The X-Men #139

History

Issue #139, cover-dated November 1980 and on sale July 29 of that year, was the first issue of the title for which John Byrne received sole plotting credit, with Chris Claremont scripting from his plot — a shift in the creative dynamic of their celebrated collaboration. It was inked by Terry Austin, lettered by Tom Orzechowski, colored by Glynis Wein, and edited by Louise Simonson (with Danny Fingeroth as assistant editor and Jim Shooter as editor-in-chief). Notably, it was also the first 22-page issue of Uncanny X-Men, expanding from the title's prior 17-page count as part of a page-length increase across Marvel's line at that time. The story directly follows the emotional devastation of the Dark Phoenix Saga (issues #129–138), channeling that aftermath into a deliberate new-team-status-quo issue that planted seeds for the landmark 'Days of Future Past' arc just two issues later.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Kitty Pryde officially joins the X-Men as a full member and receives her first codename, 'Sprite,' suggested by Storm in this issue.
• First appearance of Wolverine in his brown-and-tan costume, which replaced his original yellow-and-blue suit and became his signature look for years.
• First in-story revelation of Wolverine's civilian name, 'Logan,' disclosed by Heather Hudson to Nightcrawler; Wolverine's sardonic response to why he never mentioned it was that nobody asked.
• First appearances of Heather McNeil Hudson (later Vindicator/Guardian) and dance instructor Stevie Hunter, both of whom became recurring supporting characters throughout Claremont's run.
• Storm takes on the role of deputy team leader following Cyclops's leave of absence in the preceding issue (#138), establishing a new leadership dynamic for the team.
• Wolverine and Nightcrawler travel to Canada to reconcile with Alpha Flight and Department H, encountering Vindicator (James Hudson), Shaman, and Snowbird — setting up a two-part Wendigo storyline concluded in #140; the issue includes a flashback to Wolverine's prior Wendigo battle in Incredible Hulk #181.
• The cover tagline 'Welcome to the X-Men, Kitty Pryde — Hope you survive the experience!' became a recurring motif used whenever new mutants joined the X-Men in subsequent issues.
• The issue has been widely reprinted, including in Essential X-Men Vol. 2 (1997), Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 5 (2005), The Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Vol. 2 (2014), the Alpha Flight by John Byrne Omnibus (2017), and the X-Men Epic Collection: The Fate of the Phoenix (2021).

Cast · 30 characters

Full credits

Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers