Specter313
Ghost of all things X
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The end is near - that's not comic book company PR speak for an impending crossover, it's this year's Comic-Con International. Marvel's last presentation at San Diego was X-Men, focusing on, you know, the X-Men line of comics.
Marvel marketing guru Jim McCann welcomed fans to the panel and introduced X-Men group editor Axel Alonso, Uncanny X-Men writer Ed Brubaker, X-Men writer Mike Carey (introduced as "the man who killed Cable"), Marc Guggenheim, New X-Men writers Craig Kyle and Chris Yost, Daniel Way (Wolverine: Origin) and X-Factor writer Peter David.
The first slide and topic of discussion concerned the ongoing "Endangered Species" back-up story. Alonso explained the premise and format of the storyline.
Mike Carey talked about X-Men, with the cover of #204 (with Rogue and Gambit) shown. Carey said, as the cover hints, it'd be the first time Rogue and Gambit met "face to face" in a long time.
You can see that cover and many others in Marvel's October 2007 solicitations...
Brubaker discussed Uncanny X-Men, and how it's been building to Messiah Complex. He talked about the current Morlocks story, saying that they'll be some "really cool Storm moments."
New X-Men was then plugged, with Yost and Kyle talking about the current storyline and saying that the one right before Messiah Complex will be a "downtime" story for two issues.
The always jocular Peter David started off talking about X-Factor by giving some fake Harry Potter spoilers. He then talked about the current storyline involving the character The Isolationist, and how the characters wants the government to recognize mutants as a legitimate endangered species entitled to protection.
PAD also said that Quicksilver will be coming back, and "head to head" against Layla Miller.
Yost talked about X-Men: Emperor Vulcan, focusing on the characters left in space after Brubaker's 12-issue Shi'ar story. "It's Marvel Girl, Havok, and Polaris kicking ass in space," said Yost.
Guggenheim talked about his upcoming Wolverine run with Howard Chaykin, saying it'll follow-up on his Wolverine run during Civil War.
"Wolverine's rogue's gallery has been reduced to at least one recently," said Guggenheim, alluding to the events of this week's issue of the comic.
Guggenheim said there's going to be a new villain named "Shogun" introduced that will "kill" Wolverine, leading to a fight for his soul.
"How are you going to do a comic where you kill the main character?" joked Captain America-killer Brubaker.
Way gave a sneak of things to come with Wolverine: Origins, saying that he's "tired of seeing Wolverine getting his ass handed to him."
Way continued that there will be more about Weapon X revealed, and that you'll also see a character that Way personally has a great affinity for - Deadpool.
Messiah Complex was up, with Brubaker pausing from his iPhone texting to talk about the story. "Everyone here pretty much came up with the story of what Messiah Complex is going to be, and I was lucky enough to get to write the first chapter," said Brubaker. "What we're trying to do here is actually take risks and shake things up. I think things have been safe for a while."
"I feel like Marvel right now is more like Marvel in the '60s when you never knew what would happen month-to-month," said Brubaker.
After Messiah Complex, it's better to look at the X-Men as more of an army than a family," said Alonso.
Some Billy Tan Messiah Complex preview art was shown , featuring Wolverine and Angel. "He has just taken an evolutionary leap," said Brubaker of Tan.
An image (at the top) of Wolverine, Warpath, X-23, Wolfsbane, Caliban, and Hepzibah was shown, with them described as a "strike force" assembled during Messiah Complex.
Yesterdays announcement that Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi will be taking over Astonishing X-Men was then discussed, with Alonso saying that "there will be additions and subtractions" to the line-up, and that it is in continuity but more about "big ideas" than continuity.
With that, the Q&A audience session started.
After a very long walk to get to his point, a fan finally said, of Messiah Complex, "Then this is like Fatal Attractions, right?" Alonso said "Yes, this is like the old-school X-Men crossovers."
A fan asked Carey if Rogue is going to "continue to be a badass and not die." Carey said he didn't spend so much time on the character just for her to die, and there's "certainly more to Rogue's story" to come.
McCann paused to congratulate Brubaker on the two Eisner Awards he won Friday night, with Brubaker saying in a joking tone, "You all should read Criminal [Brubakers ICON series], it's the best new book, officially."
"What's going to happen to Cable/Deadpool if Cable is 'dead'"? Alonso said there's going to be a slash through "Cable" and "Wolverine" will be added, but he was probably joking.
A fan complimented Carey on his use of Iceman, and Carey discussed the character, saying that he likes Bobby Drake best when he's out of the "frat boy" depiction of the character and that Iceman has as much combat experience as anyone of the X-Men.
Any chance of another Madrox mini-series? David said that if he has an idea that he can't tell in X-Factor, perhaps. "It makes more sense for him to be in more titles than Wolverine," the panelists joked, referencing his powers.
PAD was also asked if there was any plans to r-epower Rictor, to which he replied, No..
