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Legendary writer Mark Waid has revealed his all-time favorite X-Men lineup, but do you agree? A fixture on the American comics’ scene for over 30 years, Mark Waid has written for nearly every major publisher in America, in addition to being an editor. Waid, a lifelong comics fan, is a wellspring of insight into the field and its many characters, and he recently shared his favorite X-Men team.
Mark Waid is currently writing Justice League Unlimited for DC.
Comicbookclublive.com shared an overview of Mark Waid’s “50 Questions in 50 Minutes” panel at WonderCon 2025. The questions asked of Waid were freewheeling, ranging from obscure trivia bits (such as Superman’s Social Security Number) to his opinions on certain famous runs. One fan then asked Waid what his favorite X-Men lineup was, and he replied with the “Claremont/Byrne” era, from the late 1970s/early 1980s.
The Chris Claremont and John Byrne X-Men Was a Watershed Moment in American Comics
The X-Men Had Been a Struggling Title Before Chris Claremont Came Aboard
Waid’s praise of the Chris Claremont and John Byrne era of the X-Men is justified, as it helped turn the struggling franchise into one of Marvel’s top sellers. Claremont, who had already been working in comics for a few years when offered the writing job on Uncanny X-Men, infused the title with a degree of pathos and intelligence not seen in other Marvel books of the time. Claremont took over the writing reigns from Len Wein, who, in the landmark Giant Size X-Men #1, introduced the multinational “all-new, all-different X-Men,” whose lineup included Wolverine.
Chris Claremont stuck with the X-Men franchise for 16 years, departing in 1991 amidst shifting editorial priorities, but at that time, he had several artistic collaborators.
Chris Claremont stuck with the X-Men franchise for 16 years, departing in 1991 amidst shifting editorial priorities, but at that time, he had several artistic collaborators. His first was Dave Cockrum, who already had impressive artistic credentials, having helped breathe new life visually into the Legion of Super-Heroes. Furthermore, he helped create many of the new members of the X-Men, such as Storm, Colossus and Nightcrawler. Cockrum’s art was wildly popular and, along with Claremont’s stellar scripts, helped sell the X-Men to an entire generation of fans. Cockrum stayed on X-Men until issue #107.
John Byrne Took Chris Claremont’s Scripts To Another Level
Chris Claremont Stayed With the X-Men Until 1991
And then came John Byrne. Much like Cockrum, Byrne had already racked up credits on other Marvel titles, such as The Avengers. Issue #108 was Byrne’s first issue as an artist, and he became a co-plotter six issues later. During this time, X-Men blossomed. Claremont and Byrne’s tenure brought fans some of the most well-known X-Men stories ever, such as “Days of Future’s Past” as well as the landmark “Dark Phoenix Saga.” Considered a high point in Claremont and Byrne’s run, the “Dark Phoenix Saga” is still as fresh and exciting as it was at the time of its publication.
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Claremont and Byrne’s working relationship was a fruitful, if not tempestuous one. Byrne would exit Uncanny X-Men with issue #143. He would go on to rejuvenate the Fantastic Four, taking that book to a level not seen since Lee and Kirby. Claremont stayed on Uncanny X-Men until 1991, working with an all-star roster of artists, such as Paul Smith, John Romita Jr, Marc Silvestri and, of course, Jim Lee. Byrne had many creative triumphs after leaving Uncanny X-Men, as did Claremont, but their time together helped change the face of superhero comics.
Mark Waid Also Wrote the X-Men, Albeit Briefly
Claremont and Byrne’s X-Men Run is Regarded as an All-Time Great
Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s track record on the X-Men speaks for itself, and justifies Mark Waid’s praise. Stories such as “Dark Phoenix” seemingly popped off the page, charged with energy not seen in other comics, even ones published by Marvel. Their time on X-Men influenced a generation of writers, artists and editors, Mark Waid among them. Waid briefly wrote the X-Men in the mid-1990s, allowing him to leave his mark on the franchise, much in the way Byrne and Claremont did before him.
Source: Comicbookclublive.com
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