Rebel Rogue

Interview: Marjorie Liu on ASTONISHING X-MEN and Relationships

2012-01-27T15:42:00.000-04:00

Marjorie Liu continues to blow us away with her writing. From taking on the kids in NYX: NO WAY HOME to the dark and mischievous DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE to the lovable (but deadly) X-23, Liu always manages to add a little something extra to her issues.

In an unfortunate announcement, X-23 was revealed to be ending with issue #21. The good news is Liu and Mike Perkins are the new creative team for ASTONISHING X-MEN beginning with issue #48. That issue won't be on sale until March but we couldn't wait to ask Marjorie some questions on what she has planned.

Comic Vine: You first wrote the X-Men in your X-Men: Dark Mirror novel (2005). How has the team changed in your eyes since?

Marjorie Liu: The team of Dark Mirror existed in its own universe. It was part of the Marvel U, but that story was written for fans who might not be familiar with the X-Men, and so I can't really compare them to the official team of then -- and now.

CV: Your team consists of Wolverine, Warbird, Gambit, Iceman, Northstar, Cecilia Reyes and Karma. Did you get to pick the roster or were the characters chosen by editorial?

ML: The roster was almost entirely my choice.

CV: Will the series deal with school issues from WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN or will the characters be away from the school on missions/adventures or both?

ML: There will be some references to the school, but for the most part the characters of Astonishing will be on their own, having adventures that have nothing to do with those crazy, wild students!

CV: With Northstar living with his boyfriend and Gambit getting his own apartment, how will your team be assembled when needed? Will this be an official 'squad' Wolverine will call on for specific missions?

ML: It's going to evolve into an official squad, but what we'll see in this first arc or two is a team full of men and women trying to live their own lives away from the X-Men. Not because they're sick of being X-Men, but just because that's what people do: they have a job, and then they go home from that job.

CV: Hooray for the return of Cecilia Reyes! Has her attitude on 'costumed adventuring' changed? Will you explore any feelings/past relationship with Beast?

ML: No, her attitude hasn't changed all that much. Costumed adventuring really hasn't benefited her life in any measurable way. Just the opposite, actually. As for Beast...we'll see, won't we?

CV: Will you continue your knack for capturing the friendships/relationships between characters? (Your Gambit/X-23 and X-23/Jubilee portrayals were what set the book apart from other x-titles).

ML: You're very kind. I don't know if I've got a knack for it, but I am definitely focused on deepening the bonds between these characters, and exploring their relationships to one another.

CV: I know we should look forward and X-23 is currently on the West Coast but is there a chance she might pop up? Will Gambit check up on her or at least call her?

ML: You'll see a reference to X-23 in the first issue, though I can't say that she'll pop up in the book. Never say never, though. She's definitely part of Gambit's life.

ASTONISHING X-MEN #48 is on sale March 28, 2012.

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Thank you Bonez for posting this link!

CBR Reviews: X-Men Legacy # 261

2012-01-26T10:09:00.000-04:00

Link

With this whole “Regenesis” non-event-event going on in the X-Men family of titles, I’ve dipped my toes into the X-Men pool and found the water surprisingly refreshing. Sure, there are things I’ve missed since I last regularly read any X-Men titles, but “X-Men Legacy” doesn’t waste time lingering on what has happened, choosing instead to move forward. Well, except for the whole “reflecting on the non-break-up of Rogue and Magneto” bit.

Rachel Grey (when did we stop calling her “Marvel Girl” and “Phoenix”?) insists on breaking down Rogue’s choice to move back to Westchester in a cutesy sitcom kind of way. Christos Gage shines at these character moments. This issue would be rather anti-climatic if that was all that happened though. Luckily, remaining true to the cover, Exodus drops in on campus to rile the faculty.

The battle is exciting and filled with moments that help define the characters and their powers for readers, but those scenes stop at moments. Rogue gets the most time in the spotlight and casually tries to absorb the powers of Exodus and Kid Gladiator. Granted, I’ve been away from the adventures of Rogue for a bit, but this seemed wildly out of character and rather odd in the lack of effect her powers had on the characters she borrowed from. Complicating matters, the resolution to the conflict is anticlimactic and unfulfilling.

David Baldeon’s work is still finding its level in this title, but for the most part conveys the energy of the battle, the power of the Jean Grey faculty and the excitement of the story. Some of the characters are flat at points, standing on scenes rather than in them. Some of the faces are wildly angular, too. In both of those cases, however, the energy of Baldeon’s work still shines through. I like that energy, and if Baldeon can impose more consistency in his work throughout an issue, this book will definitely benefit.

Sonia Oback’s coloring goes from comfortable to excessive and back again throughout the course of the issue. One of my daughter’s was reading this over my shoulder and innocently asked, “Does that girl (Rogue) have a cold? Her nose is awfully pink.” Not only are there points where the skintones pop and slide, but Frenzy seems to be the wrong color too. Unless I really missed something, Frenzy is an African American character, right?

Following my initial reunion with other parts of the X-Men family, this issue is a bit of a letdown. The collection of characters here -- Rachel Grey, Cannonball, Beast, Wolverine, Rogue and Iceman -- appeal to me most of the casts from the other books I’ve picked up. If my criteria were simply characters and potential, I’d be on board with this book going forward. At the very least, I’ll be back for more next issue.

Rating: 3.5/5

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Thank you Bonez for the heads up!

ComicVine Reviews: X-Men Legacy # 261

2012-01-26T10:06:00.002-04:00

Link

What happens when an average day at the X-Men school ends with a visit from an insanely powerful foe?

The Good

When Regenesis was announced and the line up for this book was announced, I wasn't quite sure how I felt. It didn't really feel as if they would be necessary and trying to see where this book would fit in along with WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN was perplexing. Christos Gage has jumped in and is setting the tone for this title at a running pace. The issue follows up on the relationship concerns of some of the members and seeing the school in session adds to the feel of where they are at. The return of Exodus adds a nice twist.

Exodus isn't a character the X-Men should mess around with, especially when there is a school of young mutants in the area. When the school was attacked in WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN, we got a glimpse of how they would try to protect the students and that idea is fleshed out even further here. It doesn't hurt to have someone like Blindfold around helps to give a little bit of a heads up as well.

