Comics The TB (X-Men style) (Spoiler Warning)

[Lord Blackbolt]

Well I do have some exclusive X-men related stuff.

Here's a interview with the current artist of New Mutants

 

[Roughneck]

Okay I am really pumped about the Upcoming Weapon X stuff.

 

[Dwarf lord]

Originally posted by Lord Blackbolt
Well I do have some exclusive X-men related stuff.

Here's a interview with the current artist of New Mutants

Can you post it directly because your site doesn't work for me

 

[Dwarf lord]

This is for Mystique

Mystique – the quality of being mysterious or secret that makes somebody or something seem interesting or attractive

… or in Marvel’s case, everyone’s favorite and just as mysterious, blue-skinned shape-shifting secret agent.

Writer Sean McKeever joins artist Manuel Garcia in “Unnatural,” a five-issue arc that kicks off the blue mutant’s new adventures in May’s X-Men Reload event. Making everybody’s head turn as well is Mystique’s hotshot cover artist Mike Mayhew.

Outgoing writer Brian K. Vaughan told Newsarama that although his current workload would now crush a small horse, he’s still quite reluctant to leave Mystique. “But when I heard that Marvel wanted Sean McKeever to take my place, I knew that I would at least be leaving the series in great hands,” Vaughan said. “As everyone who read Sentinel knows, Sean's one of the best writers working today, and having spoken with him briefly about his plans for Mystique, I can tell you that his run is going to destroy mine.”

“Brian's way too kind, I'll tell you that,” McKeever said, responding to Vaughan’s statement. “You know, if Marvel came to me with the idea of Mystique as a super-spy series, I'd have said it was a really great idea, but I wouldn't know how to go about it. Brian did it, and he made it look easy, didn't he? He's a pretty clever writer, so I'm going to really have my work cut out for me, following him on Mystique.

“I like to think of Brian and me as members of a relay team, and he's passing the baton to me. I'm not out to outdo him, you know?

McKeever’s best known for the critically-acclaimed teen drama The Waiting Place from SLG Publishing, as well as, among other things, Sentinel, Inhumans, and the upcoming Marvel Age: Fantastic Four at Marvel.

How does he feel about taking over a series from someone? “Well, here's the thing: I've never taken over a series from someone else before. It's a pretty daunting task, and can go awry really easily, so what I've basically decided to do is throw out everything Brian's done and start from scratch. In my Mystique, she's a teenage girl going to high school in Wisconsin...

“No? Okay...

“Brian's made a great base for me to work from, so why toss it? Essentially, I'm taking on all of it. Xavier, Forge, Shortpack, Shepard, The Quiet Man... you'll see all of them in my first arc, ‘Unnatural.’ But readers can also expect the series to shape shift a bit, just like its protagonist.”

McKeever’s still getting his feet wet at this stage. However, don’t expect the road ahead to be smooth for Nightcrawler’s mom.

“It’s kind of soon to say, but there are ideas for down the line that I think will knock people's socks off. One of the things people may notice right off the bat is that I'll be writing Mystique a little less ‘shiny, happy.’ That's not a slam on how Brian's written her, by the way; it's just that I'm sending her down a somewhat bumpy road, starting with the first arc.

“Also: 6.3% more cleavage! Heh...”

Now that he’s dating Mystique monthly, what kind of a woman is she? Obviously, given her history of criminal, demon consort, government agent, and spazzed out whackjob, there’s a crazy quilt of pieces that make up the whole. “She's a mysterious, complicated woman,” McKeever said. “She's very set in her ways and very embittered against the human race. She's vital and youthful despite her age. She's the kind of woman you want on your side, but yet she's so unpredictable that you'd never truly know if she was actually on your side.

“Of the years I read X-Men, I don't recall Mystique ever being a substantial player. I thought her role in Avengers Annual #16 was cool. But I first really enjoyed her, honestly, in the X-Men movies, and then of course in her own ongoing series.”

McKeever’s first arc involves “globe hopping, shape shifting, butt kicking and a personal stake for Mystique. Xavier sends her to Sweden to find out if this dermatology research empire is using mutants as guinea pigs for a supposed miracle cure. What she finds is more than anyone bargained for, and the trail takes Mystique to her homeland of Austria.”

And good things come to good writers - especially if a) you’re writing the sultry Mystique and you need an artist who is able to portray the character’s sex appeal, and b) you need covers that shout…or rather, purr, “Come, take a peek inside”

As for those covers: “On Mystique, I get a quick cartoony thumb approved, then I shoot a pic of a model in costume, and do a small sketch based on that. When that's approved I'm good to go on finishing the acrylic painting. I use the same model on all the Mystique covers for consistency,” cover artist Mike Mayhew said when asked about his approach.

So far, one of Mayhew’s biggest fans on his latest assignment is the series’ writer. “Yes, please judge the book by those luscious, gorgeous covers! Mike Mayhew is a real special talent. Ever see the spot illos he did for the Mary Jane novel? Wow! I'd love to see him on sequential art.”

And as for the guts? “All you have to do is look at #11 to see how Manuel's worthy,” he said when asked about the artist that he’s paired up with. “He's got a really yummy, slick style that yet fits the sort-of gritty nature of the title. And he has a fantastic eye for layouts and angles. I'm just seeing the first pages of his first issue and I'm really psyched about sharing them with the readers out there.”

Mystique #14 and #15 both ship in May.

 

[doc ock rules!]

Originally posted by Dwarf lord


To kick off the arc and set the stage, Tieri said that he has to dip into the past just a little. “We’re going to have to go back to the early days of the program and see what inspired the program, as well as the connection between three men in particular: the Director of the current Weapon X program, John Sublime, and the Professor from the Barry Windsor-Smith’s story. We’re going to see how they have shaped the Weapon X and Weapon Plus programs to date, and then…it’s war. It’s going to be the literal war of the programs. Weapon X will be taking on Weapon Plus. May the best man, mutant, enhanced mutant, or whatever the hell else is in there…win.

“And of course, we’ve got Fantomex, Wolverine, and Agent Zero caught in the middle.”

Could you give me some info on Fantomex or Agent Zero? I personally think that there have been too many comics done about Wolverine.

 

[Dwarf lord]

So does everyone else, Doc

 

[Rayne]

What is this?? True Believers???


WATCH OUT EVERYONE THE NEW REVOLUTIONARY CULT OF TRUE BELIEVERS HAS ARRIVED, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, THEY HAVE A GRAND PURPOSE!!!!




Please. To act like you're above the normal threads or anything special is ridiculous. I'll make sure that I stay away from anything 'TB'.

 

[Dwarf lord]

good we don't want you here

 

[Dwarf lord]

Alpha Flight #1
I can't say much about this exelent issue. I am so excited that Scott Lobdell and Alpha Flight is back. I want some of the Original characters like Puck back. But otherwise this is my first perfect score.
10/10

 

[Dwarf lord]

This is the New X-Men stuff

Class resumes for the new mutants in May’s Reload event but the students are getting a new title (New X-Men: Academy X), a newly-rebuilt mansion, codenames, new uniforms, a few new additions and new headmasters.

While we got to know Sofia and gang in an earlier interview, this time around though, we are taking a trip into the minds and plans of husband and wife co-writing team of Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir, and new regular artist Randy Green.

