The WOMEN of the Children of the Atom take the spotlight in the latest Marvel Now X-book! Brian Wood left the (adjectiveless) X-Men book a few months back after a thrilling arc with Storm leading Psylocke, Domino, Colossus and Pixie in a modern story that still reminded me of the Chris Claremont/Paul Smith era. David Lopez was the artist on this Proto-Mutants arc.
Wood is back with a brand new X-Men #1 with Olivier Coipel on art this April. The new book will have an all-female cast: Jubilee, Storm, Rogue, Psylocke, Kitty Pryde and Rachel Grey. Wood tells Comics Newsarama why the new book features an all X-Women cast.
“It’s impossible to say what’s going to happen way down the road, but there has been zero talk of changing the lineup to include a male character, not from my editor on up the chain of command to [Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso]. But while the core cast of the book is these six women, this is not a title designed to be devoid of all men. I’m sure they’ll be some appearing as guests in arcs as needed… it would be sort of boring without it, and sort of a waste of chances for good character moments.
Zanadu Comics Seattle First Round Table Group 1/11/12
My Seattle hood comic book shop invited me to share my most anticipated comic books for 2013! Here are the new books, events and trends to look out for this year! Here is a special Zanadu Comics Videoblog:
Thanks to Perry, Howard, Casey, Morgan and Erin for a great experience every book comic Wednesday and for inviting me to share my geeky knowledge and excitement. Visit ZanaduComics.com for Casey and Morgan’s weekly picks!
Who had the brilliance to geenlight Doctor Who all those years ago? Whovians will discover how the classic time traveler came to television!
The first Doctor Who lives again in An Adventure in Space and Time. The upcoming film celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Time Lord and how the iconic sci-fi series was born. The BBC announced David Bradley (Argus Filch in the Harry Potter films) will portray the late William Hartnell, the first actor to portray the Doctor in the first serial An Unearthly Child. Bradley played a villain in the recent Dinosaurs on a Spaceship episode opposite current Doctor, Matt Smith. Brian Cox (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, X2 – X-Men United) will play the BBC executive credited with the creation of the series. Filming starts the next month.
Director Bryan Singer keeps delivering Uncanny casting news! Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore and Ellen Page are reprising their roles in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Stars from the original three films will join stars of X-Men: First Class including Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence.
The film will be based on the classic storyline in which mutants from the future try to change the past.
My geeky brain starting thinking of what else would make this sequel even more Astonishing X-fans! Here are 8 wishes:
X1 Hugh Jackman leading the real Last Stand! In the classic Days of Future Past storyline Logan leads the underground resistance in a future North America ruled by Sentinels. Magneto, Storm, Colossus and Kitty Pryde (now Kate Rasputin) are the only surviving X-Men. The heroes eventually break out of their concentration camp and join Logan on a suicide raid on Sentinel headquarters. Hugh Jackman is set to return so he could play the aging Logan on his last mission.
Uncanny X-Men #466 courtesy Marvel
X2 Rachel Summers! The daughter of Scott and Jean is the key to the story. Rachel is telepathic and telekinetic like her mother and uses her psionic powers to send Kate’s mind into the present day body of a younger Kitty Pryde who must convince the X-Men to prevent an assassination that will lead to this dark future. Bryce Dallas Howard (yes I know she’s already been in a Spidey movie) would be perfect as tragic daughter of Scott and Jean. Rachel was forced to be a “Hound” and track down fellow mutants. In the comic books Rachel escaped the future and went into the past became the new Phoenix and joined the X-Men. She currently teaches as the Jean Grey School.
X3 Franklin Richards! The last surviving member of the Fantastic Four is in love with Rachel. The son of Reed and Susan Storm Richards is in the camp with the surviving X-Men and I won’t reveal his final fate. Mark Millar’s new role as Creative Consultant for the Fox controlled Marvel franchises includes the upcoming reboot of Fantastic Four. This film could serve as a reboot point for both franchises similar to J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek.
X4 Kitty Pryde/Kate Rasputin! Ellen Page is back so will she play the future Kate? Kitty is married to Colossus (as it should be!) but agrees to have her mind travel into the past to rally the X-Men to stop a chain of events leading to the dark future. Continue reading X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Wish List!
