The Extinction Team is back on track in Uncanny X-Men #9. Kieron Gillen is rejoined by artist Carlos Pacheco. There’s an early sequence with Magik, Colossus and Danger that’s perfectly delivered with haunting visuals and the inner dialogue of the team’s AI prison guard.
Cyclops is looking for a fight. Gillen gives him one courtesy of what could become the X-Men’s version of Ultron. Unit is an eerie hybrid of C3-PO and Dr. Hannibal Lecter (I wish I could take credit for that but that belongs to Gillen.) Unit’s manipulation is the reason why the X-Men and Avengers must team up to protect Earth. The joining of forces makes logical sense and works. Generation Hope and Abigail Brand fans will be thrilled by this issue too.
Great action, a cool villain, good cliffhanger and the chance to see these super teams work together one last time makes this a great read.
Marvel revealed a new X-treme X-Men title at the Talk to the Hat Wondercon pan. The new series by Greg Pak and Stephen Segovia debuts this July. This spins out of Pak’s Astonishing X-Men run in an alternate reality. The cover by Julian Totino Tedesco shows the Logan (with a serious stache) from that storyline. The release says Dazzler and a team of mutants from various worlds will team up for reality bending missions.
Update:
“We’re going all new, all the time,” Pak tells Marvel.com, “The joy of a book like X-TREME X-MEN is that literally anything can happen—we’re running wild, pressing all the danger buttons, and pushing our characters to their limits. So as much as I love so many of the existing alternate Marvel realities, we’re going to cut loose as creators as well and dream up new worlds that feed our big storyline and create the right kind of crises for our characters’ emotional arcs.”
Astonishing X-Men #46 courtesy Marvel.com
Pak’s starting lineup will be Howlett and Kid Nightcrawler from this recent Astonishing run and Emma Frost and Armor from Warren Ellis’s Ghost Boxes.
“There’s always something fun about the curmudgeon and the smart alec running around together,” he says. “And visually, the contrasts between the silhouettes just works—a bear and an elf, right.”
“With Howlett and Kid Kurt, we have the chance to explore that relationship and push those great visual and dramatic contrasts even more. Howlett’s the old, experienced adventurer who’s seen everything; Kid Kurt is the fresh-faced grade-schooler who’s seeing everything for the first time.”
But the team member Pak is most excited about?
“Oh, man, Dazzler, I’m a believer, y’all,” Pak exclaims. “When I sat down with the X-Office editors to brainstorm ideas for the book, we all agreed that we wanted a big character from the mainstream Marvel Universe to play a key role. And our conversations kept circling back around to Dazzler. And the more I thought about it, the more sense it started to make. She’s wry and tough and vulnerable and very, very funny. And she’s a straight up hero who will save the world through rock and roll.”
This Geek’s Opinion: Like Captain Marvel this is a another surprise. I didn’t think the Claremont/Larroca book would be reborn. I didn’t know what to expect. This has been done before with Exiles. And most of the X-books dive into alternate realities: Uncanny X-Men, Age of Apocalypse.
No disrespect to fans that enjoy the alternate takes but I think it’s been done and the focus should be on the X-Men of this universe. I do enjoy Greg Pak’s writing so maybe I’ll be wrong. I’ll give it a try. And I’m a Dazzler fan.
An extreme tease from Marvel today! This X-Treme X-Men logo was revealed with the note to tune in the Talk to the Hat panel at Wondercon this weekend.
X-Treme X-Men #1 courtesy Marvel.com
X-Treme X-Men was a Chris Claremont penned team from 2001-2004 during the Grant Morrison era. Salvador Larroca was the artist for the title’s first 24 issues. Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Bishop, Sage, Psylocke, Thunderbird (Neal Shaara) and Beast (until Morrison claimed him for New X-Men)were a globe-trotting team searching for Destiny’s Diaries.
X-Treme X-Men #10 courtesy Marvel.com
The series introduced an Australian brother and sister that would become mutant heroes Slipstream and Lifeguard. Cannonball and Kitty Pryde would later make appearances. Emma Frost guest starred in an arc that delved into Sage’s past with the Hellfire Club.Claremont knows how to write Storm. I love Sage and Bishop as the mutant Law & Order SVU detective team. Larroca’s art was magnificent. I loved the series first adventure set in Valencia, Spain and starring the new villain, Vargas.
Could a new X-Treme X-Men book mark the return of Claremont to the mutants or is this a new title in the aftermath of Avengers Vs X-Men?
Emerald City Comicon is only 3 weeks away! As we count down to the big event in Seattle I want to share some of my favorite ECCC memories. Before they face the Avengers in AvX some of the X-Men gave us mutant magic in the Emerald City. I met a squad of X-Men (Cyke, Emma, Jean, Logan and Remy) and then a dazzling duo (Storm & Pixie, she was so happy I knew she was Pixie!) I salute you amazing X fans and hope you enjoy this year’s con!
Marvel’s biggest teams join forces one final time before they go to war against each other in Avengers Vs X-men. Kieron Gillen talks with Marvel.com about the significance of this 2 part Uncanny X-Men arc.
“It’s the final compare and contrast,” Gillen says. “It’s showing everyone involved as the greatest super heroes on Earth. It’s about showing how we hope they’ll never fight. It’s about showing why they’re going to.”
Earth’s first line of defense against aliens cracks. The S.W.O.R.D. facility, The Peak, fails.