So, what’s the pitch? “Pitch it? We don't get enough of that in Hollywood?,” Weir asked. “Now I'm gonna be expecting you or the readers to look at us blankly and say, 'Interesting. What else you got?'”

Okay…

“The basic idea is Mutant High,” DeFilippis said. “Kids in high school with mutant abilities. But unlike our run on New Mutants, these kids have the expectation of being future X-Men thrust upon them. It's still a school, but the training is now required.”

New mutants in training to be the next generation of X-Men. Though this is the direction that the kids are heading to in the new book, hence the change in the comic’s title to reflect this, Weir said that it was on the strength of their outline for the third arc of New Mutants and artist Randy Green’s designs that Marvel re-evaluated the book. “The idea of turning New Mutants into New X-Men is an attempt to pull our book closer to the center of things.”

“There are obviously plenty of examples of books that focused on the mansion and the mutants training there,” Weir continued. “Most X-books could fit in that category. But Uncanny and X-Force, these were books about superhero teams. What Marvel wants here and what we're writing is a book about the school. About a school for mutants, kids who one day may be X-Men but right now are high school students.

“Now we know that's been done with Claremont's New Mutants and Generation X, but I think most people can agree that those books drifted into superhero territory and sometimes lost the school focus. That's because there's always been a pressure to make sure an X-book reads like a superhero book. But this is an era of more diversified books in the line. There's less pressure, I think, to turn this into a superhero book with younger heroes, like a Teen Titans. Our goal is to focus on the school. Will there be adventures? Sure. These kids are being trained. But they're not just junior heroes. They're students.”

The X-Men is all about change and how the mutants cope and deal with the changes around them in a world that fears and hates them. This is the thrust of Academy X’s first arc, entitled ‘Choosing Sides’ as the students deal with the change in their surroundings as they get to know (or fight against) each other. Expect to see division amongst the kids as they divide into small squads and well, choose sides.

“The first arc is about how the changes to the school affect the kids,” DeFilippis said. “We'll introduce the kids as students who were expecting a high school with superpowers - complete with cliques. What they find is a school that's going to be more pro-active in training these kids to defend themselves. That means changes not just to curriculum, but to the social order there. Everyone is going to deal with who they're aligned with - in terms of advisors and in terms of fellow students. One of the students in the school causes problems that even the faculty has to take sides on. How do they deal with this? And the kids fall in line on the respective sides. It's a big tangle for the school. One that could get it in a lot of trouble in the real world. And suddenly our kids are making decisions that could affect the fate of the school and get someone killed.”

The gang from New Mutants are going to be in the new title, as will Scott Summers and Emma Frost, who are taking over the reigns of the school with the departure of Professor Xavier towards the end of Grant Morrison’s New X-Men.

“There are the kids from New Mutants: Sofia, Laurie, Josh, David and Noriko. Those kids never got codenames in the New Mutants issues, so we'll be approaching the "dubbing" of our kids as a new, and big thing in the book,” Weir said.

“Obviously Scott and Emma will also be major players as will Dani. Shan and Rahne will also still play a role. We've got Dust joining the book. And a lot of the students set up in other books will find their way into ours - some in larger roles than others. The new structure of the book will allow us to focus on our kids but also explore some of the other students if the right stories come along.”

Dust was first introduced in Morrison’s NXM. So, what do the writers have in mind for this mysterious character? “Can't say too much, it plays into the whole choosing sides, theme. But Sooraya is an interesting character, yet her potential really hasn't been tapped yet,” DeFilippis said. “Grant created a very interesting concept for a character. She's a mutant, who must by their very existence challenge old-fashioned thinking, who wears a burqa, which is a symbol to so many people of the oppression of a different ‘minority’ - women. But does her spirituality, her traditional set of values; does this make her someone who's wrong? One of our characters in particular is going to have diametrically opposed views about women and traditions. And the two will get to play off each other. If we do it right, we can show both points of view fairly. And that's a challenge.”

Who else is showing up? “There will be lots of glimpses at other kids, showing where they've wound up and who they're currently traveling with and studying under,” DeFilippis said. “There are plans for Beak elsewhere, though we don't know what [Newsarama note: In the May solicits, Beak is apparently appearing in new writer Tony Bedard’s three-part Exiles arc, entitled "Earn Your Wings," as issues #46 and #47 come out that month]. Angel will probably make an appearance, but is not in our plans for any big role just yet. There may also be a Guthrie at the school again, which is a nice nod to tradition since that family has a Xavier's tradition with Sam – Cannonball, and Paige – Husk, as members of the original New Mutants and Gen X, respectively. Which Guthrie it will be and how big a role that character will have...? Well, we'll save that for the first arc.”

Oh, and just in case you’re wondering who’s who on the cover to issue #1, well, artist Randy Green provided the Cliffs Notes: “The cover characters are - left to right - David/Prodigy, Sofia/Windancer, Noriko/Surge (is in front), Josh/Elixir, Laurie/Wallflower, Sooraya/Dust.

“I had seen some earlier designs that Keron Grant had come up with for the characters and I liked them. I just wanted to put my own twist on them so I wouldn't be copying him but at the same time keep the feel of what he had done. I took into consideration that these are school type uniforms/costumes and not street vigilantes, so they're brighter and more upbeat,” Green said.

As for how many costume designs that the artist came up with: “Just a couple. The basic idea is that there are several teams at the academy each with a different color form-fitting suit that designates them as a team, and then there is the yellow 'Xavier' school jacket-type thing which varies and is customizable for the students' personalities. So, there's no set costume other than the basic protective suit they all wear.”

From the looks of things, the kids are wearing the same costumes. Other than their respective features and hair styles (among the obvious), how would they be wearing the same fashion sense but at the same time, be different? “As I become more accustomed to the characters and their personalities, I'll be able to bring out more differences in their individual looks. I want them to be identifiable as a team, but with distinctively seperate fashion sense.

“Some of the characters are still evolving as far as how they'll be shown in the book, so there's still some work to be done before we get to the finished versions. I'll have to wait and see which ones I'm more fond of.”

So far, his favorite character is Noriko. “I like the gauntlets a lot, and her look seems to have come together the fastest in my mind. That could change as I get more used to some of the other characters.”

So it’s all familiar for fans who’ve been reading all along, but at the same time, not so different or insular to scare off readers who may want to give the new series a shot. While the writers have written the characters in their 13-issue NM title and are now bringing in characters from the X-books, Weir assured that “ostensibly, the new reader needs to know nothing. This is a #1 issue. We're carrying over characters and these characters come with backstory. There are even some plot threads we're carrying over. But if we do our job right, a new reader should be able to jump in and follow along just fine. We're introducing everything as new.”

New X-Men: Academy X #1 hits stores on May 19.

 

[RPG swordmaster]

Can't wait for the Astonishing X-men!

 

[Dwarf lord]

I think New X-Men will be the best title though. I haven't been reading New Mutants but I will get the last issue in April along with X-Treme's last

 

[JewishHobbit]

I think that I am most excited about Acadamy X!!!! I loved Generation X and I feel like this is the new it! I've been reading New Mutants and though I like it it does feel like it's lacking something I think they've fixed what it was lacking. I like the main characters and I love that they're adding Dust to the cast as well as a Guthrie (my vote's for Josh, Jeb seems to young to fit in). I was also wondering about the New Mutant teachers and am glad to see Dani remaining a steady cast member (and Shan and Rahne remains present too). I'm just really excited about this one.

