Blue And Gold Teams

X-Men #1 became the biggest selling comic book of all time in 1991, selling 8 million copies. The book, written by longtime X-Men writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, established two separate X-Men squads, the Blue and Gold teams. Sadly, it was around this era that the Chris Claremont golden era was winding down, but Blue and Gold still produced some wonderful moments, largely because the team mixes were among the best of all time.

With some X-Men on Muir Island, others in Shiar space, Genosha on board, and threats from the Reavers, Sinister, and Shadow King, X-Factor and the X-Men reunited, albeit in two teams. In some ways, this was the beginning of the end of the X-golden Men's age. While several titles were already on the stands, Gold and Blue shattered the concept of several teams, and the team hasn't had a strong sense of cohesion since. Claremont's voice was also fading, which was the most tragic aspect of all. Despite this, the two strong teams marked a watershed moment in which fans got to see two incredible lineups at the same time.

Publisher: Marvel Comics
First appearance: "X-Men" #1