10 Best X-Men Creative Teams

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The X-Men comic has been incredibly fortunate to attract top talent since its beginning with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby over 60 years ago. Great storytelling relies on a strong partnership between writers and artists – a writer who understands an artist’s strengths, and an artist who can realize the writer’s ideas. Throughout its history, the X-Men have consistently benefited from particularly harmonious and effective creative teams.

These creative teams are responsible for the iconic stories that turned the X-Men from a struggling comic book into one of the most beloved and enduring franchises of all time. They consistently delivered exceptional work, creating stories fans still cherish today. Here are ten of the very best X-Men creative teams and their legendary runs.

10) Scott Lobdell/Joe Madureira

The 1990s were a golden age for the X-Men, and writer Scott Lobdell was a key figure. While opinions on his work are mixed, he wrote the X-Men comics for a longer period than any other writer during that decade, meaning fans likely enjoyed some of his stories. He collaborated with many talented artists, but his best partnership was with Joe Madureira. Madureira, a bit of a manga enthusiast for the time (I met him and he was really cool!), brought a style heavily influenced by comics like Ghost in the Shell, blending manga and Western art styles. Lobdell skillfully used this unique style to create exciting stories. Together, they worked on Uncanny X-Men issues #312-313, 316-317, 325-326, 328-330, 332, 334-338, 340-343, 345-348, 350, and Astonishing X-Men (Vol. 1) #1-4. Fans were always a little let down when an issue didn’t feature Madureira’s artwork.

9) Jonathan Hickman/Pepe Larraz

The X-Men experienced a remarkable period known as the Krakoa Era, and it began with the innovative work of Jonathan Hickman and Pepe Larraz. In 2019, Hickman took over the X-Men comics and launched his vision with the titles House of X and Powers of X. While both were important, House of X, illustrated by Larraz, is often praised for its superior artwork. Together, Hickman’s writing and Larraz’s visuals created one of the most compelling X-Men stories of recent years. Larraz particularly excelled at interpreting Hickman’s scripts, significantly enhancing the overall quality of the series. Though Hickman collaborated with many talented artists during his run, his partnership with Larraz was especially successful.

8) Jason Aaron/Chris Bachalo

Jason Aaron significantly impacted the X-Men comics in the 2010s, starting with the storyline X-Men: Schism and continuing as the writer of Wolverine and the X-Men (Vol. 1). He collaborated with artist Chris Bachalo, who is well-known for his work on the X-Men, on issues #1-3, 8-10, 12, 16, and #42. Bachalo’s distinctive and somewhat unconventional style perfectly matched Aaron’s writing. Although they didn’t work on many issues together, I felt Bachalo’s art was a better fit for the series – and a better pairing with Aaron – than the work of co-artist Nick Bradshaw.

7) Grant Morrison/Phil Jimenez

Grant Morrison and Phil Jimenez first collaborated at DC Comics when Jimenez joined Morrison’s series, The Invisibles, for its initial two volumes. Widely considered one of comics’ all-time great artists (and a talented writer as well), Jimenez consistently produced his best work alongside Morrison. Their collaboration on New X-Men – specifically issues #132, 139-141, and #146-150 – is highly regarded as some of the strongest in the entire run. Jimenez expertly translated Morrison’s ambitious scripts into visually stunning pages, notably portraying the impactful deaths of Jean Grey and Magneto (or who was then believed to be Magneto, Xorn) with remarkable emotional depth.

6) Fabian Nicieza/Andy Kubert

Fabian Nicieza wrote the X-Men comic (volume 2) from the early to mid-1990s, specifically issues #12 through #45. Throughout much of his run, he collaborated with artist Andy Kubert, who was the son of renowned DC artist Joe Kubert. Kubert faced the challenge of following Jim Lee’s popular work on the title, but he quickly proved himself and formed a fantastic creative partnership with Nicieza. Together, they produced issues #14-20, 22-26, 28-34, 36-38, 40-41, 44-45, and the first four issues of Amazing X-Men (volume 1). Their collaboration resulted in some truly memorable comics, and it was exciting for fans to watch both creators develop their skills while working together.

5) Chris Claremont/Dave Cockrum

Chris Claremont dramatically reshaped the X-Men, and his influential 16-year run began with artist Dave Cockrum. Though often overlooked, Cockrum played a crucial role in revitalizing the team alongside Len Wein in Giant-Size X-Men #1. He designed iconic characters like Storm, Colossus, and Nightcrawler, and later became the regular artist when Claremont took over as writer. Together, they crafted issues #94-107, 110, 145-150, 153-158, and 161-164, laying the groundwork for major storylines like the Phoenix Saga, the Shi’Ar Empire tales, and “The Brood Saga.” Claremont and Cockrum established a high standard for the X-Men’s creative direction and worked on some of the most significant issues in the comic’s early history.

4) Joss Whedon/John Cassaday

Astonishing X-Men (volume 3) is a fan favorite in X-Men comics, largely due to the creative partnership of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday. Together, they produced the first 24 issues and Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1 – four stories that remain highly regarded. Their work was heavily influenced by classic X-Men creators from the 1980s like Claremont and Paul Smith, and Cassaday’s artwork particularly shined when paired with Whedon’s writing. While Whedon’s stories were strong on their own, Cassaday’s art elevated them to something truly special.

3) Chris Claremont/Paul Smith

Although Paul Smith only worked on a relatively small number of Uncanny X-Men issues (#165-170 and #172-175), his collaboration with writer Chris Claremont is considered one of the best in the series’ history. Smith’s art style appears clean and straightforward, but his issues are actually packed with incredible detail – recent issues I found were stunning. He had a knack for perfectly translating Claremont’s writing into dynamic visuals. The action flowed seamlessly, and his character work conveyed emotion powerfully. If you’re unfamiliar with their work, I highly recommend seeking it out – and if possible, try to find the original issues. Modern recoloring often detracts from the quality of older comics.

2) Grant Morrison/Frank Quitely

As a critic, I have to say Grant Morrison’s run on New X-Men wasn’t just a story reboot, it was a visual one too. The ’90s were defined by artists like Jim Lee and Joe Madureira – all polished pin-ups and manga influences – but Morrison brought in Frank Quitely, and that changed everything. They collaborated on several key issues, and honestly, they’re one of the best writer/artist pairings ever. While I rank All-Star Superman and Flex Mentallo just a hair higher, their New X-Men is truly exceptional. It’s surprising how much negativity it gets; people complain about the character designs being… unusual. But Quitely’s layouts are phenomenal, the action is dynamic, the detail work is incredible, and his characters act on the page in a way few artists achieve. Morrison throws out some seriously wild ideas, and Quitely consistently delivers them with stunning clarity and style.

1) Chris Claremont/John Byrne

As a huge X-Men fan, I truly believe Chris Claremont and John Byrne are responsible for making the team what it is today. They had an incredible partnership – Byrne wasn’t just the artist, he helped shape the stories too! Together, they gave us some of Marvel’s all-time greats like “The Dark Phoenix Saga” and “Days of Future Past.” Seriously, their run on Uncanny X-Men, specifically issues #108-109 and #111-143, is legendary. It’s inspired so many comic creators over the years. That era was just magic; they really brought out the best in each other’s work – it’s easily the high point for the X-Men.

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2026-06-17 00:13