 

[Lord Blackbolt]

Here's some new info on New X-men...


Well, things are certainly changing aren't they? This May you can forget the New Mutants as writers Nunzio DeFilipis and Christina Weir get ready for an all ‘new’ adventure (get the pun?) as old becomes new with New X-Men: Academy X.

comics-Fan caught up with the pair to get the down and dirty info about what kinds of changes fans can expect to see in the title and where it will all fit in with the Reload craze.

comics-Fan: New X-Men: Academy X. That's a lot to live up to already in just a name, isn't it?

Nunzio DeFilipis: Well, yeah. We've seen on message boards that some people already hate it. But of course, we've seen on message boards that some people hate everything. It's a lot to live up to. They've given us a name that means that they have big plans for our kids, and I guess for us.

Their first idea was to call it New X-Men and give it a new #1. But to make sure it was clear this wasn't Grant {Morrison}'s book with a new #1, they decided for a little truth in advertising, which is why we have the subtitle. While people focus on the Academy X, Marvel presented it to us as New X-Men, and that ups the pressure a LOT. They want this book to succeed, and they've made it as clear to us as possible. Now we have to deliver.

CXF: The focus of your book had been about relationships and learning about dealing with the onslaught of puberty. Now with the name change and codenames, how else is the book going to change for both its characters and its writers?

Christina Weir: We don't anticipate that big of a change. The focus of the book is still kids in school. They will be getting costumes and codenames, but the point is that these kids are learning. They're still in school which means the costumes are just for specific moments like Danger Room sessions. Changes for us will include a bigger cast. Scott and Emma will become regulars in our book. And there will also be more kids.

We're building a structure that will allow us down the line if we want to rotate the focus of characters. But for now, the book is still centered on our group of kids and Dani, Rahne and Shan.

CXF: What are some surprises or teasers that you can offer about the staff and students?

ND: Well, we'll be incorporating some of the kids from Grant's run and some developed by Chuck Austen. Some will just be background characters and supporting cast. A couple will be major players in our book. Our kids are still the focus. But as the solicits indicate, people will be choosing sides and a lot of what we'll be dealing with is who winds up where. As the cover makes clear, Dust will be a presence in our book. We've got some interesting stuff lined up for her though not necessarily what everyone expects. As for specific teasers... well I can say this - you don't just choose sides. You choose a side in order to fight on that side, right?

There's a conflict brewing between two groups of students, one that will get violent before the first arc is done.

CXF: How much input have you had through this entire process? With arcs getting re-written it can be interpreted as this is being more of the same, or is the reload event the catalyst for all the past changes?

CW: We've had input. But at the same time, Marvel had a picture in mind of where they wanted to head. We talked with {editor} Mike Marts a ways back about changes that would be happening in the school and how we wanted to address them in our book. We then plotted our third arc for New Mutants. We're told that based on that and based on the strength of Randy Green's designs for our kids, the decision was made to re-launch the book as New X-Men. So from where we're standing not that much has changed for us except for maybe being higher profile.

CXF: How are you guys handling the evolution and change?

ND: The process was bumpy. We started out on the same page with Marvel, with regards to New Mutants. But then they changed their minds about what the book should be - a couple of times. And there were real growing pains at the end of the first arc and the beginning of the second. But by the end of the second arc, we felt like things were clicking and working well, and Marvel liked what we were doing - it was the kind of book they wanted it to be. So, things were firing on all cylinders. The change in title, the relaunch, that's not so much a change as a fresh start. We all know what the book should be now, and we're all happy with it.

Giving it a new title and a new #1 not only gives a fresh start, but the higher profile name gets it to a wider audience. So in a sense, this latest change, which is the biggest one, is actually the least disruptive one. It takes the book to the next level and does it naturally.

CXF: Thanks for your time!

Lovers of all things ‘X’ can get a triple and quadruple dosing of all their favorite books come this May as New X-Men: Academy X makes its debut as a core title in the X-Men library.

 

[Dwarf lord]

Cool. I hope Paige eather goes to Austen's team or becomes a teacher

 

[Dwarf lord]

Mutant fashion guru Jumbo Carnation was killed by a group of mutant haters outside a trendy nightclub in the dark corner of New York City. Here, the long arm of the law has been severed clean. Mutants don’t sport GQ style or champagne dreams. They eke out each day in squalid tenement rows and filthy streets.

Welcome to Mutant Town.

The idea of Mutant Town was first introduced by writer Grant Morrison in New X-Men. This May, the law comes to town in District X, a new Marvel Knights series by writer David Hine and artist David Yardin.

“The roots of the story grow from Grant Morrison’s concept of Mutant Town, which is geographically based in the Alphabet City area of Manhattan,” Hine told Newsarama. “This led to the brief I was given [by X-Men editor Mike Marts] to create a cop story based outside of the world of costumed superheroes but still on the periphery of the Marvel Universe.

“District X is essentially a crime/thriller comic set in the NYPD’s 11th precinct, an area which has attracted mutants from every nation on earth. These are immigrants struggling to find a place in what is often a totally alien environment. As well as the usual problems of adapting to a new culture and language, these people have the added disadvantage of being mutants. Their mutations are not the kind that will get them a place in a team of superheroes. These are extraordinary people trying to live ordinary lives with the odds stacked against them.”

The central character here is the mutant cop from the future, Bishop. “Lucas Bishop has been appointed by a federal agency to keep crime in check. A full-scale gang war involving mutants in the middle of Manhattan would play hell with New York City’s image of zero-tolerance.

“Ismael Ortega is a uniform cop who finds that a badge and a handgun aren’t always enough to police the toughest streets in New York. Crime-levels here are among the highest in the country and there is a simmering gang-war, which is threatening to reach boiling point.”

“The supporting cast is the entire population of District X. They all have a part to play and I’ll be weaving their stories in and out of the major plot-lines.”

According to the writer who was born in West Country, West of England but now lives in South London with his partner Vikki, a cheese-eating surrender monkey (and proud of it), his eight-year-old son Alex and two kittens, Scrappy and Scruffy, the first arc will set up the premise for District X, introduce the main characters as well as a slew of background characters such as “Gus Kucharsky, Ismael’s current mutant-hating partner; Filthy Frankie and Shaky Kaufman, the leaders of rival gangs and men of deeply unpleasant personal habits; The Siren, whose voice makes any man who hears it fall fatally in love; Jazz, a wannabe gangsta and small-time drugs dealer; Lorelei, an exotic dancer who can do things with her hair you would not believe; Gregor Smerdyakov, a dissident Russian intellectual and insomniac who literally puts down roots when he falls asleep; the Falcone family who are behind an infestation of the most bizarre vermin you would ever want to find lurking beneath your bed; the Toadboy whose unusual mutation has led to the trend of ‘kissing the toad’; Mr M the mystery man who gives the title to the first story arc. I don’t want to give away too much about this guy, but he is nursing some very dark secrets.”

