When it comes to influential X-Men creators, it's hard to find a bigger name than John Byrne. Byrne was the artist on several iconic Uncanny X-Men storylines penned by Chris Claremont, including 1980's "The Dark Phoenix Saga" and 1981's "Days of Future Past." Byrne left the series after the latter story, but what if he had stayed and continued to shape the franchise during one of its most pivotal periods? That's basically the idea behind a new series of graphic novels called X-Men: Elsewhen.

With X-Men: Elsewhen Vol. 1 now in stores, IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of the hardcover collection. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below:

For those not familiar with the series, Elsewhen is a personal project Byrne began several years ago and self-published on his website. While not originally authorized by Marvel, Elsewhen offered Byrne a chance to revisit Uncanny X-Men at the point he departed the series in 1981, introducing his own plot twists and storylines in contrast to what Claremont and subsequent artists delivered on the official series. Conceptually, Elsewhen is similar to X-Men Forever, which saw Claremont himself continue his X-Men saga as if he had never left in 1991.

Byrne has now completed his work on X-Men: Elsewhen, and Marvel has partnered up with Abrams ComicArts to release finished, colorized versions of those comics in the form of a three-volume hardcover set.

“John Byrne has done something truly unique here,” said series editor Chris Ryall in a statement. “He’s created all-new X-Men adventures that not only serve as a reminder of why Byrne’s past work on these characters was beloved and influential, while at the same time presenting all-new and relevant stories that will captivate newer X-Men fans as well.”

“We’re incredibly excited to be publishing X-Men: Elsewhen with John Byrne,” said Joseph Montagne, Publisher of Abrams ComicArts. “This project is something truly rare. It offers a chance to revisit one of the most iconic runs in comics history, told by the original co-creator in his own voice. Byrne’s passion for these characters comes through on every page. We’re proud to bring this long-awaited story to readers through our Marvel Arts line and to add such a meaningful project to this collaboration between Abrams and Marvel.”

X-Men: Elsewhen Vol. 1 is available in stores now. You can order a copy on Amazon.

For more, learn about The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe and see an exclusive preview of Vampire Survivors #1.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.