Uncanny X-Men 486 Early Preview

Marvel has the full cover for Uncanny X-Men 486 (which includes Rachel) and three pages of art (Rachel is on the last page).

Marvel describes the issue as:

It's been a long year for the team of mutants in Uncanny X-Men, as writer Ed Brubaker has put them through the paces for the last 11 issues, all leading up to this moment! Uncanny X-Men #486 brings readers the conclusion of "The Rise and Fall Of The Shi'ar Empire" and not everyone will be returning to Earth! We've got the M'Kraan Cystal, a psychotic man atop the Shi'ar throne and a girl with the power of the Phoenix Force - what more do you need to know?

Flashback to April 1984

Marvel Editor Tom Brevoort posted Marvel's direct sales figures from April 1984. (Direct sales are to comic book stores. In 1984, most of Marvel's sales was to convenience and grocery stores).

April 1984 was a big month for Rachel Summers, since that marked her first appearance in X-books since Days of Future Past.

Uncanny X-Men #184 was the second highest selling Marvel comics with 223,500 copies sold (to comic book stores). Next on the list was New Mutants #18 (where Rachel first arrived) which sold 184,500 copies.

Nowadays, Uncanny X-Men averages around 84,000 copies direct sales.

Uncanny X-Men 485 Preview

Pop Culture Shock has posted a six page preview of Uncanny X-Men 485. Rachel doesn't appear, but there are some interesting developments. UXM 485 will be in stores April 11th.