“The main plot follows the rivalry between two gang leaders as they try to assert control over the drugs trade in District X. There are self-contained incidents in each book and a series of threads which develop in the background. Most of the people who appear in minor incidents will turn up again, some with walk-on parts, others becoming seriously involved in the plot. Each arc will also be a full-on thriller.”

It’s interesting to note that Hine’s Bishop would first appear in a story drawn by Adi Granov in April’s X-Men Unlimited #2. However, the story is not crucial to understanding District X, he said. “But for readers who are already familiar with the character, the story serves as a bridge between the Bishop of the regular X-Men comics and the Bishop who will be using his skills as a detective on the mean streets of the 11th precinct. It clarifies his motivation for taking on the job of policing District X. This is a guy who is used to battling super-powered mutants. Why should he waste his time dealing with two-bit drug-dealers on the streets of New York? His encounter with a teenage immigrant from Eastern Europe convinces him that saving one individual can be as challenging as saving the planet.”

For a time-lost mutant like Bishop, who’s been a member of the Xavier Security Enforcers in the not too distant future, traveled to the past and back during the high-profile Age of Apocalypse mega-event, transported to a future where he became the ‘Last X-Man’ and recently assumed the familiar role of a policeman in veteran X-writer Chris Claremont’s soon-to-be-cancelled X-Treme X-Men, Hine is not bothered by the character’s checkered past. “Didn’t know. Not bothered. I think Bishop is a fascinating character. I’ve read the message boards and am surprised to see a lot of people find the character boring. Well, not any more.

“I still haven’t seen the Grant Morrison issues. Mike has been generous enough to allow David Yardin and myself to develop our own vision. Mike will be checking for any blatant contradictions to existing continuity, but apart from that we have a free hand.”

The writer is certainly aware of the legions of X-fans but this being published under the Marvel Knights banner where continuity is not an issue, Hine is confident that even the hardcore of X-fans would not want to give this a miss.

“The X-Men books have been around for about forty years. The reason for their longevity and continued popularity is the constant injection of fresh ideas. Look at what Neal Adams and Roy Thomas did for the original series! John Byrne, Chris Claremont and Grant Morrison all came at the series with a totally different approach and revitalized the whole X-Universe. What we’re doing is adding to the mutant tradition, exploring another aspect of the concept of unique outsiders struggling to make their way in the world of humans. I want to give readers the same sense of excitement I had when I first picked up a copy of X-Men, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange... or Love and Rockets, Hate and Eightball, come to that. I’m sure most X-fans will get a kick out of what we’re doing with this book, so I hope they’ll check it out. I know there is a feeling that if you’re into X-Men you have to pick up everything with an X on it for the sake of continuity, but as I’ve said this book is outside of the interconnected world of the other X-books. So check it out if you don’t like it, don’t buy it again. I’m confident most people will want to stay on board for the ride.”

Hine’s involvement in District X came about when Active Images publisher Richard Starkings showed Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada the writer’s Strange Embrace graphic novel. “Reading it convinced him that I was the right person to take the project forward,” Hine recalled. “I like to tell a good solid story that on the surface is based in the real world, while underneath all kinds of weirdness is bubbling through. My influences are from outside the comics mainstream and that gives this book a fresh slant to the whole mutant thing. I think readers will be in for some surprises (not all pleasant).

His influences include: “The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen; The Little Friend by Donna Tartt; Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre, My Life in the NYPD by Jimmy the Wags; Ultimate Punishment by Scott Turow, Devil’s Knot by Mara Leveritt, Money by Martin Amis; Stupid White Men by Michael Moore, Pattern Recognition by William Gibson and Dead Air by Iain Banks. Plus lots of books on Crime, Forensics and the Street Life of New York.”

“I had worked as a penciller, inker and writer for various publications, but Strange Embrace was the first time I got to do what I really wanted. I also work as a freelance illustrator. I’m hoping to phase that out in favor of scripting comics full-time.

“Strange Embrace is a gothic horror set mostly in Edwardian England. It has been variously described as "a tale of madness, death and sexual longing", "part psychological horror, part existentialist study of the classic Outsider", "a tale of pain, despair and revenge", "a study of malevolence and truly horrific obsession". (And there was me thinking I’d written a light period romance)”

As for his project partner David Yardin, it was through the artist’s manager Brian Haberlin. “He approached Marvel with some of my samples, and I guess they liked them enough to give me a new book to help launch. So I got a call from my editor Mike Marts, to explain the concept further, and after I finished a fill-in on Silver Surfer, I started working on the book shortly after.

“I've heard [my art style]'s detailed, realistic, mainstream... I don't know. I hate labeling my style, because I think once you can do that your style starts to become (or already is) formulaic. Style should be something that is always in a state of flux and growth. I'm just trying to do something that looks cool, but more importantly reads well. The readers can label it for themselves.”

So, does the artist, who was born and currently residing in Sydney, Australia, know who Bishop is before he started to pick up his drawing tools for his DX assignment? “I'm familiar, with his first appearances,” he said. “I was reading a lot of X-Men comics at the time. I'm only vaguely familiar with what has been done with the character since though.

“When I was "redesigning" Bishop the only comic reference I looked at were his first appearances. I went from there doing various different facial designs. I played with his hair - sorry, no supermullets, facial hair, and I tried reworking his tattoo into brandings, scars, different styles, shapes, and sizes, etc. I also incorporated things that David Hine had in his descriptions, such as not making Bishop as "big", as he has been portrayed before, and to put him in a trench coat. David basically picked what he thought was best from my sketches, and we went from there. I guess our Bishop could fit in a bit more in the real world. We're not doing Bishop in a big blue spandex jumpsuit with X's all over it, that may work well in X-Men, or other "superhero" books, but you know, we don't want to make him the laughing stock of the precinct.

Other than Silver Surfer #5, Yardin has also previously drawn Wonder Woman Secret Files #3 for DC Comics, Aria: The Soul Market, Wicked: Medusa’s Tale, Stan Winston’s Realm of the Claw for Image Comics, and Andrew Dabb’s Slices: Lesbians From Outer Space for opi8.com. And according to him, Whilce Portacio is his mentor.

So, what’s the appeal of this project to him, other than the fact that he gets to work on an X-book? “The appeal to me with all the characters - and there are a lot of ‘lead’ characters - is how I can develop their own individualities on the page,” he continued. “I try to get into the role of each of the characters, and see how they would react in certain situations, what body language they would use, their postures, their clothing, how they would move about a room, etc. If a character has been pushed around all their life I might give them a hunched, ‘defeated’ posture, maybe make them scared to look at other people eye to eye. If they walked into a restaurant, they'd sit in a corner, not by a window. On the other hand, if a character has a very dominant personality I might make them do things like shake someone's hand by extending a hand, palm down, so you'd have to accept their hand from beneath them, or I'd make them always get into someone else's personal space. Little things like that help to develop the characters, however subtly, and make them come alive that much more. To me it's enjoyable when I can play around with things like that, and hopefully enhance the experience for the reader.

