Writer Marjorie Liu and artist Mike Perkins took over the "Astonishing X-Men" creative team as of issue 48 in March 2012, writing until the series' cancellation in issue 68. Her time on the series marked a more grounded take on the team, focusing more on the relationships of each characters with human reactions and interaction. By the end of her run, Liu's written credits would amount to 21 regular issues and one annual issue, second only to Whedon for most entries written for the title.