When a fan-favorite writer exits a popular book fans can get nervous. Jason Latour is taking over Wolverine and the X-Men from Jason Aaron who started the strange saga of Logan and the kids of the Jean Grey School.
The change comes after a major change in Wolverine – he’s lost his healing factor. Latour tells Comic Book Resources how Logan’s new status quo will impact the book:
“Up to now it’s all began and ended with Logan. It’s his strength this school is built on the back of. His reputation for being the unkillable badass has been their insurance policy. His desire to see Xavier’s dream continued, to see his own past atoned for has kept them driving forward. But now Logan is mortal, and for the first time he’s being forced to take stock of what he’s built. He’s realizing that what he saw as a school could, in the wrong hands, become a factory for the next Cyclops or Dark Phoenix or Apocalypse or Weapon X. So a big question we’ll be asking is who can he trust to guide the next generation of X-Men? To protect and mold them into the heroes they need to be? Just what is his legacy?”
Kitty left the school but Logan will strong backup in Storm:
“Storm is a pretty integral part of this story. If anyone knows what Xavier’s legacy means it’s her, and she will stay on as headmistress. But with Logan weakened, Ororo finds herself in a position that we’ve seen break X-Men leaders past in two. The lengths she’ll go to in order to protect the school is a fear she and Logan share, and it will bring out possibly the best and worst of her. She’s ready and able to do whatever it takes to protect these kids but, as someone who loves her, is that something Logan wants for her? Does he have any say in it? Should he?
Add to the mix that Logan’s not quite himself anymore, so keeping him safe is squarely on Storm’s shoulders. They’re a real team. At the end of the day this school is theirs together, and I’m really interested in showing just how much they mean to and for one another.”
The real wild card in Latour’s upcoming volume is the addition of Fantomex to the teaching staff. The infamous mercenary who killed a child (even though he was going to be the next Apocalypse) and recently had a “unique” relationship with Psylocke and a clone of himself.
“Bringing Fantomex on board gives Logan hope that in his absence there will be someone who can do the dirty work and leave it at the office, but it doesn’t change the fact that they have a very messy history. A history not likely forgotten by anyone anytime soon, least of all by Fantomex himself.”
Wolverine and X-Men #1 by Latour and artist Mahmud Asrar arrives in March.
By Editor