The battle plays out in a great fashion. There is plenty of action with bits of the traditional X-Men humor that isn't often seen these days. The final page actually made me snicker out loud even if it wasn't the full intention.

The Bad
I'm still trying to accept Rogue and Magneto and their recent relationship. The talk she has with Rachel was a nice touch but almost started dragging on a little.

I was never the biggest fan of Exodus but his appearance here is an interesting one. This clearly isn't the last we'll be seeing of him.

The Verdict
X-MEN LEGACY is establishing its place in the post-Schism X-Men universe. Rogue is continuing to develop and we're seeing how this book will fit in alongside WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN. The setting may be a school but now we're seeing that contingency plans are in place if the school is attacked. Christos Gage's writing feels as if he's been writing these characters for a while and the mix of emotions, battles and humor is welcome to the series. The X-Men books feel like they've been too dark lately. Gage is on his way to making this book his own.

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Thank you Bonez for posting this link!

X-Men Legacy #260.1 - Rogue Scans

2012-01-25T20:05:00.001-04:00

Hi y'all! Here are a few scans from Legacy! I took 'em with my phone - I wasn't near my scanner today.

Marvel Comics' APRIL 2012 Solicitations

2012-01-24T15:05:00.000-04:00

From Newsarama:

AvX: Vs #1 (Of 6)
Cover by Adam Kubert
Variant Cover by Stuart Immonen
Amazing Spider-Man 50th Anniversary Variant by TBA
• The Premier Tie-In To Avengers Vs. X-Men!
• All-Out Action Featuring Cover To Cover Battles, Each Issue Expanding On Fights From The Main AvX Book
In Ways You Can’t Imagine!
• This Issue: Iron Man Vs. Magneto And Thing Vs. Namor!
32 Pgs./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 (Of 12)
Brian Michael Bendis (W) • John Romita Jr. (A)
Cover by Jim Cheung
Variant Covers by Ryan Stegman & John Romita Jr.
Blank Variant Also Available
• It’s No Longer Coming—It’s Here!
• Does The Return Of The Phoenix To Earth Signal The Rebirth Of The Mutant Species? That’s What The X-Men Believe!
• Unfortunately, The Avengers Are Convinced That Its Coming Will Mean The End Of All Life On Earth!
• The Stage Is Set For The Ultimate Marvel Showdown In This Oversized First Issue!
40 Pgs./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Avengers Vs. X-Men #2 (Of 12)
Jason Aaron (W) • John Romita Jr. (A)
Cover by Jim Cheung
Variant Covers by Nick Bradshaw & Carlo Pagulayan
• As The Opening Shot Is Fired, The Avengers Storm The Beach Of Utopia, And The Phoenix Draws
Ever Nearer To Earth!
• But Which Side Will Wolverine Fight On?
• And What Choice Will Hope Make That Will Change The Direction And Scope Of The Conflict Dramatically?
32 Pgs./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Uncanny X-Men #11
Kieron Gillen (W) • Greg Land (A/C)
Avengers Art Appreciation Variant by Greg Horn
• AvX Tie-In!
• Cyclops Leads The X-Men In To Their Toughtest Battle Yet!
• Juggernaut-Powered Colossus Vs. The Red Hulk!
32 Pgs./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Wolverine & The X-Men #9
Jason Aaron (W) • Chris Bachalo (A/C)
Avengers Art Appreciation Variant by Alex Maleev
• AvX Tie-In!
• Wolverine, Torn Between Two Teams!
• Will The Jean Grey School Follow Its Leader?
32 Pgs./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Ultimate Comics X-Men #10
Nick Spencer (W)
Paco Medina (A)
Cover by Kaare Andrews
• It’s Storm Makes A Desperate Last Stand Against Impossible Odds.
• The Battle Of Camp Angel Comes To A Brutal Climax.
• From The Rubble, A Nation Is Changed Forever.
32 Pgs./Rated T+ ...$3.99

Uncanny X-Men #10
Kieron Gillen (W)
Carlos Pacheco (A/C)
• The X-Men Vs. Unit, The Galactic Genocidal Fugitive!
• What Is Behind Unit’s Sinister Interest In Hope?
• Building Towards AvX!
32 Pgs./Rated T+ ...$3.99 *Issue #9 Cover Shown

Astonishing X-Men #49
Marjorie Liu (W)
Mike Perkins (A)
Cover by Dustin Weaver
• The Marauders Are Back!
• Something From Northstar’s Past Has Resurfaced And Is Looking For Revenge.
• Kyle Goes Missing – How Is He Connected To The Person Behind Everything?
32 Pgs./Rated T+ ...$3.99 *Not Final Cover - Interior Artwork Shown

Wolverine & The X-Men: Alpha & Omega #4 (Of 5)
Brian Wood (W)
Mark Brooks & Roland Boschi (A)
Cover by John Tyler Christopher
• Quentin Totally Loses Control Of The Construct And It All Begins To Break Down And Bleed Into The Real World.
• Rachel Grey Confronts The Berserker Wolverine
• Armor Makes A Decision In The Construct That Could Affect Her Mind And Powers Permanently
32 Pgs./Parental Advisory ...$3.99

X-Men Legacy #265
Christos Gage (W)
Rafa Sandoval (A)
Cover by Mark Brooks
• Time Is Running Out For Weapon Omega, The Mutant Time Bomb. How Will The X-Men Disarm Him Before He Implodes And Takes The School With Him?
• A Recently-Returned Mutant Becomes A Full-Fledged Member Of Wolverine’s X-Men.
32 Pgs./Rated T+ ...$2.99 *Issue #264 Cover Shown

Wolverine & The X-Men #8
Jason Aaron (W) • Chris Bachalo (A/C)
• Sabretooth Vs. Beast In The Most Vicious Fight Set To Paper!
• Angel Goes On A Mission To Repair A Broken Wolverine.
32 Pgs./Rated T+ ...$3.99 *Not Final Cover. Interior Art To Issue #8 Shown

X-Men #27
Victor Gischler (W)
Jorge Molina (A/C)Avengers Art Appreciation Variant by Khoi Pham
• Concluding Open Contract, The Story Of The Forgiven.
• The Marvel U’s Deadliest Assassins Have Been Sent After The Forgiven...And Are Trying To Kill Jubilee!
• Guest-Starring Lady Bullseye, The Assassin’s Guild, And Lord Deathstrike
32 Pgs./Rated T ...$3.99

