Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 is out. War is declared. This week sees the final X-Men/Avengers team-up before the conflict in this week’s Uncanny X-Men #10.
I sure hope the X-Men survive AvX so they can face Unit again. In last issue, the android triggered a prison break and unleashed an arm of escape alien criminals on earth. Writer Kieron Gillen calls Unit a cross “between C3PO and Hannibal Lecter.”
He’s created what I think could be the next great X foe in their extensive gallery of enemies. I think of him as the possible Ultron for the X-Men.
uncanny X-Men #9 interior art of UNIT courtesy Marvel
Victor Gischler is wrapping up his X-Men with guest stars galore and a blast from Marvel events past. (Adjectiveless) X-Men relaunched with a new one under Gischler as he threw armies of vampires, robots and aliens at the mutants. He significantly transformed Jubilee and revamped Marvel’s vampire underworld.
The novelist and departing X-writer talked with Marvel.com about how the series and cast have grown.
“I think the book has fulfilled its mission to be the X-book that engages more with the Marvel Universe, but it’s also helped expand Marvel Universe vampire lore and given Jubilee a new lease on life—undead life. There are a good number of X-books, but there are also a lot of X-Men and one of the things that’s been nice about the changing team is to give characters some face time we might not otherwise see too much of. I know a number of readers have also expressed their pleasure in seeing Storm in a leadership role again, and it was this book that really got that going.”
X-Men #29 courtesy Marvel.com
For the entire interview and more images here’s the Marvel.com link.
From the preview art, expect the FF, Skrulls, and Pixie back on the front burner in this final arc. The cover of X-Men #29 is a splash page summary of Gischler’s run featuring nearly all the characters he’s used in his stories.
Brian Wood takes over the title next with Storm still on board at team leader. I will be sorry to see Warpath leave – I hope he will find a home on one of the other X-books.
Looks like Remy LeBeau will star in his own solo series again. Marvel revealed this teaser simply saying Gambit August 2012 with the promise of an announcement Sunday, April 15th at the Next Big Thing panel at C2E2.This comes on the heels of the teaser for a Matt Fraction/David Aja reunion project also to be announced at C2E2.The Cajun X-Man is part of X-Men Legacy. Rogue spurned him for Magneto even though he and Rogue joined Wolverine’s Jean Grey School. Christos Gage has been writing a slow burning attraction between Remy and Frenzy – I really hope that continues. Gambit is also on Marjorie Liu’s Astonishing X-Men title. Who know what will happen post AvX.
This Geek’s Take: I’d like to see Rick Remender take on Gambit. The writer of Uncanny X-Force and Secret Avengers knows how to write anti-heroes in the Marvel underworld. I really love what Remender is doing with Fantomex. I’d almost enjoy seeing Gambit kicked out of the X-Men and go solo and return to his old ways as a thief and con man.
Update: I had a great suggestion of a team by a Twitter follower: Skottie Young & Clay Mann of Magneto, Not a Hero.
AvX #1 and the launch parties are history. War is declared with Cyclops blasting Cap off Utopia. MTV Geek is following the series giving fans the ultimate access inside the famed Marvel Summits and with the writers and editors of the epic showdown. I especially love how the series gives a voice to the passionate fans (I really love the Mystique and She-Hulk in this video!)
As learned in the panels at Emerald City Comicon (when the Marvel asked the crowd which side they were on) the Avengers may have more fans in sheer numbers it’s the X-Men fans that are more impassioned and truly believe their side is right. Cyke Is Right!
Take a look at the latest episode courtesy MTV Geek.
The Cast of X-Men: First Class courtesy Marvel.com
Two big studios. Two big franchises. One hot star. There appears to be a compromise that keeps fans of the X-Men and The Hunger Games happy!
The X-Men First Class sequel will start shooting in January. That means Lionsgate can shoot Catching Fire in August/September without a conflict for Jennifer Lawrence according to The Hollywood Reporter Heat Vision. The in-demand actress plays Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire, and Raven/Mystique in X-Men: First Class.
The next step for Catching Fire is lining up a director. The Hunger Games director and co-writer Gary Ross does not have a deal for the sequel.
Logan is trying to teach young mutants at the Jean Grey School. In Wolverine and the X-Men #8 the Hellfire Club King gets a crash course in killing courtesy of Professor Sabretooth. The killer’s tutelage of Kade Kilgore is brutal, bloody and leads to a frightening kidnapping. Odd that all this guts, blood and terror still seems fun in a creepy way thanks to Jason Aaron’s script.
It’s pretty bold of Aaron to sideline Logan and let the other cast shine. Beast vs Sabretooth was satisfying and inspires Kilgore to hatch his next scheme to destroy the Jean Grey School and get his revenge on Logan.
Chris Bachalo returns on art and knocks us out especially when Genesis unleashes his power. The Hank/Victor action is stylized and pops out of the page.
Wolverine and the X-Men continues to be my favorite X book because it’s the most fun even when you feel a little disturbed by this issue dark, twisted, violent manipulations and countermoves.
I would LOVE to just be in the room at one of those top secret Marvel Editorial Summits! Imagine all the great writers and editors pitching, fighting, and collaborating! At Emerald City Comicon Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker and C.B. Cebulski said you will see inside the famous summits via MTV Geek’s Avengers Vs. X-Men War Journals. Here’s episode which takes you inside the creative storm and lays out everything you need to know to enjoy AvX.
These ideas have been running in my head and really come to the forefront after reading AvX #1 so I want to share them. These are not facts just my thoughts about the future of this series and the Marvel universe.
– The Phoenix Force created the mutant gene in humanity. They’re not Children of the Atom after all.
– Cyclops has been under the influence of The Void.
– The Sentry/Void will return to challenge the Phoenix Force.
– Professor X will take back leadership of mutantkind.
– Namor’s allegiance to the X-Men will be severed in AvX.
– Emma Frost knows in her heart Cyclops is wrong and believes Hope is a threat but she will not betray him. I think Emma will pay a terrible price as a result of AvX.
– Hope is not Jean Grey reincarnated. I think Hope may be connected to Madelyn Pryor somehow and this ties into Matt Fraction’s Sisterhood story during his Uncanny run. Which means Sinister is involved.
– Hope and the Five Lights are manifestations come to life like when Scarlet Witch created her sons.
– Jean Grey will not return in physical form but she will appear to Emma Frost from the White Hot Room.