“There’s a catastrophic failure aboard the Peak’s brig and all its prisoners are dropped,” says Gillen. “The main villain of the arc is actually UNIT, who I introduced in [the S.W.O.R.D. series] as a cross between CP-30 and Hannibal Lecter.
“Many [prisoners] explosively decompress. The ones who don’t, who fall to Earth—well, you’re talking about the sort of number of threats that would make up a year of stories if we were to tell them all. There are some elements of the approach that do remind me of S.W.O.R.D. That was a book which moved at enormous pace. For a story that’s only two issues, we manage to fit an enormous amount of actual story in here. If there’s one part of S.W.O.R.D. which crosses over well to Uncanny X-Men, it’s that. So it’s a case that there are so many things happening, the Avengers and X-men talk to each other [and decide] ‘If we mobilize and act together, we can pull this off.’”
Uncanny X-Men #9 courtesy Marvel.com
“It’s all about saving the world,” Gillen declares. “That’s all that matters. Generally speaking, Captain America seems entirely on the X-Men’s side. Cyclops is a little more cautious, but that’s just in his personality. The team-up works spectacularly. And then something changes, which, even if it doesn’t go to blows, really does show that the teams are in different places.
“There’s obvious tension in Cyclops having to be even vaguely in the same area as Wolverine,” he notes. “It’s at the level of a glance. The story’s mostly about the team in action and throwing them against the threats, and seeing what they can do. Do several people not like Magneto? Sure. But that takes a back seat. This is them all pulling together.
“Until they don’t.”
Uncanny X-Men #9 is out April 11th. It looks like Terminus was on board the Peak. I don’t think he’s been seen since The Evolutionary Wars back in the 90’s Marvel Annuals.
For the entire interview and more preview pages by Carlos Pacheco here’s the Marvel.com link.
Who’s getting hitched in Astonishing X-Men #51? Marvel released a “Save the Date” teaser image today. Marjorie Liu (writer) and Mike Perkins (artist) and Dustin Weaver (cover artist) are the creative team on the June issue.
The book’s lineup includes Wolverine, Iceman, Gambit, Northstar, Karma and Warbird. I think Northstar and boyfriend Kyle will be couple walking down the aisle. The two met when Jean-Paul founded his own snow sports equipment company. This was around the time the X-Men first moved to San Francisco. Jean-Paul later joined his friends in a reformed Alpha Flight. Liu announced Northstar would be part of her Astonishing line-up which focuses on the personal lives of X-Men.
Astonishing X-Men #49 preview art courtesy Marvel.com
Marjorie Liu may be planning a same-sex wedding. In earlier interview Liu said one character will be changed forever and there’s a long term story planned. Marvel has teased this title will have the most controversial story of the year.
I could be in for a surprise – Iceman and Warbird? Bobby could fall fast for the Shiar warrior woman. Karma is a lesbian that has never had a romance in the comics. Maybe Shan and Cecelia Reyes might be hooking up? But my money is on Northstar having a happy day and Marvel having a milestone issue featuring a gay wedding.
Astonishing X-Men #50 by Mike Perkins, courtesy Marvel
Astonishing X-Men #48 interior art courtesy Marvel.com
When casting began for The Hunger Games a big surprise was Lenny Kravitz for the role of Cinna. The cools stylist helps transform Katniss into a star before she enters the competition. The new Entertainment Weekly reveals how Kravitz became Cinna.
Director Gary Ross had been moved by the singer’s performance in Precious and that Kravitz had a bond with star Jennifer Lawrence, who had become friends with his daughter, Zoe, during the filming of X-Men: First Class. Lawrence played Raven Darkholme/Mystique. Kravitz played Angel Salvadore.
“I love that girl, ” says Kravitz, “The minute I met her she became part of the family.”
For the entire interview including how other actors were cast pick up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly.
Astonishing X-Men #48 interior art courtesy Marvel.com
One of the most anticipated X change is Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins taking on Astonishing X-Men with issue #48. The unique line-up includes Wolverine, Iceman, Gambit, Warbird, Karma and Northstar. The writer says she will show the characters lives away from the X-Men. Today Liu told Marvel.com how this cast of characters came together.
“They’re all in the wrong place at the wrong time, basically, but being X-Men, they’re not the types to turn away from a dangerous situation. What none of them realize, of course, is that working together will lead them into some very unfamiliar—and uncomfortable—situations
I’m excited Northstar found a home with the X-Men after Alpha Flight’s cancellation. Liu expanded on why she brought Jean-Paul back with the mutants:
Astonishing X-Men #49 preview art courtesy Marvel.com
“Northstar has so much to offer in terms of character; not just his personality, but where he is now, where he wants to be, who he might become under certain circumstances. All of which will be addressed in these first two arcs. Also, despite being a powerhouse of experience when it comes to this super hero gig, he’s also a bit unpredictable; his emotions get the better of him, sometimes, and that’s very interesting to play with when he’s under pressure.”
Marvel said the arc will be the most controversial story of the year. Liu said one character will be changed forever but she has a long-term plan in mind.
“There’s a long-term mystery playing out over the first two arcs that establishes these individual X-Men as a real team. We have fights, deaths [and] explosions, but in many ways it’s a very intimate story, and by that, I mean these characters will literally live and die based on the strength of their relationships to one another. There’s an enemy, of course, but the battle against this individual’s machinations will force the X-Men to look inward, and at each other, in ways that may be very uncomfortable, and illuminating.”
For the entire interview and more of Mike Perkins preview art here’s the Marvel.com link.