Uncanny X-Force #24
Rick Remender (W) • Phil Noto (A/C)
Avengers Art Appreciation Variant by Julian Totino Tedesco
• Aoa Wolverine, Deadpool And Nightcrawler Go On Mission To Kill Aoa Iceman!
• What’s Left Of X-Force Returns From Otherworld!
32 Pgs./Parental Advisory ...$3.99

AGE OF APOCALYPSE #2
David Lapham (W) – Roberto De La Torre
Cover by Humberto Ramos
AVENGERS ART APP RECIATION VARIANT BY Christian Nauck
• AOA Cyclops is back... from the dead?!?!
• One of the X-Terminated is captured and faces death. Can the rest save her?
• Jean begins her training to take down Weapon X
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$2.99

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Thank you Bonez for the heads up! Click the link above to see the covers and other titles!

X-Men Legacy # 262 Cover - Step by Step

2012-01-23T20:23:00.000-04:00

From Mark Brooks' DeviantArt:

This is the step but step for the cover I did for X-Men Legacy #262 featuring Rogue for Marvel Comics. Here's the explanation for each image:

Step 1- I do a very rough sketch in about 15 minutes to submit to Marvel for approval of the concept.

Step 2- For this cover I wanted to get the subtle aspects of her pose so I called my friend Riki and had her pose for some reference photos. This are just for visual reference and not traced.

Step 3- The pencils where I work out the pose and all the little aspects of the costume. Everything after this will be built on this image.

Step 4- I do a very quick color job in photoshop over the pencils to figure out how I am going to render the markers. This keeps me from making mistakes when I get to the marker stage.

Step 5- I print the image out on non-photo blue and ink it using my Pentel brush pen and Copic multiliners on Strathmore drawing paper at 12"X24"

Step 6- The piece is rendered in warm and cool Copic markers using my original color rough as reference. I work light to dark carefully blending the markers as I go so it comes out smooth. I add highlights with white Prismacolor pencil and white acrylic. This step usually takes the longest.

Step 7- The piece is scanned in and colored in Photoshop on my Cintiq 21UX. At this stage I also make any slight adjustments that I find wrong. In this case I noticed her breasts were far too big so I used the free transform tool to tone them down and make them a bit smaller.

From there it's off to Marvel for approval!

Hope you dig!
-Mark
Follow me on Twitter: [link]

Parting Shot: Psylocke Feels Like Chicken Tonight, Like Chicken Tonight

2012-01-21T21:32:00.001-04:00

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/01/20/psylocke-pose-chicken-superheroine-anatomy/

An image of Psylocke from Generation Hope #15, illustrated by Tim Green. The... unconventional posturing (and unintentionally hilarious D: face from Danger, whose eye line leads directly to ninja cameltoe) also brings to mind an excellent post by a martial artist and contortionist who took bizarre superheroine fighting poses to task on his Tumblr:

People. I understand artist license. I understand exaggeration. I understand suspending disbelief. But if a martial artist who is also a contortionist can't mimic a pose you use constantly for female fighters, there might be a problem in, you know, your choices on basic anatomy. I can't be the only one who thinks this.

You bet your Shake 'n Bake you're not. Hilarious avian-related animated GIFs by Noelle Stevenson follow. (use the link above to see it!)

AXEL-IN-CHARGE: A Creative Retreat Wrap by Axel Alonso, Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief

2012-01-21T21:23:00.001-04:00

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36542

An editor with years of experience who's brought out comics to both critical acclaim and best-selling status, Alonso stepped into the chair at the top of Marvel's Editorial department earlier this year and since then has been working to bring his signature stylings to the entire Marvel U. Anchored by regular question and answer rounds with the denizens of the CBR Message Boards, each week Alonso will shake things up with special guest stars, exclusive art reveals and more!

This week, the Marvel offices were busy launching the plans that will take the Marvel Universe through 2012 with their latest creative retreat! These regular summits see the top minds of the Marvel freelance stable flying into NYC to work out the biggest story beats of the year, and this time out, writers from Brian Bendis to Matt Fraction to Mark Waid teamed up to plot the fallout of "Avengers Vs. X-Men" and its ramifications on the Marvel U. Despite a crowded week, Axel took the time to update CBR on the action including hints of the grand finale of their upcoming event, new titles to spin out of it and the inclusion of some big name characters along the way. Read on!

Kiel Phegley: Axel, as we speak you and the Editorial team are catching up on the week's work after having a pretty big group of writers in town for the latest Marvel story summit. Who all came into town this time?

Axel Alonso: Brian Bendis, Jeph Loeb, Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction, Jason Aaron, Dan Slott, Rick Remender, Kieron Gillen and Mark Waid were all in attendance. Ed Brubaker didn’t attend this time, but don’t draw any conclusions from that – his schedule just didn’t permit it. There were also...other people in attendance... [Laughs]

We've talked in the past about how "AvX" is pretty locked in as a story, and the scripts for the first few issues must be in at this point. Was there any major discussion on the particulars of the event or its end this time around?

Alonso: "AvX" wasn’t the topic of discussion for this meeting – we were there to talk about the post-"AvX" Marvel Universe. We already know how “AvX” ends – its ramifications for the our characters and the world in which they live – so we were there to talk about what happens next for the Avengers, the X-Men, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Huk and Thor. We kept some of the details of Act 3 purposefully malleable so that ideas or concepts introduced at this summit could be reflected in the climax of the story.

For so many events from the past five or seven years, there was a build from one event to the next – the Initiative led to "Secret Invasion" led to Dark Reign and so on. But with the Heroic Age branding of the line, the idea seemed very much to be about a clean slate. Has it been significantly different planning this event and its ramifications in that regard since you're knocking over the first in a set of new dominos?

