#44

This was the second and final comic produced as part of the Doris Day Animal Foundation's Comics for Compassion program, following Superman for the Animals #1 (2000) in 2000. Robert De Angelis, who served as director of communications for the Doris Day Animal League, a sister organization of the DDAF, and who spearheaded the project, said in an [entry on his blog][blog] that he contacted Marvel about producing an X-Men comic to "promoting humane values to children." He said that Marvel, rather than creating a custom comic as DC had done, "decided to address the issue of animal cruelty in one of its regular ongoing X titles."

According to De Angelis, in addition to the normal print run of this issue, the DDAF purchased a 75,000-copy print run variant. The variant included the DDAF's logo on the cover and a letter from Marvel president and COO Bill Jemas on the inside front cover. De Angelis said these variants were given away "free to parents, teachers, and humane educators."

In 2004, writer Chuck Austen was presented with a [Genesis Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement ][genesis] for his work on the issue. The Genesis Awards are a series of honors presented annually by the Humane Society of the United States to individuals in news and entertainment for works that raise public awareness of animal issues.

[blog]: http://web.archive.org/web/20161115093752/http://www.comicbookjustice.com/comics-for-compassion/x-men-unlimited-44/ [genesis]: https://web.archive.org/web/20061130170419/http://www.hsus.org/about_us/hsus_hollywood_office/the_genesis_awards/genesis_award_winners_and_memorable_moments/2004_genesis_awards/