X-Men: The Hidden Years #15

X-Men: The Hidden Years #15 was published in 2001 as part of an ambitious creative project by John Byrne. The series was designed to fill the long-standing narrative gap between the original X-Men team's final appearance in the 1960s and their highly successful revival in Giant-Size X-Men #1. Byrne, who previously gained fame for his definitive work on the X-Men in the late 1970s and early 1980s, wrote and illustrated the series to provide a retro-styled exploration of the characters as they were originally conceived.

Byrne's goal for the series was to maintain the tone and sensibility of the Silver Age of comics, employing a classic visual aesthetic that honored the work of Jack Kirby and Werner Roth. The series was received as a nostalgic exercise, appealing primarily to long-time readers interested in the internal continuity of the X-Men franchise. By the time issue #15 reached the stands, the book had established itself as a niche, character-driven title that prioritized historical cohesion over the modern, fast-paced action trends dominant in the comic industry at the turn of the millennium.