“Bishop is one of those characters I can really do those sorts of things with. He is essentially a man displaced in time, so he always has that "outsider" element to him. He's also a newcomer to the 11th precinct, so he's a bit of a mystery man to the people there too. As they get to know him, so too can the new readers who may not be familiar with the character. He comes from a very bleak future that has hardened him, add to that his XSE training, and you know he'd be someone who would be ice cold in any situation. You know the type with that silent strength, a man who speaks with his actions, more than his words. There is just a lot you can do with that sort of character visually.”

In conclusion, Hine said he has plans for the second and third arcs, but he does not want to go in detail yet. “I can tell you that there are clues to what’s coming, scattered through the first issues, but you’ll have to look hard. Anyone who has read Strange Embrace will know that most of the apparently incidental details in my stories take on significance sooner or later.”

District X #1 is 32 pages with a cover price of $2.99. Part one of the six-part ‘Mr. M’ introductory arc hits stores on May 12.

 

[doc ock rules!]

This thread seems pretty dead so I'll give a sparker question.

Uncanny X-men # 500 is coming up. I believe there are already people selected to work on the comic but if you could choose, who would you want working on it?

 

[Dwarf lord]

Plotters: Chris Claremont, Stan Lee, Scott Lobdell, Alan Davis, John Bryne
Scripter: Joss Whedon
Pencils: Alan Davis
Inker: Mark Farmer
Covers: Alan Davis, Dave Cockrum, John Bryne, Salvadore Larrocca, Neal Adams, and Adam Kubert

 

[Dwarf lord]

This is Igor Kordy's (X-Treme X-Men, Excalibur) interview after he was fired by Marvel
Get the idea of Igor Kordey being a quiet, demure “arteest” out of your head. The Croatian-born, Canadian immigrant who’s been one of Marvel’s key utility players for the past few years is more of an activist than anything else. Given his background, he approached the American comics market, and Marvel in particular from a different perspective.

Likewise, he views his recent firing from Excalibur, as well as his time at Marvel through a lens that may not be too familiar to those soaked almost exclusively in American culture and worldview.

So no, he’s not going quietly into the night.

While known in the American market thanks to his earlier work with Dark Horse on both the Tarzan and Star Wars franchises in particular, Kordey’s exposure exploded when he took on the refocused X-title Cable with David Tischman. Illustrating stories that were ideal for his artistic and political perspective, the title featured Cable taking on a new role, that of a warrior-teacher, a man who was a soldier from the future, but no longer fought solely for mutant causes, but rather for the betterment of everyone, everywhere.

While at the time Kordey and Tischamn began work on Cable, the X-books and offices seemed to be undergoing a fundamental philosophical change, one X-office adage remained true: the core titles (New X-Men in particular) were having art problems in regards to artists meeting deadlines. A dependable workhorse, Kordey stepped in, cranking out issues of NXMin addition to his usual workload.

In the eyes of many, doing that European art style was fine for Cable, but it wasn’t what they wanted to see on New. While Kordey eventually moved to X-Treme X-Menafter Cable (later renamed Soldier X) ended, he had polarized the fanbase into two camps – those who loved him and those who hated him. More often than not, the “hate him” camp perspective was based on his New X-Men issues, which, he has admitted, were rushed, as well as the manic schedule on X-Tremehe often had to take, as it was one of Marvel’s twice-monthly titles.

As reported earlier, Kordey’s run at Marvel ended earlier this week, when he was fired from the new title, Excalibur, which was created to replace X-Treme X-Men.

Kordey spared some time to talk to Newsarama about his time at Marvel, as well as the larger cultural and political implications and interpretations of his work, his time at Marvel, and publishers which are rapidly becoming franchise management companies first and foremost, and content providers a distant second.

Newsarama: When you came to Marvel, what was the impression that you were under in regards to your workload? Was it going to be, from the outset, just one book, or were they (or you) wanting to look to expand your load to include more projects?

Igor Kordey: It was just Cable in the beginning. I would always deliver finished artwork a bit ahead of time. I knew, by previous experience, that anything can happen to you physically, and that is better to have episode or two in stock in advance, that to be late.

At same time Mr. Tischman, the writer, started to be involved in writing for some TV serial and being late with scripts. I started to ask for new jobs, to fill bigger and bigger gaps. So came Black Widow, and bit later, an offer to fill in for New X-Men. Issue #120 was first, and after I did it in ten days - pencils and inks, editors were so happy, that they offered me #119 to do - the other guys were still late with their part.

And then it started: offers for Captain America and the Storm “Arena” story; everybody wanted me to work for them. I phoned and said: I can do it, but if you like me so much, give me higher rate per page. After two days I was offered exclusive contract - and the rest is a legend.

NRAMA: Over the years you were at Marvel, it seemed as the pendulum of quality swung in wild arcs, with your Cable and Soldier X being quite solid, while your New X-Men fill ins, while good, had almost a manic energy behind them, and in the eyes of a lot of readers, not up to the quality of your Cable work. What happened? Were you just overloaded?

IK: Yes. In May of '02, I ended up finishing four books in parallel: the last Cable, the first Soldier X, the last part of Black Widow and New X-Men #124. It was insane! And it was logical to fail, at least in on one of them - New X-Men happened to be that horrific book.

NRAMA: In those days where you had what many artists would see as an overloaded plate, what was your timetable to complete a full issue?

IK: A week. The Shi-ar arc looks really horrible, but I still like my Fantomex arc - it's strong, man! Actually, I received a lot of support and appreciation for that arc from numerous fans from Europe, who were ecstatic about such grittiness and expressiveness in X-Men world.

NRAMA: That said though, did you ever turn in an issue where you felt it wasn’t up to your normal standards for quality?

IK: …from today's point of view, many of those books are bellow my standards of quality…that's the fact. I got lost in delusions that this expressiveness is the right way to do it, and nobody stopped me. I received a very polite call from my X-Men editor about necessity to become slick, but at that time I didn't have a clue what the heck is that suppose to mean, and nobody complained too much as long as books were coming on time.

I think, that's the crucial moment - nobody said "Hey, stop! Wait a second! Put yourself together! Let's work it out together; this, this and that is wrong! Try again and take it slow..." I was my only judge, jury and executioner all the time. In the publishing industry editors are skippers, they navigating the writer through all storms, whirlpools, and quicksand of novel writing. Those are people with vision, and for most comic editors you can not give such attribute... I never had luck to work with strong visionaries like, Axel Alonso, for example.

NRAMA: Continuing on that theme of editorial vision for the book and over all franchise, comparing the timeframe when you came on to the X-books with what it was when you left - is Marvel, in your opinion, still looking for the same breadth and scope they were with what you and David Tischman were doing on Cable; as well as what Chris, and then you and Chris were doing on X-Treme, and say, the feeling that Grant was trying to blow the franchise wide open and challenge everyone - Marvel’s included - perceptions of what the X-Men should be, or is the focus narrowing?

IK: Narrowing is the only way right now; in capitalistic society everything is based on profit and in today's circumstances, with non-stop recession over the years, with market shrinking rapidly, the only way to make a profit is "unification". To increase sales with mass production of less similar items and diminish production of more different items - same currency, same language, same food, same behavior, that's the idea.

People who smoke and drink are nonpredictable - let's ban them. It is not about damaging your health; it's about control of nation's mind. If government would really be so concerned about population's health, the gasoline cars would be banned long time ago.