Can Director Bryan Singer take one of the greatest X-Men storylines and translate it to the big screen? X-Men from past and future must work together to prevent a dark future in which mutants are hunted by those relentless robots, the Sentinels. Singer talked in the upcoming issue of Empire magazine about X-Men: Days of Future Past.
“It’s epic. I don’t think people realise how big this movie’s going to be. We get to bring both casts together.”
The fan favorite story by Chris Claremont and John Byrne involves elements of time travel and attempts to change the future. How will that translate?
“We’ve cracked it in a way that it makes sense. I had a two-hour conversation with James Cameron about time travel, string theory, multiverses and all that. You have to create your rules and stick with them. That’s why Terminator and Back To The Future work so well. And there are certain mechanisms in X-Men, certain powers, perceptions and characters, that make this possible.”
“It has a lot of aspects of the comic. The actual comic of Days Of Future Past had a whole ton of stuff going on, so it’s like any of these things; you have to distill it. But I think the fans will be pleased that some of the most exciting parts of Days Of Future Past are going to be connected to this movie.”
For more of Singer’s interview check the upcoming Empire magazine.
Singer revealed via Twitter over the weekend that Ellen Page, Anna Paquin and Shawn Ashmore will reprise their roles as Kitty Pryde, Rogue and Iceman.
Anna Paquin (True Blood) will reprise her role as Rogue in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Ellen Page will return to the franchise as Kitty Pryde. Shawn Ashmore reprises his role as Bobby Drake aka Iceman. Director Bryan Singer revealed the casting via Twitter.
Singer directed the first two X-Men films. Brett Ratner directed the X-Men: The Last Stand which was Page’s first X-film. If the film follows the classic comic book storyline Kitty is the critical character. The X-Men of the future send Kitty’s future mind into the past to prevent as assassination that will lead to the massive slaughter and enslavement of mutants and all super heroes.
Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, along with Paquin, Ashmore and Page will join the cast of X-Men: First Class (Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence) for the upcoming sequel.
Is it only a matter of time before we hear that James Marsden, Halle Berry and Daniel Cudmore are back as Cyclops, Storm and Colossus?
Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha and Omega #3 courtesy Marvel
With the announcement of Brian Wood’s all-female X-Men book I started thinking of a favorite female mutant who has kind of fallen on the back burner. Jubilee will be the center of the new series that will feature Storm, Psylocke, Rogue, Kitty Pryde and Rachel Grey.
What about Armor? Hisako Ichiki was created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday during their Astonishing X-Men run. I recently “watched” the entire Whedon/Cassaday era now on motion comics.
Brian Wood used Armor in his excellent limited series: Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha and Omega. Hisako and Logan were trapped in a world created by Quentin Quire. Armor’s power is similar to many other Marvel women (Susan Storm, Cecelia Reyes) but Hisako in the right writer’s hands is magic. Here’s hoping Hisako may Armor up in a future arc of Wood’s or Jason Aaaron’s X-Men series.
X-Men books will always be packed with action and fights but it’s the relationships that keep us coming back. Jason Aaron has written a passionate love letter to X-fans of all ages in Wolverine and the X-Men #16 filled with hot hookups, sweet dates and mutant romance.
Storm is adjusting to life as a newly single woman and life back at the school when she turns to Wolverine to work through some issues and ask for favors. The flirtation and fruition of Logan and Ororo is beautifully written and drawn.
Kitty and Bobby finally have a first date after a year of flirting that takes that goes from awkward to unexpected. Teen Jean Grey of the past shares some “bonding time” with a surprise member of the modern age of mutant kids. The final romantic thread of this tale revolves around Idie and Broo with a monstrous cliffhanger.
This issue is a perfect crossroads of previous stories in this book and the first arc of All-New X-Men and sets up Storm’s new status quo in Uncanny X-Force. The beauty and brilliance of Jason Aaron is that you can pick issue this up and enjoy immensely but if you really know your old and current X-Men history it makes it all the more moving.
