It’s a bit dated (early 80s) and of course a bit cliché (being a comic book) but I found this graphic novel to still be a lot of fun. First, you have a very multicultural collection of mutants here; Kentucky-coal boy Sam (Cannonball), Native American shaman-in-training Danielle (Psyche), hot-blooded South American Roberto (Sunspot), weeping Irish lass Rahne (Wolfsbane) and uber powerful Vietnamese refuge Shan (Karma).
Second, and the most fun, Professor X is not completely a good guy. While mourning the loss/disappearance of the X-men (thanks to The Brood, carnivorous, parasitic alien invaders) he comes off to the New Mutants far more like a “You must obey me NOAW or you’ll die” overlord than the idealistic father figure he is in the X-men comics. Seriously we finally have some characters who find his powers really, really creepy.
This first volume is very episodic, put together before the big popularity of graphic novels so you get a lot of re-introduction of the characters and also a lot of scenes that seem to be put in there just to remind readers what their power are. But the writers aren’t pulling any punches. They throw the barely-teenage characters right into fights for their lives against secret societies than want to kill and or control them, The Brood and even at one point, the X-men themselves.
The team is less cohesive, and in small ways less compelling than the classic X-men team. But the feelings of lives being out of control and not fitting in and the adults in the world both not being trustworthy and looking down on you all come through, and that’s pretty easy to connect to. Even when cloaked in super powers and alien spawn.