New Mutants Forever

[Leoparis]

This 2010 5-issue mini series is neither in the checklist neither in the out-continuity list.

It's by Claremont, Al Rio and McLeod with covers by McLeod, Sienkiewicz and Arthur Adams.

Issue 1 also contains New Mutants Saga summarizing New Mutants 1-54 by Claremont.

It is collected with NM 53-54.

It seems people here and at the Marvel fandom site thought it was some alternate Earth without actually checking (quite possibly influenced by the contemporary X-Men Forever Vol. 2 series--muddled branding from Marvel). The "Forever" tag in the series title is meant as a continuation of the original run, not as an alternate Earth indicator. The recent spate of mini-series set in the past has them frequently taking place at the end of an author's run (e.g. X-Treme X-Men).

However it cannot be placed right after NM 54 (Claremont's last issue) because Claremont is using Roberto and Warlock, who only returned under Simonson; but he seems to have carefully thought about this in composing his story.

In issue 1 it says three students are on leave, these are Roberto, Warlock (both ran away after NM 52) and Shan (left in NM 54).

Louise Simonson has Amara leave for the Massachusetts Academy in NM 57.

Roberto and Warlock return in NM 59 where Magneto asks them why they ran away.

In the limited series, Claremont starts with the New Mutants in the Hellfire Club along with Amara. They have to stay the night while Magneto discusses with the Inner Circle. He doesn't quite acknowledge Simonson's decision to transfer Amara, but this neutral ground (Hellfire Club) provides an explanation for her to be there with her former classmates. No reason for Bird-Brain (introduced by Simonson in NM 56) to have come along since he's not a student. Then the New Mutants go to Brazil where they meet Roberto and Warlock and they return with them to the mansion at the end.

Claremont also features a reconciliation between Amara and Selene and shows Warlock entering the bloodstream of Doug to explain his later resurrection. By every aspect it is meant as a canonic continuity insert.

Magneto appears in NM 57 but not NM 58. (NM 58 starts the storyline leading to Doug's death so the limited series has to take place earlier.)

So this gives that timeline:
NM 54 Shan leaves > NM 57 Amara leaves, Magneto broody > NMF 1 the New Mutants with Amara at the Hellfire Club > NMF 2 New Mutants meet Roberto & Warlock in Brazil > NMF 5 New Mutants along with Roberto and Warlock return to the mansion > NM 58 New Mutants minus Roberto and Warlock have an adventure with Bird-Brain > NM 59 Back in the mansion Magneto asks Roberto & Warlock why they ran away.

Suggested additions:
AQUILLA, LUCIUS
NM 9
NM 10
NM 11
NM 12
NMFVR 1
NMFVR 5
NM 62
NM@ 14
NW 31
NM4 8
NM4 12

BLACK KING/SEBASTIAN SHAW
NM 54
NMFVR 1
NM 61

CANNONBALL/SAMUEL ZACHARY GUTHRIE
NM 57
NMFVR 1
NMFVR 2
NMFVR 3
NMFVR 4
NMFVR 5
NM 58

CYPHER/DOUG RAMSEY
NM 57
NMFVR 1
NMFVR 2
NMFVR 3
NMFVR 4
NMFVR 5
NM 58

DA COSTA, NINA
NM 43
NMFVR 2
XFOR 32

FROST, EMMA GRACE
NM 57
NMFVR 1
NM 62

HELA
T 382
NMFVR 1
T 402

MAGIK/ILLYANA RASPUTINA
NM 57
NMFVR 1
NMFVR 2
NMFVR 3
NMFVR 4
NMFVR 5
NM 58 (1 - 16)

MAGMA/AMARA AQUILLA/"ALLISON CRESTMERE" (add quote marks)
NM 57
NMFVR 1
NMFVR 2
NMFVR 3
NMFVR 4
NMFVR 5
NM 62

MAGNETO/MAGNUS/MAX EISENHARDT/"ERIC LENSHERR"/"MICHAEL XAVIER"
NM 57
NMFVR 1
NM 58-BTS

MIRAGE II/DANIELLE MOONSTAR
NM 57
NMFVR 1
NMFVR 5
NM 58

RED SKULL/JOHANN SHMIDT
CA 329-BTS | cf CA 350
NMFVR 1-BTS
NMFVR 2
NMFVR 3
NMFVR 4
NMFVR 5
CA 335-BTS | cf CA 350

SELENE
NM 54
NMFVR 1
NMFVR 2
NMFVR 3
NMFVR 4
NMFVR 5
NM 61

SHADOWCAT/KATHERINE "KITTY" PRYDE
FFV.X 4
NMFVR 5
UX 227

STORM/ORORO MUNROE
UX 220
NMFVR 5
UX 221

SUNSPOT/ROBERTO DA COSTA
FANGELS 8
PP 33
NMFVR 2
NMFVR 3
NMFVR 4
NMFVR 5
NM 59

TESSA
NM 54
NMFVR 1
NM 61

WARLOCK III [TECHNARCH]
FANGELS 8
PP 33
NMFVR 2
NMFVR 3
NMFVR 4
NMFVR 5
NM 59

WOLFSBANE/RAHNE SINCLAIR
NM 57
NMFVR 1
NMFVR 5
NM 58

WOLVERINE/"LOGAN"/JAMES HOWLETT (although it is not the name he was given, Logan is also a legal identity)
AF 53
NMFVR 5
UX 221

Note: For some reason there is a break between pages 16 & 17 of NM 58 for Illyana to appear in UX 225. Is this because mid-terms are mentioned in the early pages and Fall of The Mutants is supposed to take place in the summer?