Storm, Brian Wood, Olivier Coipel – it’s a creative marriage made in geek heaven!
X-Men #1 by Wood & Coipel launched this week with Ororo in command of an all-female team. Wood’s smashing take on the mutant windrider on the previous volume of X-Men last year was a hit with fans. I even declared Wood’s writing of Storm was the best since the Chris Claremont golden years.
The iconic X-woman recently split from Black Panther, joined the Jean Grey School, and is now sporting her Mohawk again. Wood tells Marvel.com how he found a voice for Storm that resonated with fans.
“This is one of those honest answers that don’t always come across so well in interviews, but I don’t know. [Laughs] I remember when I started writing X-MEN [in 2012], I said in an interview something about how I was looking forward to figuring Storm out, to discovering my version of her voice. In the end I went with my gut, and wrote her as a flawed but determined leader, one not afraid to make controversial moves if the end goal is a noble one. And it worked; the reaction to my Storm was beyond overwhelming.
Here’s a look inside the all-new X-Men #1 by Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel! Jubilee is coming home – she’s not alone.
The mutant turned vampire comes back to the school with an orphan baby that could be a destroyer or a messiah! Storm rallies Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Rachel Grey, Psylocke and Jubilee to protect the child!
X-Men #1 courtesy Marvel
An old enemy comes to the mutants asking asylum against an ancient evil! What’s so powerful it would make Sublime turn to the mutants for help?
Yes, you can probably tell I’m excited for this new mutant book and here’s why:
Brian Wood.
Olivier Coipel.
The Women of the X-Men.
Jubilee is back in fold with a baby! Jubilation’s return with this orphan launches a new mystery and inspires Storm to assemble a squad made up of Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Psylocke and Rachel Grey.
“I feel like as far as the X-Men go, the women are the X-Men,” Wood told USA Today.
“Cyclops and Wolverine are big names, but taken as a whole, the women kind of rule the franchise. If you look at the entire world as a whole, it’s the females that really dominate and are the most interesting and cool to look at. When you have a great artist drawing them, they look so amazing and always have.”
The Women of the Atom unite in an all-new X-Men #1 by Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel! Jubilee comes home and she’s not alone. The mutant turned vampire comes back to the school with an orphan baby that could be a destroyer or a messiah! Storm rallies Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Rachel Grey, Psylocke and Jubilee to protect the child!
X-Men #1 courtesy Marvel
Plus, an old enemy comes to the X-Men asking them for protection against an ancient evil! What’s so powerful it would make Sublime turn to the mutants for help?
Next week is huge for old school Avengers fans! Wonder Man and Wasp join Uncanny Avengers. Sunfire (sporting his old school X-Men uniform) also joins the super team made of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Continue reading Uncanny Avengers by Olivier Coipel!
An all X-women X-Men book! Brian Wood told USA Today he’s writing a new X-Men book with artist Olivier Coipel. Jubilee will be the headling character with Storm, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Psylocke and Rachel Grey.
“I feel like as far as the X-Men go, the women are the X-Men,” Wood told USA Today. “Cyclops and Wolverine are big names, but taken as a whole, the women kind of rule the franchise. If you look at the entire world as a whole, it’s the females that really dominate and are the most interesting and cool to look at. When you have a great artist drawing them, they look so amazing and always have.”
Wood says the title begins with Jubilee bringing home an orphaned baby that may be key to the survival of humanity. Wood is bringing back Sublime but this time the villain is asking the X-Men for help. Sublime is an evolved bacteria that can take human form that was created during Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run.
Brian Wood also talked with Marvel.com about the team including his plans to build upon the history of Storm and Kitty but don’t expect a certain dragon.
“No plans for Lockheed. And if that’s the sort of stuff Jason Aaron’s getting out of the character, I’m not going to get in his way.
As far as Storm and Kitty goes, yeah, they have that bond but it’s not something I’m going to single out as a point of focus. I think there’s going to be a lot of great moments with Storm and everyone else, since she’s definitely in a leadership role and has history with everyone. Look for some Jubilee/Storm moments, actually. Storm was there when Jubilee was [first] rescued—so was Rogue, come to think of it—and there’s something very similar that’s happening in this first arc that will make for a then-and-now contrast.”
Psylocke was a member of Wood’s previous X-Men team. Elizabeth is getting a new look (as you can see from this cover and from the Uncanny X-Force cover) and new powers.
“I’m tweaking some aspects of their powers—not in a way that changes what they are, but more of an elaboration. Psylocke, for example, will have a larger arsenal of psychic weapons than just her katana. Jubilee, while still a vampire, is going to be handling those supernatural traits as if they were superpowers and not just hindrances. That’s as far as we’ve gotten, but I’m sure they’ll be other tweaks along the way. Nothing too major; this book is designed to be a sort of classic X-Men with core characterization that hits the sweet spot.”
Wood was asked about Psylocke’s role on this team given her promotion to leader of Uncanny X-Force.
“In this case, she’s the military wing of the team, as well as Storm’s informal second in command and confidant. Because of what she went through in UNCANNY X-FORCE, she sort of has an emotionally distant/emotionally overwrought thing going on; she’s dealing with a lot just under the surface despite her seeming cool and calm on the outside. That’s really meaty stuff for a writer to get into. I don’t want to say that’s the “proper” way of writing her, but I think that’s the way she should be written here.”
Brian Wood wrote an acclaimed X-Men run last year. I called Wood’s portrayal of Storm as the best since Chris Claremont in the 1980’s. The current volume of X-Men ends with issue 40 this week.
Ok you had me with Brian Wood but then Olivier Coipel! I’m giddy!
Marvel shared a teaser in USA Today of what is sure to be a huge new series. Given the XX and DNA strand of the image – all evidence points to a new X-Men book.
Brian Wood (Ultimate Comics X-Men, The Massive, Star Wars, Mara) wrote a phenomenal X-Men arc in 2012 featuring Storm, Psylocke, Domino, Colossus and Pixie that introduced the concept of Proto-Mutants. I called it the Torchwood of X-Men team. One of those Proto-Mutants turned out to be alive and so maybe this potential new X-book could star the oldest living mutant on Earth?