NRAMA: Okay – pulling it back down to comics, in your view, is the return of the costumes for the X-Men a sign of what you see as unification?

IK: Exactly. It’s unification for mass marketing reasons. I'm talking about globalization and new world order here – make things the same and predictable the world over. And they have a problem with me 'cause I like to have a right to be different!

NRAMA: With Marvel as a whole, when did you start to feel the tide changing against you?

IK: Actually, hmm, when I got computer, a year and a half ago - when I started to approach different comic-oriented websites. I was so happy to finally having an opportunity to meet my fans, to chat with them... Little did I know! I run into universe of hate, envy, dumbness, lethargy and irrationalism. Oh, my god! It shattered my illusion that my readers are smart, independent, educated, art loving people. Well, you never stop to learn...

When I got the picture, I realized that my days on top selling charts are numbered. Talking' about irrationalism and hate - you can witness on numerous sites - hundreds of fans being very happy about somebody losing the job. It's not the matter anymore am I good or bad artist, they actually justify corporative methods to treat people like numbers, to destroying their lives with the move of a finger, without any consequence. That's the most shocking paradox - it can happen to any of them any day, and they are thought to justify cruelty from company which actually earns money on their labor, on their sweat and blood. They already learned to think like a slaves!

Of course they need to have their comic heroes in bright spandex, being long legged Barbie-cuties ; that way their perception don't need to work overtime, their imagination is triggered faster, the messages are transferred momentarily, identification with characters is triggered instantly. Like a sex without emotions, you need more and more to satisfy your needs. Nothing for the soul, there's no need for soul...

No wonder my images are upsetting so many of them - they can not stand diversities anymore. And because it's not their fault, I can only feel sorry for their loss, and anger for system which made them losers of a wider breadth of styles and approaches to art.

NRAMA: Speaking of the corporate, you’ve mentioned that you were asked to take a lower page rate than what you originally agreed upon in your exclusive contract. Was any reason given? Was the offer made as a “take it or leave it,” that is, if you turned it down, you would be leaving Marvel?

IK: It was clearly "take it or leave it". There were no other options. My demand to respect the contract was followed by comment "that contract is a piece of toilet paper anyway". I accepted this "offer" which I call blackmail, 'cause they knew that I didn’t have any other choice. From that moment my loyalty stopped to make sense. I did my job professionally, but gave myself right to be loud on public sites and express myself, feeling betrayed and backstabbed.

NRAMA: Once the ball started rolling, and you did start making comments about the conditions under which you were working, you mentioned that Marvel pressed for changes in the “Arena” and “Intifada” arcs of X-Treme X-Men. What was the nature of the changes?


IK: It's about new wave of conservativism and inbuilt censorship. New management decided to “purify” Marvel books, for the lack of a better term, suppressing erotics - as one of the ways to express emotional freedom, and retaining violence. You can not hide violence by painting blood gray, that's ridiculous - it's about very act of violence.

But as we see all the time, violence is OK, according to genuine American "frontier-spirit.” Here comes my part - I’m trying all the time to present action scenes - read - fight scenes - as a regular flow of the story, as integral part of events, never trying to emphasize them more than necessary. And because of that lots of fans got mad. And I understand that - because they lost the ability to stand up for themselves, they love to see their heroes kick each other's butts. Whole entertaining industry is based on that.

NRAMA: Well, considering the changes that were made, and the markets in which you’ve worked, would the edits have been as big an issue, in your opinion, if you were drawing exclusively for a European audience?


IK: The European audience is more open to healthy sexuality, generally. They learned long time ago that sex and good verbal argument is a cure against many frustrations - Holland and Scandinavian countries, having so called sexual revolution in ‘60s and ‘70s for example, are today having the lowest rate of sexual assaults per capita in the world.

Something to think about...

It is known that sex is always in collision with totalitarian societies and they always tried to suppress it. We always had enormous censorship apparatus through history, from those developed in Victorian Britain, SSSR, the Third Reich, USA...

Not that it’s the only reason, but I’m not alone in pointing out that all of those countries had comparable number of serial killers, mass murderers, and sex-based crimes...

NRAMA: Yes – there is that school of thought. But again, and I hate to sound like a broken record here, getting back to the comics. Can you explain the timetable of Excalibur? You were assigned the book four months ago, and…what? Began working on character designs with Chris?


IK: I never work on characters much before I start actual work on pencils. I read the script and then think about them a lot, while working on something else. When I start to draw them , they already are completely shaped up in my head, that's one of my "secrets" in being so fast - all the references are coming from my head, and from brain to hand the road is just 1/2 heartbeat long.

NRAMA: So then, in the time that you’d been assigned the book and this week, you had drawn one and a half issues, as well as the cover to #1, correct? And you were told to stop work?

IK: Yes. That's strange - I was given freedom to design stuff my way, and they liked it. I mean they could've told me on the beginning if anything was wrong. Maybe they gave up on me early, but let me work and kept me away until I was totally done with X-Treme arc.

My other guess is that they more likely lost the grip over situation and got panicky trying to find solution for unsolvable problems. I'm just an easy target - like smokers comparing with environment pollution and globally bad conditions of living. You cannot cure cancer by donating money - cancer is a consequence, not the source of evil.

NRAMA: Gut level, what was getting that word like? After all, you were one of Marvel’s utility players for years, filling in where needed, and always getting a base hit every time you stepped up to bat…

IK: Ah, It's not my first, nor the last time I’ll get “the call.” It’s always same mixture - humiliation, and anger of feeling betrayed and helpless. I grew up in different environment, where the given word is a most precious thing - if you can not keep your word, that means that you are nobody, a human zero. I'm always getting mad, witnessing easiness and total lack of emotions when people saying things like "I'm sorry" or so easily call someone a "friend". People here are easy on screwing you up, saying “I’m sorry,” thinking that makes up for the broken promise, and getting away with it. It’s a total lack of basic moral and ethic values, it’s only about the damn money!

NRAMA: So where do you go from here? How long did it take for the news to break and the phone to start ringing?

IK: I'm going up, one way or another. I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years and I built my reputation with strong fundamentals - I'm not a one hit wonder, nor just a kid doing comics as my bridge to movie industry. I'm here to stay.

Phones started to ring the same day I gave my brief statement on web - bad news seems to travel faster than good, thankfully.

NRAMA: Anything lined up yet?

IK: I’ll let you know when I get firm confirmations...

NRAMA: In closing then, are there any long-term lessons that you’ve learned from your run at Marvel that you can encapsulate and share, or is this just another run with a publisher in a succession that makes up the career of a commercial artist?


IK: As I said before, if you care, it’s always worth of trying to make difference. If you don't succeed before you die, at least you know that you lived up for beautiful illusion. If you fulfill your goal early enough, that means it was obviously something small, like being a billionaire or such...

(all interviews I post are courtisy of Newsrama)

 

[RPG swordmaster]

Hmm.......

 

[Dwarf lord]

It’s not like he’s pulling back in regards to his workload at all. While Sean McKeever will be taking over Mystique in May (check out our earlier feature for the lowdown on this), lessening the writer's workload, he’s got another waiting in the wings – what many fans of his writing, as well as insiders see as his well-deserved chance at the big show: Ultimate X-Men.