Alonso: I can’t say too much. I want to, but I can’t. [Laughs] All I can say is that we were building a road to "Avengers Vs. X-Men" for years and once a compelling inciting incident revealed itself – one that gave both sides a POV and an equal stake in the outcome – we pulled the trigger. At the earliest summit to discuss “AvX,” we knew – just knew – how the story ended. Over time, we got a sense of what this ending would mean for individual teams and characters, its ramifications: who triumphs, who loses, who lives, who dies, who is disgraced, who is redeemed... This summit allowed us to take stock of the tapestry of the Marvel U in the wake of “AvX,” a world where the gap between the Marvel Universe and the X-Men Universe isn’t quite so big anymore.

Let's talk about what stands out from this week. When you think back on what went down this week in the offices and out with the writers, what will stand out do you think?

Alonso: I think that everyone agrees that this was one of the most exciting and, well, pleasant summits we've done in a while. There was lots of debate and less arguing and some real surprises emerged in the room – including a couple new series that just make you grin and nod your head the way a good beat does. [Laughs] At the last retreat, it took us a day to get any traction; at this one, we were burning rubber right out the gate. No one ever – ever – asked, “Did we accomplish anything today?”

You've just started to release covers and art from "AvX" online, which stirs up a lot of discussion from readers. When the writers come into town, do you play a similar roll amongst the creators – showing off some of the most recent art and scripts to get them excited for the task at hand?

Alonso: Of course. I mean, let’s face it, everyone in the room has, at time in their life, laid awake at night pondering who’d win in a fight – Hulk or Thor? I know I have! [Laughs] I mean, the other night, one of my favorite hip hop artists, Pete Rock, Tweeted the classic cover for "Defenders" #10 that shows Hulk and Thor in combat, and asked his followers, "Who would win?” I replied, "It's a draw." And it was maybe 1:00 AM when I did that! [Laughs]

That question – “Who’d win?” – is at least half of the fun of "AvX.” I mean, these are the world’s two biggest super-hero teams, c’mon.

Overall, what's the biggest thing you'll be carrying into the creation of upcoming books after this week's story meetings?

Alonso: All our writers came out of this retreat super- psyched about the future in a way that – hyperbole and hype aside – I haven't seen in a few years. Matt Fraction’s eyes were like saucers when we talked about one new series that came out of the discussion. When we were discussing the vibe of the series – from high concept to art-style to cover and trade dress approach – our connection was profound, almost spiritual, like Montana to Rice...or Smith to Davis. [Laughs]

Comics are all about building from one moment to the next. "AvX" is one hell of a story, and like the best comic stories, it paves the way to something new. The future is limitless.

Let's look at a few quick fan questions starting with Countgate who wondered, "With AvX, will be open some slots in the Avengers teams for characters that never were before like, Kid Loki or Songbird, to replace former mutant members?"

Alonso: That questions kinda assumes that the X-Men members of the Avengers side with the X-Men, Countgate. Three words: Don’t. Assume. Anything!

Spidey616 caught a detail that may pique the interest of "Uncanny X-Force" readers: "Speaking of the AVX teasers, one hints that not only will Warren Worthington be involved in the event but Archangel will be back. How much should we read into the teaser images?"

Alonso: Nothing should be read into that teaser image. It was commissioned BEFORE “X-Force” #18 came out and we weren’t even sure when we’d release it. Rather than showing the post-“Dark Angel Saga” Warren Worthington and possibly spoiling the ending of “Dark Angel Saga,” we erred on the side of using that design.

Finally, Ravin' Ray had a query that just couldn't be ignored: "I just thought of this, will you do a Pet version AvX? Say, Lockheed vs. Redwing?"

Alonso: Interesting idea. Show of paws...?

Wolverine and The X-Men #9 Cover

2012-01-21T02:10:00.001-04:00

Spotted this over at Psylocke Like A Butterfly!

http://psylocke-butterfly.blogspot.com/

X-Men Legacy # 261 - Preview

2012-01-20T12:15:00.000-04:00

From CBR:

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Thank you Bonez for posting this link!

School In Session

2012-01-19T21:45:00.001-04:00

http://marvel.com/news/story/17969/school_in_session

He may not be a teacher by trade, but writer Christos Gage has put a lot of stock in making sure the young would-be-heroes of the Marvel Universe get the education they need before venturing out into the dangerous field of saving the world.

Gage has spent the past two years helping Earth’s Mightiest guide a damaged group of super-powered teens in AVENGERS ACADEMY—recently joined by artist Tom Grummett—but added further to his portfolio earlier this month when he and artist David Baldeon enrolled in the Jean Grey School as the new creative team for X-MEN LEGACY. Though both titles take place in a school setting and feature veteran heroes training their hopeful successors, the tone between the two varies at a core level.

“Being an Avenger is a choice, being an X-Man is almost part and parcel of being a mutant,” contends Gage. “That wasn’t always the case, but now that there are so few mutants left, that’s how it is. So for the X-Men, it’s more about ‘This is the hand we’ve been dealt—what’s the best way to approach life?’ [where] with the Avengers it’s much more the traditional super hero philosophy of ‘Let’s use our talents to serve mankind.’ Not that the X-Men don’t care about that, but it’s just one part of a whole.

“Being an Avenger is a part time thing, and when you’re not doing that, you’re being a billionaire industrialist or whatever. Being an X-Man is a full-time job.”

Accordingly, these two differing philosophies inform the way the different teams steer their protégés, and in turn the way Gage views his charges and the institutions at which they matriculate.

“The Jean Grey School is very specifically teaching mutants, so they specialize in things like mutant history and mutant literature,” he explains. “They’re also trying to make sure their students learn how to do a variety of things in life besides combat; that’s their whole point, in contrast to Cyclops’ approach.

“At Avengers Academy, there is more emphasis on being a hero and how to use your powers for good. They still teach things like math and literature, but the goal is to be a hero like the Avengers, whereas at the Grey School, the point is you could be a chef or a wedding planner and it’s as legitimate as being an X-Man.”

While the focus in X-MEN LEGACY lies more with the faculty than the students, Gage has formed some opinions on the Grey School trainees and how they contrast to his Avengers Academy stalwarts.

“I do think the Grey School kids feel more like they’re part of a community [while] the AA kids can feel isolated,” the writer notes. “The original Academy students have that question hanging over them [of] will they go down the villainous path Norman Osborn started them on or become heroes. Although some of the Grey School kids have that too, like Broo and Genesis.”
In addition to that ever-looming potential fork in the road, the cast of AVENGERS ACADEMY currently have their hands full with the energy-leeching Hybrid, unleashed on the school by a time-travelling version of class leader Reptil whose motivations have still yet to be fully revealed.
“I do think there is some parallel between Hybrid, who always totally embraced evil, and future Reptil, who compromised his ideals over times, but ended up on the same time,” Gage points out.

