X-Men Elsewhen: The Road Not Taken
For longtime X-Men readers, there’s always been a lingering question: what if John Byrne had stayed?
X-Men Elsewhen is Byrne’s answer to that question—a quiet, personal experiment in continuity. Over 32 short “issues”, Byrne sketches out how the X-Men might have evolved had he remained on the book, following the creative instincts he and Chris Claremont shared at the time. He has drawn rough pencils and layouts for every issue and handled the word balloons himself. There is no color or inking, but it’s very readable as is.
It begins with a crucial divergence point: the intended ending of the Dark Phoenix Saga. Byrne and Claremont originally planned for Jean Grey to survive. Dark Phoenix was to be stripped away from Jean, giving her a "mental lobotomy": her punishment severe but not fatal. That direction was famously vetoed by then-editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, who insisted that Jean must die as punishment for the sins of Dark Phoenix.
Elsewhen asks: what if she didn’t?
From there, the series unfolds organically. Characters grow, tensions simmer, and storylines breathe in a way that feels very much of that late-70s/early-80s X-Men era—measured, character-driven, and surprisingly restrained. It’s not bombastic. It doesn’t chase modern spectacle. It simply explores possibilities.
These are a lot of fun.
If you loved the classic Byrne/Claremont X-Men run — the sense of momentum, the emotional stakes, the feeling that the book trusted its readers — there’s a very good chance you’ll love this too.
All 32 installments are available to read here:
https://m.byrnerobotics.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=58810&PN=1&totPosts=155
With the exception of the odd manga here and there (more for Japanese practice than pure enjoyment) I haven't read comics since I was a kid, but these sucked me right in.
Even if you've never read the classic Byrne/Claremont X-Men, you might enjoy this. Give it a shot and see what you think.
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David is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Bluesky. |
I never got into the newer X-men. I remember reading them when I was a kid. I loved them back then, but haven't been able to get into the movies really. Are the comics better?
Well this above would be the same Xmen that were around when you were younger. Byrne and Claremont's run was late 70s/early 80s. This above is Byrne's ideas of how that run may have continued if he hadn't quit the book (he quit the book in '81 I think).
I have no idea of the comics today. I'd guess they aren't better in any way, but I don't know.
I only ever watched the cartoon, so I never really got into all the stuff like this. It's pretty cool just how many rabbit holes there are to go down though.