Queer kinship in Chris Claremont and Allen milgrom’s Kitty Pryde and Wolverine

In 1984, Chris Claremont (writer) and Allen Milgrom (artist) created a six-issue miniseries that explored the relationship and mutant identity of two mutants, Wolverine and Kitty Pryde. Kitty Pryde and Wolverine (1984–85) tells the story of Katherine Pryde’s evolution into the heroine, Shadowcat, helped by a very wounded and healing, Wolverine. Set in Japan, the story isolates the two characters from the other X-Men in order for them to learn to rely on each other as they grow and heal. This miniseries showcases the queerness of mutants through the forging of queer kinship, as well as an open rejection of normative family structures. In this way, Claremont explores not only the nature of mutants, but how mutants see themselves as a community. By the end of this story, Shadowcat and Wolverine have grown considerably in their mutant identities; Wolverine has become a more open and caring mentor, while Shadowcat now recognises her power outside normative expectations of female mutants.