SDCC 2025: John Byrne's X-Men: Elsewhen is Finally Getting Published

The epic personal project is getting an official printing.

The X-Men have had a long, storied history in the comic book industry, but arguably the most iconic and beloved era of the series was when Chris Claremont and John Byrne were the creative team. While Claremont's writing is credited to much of the franchise's success, the impact of John Byrne can't be denied. Indeed, the writer and artist has often spoken about how he contributed to the plotting of Uncanny X-Men during his tenure as its illustrator, and that he grew increasingly frustrated with the book as time went on. Byrne eventually left the book, and even Marvel Comics as a whole, but over the past seven years he's been quietly working away on what is his vision for where the series should have went following the end of the Dark Phoenix Saga.

Dubbed X-Men: Elsewhen, it's often referred to as fan fiction, but let's face it—anything John Byrne does that's a comic book and involves the X-Men is as authentic as it gets, Marvel Comics logo on the front be damned. It's a series that Marvel has actually shown interest in officially publishing in the past, but was never quite able to make happen. Until now. Abrams Comicarts is going to be taking the entire Elsewhen run and publishing it in full color for the first time. Pre-orders for the first volume are open now, with an expected publishing date of April 21, 2026. There three volumes planned.

Here's how the story is described by Abrams:

In Volume 1 of X-Men: Elsewhen, the Dark Phoenix Saga is over and Phoenix is . . . alive?!

Diverging from the epic finale of the original storyline from 1984, X-Men: Elsewhen presents a universe where Jean Grey’s powers and intellect have been greatly reduced, and from there, everything you thought you know about the X-Men is forever changed.

John Byrne’s monumental return to the X-Men heads in entirely new and surprising directions, as the X-Men head back to the Savage Land, face their climactic adventure with the Sentinels, and contend with special guest–stars such as the Avengers and the Fantastic Four along the way.

It says something about the state of Marvel when the most exciting news about the X-Men is coming from outside of its own publishing efforts. This isn't the first time that Abrams has gotten the swoop on the House of Ideas, as they published the exceptional Fantastic Four: Full Circle by Alex Ross back in 2022. But hey, at this point comic book fans will take authentic superhero stories where they can get them. We'll update as we learn more, but in the meanwhile why not share with us on social media what you think of Elsewhen getting an official printing.

Source: Abrams Books Website