A final story for an X-Men book this week following the announcement of a brand new X-Menby Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel coming in April. There were some great arc during the latest volume of the (adjectiveless) X-Men.
This week’s X-Men #40 by Seth Peck is the beginning of the final arc as the current “security team” collapses. The David Lopez cover is beautiful and haunting and a perfect tribute to the end of his volume.
My favorite arc was Blank Generation by Brian Wood and David Lopez that featured Storm, Psylocke, Domino, Colossus and Pixie and introduced the concept of Proto-Mutants. This is must read for fans of Storm. The storytelling was in the spirit of the Chris Claremont/Paul Smith era. You didn’t need to read every other X-book. It was a small team solving a big mystery.
In this week’s Savage Wolverine #1 the X-Men journeys to the Savage Land in a brand new series by writer/artist Frank Cho. The creator tells Marvel.com once he knew the setting he knew Shanna the She-Devil had to be in the book.
“Once I decided on the Savage Land setting, everything clicked into place. I needed a female lead that can keep up with Wolverine and match his savagery. And Shanna fit that bill.
The writer/artist explains why Shanna is the perfect co-lead for this story.
“It was easy. I made Shanna a complete badass just like Wolverine. I also “enhance” the character and have her “bond” to the Savage Land. I’m not going to give anything away but Shanna gets a complete and total upgrade in issue #4 by an unlikely Marvel character.”
Savage Wolverine #1 is out this week. Logan takes the kids from The Jean Grey School on a field trip to the Savage Land in Wolverine and the X-Men #25. A new Wolverine series by Paul Cornell and Alan Davis hits later this year.
Congratulations to Hugh Jackman for winning a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical for his role in Les Miserables but it’s this role that has fans excited.
In this photo from Marvel.com Hugh Jackman is ready to fight in a scene from The Wolverine. Jackman is ripped and looks like he’s ready to fight a squad of ninjas! The new film is based on the classic story of Logan in Japan by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.
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.
This teaser by Irving shows Cyclops, Magneto, Emma Frost, and Magik leading the mutant revolution. Bendis established that Scott’s team will be based on the old Weapon X facility and continue their recruitment of new mutants in the first arc of All-New X-Men.
My favorite previous Irving art was on Batman and Robin with Grant Morrison and Silent War starring the Inhumans for Marvel.
David Haller is one weird cat! Simon Spurrier takes into the strange, quirky, snarky mindworld that is Legion in X-Men Legacy. David is the son of the late Professor X. David has multiple personalities with multiple mutant powers. The mentally disturbed David has disturbed the Marvel Universe in the past. He caused the Age of Apocalypse and Age of X so that gives you an idea of how powerful this guy is!
David was mourning his father’s death and trying to control his personalities in his own virtual mind prison when a pair of floating eyeballs pointed him in the direction of frightened mutant twins in Japan. The shattered David decided to follow his father’s legacy and save them.
This week Professor Xavier’s son has a showdown with his father’s prize students X-Men Legacy #4. Wolverine, Storm, Frenzy, Chamber and Beast confront David demanding they turn the children over to them. Spurrier unleashes some hilarious one-liners, psychic mindgames and serious bluffing in this confrontation. When the mutant Blindfold confronts David that’s when things really get strange. The X-Men may have a brand new enemy hiding right in front of their eyes and only David may be able to save them.
This is not your usual X-book. Offbeat is an understatement. Imagine Salvador Dali’s artistic mind channelled through cerebro with a slight touch of Nightmare on Elm Street dreamworld horror. As disturbed as David is he makes a strong case that maybe his father and the X-Men have had it wrong all these years. X-Men Legacy continues to be the weirdest Marvel book out there. I’m not ashamed to admit I don’t get everything that’s going on but I’m intrigued and rooting to David.
Beast brought the original X-Men into the Marvel Now hoping their influence could make Cyclops change his ways in All-New X-Men. The future truth may have been took much for the newly telepathic Jean Grey to take. By the end of the first arc a defiant Jean Grey knew her horrible future past and vowed to remain in the Marvel Now.
Marvel shared a preview of All-New X-Men #6 with Comics Newsarama that is frightening for fans of Marvel’s most famous redhead. The original team is staying in their future to make their dead mentor’s dream a reality. Are these images nightmares, reality or hints of things to come?
All-New X-Men #6 courtesy Marvel
Cyclops, Magneto rush into to Jean. Scott, Erik, Emma Frost and Magik are based in the old Weapon X facility and have been recruiting new mutants for a revolution. Logan crashed into the scene killing Jean but not before the haunting image of the Phoenix flares up in her eyes.
I suspect this is a nightmare but who’s to say another telepath could be projecting these images in Jean’s mind?
Artist David Marquez joins Brian Michael Bendis for the next chapter.
This post reveals the ending of Wolverine and the X-Men #23
Do NOT keep reading unless you read that issue!
Seriously!
OK
Here it is:
Wolverine and the X-Men #23 courtesy Marvel
The finale of the Frankenstein Murder Circus arc ended with comeback of a villain I wasn’t expecting! Jason Aaron dropped a supernatural bombshell but has he been warning us of this old enemy’s return since the first issue?
Frankenstein’s Monster and a witch named Calcabring made an unholy alliance to enchant the X-Men into becoming circus freaks and helping the monster track his prey – the young Bishop of the new Hellfire Club aka the last Frankenstien!
The X-Men ultimately defeated Frankenstein, the witch and their circus of zombie clowns! On the final page we learned the witch has been serving Azazel! The demon looking mutant daddy of Nightcrawler appeared to have magically transported into our world!
courtesy Marvel Comics
Who is Azazel?
In a storyline called The Draco (Uncanny X-Men #426 – #434) writer Chuck Austen revealed that Nightcrawler’s father was Azazel. This mutant from Biblical times was banished by Angels to a dark brimstone dimension. He was able to escape the dimension for brief periods of time and visited Earth to father several demon-looking mutant children. Azazel fathered Kurt Wagner with Mystique. The X-Men stopped Azazel’s plot to claim the Earth via his teleporting demon children and the villain went into character no man’s land.
Azazel (played by Jason Flemying) was part of Sebastian Shaw’s Hellfire Club in X-Men: First Class. Director Matthew Vaughn didn’t reference the Nightcrawler connection and turned the reviled character into a sinister on- screen smash.
Uncanny X-Men #434 courtesy Marvel
It appears Azazel’s popularity from the last film has inspired a comic book comeback. One of the many running storylines since Wolverine and the X-Men launched is the bamfs running wild at The Jean Grey School. The tiny Nightcrawler looking creatures escaped to the school when Beast opened a portal to their dimension. The little gremlins have been making mischief as the school (like stealing Wolverine’s whisky) but have they been agents of Azazel all this time? Could this lead to the resurrection of the real Kurt Wagner aka Nightcrawler?