“My four-part arc is called “Tempest.” I don't want to reveal too much, as my story deals in part with the fallout of some pretty spectacular stuff that happens at the end of Bendis' arc, but I can say that [artist] Brandon Peterson and I will be introducing the Ultimate version of at least one major X-villain,” he told Newsarama.

Said bad guy’s name rhyming with “Sister Minister.”

This time out, rather than a megalomaniacal mutant overlord with an eye on genetic manipulation and control of the world’s mutant population, Mr. Sinister is a serial killer targeting mutants in Manhattan – some of his targets, in fact, may be characters who’ve already taken the stage in UXM or elsewhere in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Vaughan has said previously that the Ultimate Sinister’s powers will be unique from his Marvel Universe counterpart’s – different from anything seen before – and that he just may be working for someone else, with hints at a larger anti-mutant conspiracy afoot.

X-fans are going to be pleased to find out which of the X-Men that he intends to use in the story…except if you’re a Wolverine fan. “All of them! I love ensemble dramas, so I try to give a good amount of screentime to everyone on the team, though I do use Wolverine sparingly, since he gets plenty of exposure in every other comic on the stands.”

Vaughan admitted that his favorite X-Men is one Russian who is currently with the dodos in the regular Marvel Universe. “I really like Colossus, actually, especially because only Ultimate writers get to use him. Eat it, Whedon!”

Vaughan was once rumored to be taking over UXM from original writer Mark Millar when the latter announced that he was ending his run after the “Return of the King” arc in issue #33. Instead, Brian Bendis started his run with the “Blockbuster” arc and continued with the current “New Mutants” that has so far introduced the Ultimate versions of Angel, Dazzler and Emma Frost.

Stories of the rug being pulled out from under Vaughan are completely untrue, the writer said.

“Joe Quesada and [editor] Ralph Macchio were nice enough to invite me to play in the Ultimate sandbox, and I signed on the second I had a story that I thought deserved telling,” Vaughan said. “It’s as simple as that. Brian Bendis and Mark Millar have been hugely supportive of my career almost since the day I broke in, so I'm just trying not to screw up the universe they helped create.”

As for more UXM stories from Vaughan, he said that “well, I'm only committed to four issues right now, but we'll see what happens...”

As mentioned previously, Vaughan will, at the same time, be giving up Mystique, a book he helped launch under the Tsunami line, and is now one of the few survivors of the publishing initiative. How does he feel about passing the torch to new writer Sean McKeever? “I've started working on a few incredible new projects - Ultimate X-Men, the upcoming Ex Machina ongoing with Tony Harris for Wildstorm, a 128-page creator-owned original graphic novel for Vertigo, and some other secret stuff, and unfortunately, something had to give from my schedule.

”I was extremely reluctant to leave Mystique, but when I heard that Marvel wanted Sean McKeever to take my place, I knew that I would at least be leaving the series in great hands. As everyone who read Sentinel knows, Sean's one of the best writers working today, and having spoken with him briefly about his plans for Mystique, I can tell you that his run is going to destroy mine.”

Mystique is not the only one that he’ll miss. “I'll really miss the artists, especially the great Michael Ryan, who I immediately clicked with. He's a giant,” he said.

Looking back, he is satisfied with the way he has redefined Mystique in an era where longtime X-fans and the general public are loving the X-Men movies revolution. “I always want the books I write to feel completely different from each other, so hopefully, Mystique didn't read like a typical "Brian K. Vaughan book," whatever the hell that is. I just tried to stay true to what's made this terrific character so enduring in comics, cartoons and movies, and maybe help her evolve just a bit, like all mutants should.

”Plus, that motorcycle chase in #9 was awesome.”

Vaughan also revealed his upcoming plans for fans of his and Adrian Alphona’s Runaways series, after the recently-concluded arc that brought back original runaway vigilantes Cloak and Dagger, drawn by Takeshi Miyazawa. “Trouble! Readers really seemed to dig our Cloak and Dagger two-parter, and I can promise that the book just gets bigger and better from there. Regular artist Adrian Alphona returns for March’s issue #13, the first chapter of "The Good Die Young," an epic story where the fate of the entire Marvel Universe rests in the hands of our six kids. The Runaways will finally confront all of their evil parents in battle, and we'll at long last reveal which of the kids is The Pride's mole, loyal to his or her - or its? - parents.

“There's [also] been talk of doing more with Cloak and Dagger, actually. I don’t know, do readers want that? I'll let the Talkbackers decide…and I promise not to make fun of you if you hate Dagger's new outfit... this time.

“Our numbers have been going up, and support for the series and the upcoming trade has been great, so as long as people keep buying the book, I promise to keep writing it. This comic means the world to me, and I think it's so cool that Runaways fansites run by young women new to comics have started popping up on the web. Y: The Last Man doesn't even have a readership that voraciously loyal, and I want to keep writing the kind of book that these readers are proud to share with their friends. New concepts always take a little time to catch on, but they're the only shot we've got at building a future for this medium.”

While being part of the Tsunami line of titles that also included New Mutants, which is getting the Reload treatment and going to be relaunched as New X-Men: Academy X, Runaways seems to be the only surviving title under the imprint. Did the thought ever arise to Reload this title as well?

“Well, only one of our members is a mutant (Molly), so turning Runaways into a Reload title feels like cheating. I want the book to succeed or fail on its own merits, not on Wolverine guest appearances, you know?”

While Marvel’s Manager of Sales David Gabriel has confirmed the publisher’s plans for Runaways and other titles aimed at the younger readers to be grouped under the Marvel Age banner, Vaughan’s only concern is that the House of Ideas let the creative team continue to provide them with the freedom to tell the adventures of Alex Wilder, Gertrude Yorkes, Karolina Dean, Chase Stein, Molly Hayes, and Nico Minoru. “I have no idea! Has that happened? Labels and imprints never mean much to me, to be honest. I don't care if Marvel turns Runaways into a Star Comic (remember Spider-Ham?), as long as they let us tell our stories.”

Oh, and if you’re still wondering if Mystique might be appearing in the writer’s UXM run, Vaughan had two words: “No comment!”

 

[Lord Blackbolt]

here's a interview with Tony Bedard.....new writer of exiles...

Bedard, who has gained a following with his work at CrossGen, takes over as writer of Exiles with #46, which, along with #47, reaches stands in May.

The Continuum caught up with Bedard at the CrossGen booth at MegaCon over the weekend, where he talked about his new book and plans for his old ones, too.

THE CONTINUUM: How did the Exiles gig come about?

BEDARD: Well, I knew Joe Quesada from back at Valiant. I met him when he was drawing Ninjak and I was editing over there. And I just kept in touch with him and Jimmy (Palmiotti) over the years.

When it looked like things were going to take a bad turn (at CrossGen) as far as the staff was concerned -- I kind of had an inkling there were going to be some layoffs and stuff -- I called up Joe to see if maybe Marvel had some places for these people to go. Because almost every single one of the people that worked at CrossGen I really liked and liked their work, and I knew they would be a benefit to either Marvel or DC.

As it happened, Joe was down in Florida to see his dad, who was sick, and he drove over to see us. And in the midst of meeting and finding assignments for all of these guys, I guess it occurred to him to check on my behalf. There was an opening on Exiles, and it was a good fit.