Over in LEGACY, the core team will come up against classic X-Men foes like Exodus and Mimic as well as the extremely powerful Weapon Omega, but Gage has great excitement about spending time with and expanding his cast even when they’re not fighting bad guys.

“Rogue is one of the Marvel characters who has grown and evolved the most over the years, and the nature of her powers makes her a great window into other characters,” he says. “I’m also reading up on Chamber right now [and] he’s a cool character, [plus] Gambit, Frenzy and the Guthrie siblings. We won’t be focusing as much on the students in LEGACY as [Jason Aaron will in WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN], but when the time comes I always seem to gravitate toward Rockslide and Glob Herman. They’re just such cool visuals!”

Looking to the future, while the Jean Grey School may be in Westchester and the Avengers Academy recently relocated to California, Gage promises an upcoming event will bring the two together as they each come up against a surprising threat:

“Each other! Or in a greater sense, Avengers Vs. X-Men. Both books will be a big part of that.”

X-MEN LEGACY #261 hits stores next week on Wednesday, January 25, while AVENGERS ACADEMY #25 follows on February 1.

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many thanks to Bonez for the heads up!!!!

Avengers vs. X-Men #2 Cover

2012-01-18T14:58:00.001-04:00

First, Marvel Comics released Jim Cheung's cover to "Avengers vs. X-Men" #1. Then, it pulled back the curtain on Mike Deodato's cover for the first AvX tie-in issue of "New Avengers." Today, the publisher continued its week of reveals with a CBR exclusive look at Jim Cheung's "Avengers vs. X-Men" #2 cover. Written by Jason Aaron with art by John Romita Jr., the cover teases a headlining battle between Iron Man and Magneto with Hope Summers in a Phoenix-esque pose in the background.

"I think this is something the X-Men have been headed toward since before I got involved," Jason Aaron said while promoting AvX in late 2011. "There were millions of mutants and then one day that number dwindled down to a few hundred because of what Scarlet Witch did." The writer further explained he has picked up on the thread of Hope Summers role as the "Mutant Messiah." "She is the mutant messiah. It's not conjecture as far as Cyclops is concerned...coming out of 'Schism,' Cyclops is becoming harder edged. He had a philosophical split with the guy who was his top adviser for so long in Wolverine."

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thank you Stardust for the heads up!

Alpha? Omega? Explaining the X-MEN's Mutant Classifications

2012-01-16T16:55:00.000-04:00

From Newsarama:

ALPHA LEVEL

An Alpha level mutant is someone who looks no different from any other human being, and whose powers are pretty effective in combat. Likewise, they have no limitation placed on them as a result of their X-gene.

Kitty Pryde looks like any normal lady and is capable of walking through walls. Dazzler seems no different than others but can absorb sound waves and redirect them as light or lasers. Colossus looks like a living metal man when he uses his power, but he can then turn it off and resume the appearance of a normal person.

The mutant Rogue is now an Alpha level mutant since she can control her power, but once was a Beta level.

BETA LEVEL

Beta level mutants are just like Alphas, but with a catch. While at first glance they can pass for a human being, careful scrutiny reveals they have some strange trait that sets them apart, like an eye color that doesn't generally appear in humans. A Beta mutant can also be someone who passes for human but has some limitation imposed on them because of their power, such as not being able to make skin-to-skin contact (which describes Rogue's condition for many years).

Cyclops is a Beta level since he can't turn off his power and must always wear special lenses or a visor to control or contain it. Gambit can control his power and mostly seems human, but he has red eyes and black scleras. Wolverine may seem human at first, but along with not being able to turn off his powers, he has an extra set of bones and muscles in each forearm, thus his famous retractable claws.

Gamma Level

Like Alphas and Betas, Gamma level mutants are pretty handy in combat situations. But as a result of their X-gene, they cannot pass for human without the use of a disguise of some sort.

Blink's power of creating teleportation discs and energy projection makes her pretty handy in a fight. But along with this, she has lilac skin, eyes with no visible pupil or iris, pink hair, and strange facial markings. Nightcrawler can cling to surfaces like Spider-Man and can teleport to places he's seen (within a limited radius), but was born looking like a demon, complete with indigo fur, only three digits on each hand, two major digits on each foot, blank golden eyes, elf-like ears, fangs and a prehensile tail.

DELTA LEVEL

Delta Level mutants are those who, like Alphas and Betas, can pass for human at first glance. But unlike Alphas or Betas, their power is not something that is obvious and automatically combative. Their abilities are more subtle, enough so that an outside observer can't actually see the power in use. Delta mutants may go for years not realizing that they are, in fact, mutants, due to the nature of their abilities.

Domino is a Delta mutant. When she finds her adrenaline rushing, she causes probability to win out in her favor within her line of sight. But even this is not automatic, as she needs to actively take advantage of the "good luck" she causes. If Domino is being shot at, she can't just stand there and count on the bullets missing her. But if she starts running from those shooting at her, she'll find that most of the time she'll wind up narrowly avoiding each shot. Another Delta mutant would be Forge, who can instinctively build and rework machines without being told or even fully understanding how they work.

EPSILON LEVEL

Epsilon level mutants either have a non-combative power or no real powers at all, but are like Gamma level mutants in that they cannot hide what they are. Many examples of such mutants can be found among the Morlocks, a community that chose to live in the sewers rather than among humanity.

Tommy of the Morlocks had strange colored markings on her face and could become paper-flat at will. Artie Maddicks' X-gene caused his body to alter, turning him into a pink, hairless being with growths on his head and large, blank eyes. Along with this, he lost his powers of speech and could now only communicate by projecting holographs of his thoughts.

OMEGA LEVEL

These are the people who truly make normal human beings and government agencies afraid. These are mutants whose power levels are such that they are considered the most serious threats, capable of wide-scale destruction and proving very difficult to take down, contain or kill.