Plans for Gambit to join X-Men again? Alonso said there are plans for him in the universe, but maybe not as a member of X-Men again. "He's going to speech therapy for that accent," joked Brubaker.
"Where did The Beast get Mr. Sinister's phone number?" "Google" and "bathroom wall" were jokes that the panel threw out.
A fan asked if Cable, who has been portrayed at times as a messiah-like character, would return in Messiah Complex. "Mike killed Cable and I was aghast at what he did to a character that I had so much plans for. We'll see what happens," hinted Alonso.
Any chance of bringing back Wanda Maximoff? Brubaker said "At some point in the next couple years you will see something involving the Scarlet Witch."
McCann: "How's that for a concrete answer."
Alonso said you'll "definitely feel her shadow, if not more, in Messiah Complex."
A fan wondered if there was coordination between the Uncanny X-Men space story and the Annihilation event, with Brubaker answering that "It would just be insane if we tried to have Annihilation be part of the whole Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar story," although he added that they did happen concurrently.
David was asked when he would get back to the "noir" in X-Factor, with the writer answering that he likes to do a variety of things in his books, and that he did the recent X-Cell storyline in part to respond to fans complaining that there wasn't enough "fights" in the comic.
Responding to a question about the rampant deaths in New X-Men, and Kyle said there were some "easy choices to make" at the beginning, but they've gotten to a team that they really like at this point.
Will Surge assert herself as more of a leader in New X-Men? Yost said that she's going to make a lot of big decisions in Messiah Complex.
Asked about the creative process, McCann called it a "big dart board and Magic 8-Ball." Alosno spoke more seriously, saying something like Messiah Complex is a collaborative effort, and that they decided that it was important to have different characters in each book playing important roles.
David explained further that coordination on different books in shared universe is often an "organic" thing, using the example of Layla MIller - Bendis introduced her, David said, with no real long term plan, and now she's in X-Factor, and it works (and Bendis likes it).
Solo series for X-Men other than Wolverine? McCann: "...yes."
Chance of seeing Bishop or the X-Babies soon? Alonso said if you're a Bishop fan, now's a good time. The X-Babies - not so much.
Status of Dr. Cecilia Reyes? No plans for her at the moment.
Excalibur involved in Messiah Complex? McCann explained that they'll be "off the map" due to a crossover with Exiles, but there are plans for the Excalibur title and cast.
New name for X-23? Kyle said that X-23 for her is like "Weapon X" for Wolverine, and that she's still in that place of "I don't know what I am yet" and hasn't been given a fair shake to find out.
New creative teams post-Messiah Complex? McCann said that he can't reveal the future of the books, "things that might be coming back, going away."
The last question was "least favorite X-Men comic" you've read, and understandably none of the panelists gave a "real" answer, with McCann joking (with Brubaker two people away from him) "Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire."
http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/Marvel/X-Men.html
The first slide and topic of discussion concerned the ongoing "Endangered Species" back-up story. Alonso explained the premise and format of the storyline.
Mike Carey talked about X-Men, with the cover of #204 (with Rogue and Gambit) shown. Carey said, as the cover hints, it'd be the first time Rogue and Gambit met "face to face" in a long time.
You can see that cover and many others in Marvel's October 2007 solicitations...
Brubaker discussed Uncanny X-Men, and how it's been building to Messiah Complex. He talked about the current Morlocks story, saying that they'll be some "really cool Storm moments."
New X-Men was then plugged, with Yost and Kyle talking about the current storyline and saying that the one right before Messiah Complex will be a "downtime" story for two issues.
The always jocular Peter David started off talking about X-Factor by giving some fake Harry Potter spoilers. He then talked about the current storyline involving the character The Isolationist, and how the characters wants the government to recognize mutants as a legitimate endangered species entitled to protection.
PAD also said that Quicksilver will be coming back, and "head to head" against Layla Miller.
Yost talked about X-Men: Emperor Vulcan, focusing on the characters left in space after Brubaker's 12-issue Shi'ar story. "It's Marvel Girl, Havok, and Polaris kicking ass in space," said Yost.
Guggenheim talked about his upcoming Wolverine run with Howard Chaykin, saying it'll follow-up on his Wolverine run during Civil War.
"Wolverine's rogue's gallery has been reduced to at least one recently," said Guggenheim, alluding to the events of this week's issue of the comic.
Guggenheim said there's going to be a new villain named "Shogun" introduced that will "kill" Wolverine, leading to a fight for his soul.
"How are you going to do a comic where you kill the main character?" joked Captain America-killer Brubaker.
Way gave a sneak of things to come with Wolverine: Origins, saying that he's "tired of seeing Wolverine getting his ass handed to him."
Way continued that there will be more about Weapon X revealed, and that you'll also see a character that Way personally has a great affinity for - Deadpool.
Messiah Complex was up, with Brubaker pausing from his iPhone texting to talk about the story. "Everyone here pretty much came up with the story of what Messiah Complex is going to be, and I was lucky enough to get to write the first chapter," said Brubaker. "What we're trying to do here is actually take risks and shake things up. I think things have been safe for a while."