It's a really small community, as you know. Everybody goes back with everybody else.

THE CONTINUUM: What's your hook on Exiles going to be?

BEDARD: You know, I think Judd Winick did such a good job with it. They sent me all the issues because I hadn't read the series. I knew what the basic premise was about and it was a very enticing one. Because anything goes and you can have it be as close to or as far away from the continuity as you want.

But Judd did such a good job. When I started reading through those issues, I started to get intimidated. He hit all the high points, he didn't pull any punches. He had Galactus and Doctor Doom, all the naturals that you want to see, playing a big part in the stories. He hit all those notes.

What I want to do is the same types of stories as Judd. Basically, I don't want to lose the audience that was there. I want to live up to that. If I can do any better than that, then so be it. But I already have such a high opinion of the original run. If you're an Exiles fan right now, know that if ain't broke, why fix it?

THE CONTINUUM: Are there certain characters you seem to have a stronger affinity for?

BEDARD: Yes. It seems like to me that Morph and Mimic and Blink are the real heart of the team. And even though, you have a lot of cast changes, and even Blink dropped out for a while, those are the ones that I would be real hesitant to replace.

I also like the fact that there's a rotating cast as you go through the storylines. In fact, my first issue features an all-new character. At the end of Chuck Austen's story, only five move on. So they'll arrive with the new member at the beginning of my story.

THE CONTINUUM: You can't say too much about the new member?

BEDARD: Yeah, I don't want to give away too much. This is an all-new character to the story. Although a lot of these characters tend to be an alternate version of another one, so it's hard to say if it's an all-new new character.

By the end of the first story arc, they will pick up another new member who is an established character.

THE CONTINUUM: Is it fun writing a super-hero team?

BEDARD: Yeah. Negation was a big cast, a large team, and I got used to shifting the spotlight and giving everybody a moment -- but not all in the same issue because that's a mistake some people make. It's like you got to have everybody say a line and by the time it's over, you don't know anybody.

So I'm looking forward to doing that. After the initial story arc, there's a one-shot that really focuses on Morph. Following that, there's a multi-parter that focuses on Mimic. I'm consciously trying to, once again, dote on a character here and a character there.

 

[mightiest_mortal]

Originally posted by Lord Blackbolt

BEDARD:
By the end of the first story arc, they will pick up another new member who is an established character.

ummm isnt the first of his Arcs them joining up with beak in the regular MU?
maybe hel be the new member

 

[Slipstream]

Beak?!?!?!?!?!? There goes the neighborhood

 

[Dwarf lord]

He gave new blood to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and created a spinoff for her fanged lover Angel. He helped flesh out Woody and Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story, and he wrote Roseanne some of her best lines. Now, Joss Whedon is setting his eyes on the X-Men.

Marvel Comics has hired the innovative writer with a near-cult following to sink his teeth into Astonishing X-Men, the new flagship title of the X-Universe. The book debuts as part of May's X-Men: Reload, an event that introduces new titles, new creative teams and new directions for existing books.

"X-Men was a huge part of my adolescence," says Whedon on the phone from his production office in Los Angeles. "It was something I truly worshipped."

Whedon and Joe Quesada, Marvel comics' editor-in-chief, met at last year's San Diego Comic-Con convention and began to talk about working together. A slot opened up when New X-Men writer Grant Morrison left. Whedon was slated to take over Morrison's flagship book before Marvel decided to create a new flagship title.

He says he was apprehensive at first because of the enormity of the X-Universe, one that spans 40 years. "Eventually I realized that I had no choice. They are literally a childhood fantasy."

Storyline secrets are tighter than those of Angel's upcoming series finale. What's known is that Whedon will write two six-issue arcs. The first will be his interpretation of the long-running theme of mutants vs. humans, long viewed as a metaphor for racism and homophobia.

"We're going to see different sides to mutants that we haven't seen before," Whedon says carefully.

As well, the man who has scripted more than 100 vampire slayings on the small screen assures fans he won't bring his campaign against the undead to comic books.

"It is my fondest wish for [Astonishing X-Men] to stay vampire-free," he says with a laugh.

He got first dibs on the characters, and thus assembled a roster of five fan favourites, including Wolverine, Cyclops, Beast and sexy anti-heroine Emma Frost. Kitty Pryde (a.k.a. Shadowcat), the mutant who can phase through objects, was Whedon's top choice.

He says Kitty was a big influence for Buffy. "She is probably the dearest to my heart ... She went through a lot of things that Buffy went through. She faced near death, a lot of complex moral issues that she wasn't ready for."

Whedon's comic resume is quite slim; previously he has worked on eight issues of the mini-series Fray. However, this isn't his first rendezvous with the supermutants: He was hired to rewrite the draft for the first X-Men movie for 20th Century Fox, but they rejected his changes.

The 39-year-old remains diplomatic. "To me, the movie and the comic book have nothing to do with each other. Writing the comic ... is the real payoff to the childhood dream."

In an age where the attention of fans grows more fickle by the day, Marvel is already strategizing beyond Reload. Last Friday, it announced the hiring of Bryan Singer, the director of the X-Men movies, to bring his vision to the Ultimate X-Men title this year.

Working with X2 screenwriters Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris, Singer will also produce a year's worth of scripts. It's a closely guarded project that's also creating quite the buzz.

Whedon and Singer's recruitments are not the the first time Marvel Comics has pursued Hollywood bigwigs. In 2001, director Kevin Smith scripted the relaunch of Daredevil, and he's slated to do the same for The Amazing SpiderMan soon.

Marvel Publisher Dan Buckley says it's about diversity and strategy. "We [also] try to talk to other screenwriters and people who are in science fiction just to bring a different sensibility of storytelling and provide us with a marketing cachet," says Buckley.

The last time the X-Universe underwent such a dramatic facelift was in the summer of 2001, thanks to writer Morrison. He pushed the envelope with gritty storylines that explored teen mutants with addictions to a power-enhancing drug called Kick, and a telepathic extramarital affair between Cyclops and Emma Frost.

Morrison's most distinct change were the realistic leather costumes, similar to the heroes' attire in the movies.

In Reload, the X-titles are returning to the spandex costumes that have dominated their history. Wolverine, the popular Canadian X-Man, will once again don his famous yellow spandex costume and mask. For a series that continually pushes the idea of evolution, this seems like a regression.

"The realistic costumes and the leather look work really well in the movie medium and TV, because there's much more realism associated with that," says Buckley. "The costumes provide us with more characters popping off the page."

Buckley also says that the tone of the books will change. "I think you are going to find a lot more of an upbeat feel in the books. You are going to find some characters coming back and down the road. You are going to find a villain that you will never suspect."

All parties stress that the changes will only enhance the most enduring franchise in the comic universe. Four of the X-books are consistently in the top 10, and the comics stake out 10 to 15% of the market share.

In the meantime, the gig couldn't have come at a better time for Whedon, whose series Angel was just cancelled. He is well aware that this will require his undivided attention. "The weight of this thing is so huge. This is not my playground. It's not like Buffy and Angel," he says. "It has generations behind it ... I'm just hoping that people will feel the love."