An obvious Omega level mutant is Magneto, whose powers over magnetism lead to a variety of abilities and also allow him to manipulate related fields of gravity and electricity to a certain degree. Storm could be considered an Omega level mutant, with her manipulation of the elements (an ability she can't completely turn off, as her power is keyed to her emotions). Iceman is proving to be another example of an Omega level mutant; though initially seeming more like an Alpha, Iceman has finally begun tapping into his full potential in the past few years, most recently showing he could create copies of himself to act as an army of organic ice beings.

~~~

Many thank you's to Bonez for posting this link!

Avengers vs X-Men #1 Cover

2012-01-16T07:14:00.001-04:00

http://marvel.com/news/story/17950/first_look_avengers_vs_x-men_1_cover

This April, the most explosive event to ever hit the Marvel Universe touches down when Earth's Mightiest Heroes go to war with the Children of the Atom in AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1!

Marvel.com proudly presents your exclusive first look at Jim Cheung's cover for AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1, featuring Captain America, Wolverine, Iron Man, Cyclops, Thor, Storm, Spider-Man, Magneto and more!

Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #AvX and visit the official AvX web site at http://marvel.com/avx!

~~~

thank you Bonez for posting this link!

LIU & PERKINS CHARACTERIZE THEIR "ASTONISHING X-MEN" RUN

2012-01-16T07:11:00.001-04:00

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36392

GAMBIT

CBR News: Marjorie, we know Gambit is a character you love to write and in a book like "X-23" you generally wrote him as part of duo. What's it like writing him as a member of the X-Men? Which aspects of the character and his dynamic with the X-Men are you interested in examining? What sort of role does he play on this team?

Marjorie Liu: I'm interested in exploring his role as an outsider to the team. I mean, there are other characters who might be considered outsiders -- like Warbird, who isn't just new to the X-Men, but the actual planet -- but Gambit has always been on some odd footing with the X-Men. His past is almost as mysterious and dark as Wolverine's, who didn't used to be such an angel -- and yet, Wolverine has become a respected figure in ways that Gambit hasn't, and might never.

Gambit chose to side with Wolverine's school-based faction of the X-Men and it seems many of his reasons are based on his experiences as a kid and more recently with X-23. Is that correct? What is Gambit's view on Cyclops' Utopia-based faction of the X-Men?

Liu: I think it's several things. Gambit's role as mentor and protector to X-23 might have made him look as his own potential as a teacher in a different way. Not that I think he would like to teach in a traditional setting -- but I do feel he's seen that he has something, maybe, to offer Wolverine's school. More importantly, though, he's not the type to send children into battle. Being someone who had no childhood of his own, who had to grow up rough and ready to fight, imposing that life on the young -- even if it is a big, bad, world -- would make him deeply uncomfortable.

Mike, in this drawing you really seemed to emphasize both the physical nature of Gambit and his shadowy background as a thief. Are these the qualities you find most interesting about him or are there other aspects of the character you enjoy as well?

Mike Perkins: I like Gambit to be the charming scoundrel. The guy who's maybe not one step ahead simply because he knows he can rely on his charm to get him out of a sticky situation. I also see him as being almost balletic in battle and there's a chance to play around, illustratively, with the movement of his long coat.

We also couldn't help but notice Gambit is throwing the Ace of Spades and the Ace of Hearts. Are these just cards? Or do they provide commentary on the character's nature?

Perkins: Hah! I'm glad you caught that! Yes, they're definitely comments on the character's nature. He has this divide in his nature that has shown up throughout his history and this was a shorthand way of showing this.

~~~~

thank you Bonez for posting this link!

Avenging Spiderman #3 Variant Cover

2012-01-15T15:38:00.001-04:00

http://marvel.com/images/902580

Gambit appears to the left, Rogue is between his feet!

Also, Uncanny X-Force #19.1 -AOA Rogue and Magneto meet their maker!

Thank you Stardust for the news!

Gambit Pillow!

2012-01-14T20:29:00.001-04:00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/88327555/ragin-cajun-pillow?ref=cat_gallery_21

Buy Now
$35.00 USD
Look out for this ragin' cajun! At approximately 12" x12" this Gambit pillow will make a soft and excellent partner to your bed or couch. Great for any fan of X-Men. 100% cozy, comfy, squishy and usable!

Colors: Ivory, Black, Brown, Red
Approx. size: 12 inches by 12 inches
Materials: Anti-pill Fleece and Felt
Stuffing included and enclosed. Spot cleaning recommended.

Each pillow is made to order and EXTREMELY customizable! Even other characters!
Just message me to customize.

ALL our creations come from a smoke free home!
I make these to order so plan about 10 days of production before shipping. Contact me for a possible shipping date when you order.

Want to see more of our Geeky products?
Visit our store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CollierCostuming

**DISCLAIMER**
All our cushion designs are fan made and are not official merchandise, we do not own rights or imagery. Please support the actual games developers and games merchandise.

Rogue Pillow!

2012-01-14T20:26:00.001-04:00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/88393945/southern-belle-pillow?ref=cat_gallery_9

Want to give this southern belle a kiss!? At approximately 12" x12" this Rogue pillow will make a soft and excellent partner to your bed or couch. Great for any fan of X-Men. 100% cozy, comfy, squishy and usable!

Colors: Ivory, Brown, White, Green
Approx. size: 12 inches by 12 inches
Materials: Anti-pill Fleece and Felt
Stuffing included and enclosed. Spot cleaning recommended.

Each pillow is made to order and EXTREMELY customizable! Even other characters!
Just message me to customize.

ALL our creations come from a smoke free home!
I make these to order so plan about 10 days of production before shipping. Contact me for a possible shipping date when you order.

Want to see more of our Geeky products?
Visit our store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CollierCostuming

**DISCLAIMER**
All our cushion designs are fan made and are not official merchandise, we do not own rights or imagery. Please support the actual games developers and games merchandise.

Best Art Ever (This Week) - 01.13.12

2012-01-14T06:15:00.001-04:00

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/01/13/best-art-ever-this-week-01-13-12/

We make a regular practice at ComicsAlliance of spotlighting particular artists and/or specific bodies of work, but there's just so much great work on sites like like Flickr, Tumblr, DeviantArt and other countless blogs that we've created Best Art Ever (This Week), a weekly depository for just some of the virtually countless pieces of especially compelling artwork that we come across in our regular travels across the digital media landscape. Some of it's new, some of it's old, some of it's created by working professionals, some of it's created by talented fans, and some of it's endearingly stupid. All of it's awesome.

WANT TO CONTRIBUTE?

We're very much interested to see what you've dug up and think should be featured here in Best Art Ever (This Week). Please submit any great art links to andykhouri-at-comicsalliance.com. Artists, feel free to send in your own work - we won't judge you (publicly) - or to request that your work be removed.

Even More AVENGERS Vs. X-MEN Round 1 Teasers Revealed

2012-01-14T06:06:00.001-04:00

http://www.comicvine.com/news/even-more-avengers-vs-x-men-round-1-teasers-revealed/144108/

Over the course of the last week or so we've seen a lot of AVENGERS VS. X-MEN teasers. We had three of them just yesterday. We saw images of Colossus Vs. Thing, Archangel Vs. Daredevil and Gambit Vs. Spider-Woman. However today's match-ups might top them all.

Earlier Marvel revealed two teasers pitting some of their biggest leaders against one another. The latest image gives us a look at two potential battles: Wolverine Vs. Captain America and Hawkeye Vs. Cyclops. Check out the full teasers below and let us know who you think would win the respective fights!

AvX:- Gambit vs Spider-Woman

2012-01-13T10:53:00.002-04:00

X Men Legacy 261 cover

2012-01-13T10:51:00.002-04:00

X-Men Legacy 261 Variant [Venom Edition]

2012-01-12T18:56:00.000-04:00

--------------------------------------
Thanks for the Find, stardust.

AVENGERS VS. X-MEN Teaser Images Preview Upcoming Match-Ups

2012-01-11T20:09:00.001-04:00

Teaser images available at:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36307

...and:

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/avengers-vs-xmen-teasers-120109.html

AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, JASON AARON, MATT FRACTION, JONATHAN HICKMAN, ED BRUBAKER
Art by JOHN ROMITA JR.
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
FOC – 2/27/12, ON SALE – 4/3/12

