The New Mutants #87
New Mutants #87 is the first full appearance of Cable, the time-traveling soldier-mentor who would reshape Marvel's X-line for the better part of the 1990s. The issue simultaneously introduces his arch-nemesis Stryfe and the entire inaugural roster of the Mutant Liberation Front, seeding storylines that ran through X-Force and the 'X-Cutioner's Song' crossover for years afterward. Rob Liefeld's arrival as penciler and co-plotter reversed years of declining sales and set the series on a trajectory toward cancellation and immediate rebirth as X-Force — one of the best-selling titles of the early 1990s. The issue also closes the book on founding New Mutant Dani Moonstar, who chooses to remain in Asgard, marking the effective end of the classic Claremont-era lineup.
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
Editor Bob Harras wanted a new, militaristic leader for the New Mutants — a deliberate counterpoint to the pacifist Professor X — and enlisted the recently arrived Rob Liefeld to design the character while writer Louise Simonson developed his concept and motivation. A naming tug-of-war ensued: Simonson wrote early scripts calling the character Commander X, Harras floated the name Quinn, and Liefeld, who had already inscribed 'Cable' on his design sketches, prevailed. Simonson has noted that Liefeld's original visual design was actually intended for Stryfe, but she and Harras agreed it was better suited to the new hero. Both Simonson and Liefeld independently conceived of Cable as a mysterious time traveler from the future, though his explicit connection to the infant Nathan Summers from Uncanny X-Men #201 was a retroactive decision made by other editorial hands some time after this issue was published.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First full appearance of Cable (Nathan Summers) as an adult — created by writer Louise Simonson and artist/co-plotter Rob Liefeld; his infant self had previously appeared in Uncanny X-Men #201 (1986), but the two were not yet connected.
- First full appearance of Stryfe — created by the same Simonson/Liefeld team; Stryfe had only a faceless cameo in the preceding issue #86, and his face would not be revealed until New Mutants #100.
- First full team appearance of the Mutant Liberation Front (MLF), comprising Stryfe, Wildside, Reaper, Forearm, Thumbelina, Strobe, Tempo, and the teleporter Zero.
- Story titled 'A Show of Power!' — script by Louise Simonson, pencils by Rob Liefeld, inks by Bob Wiacek, colors by Mike Rockwitz, letters by Joe Rosen, edited by Bob Harras (Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco).
- Cover penciled by Rob Liefeld and inked by Todd McFarlane; the composition is an homage to the cover of Avengers #145 (March 1976).
- Dani Moonstar (Mirage) departs the cast in this issue, choosing to stay in Asgard; she would not return to the X-books until X-Force #27.
- Skids (Sally Blevins) and Rusty Collins leave the New Mutants in this issue and are recruited into the Mutant Liberation Front.
- A second printing was issued — distinguished by a gold metallic ink cover — shortly after the original publication; the story in New Mutants Annual #5 is set between panels of this very issue.
Cast · 40 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
The Mutant Liberation Front attacks more research stations. Mystique threatens Skids. A federal agent shoots Rusty. He and Skids allow the MLF to rescue them. The New Mutants return to New York. After trying to stop the MLF, Cable weighs his options. First (full) appearance of Cable.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
