New Mutants (Vol. 01), Issue 81, Page 24

In this issue, Amara is talking with Empath about their religions, and Amara reveals that she knows that hers is true because she's met one of her gods, Hercules. Queue story of prior Magma and Hercules adventure. However, the Empath pages were added later making this particular issue four pages longer than the norm. Let me explain.

The majority of this issue is told as a flashback and takes place between New Mutants #44 & #45. Claremont wrote the story, and Williams penciled all of the pages back at that time. For whatever reason (perhaps it was always intended to be held for a fill-in issue) the story was shelved and put into inventory status instead of going into final production. Fast forward, and a fill-in issue is needed for issue #81 and this one is pulled back out and dusted off. Terry Shoemaker was brought in to pencil three new opening pages to tie the story into the current timeline since the series is now 35 issues further along.

This page was the original last page of the story, and got a new bottom third pasted on during production with a revised hospital bed scene with astral Zeus. Shoemaker penciled one additional page to be a new ending page, wrapping up the Amara-Empath conversation and again tying it back to current timeline following issue #80. Joseph Rubenstein inked the whole issue, but with the changes to the bottom of the page inked this one on a new board.

Heritage listed this as an unpublished, uninked, undated inventory page with no artist info. However, this is Louis Williams' original pencil board, and the top two-thirds were published in issue #81 from these layouts after being inked by Rubenstein and mated with the new bottom panel from Shoemaker. Check out the additional image for the published page.

So yeah, technically uninked and unpublished, but certainly a piece of vintage New Mutants art that I'm willing to find a cozy home for in my collection.

Oh yeah, and for those counting that makes three (three!) non-Star Wars pages in a row added to my gallery. A new record, but I'm also starting to have withdrawal symptoms.