~~~~
Oodles of thanks to sandman for the heads up! Sorry I took so long to post!

Avengers Vs. X-Men Tie-In AVX: Versus is Literally the Fight Book

2012-01-08T07:42:00.001-04:00

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/01/06/avengers-x-men-versus-tie-in/

Among Marvel Comics' biggest publishing initiatives for 2012 is Avengers Vs. X-Men, the previously announced 12-issue series where the writer will change every issue: Brian Bendis, Matt Fraction, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, and Jonathan Hickman; and where John Romita Jr., Oliver Coipel and Adam Kubert will each illustrate one four-issue "act."

Breaking with tradition, Marvel confirmed this week that only one sister title will be launched to tie-in with Avengers Vs. X-Men, and it is called AVX: Versus. Each issue of the six-part series will spotlight two fights from the main book in more detail and more action than can be allowed in the main book. Like the main series, AVX: Versus will employ different creative teams from issue to issue, beginning in April with Magneto vs. Iron Man by Jason Aaron & Adam Kubert and Namor vs. The Thing by Kathryn & Stuart Immonen.

The news comes to us courtesy of Marvel.com Associate Editor Ben Morse, who administered a live blog of a conference call hosted by Junior Sales Administrator James Viscardi and featuring Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso, Executive Editor Tom Brevoort and Senior Editor Nick Lowe.

Some highlights and relavant information:

- AVX: Versus will be the only newly created tie-in title to the main Avengers Vs. X-Men book, as opposed to the deluge of tie-in miniseries and one-shots typically associated with superhero publishing events of this kind. However, existing ongoing series such as the "core" Avengers and X-Men titles will tie-in to the AVX event.

- AVX: Versus is brazenly a fight comic. In the words of Tom Brevoort, "[There's] not a lot of conversation, introspection or sitting around tables. Page one has somebody punching somebody, the last page has somebody shooting somebody else."

- It would seem the 12 issues of Avengers Vs. X-Men are not enough to "do every fight justice," necessitating the tie-in book focused solely on battles. Brevoort likened the scheme to a 1960s issue of Thor that was dedicated to revisiting a Hulk fight that spanned only a few panels in an earlier issue of Avengers.

- Naturally, fights are fun to draw. "We wanted to give beautiful eye candy by rotating A-list teams," Brevoort said. "We're bringing in our big guns. If we were ever going to publish over-sized, this would be the candidate. You won't find a more straightforward title than Versus."

- "There are a tons of twists and turns in AVX where each team gets the leg up. I'm excited for those. I'm looking forward to seeing a Storm fight. I want to see Jewel get involved, she doesn't fight enough. We've got to see a Thor fight." -Nick Lowe

- "The positions of both the Avengers and the X-Men in AVX are hopefully presented effectively so that you think either side could be right. There will be moments where some Avengers break ranks and side with the X-Men and vice versa. Wolverine, Beast and Storm are conflicted. Hawkeye, Spider-Woman and Ms. Marvel might be as well." -Tom Brevoort

- "You won't see bouts in [AVX: Versus] that aren't reflected in some way in [Avengers Vs. X-Men], but they will be shown with more depth." -Tom Brevoort

- "We won't shy away from fan favorite fights like Rogue vs Ms. Marvel or Pixie vs Squirrel Girl." -Nick Lowe

- "Hopefully in the background of one fight you will see Ben Urich fighting Trish Tilby to give fans their Front Line fix." -Nick Lowe

- "At the end of the day what you get excited about is seeing your favorite character pummel your friend's favorite character so you can laugh at them." -Tom Brevoort

[Via Marvel.com]

MARVEL ANNOUNCES "AVX: VERSUS" TIE-IN FOR "AVENGERS VS. X-MEN"

2012-01-06T17:25:00.001-04:00

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36299

Marvel Comics kicked off the New Year in style with their first Next Big Thing press conference call where the publisher pulled back the curtain on the first "Avengers vs. X-Men" tie-in book. Titled simply "Versus," each issue of the 12-part miniseries with a rotating cast of creative teams focuses on a battle between a different X-Man and Avenger. Moderator and Junior Sales Administrator James Viscardi was joined by Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso, Marvel Senior Editor Nick Lowe and Executive Editor Tom Brevoort, who were on hand to answer questions and shed some light on the upcoming series.