"I feel like Marvel right now is more like Marvel in the '60s when you never knew what would happen month-to-month," said Brubaker.
After Messiah Complex, it's better to look at the X-Men as more of an army than a family," said Alonso.
Some Billy Tan Messiah Complex preview art was shown , featuring Wolverine and Angel. "He has just taken an evolutionary leap," said Brubaker of Tan.
An image (at the top) of Wolverine, Warpath, X-23, Wolfsbane, Caliban, and Hepzibah was shown, with them described as a "strike force" assembled during Messiah Complex.
Yesterdays announcement that Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi will be taking over Astonishing X-Men was then discussed, with Alonso saying that "there will be additions and subtractions" to the line-up, and that it is in continuity but more about "big ideas" than continuity.
With that, the Q&A audience session started.
After a very long walk to get to his point, a fan finally said, of Messiah Complex, "Then this is like Fatal Attractions, right?" Alonso said "Yes, this is like the old-school X-Men crossovers."
A fan asked Carey if Rogue is going to "continue to be a badass and not die." Carey said he didn't spend so much time on the character just for her to die, and there's "certainly more to Rogue's story" to come.
McCann paused to congratulate Brubaker on the two Eisner Awards he won Friday night, with Brubaker saying in a joking tone, "You all should read Criminal [Brubakers ICON series], it's the best new book, officially."
"What's going to happen to Cable/Deadpool if Cable is 'dead'"? Alonso said there's going to be a slash through "Cable" and "Wolverine" will be added, but he was probably joking.
A fan complimented Carey on his use of Iceman, and Carey discussed the character, saying that he likes Bobby Drake best when he's out of the "frat boy" depiction of the character and that Iceman has as much combat experience as anyone of the X-Men.
Any chance of another Madrox mini-series? David said that if he has an idea that he can't tell in X-Factor, perhaps. "It makes more sense for him to be in more titles than Wolverine," the panelists joked, referencing his powers.
PAD was also asked if there was any plans to r-epower Rictor, to which he replied, No..
Plans for Gambit to join X-Men again? Alonso said there are plans for him in the universe, but maybe not as a member of X-Men again. "He's going to speech therapy for that accent," joked Brubaker.
"Where did The Beast get Mr. Sinister's phone number?" "Google" and "bathroom wall" were jokes that the panel threw out.
A fan asked if Cable, who has been portrayed at times as a messiah-like character, would return in Messiah Complex. "Mike killed Cable and I was aghast at what he did to a character that I had so much plans for. We'll see what happens," hinted Alonso.
Any chance of bringing back Wanda Maximoff? Brubaker said "At some point in the next couple years you will see something involving the Scarlet Witch."
McCann: "How's that for a concrete answer."
Alonso said you'll "definitely feel her shadow, if not more, in Messiah Complex."
A fan wondered if there was coordination between the Uncanny X-Men space story and the Annihilation event, with Brubaker answering that "It would just be insane if we tried to have Annihilation be part of the whole Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar story," although he added that they did happen concurrently.
David was asked when he would get back to the "noir" in X-Factor, with the writer answering that he likes to do a variety of things in his books, and that he did the recent X-Cell storyline in part to respond to fans complaining that there wasn't enough "fights" in the comic.
Responding to a question about the rampant deaths in New X-Men, and Kyle said there were some "easy choices to make" at the beginning, but they've gotten to a team that they really like at this point.
Will Surge assert herself as more of a leader in New X-Men? Yost said that she's going to make a lot of big decisions in Messiah Complex.
Asked about the creative process, McCann called it a "big dart board and Magic 8-Ball." Alosno spoke more seriously, saying something like Messiah Complex is a collaborative effort, and that they decided that it was important to have different characters in each book playing important roles.
David explained further that coordination on different books in shared universe is often an "organic" thing, using the example of Layla MIller - Bendis introduced her, David said, with no real long term plan, and now she's in X-Factor, and it works (and Bendis likes it).
Solo series for X-Men other than Wolverine? McCann: "...yes."
Chance of seeing Bishop or the X-Babies soon? Alonso said if you're a Bishop fan, now's a good time. The X-Babies - not so much.
Status of Dr. Cecilia Reyes? No plans for her at the moment.
Excalibur involved in Messiah Complex? McCann explained that they'll be "off the map" due to a crossover with Exiles, but there are plans for the Excalibur title and cast.
New name for X-23? Kyle said that X-23 for her is like "Weapon X" for Wolverine, and that she's still in that place of "I don't know what I am yet" and hasn't been given a fair shake to find out.
New creative teams post-Messiah Complex? McCann said that he can't reveal the future of the books, "things that might be coming back, going away."
The last question was "least favorite X-Men comic" you've read, and understandably none of the panelists gave a "real" answer, with McCann joking (with Brubaker two people away from him) "Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire."
http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/Marvel/X-Men.html
