-planned 'major magical working' — a heist disguised as an all-out assault. The issue carried a limited 1-in-15 variant cover by J. Scott Campbell and also received a second printing, indicating strong reader demand at the time of release.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published May 20, 2009 (cover-dated July 2009) by Marvel Comics; part three of the four-part 'Sisterhood' arc (Uncanny X-Men #508–511).
- Written by Matt Fraction; penciled by Greg Land; inked by Jay Leisten; colored by Justin Ponsor; lettered by VC's Joe Caramagna; edited by Nick Lowe.
- Psylocke (Betsy Braddock) appears as an adversary of the X-Men — the result of the Sisterhood's resurrection ritual — marking her functional return to the Uncanny X-Men title after several years' absence; Fraction's stated editorial goal was to re-establish her as a major ongoing cast member.
- The Sisterhood's true objective is revealed: they raided Wolverine's quarters to steal a lock of Jean Grey's hair he had been secretly keeping, genetic material Madelyne Pryor intended to use in a resurrection ritual to give herself a new physical body.
- Emma Frost is broken out of Lady Mastermind (Regan Wyngarde)'s psychic illusion by a vision of Jean Grey (manifesting a Phoenix flame), one of several Jean Grey 'presence' moments Fraction wove through the arc without returning her to life.
- The Sisterhood lineup in this issue includes Madelyne Pryor (the Red Queen), Psylocke, Lady Deathstrike, Spiral, Chimera, Lady Mastermind, and Martinique Wyngarde; Empath, imprisoned at Graymalkin, is revealed as the unwitting beacon that guided the Sisterhood through the facility's defenses.
- Pixie plays a decisive role on the X-Men's side, teleporting X-23 and Armor to safety and ultimately shattering Empath's consciousness, which triggers the Sisterhood's withdrawal.
- The issue was collected in the Uncanny X-Men: Sisterhood trade paperback (collecting #508–512), and a limited 1-in-15 variant cover by J. Scott Campbell and a convention exclusive sketch variant were produced alongside the standard Greg Land cover.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Uncanny X-Men: Sisterhood #[nn] (2009), Essential X-Men #13 (2011), Uncanny X-Men by Matt Fraction: The Complete Collection #1 (2013), Los Increíbles Hombres X, Uncanny X-Men #14
Key issues in The Uncanny X-Men
Variants (3)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.