The New Mutants #42
New Mutants #42 stands as the second — and most clearly documented — early appearance of multiple members of the sprawling Guthrie family, including Paige (the future Husk), Melody (the future Aero), Lewis, Cissie, and Lizzie Guthrie, planting the seeds for years of X-Men storylines rooted in that Kentucky coal-mining clan. As a villain-free, introspective character study, the issue also represents one of Chris Claremont's most deliberate uses of the New Mutants format to explore working-class American identity — giving Sam Guthrie's rural Southern background genuine dramatic weight rather than treating it as window dressing. The tension Sam feels between his duty to the team and his obligation to his family, and his fraught attempt to bridge his two worlds by introducing Lila Cheney to his mother, would resonate across the series and successor titles for decades.
In "New Song for Old," Cannonball takes a break from the New Mutants to return home, where family tensions and personal doubts stir up old feelings—especially when he worries his brother might be turning into a mutant, and questions whether he truly belongs back in his hometown. With heartfelt moments and quiet tension, the issue explores identity and connection, culminating in a tender introduction of Lila to his mother. Written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Jackson Guice with inks by Kyle Baker, the story unfolds with emotional precision, while Barry Windsor-Smith’s striking cover captures the weight of homecoming.
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The issue was produced by the regular mid-period creative team of writer Chris Claremont and penciller Jackson 'Butch' Guice (on breakdowns), with Kyle Baker providing finished inks and Elaine Lee on colors — a pairing that gave the book a warmer, more grounded visual tone than the title's earlier Bill Sienkiewicz era. The cover was painted by Barry Windsor-Smith, who contributed several striking covers to the series during this run. Editor Ann Nocenti shepherded the issue under editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, and the story was released on April 22, 1986, with an August 1986 cover date.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Title of story: 'New Song for Old'; cover date August 1986, on-sale April 22, 1986.
- Written by Chris Claremont; pencil breakdowns by Jackson 'Butch' Guice; ink finishes by Kyle Baker; colors by Elaine Lee; lettering by Tom Orzechowski; cover art by Barry Windsor-Smith; edited by Ann Nocenti.
- First (or second, per some sources) background appearance of Paige Guthrie — who later becomes Husk in X-Force #32 (1994) — as one of Cannonball's unnamed younger siblings.
- First clearly credited appearance of Melody Guthrie (later the mutant Aero) and Lewis Guthrie, along with background cameos of Cissie Guthrie and Lizzie Guthrie — all unnamed in the issue itself.
- Dazzler (Alison Blaire) appears as a guest, still traveling in disguise as part of Lila Cheney's touring band following her outing as a mutant.
- The story is a rare villain-free issue: Sam visits Cumberland, Kentucky, debates leaving the New Mutants permanently, quarrels with Lila over a gift for his mother, and is reconciled with both after he and Josh rescue Lila and Dazzler from a plane crash.
- Joshua Guthrie — the future Icarus — plays a significant supporting role; his fear of becoming a mutant, and his eventual change of heart during the plane rescue, foreshadows his later mutant emergence.
- The issue was reprinted in New Mutants Classic Vol. 6 (Marvel, 2011), which collects New Mutants #41–47 and Annual #2.
Cast · 22 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Cannonball journeys home for a vacation, where he faces problems: he thinks he ought to come home for good, he doesn't trust Lila, and his brother is afraid he might become a mutant too. All is resolved, and Cannonball introduces Lila to his mother.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
