X-Men #59
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeX-Men Vol. 2 #59 sits at a charged narrative crossroads in the mid-1990s X-Men line, weaving together the long-simmering Graydon Creed presidential storyline — itself a dark inversion of the 'Days of Future Past' premise, where the X-Men's past heroism helped produce the very anti-mutant demagogue now threatening them — with Joseph's ongoing search for a cure to Rogue's uncontrollable powers. The issue exemplifies the era's preference for character-driven quieter issues between event arcs, juggling no fewer than four distinct subplots across its 44 pages, including Hercules renewing his friendship with Quicksilver at the mansion. Its role as a direct prelude to Graydon Creed's assassination arc — resolved months later in X-Factor #130 — makes it a connective thread across the entire 1996–1997 X-Men publishing line.
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The issue was plotted by Scott Lobdell, the dominant architect of the X-Men line throughout the 1990s, with scripting handled by Ralph Macchio, a longtime Marvel editor and writer who frequently collaborated on the series during this period. Andy Kubert, who had become the visual signature of the adjectiveless X-Men title through the mid-1990s, provided pencils with Art Thibert on inks. Bob Harras served as Editor-in-Chief, with Jason Liebig as the issue's direct editor — reflecting the editorial structure that kept Harras closely involved in X-Men storytelling even after his promotion.
Trivia · 7 facts
- Titled 'Touched,' the issue was plotted by Scott Lobdell and scripted by Ralph Macchio, with pencils by Andy Kubert and inks by Art Thibert.
- Graydon Creed — the baseline-human son of Sabretooth and Mystique — appears as the primary antagonist, running for U.S. president on a virulently anti-mutant platform, with Cannonball assigned to surveil his campaign.
- The issue's in-story solicitation copy explicitly invokes Uncanny X-Men #141 ('Days of Future Past'), framing Creed's rise as a dark consequence of the X-Men's earlier intervention to save Senator Kelly.
- Joseph is shown actively researching a scientific solution to Rogue's power-absorption problem, a subplot threading through this era of the series.
- Hercules appears as a supporting character, visiting the Xavier mansion to reconnect with his former Avengers teammate Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff), which leads to an emotionally unresolved confrontation between Quicksilver and Joseph over Magneto's past actions.
- Sabretooth and Mystique appear only as visions or hallucinations — not as physically present characters — while Rogue appears only in a static video image.
- The issue is labeled 'A prelude to next month's shocking issue of X-Factor,' directly setting up the Graydon Creed assassination arc that culminates in X-Factor #130 (1997), in which a future version of Mystique kills her own son.
Cast · 15 characters
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Reprinted in Gli Incredibili X-Men #90 (1997), X-Men [Χ-Μεν] #3 (1999), X-Men #26 (1999), X-Men: Onslaught Aftermath #[nn] (2019), X-Men: Onslaught Aftermath Omnibus #[nn] (2025)
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