"In a nutshell, as we've said in the past, in 'Avengers vs. X-Men,' we're only doing tie-ins in our core Avengers and X-Men titles," said Brevoort. "'AvX: Versus' is the least essential read of 'AvX,' but it will probably be the most bestselling. It is literally the fight book." Brevoort said the series would expand the battles seen in the main pages of "AvX" and would have heavy action.

Viscardi mentioned there are two creative teams on each issue with two stories in each book. "It is the ultimate book for the quintessential Marvel fan," said Brevoort. "There's going to be plenty of fighting in the main 'AvX' title, but given the casts are so large and given that there are so many potential conflicts -- if you go to any message board right now where people are talking about 'AvX' and they want to see every character who's ever appeared in the Avengers fight every character that's ever appeared in the X-Men, there's not going to be enough space to do justice to all those conflicts in the main book."

"We're already seeing people on the message boards aligning themselves with either the X-Men or the Avengers and pondering the big question of 'Who would win in a fight?'" said Alonso. "We want to give that some space here. We want to give some eye candy by rotating our A-list teams. We're bringing out our big guns. If you were ever going to publish a book that was oversized, it would be this one."

The first bout is Magneto versus Iron Man by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert, while the second will feature Namor versus Thing by Katherine and Stuart Immonen, which Lowe described as "two huge knockdown, dragout battles that play with the characters' powers in amazing ways." Both will be contained in Issue #1. "It's going to be a big hoo-hah fun of a title," said Brevoort.

"One of the coolest things about AvX is that there are a ton of twists and turns where each team gets a leg up and I'm looking forward to seeing all these characters in depth," said Lowe. "I'm looking forward to getting a Storm fight in here, a Jessica Jones fight in here."

During the event, Brevoort confirmed there will be moments of shifting and breaking of ranks on both sides. "There are moments where Avengers may break ranks, they may shift over to the X-Men point of view and vice versa," said Brevoort.

The editors described "AvX: Versus" as the "anti-'Front Line.'" "We just wanted more fights," said Lowe.

In terms of interconnectivity to the main title, it is possible to read the main title and not "Versus" to still get the whole story, but for diehard fans, the tie-in would be very rewarding. "In the course of 'AvX' #2, there are about forty characters fighting in the very first skirmish and we aren't going to be able to spend more than a page or two on it," said Brevoort. "They're going to be pretty exciting pages, but there's a lot more you can do with any of these conflicts. All of these things will work in lockstep. You won't see bouts in 'Versus' that aren't in some way reflected in the main book, but you will see them in much greater depth." Brevoort referenced a Stan Lee and Jack Kirby moment where Thor fought the Hulk.

Alonso referenced the one of his favorite events that "Versus" reminds him of. "One of the things that I like about 'Versus' is that it reminds me a little bit of my favorite crossover, 'The Avengers/Defenders War' back in the '70s," said Alonso. "A lot of those fights were split into bite-sized chunks of two fights in the issue."

"We've jokingly said about it internally that the tag on it is 'No Story, No Subtext,'" said Brevoort. "It's not 100% accurate, but it's maybe 99% accurate."

The editors said they wouldn't be "shying away" from fan favorite fights including Squirrel Girl vs. Pixie or Rogue vs. Ms. Marvel. "The goal is to bring this to where some fans will walk away happy and some will walk away unhappy."

Most of the fights will be one-on-one, though the editors did say they were open to others joining in. "The main thing is to keep it one-on-one, but we don't want to tie our creators down if they have an awesome idea that involves more than that," said Lowe.

"Primarily, you're talking about one-on-one bouts," said Brevoort.

In terms of fight venues, Brevoort referenced fighting games where players can choose their characters and the stage. "We will have plenty of arenas from around the world to draw from," he said.

Brevoort also clarified why there wouldn't be a "Front Line" style book for this event. "This is the uncut heroine of this event," said Brevoort. "Doing a ground level, normal people view didn't seem as appealing of our characters grinding each other into the dirt."

The editors closed out the call by discussing some of their favorite bouts including Thor vs Storm and the potential of Magneto's powers on whichever arena he fought. The first issue of "AvX: Versus" hits in April.

X-MEN 4-View: ULTIMATE, WOLVERINE & X-MEN, X-FACTOR, LEGACY

2012-01-05T18:43:00.001-04:00

From: Newsarama

X-MEN LEGACY #260.1
CHRISTOS GAGE (W) • DAVID BALDEON (A)
COVER BY MARK BROOKS
ISSUE #261 VENOM VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• REGENESIS tie-in! A new creative team and a new status quo for X-MEN: LEGACY...
• Rogue, Gambit, Iceman, Frenzy and Rachel Summers take up their posts as teachers and protectors of Wolverine’s School...just in time to defend it from invading N’Garai demons!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

THE REST OF THE X-MEN PREVIEWS:

Wolverine and the X-men #4

Wolverine #300

Magneto: Not A Hero #3

Daken: Dark Wolverine #19

X-Factor #230

Ultimate Comics X-Men #4

The X-Perts: Colossus

2012-01-05T10:59:00.000-04:00

Excerpt from Marvel:

What does Colossus think of Cyclops' "Extinction Team" and his place on it?

Kieron Gillen: He was already a powerhouse, and his avatar-possession by Cyttorak only makes that more so. Cyclops wants him on the team? The team seems to be saving people. Maybe this will let him save some more people before whatever is in his head consumes him? It seems to be the best place for him. And the part of him that's charred from contact with Cyttorak's spirit is enjoying destroying everything. It doesn't matter what for. It's the destruction that matters.

Nick Lowe: He doesn’t really have a lot of brain space right now to think about it, but he’s always been ready to make tough realistic grey-area choices.

Is the choice he made to leave the X-Men and join the Acolytes something that ever still affects Colossus?

Nick Lowe: He certainly hasn’t forgotten that time, but I don’t think it weighs that heavily on him as it was eclipsed by Illyana’s death and had a lot to do with his emotional fallout there.

Kieron Gillen: Sticking his hand up to “Have you ever been a super villain” during the first issue of UNCANNY X-MEN probably says much.

How did his sacrifice to cure the Legacy Virus and subsequent revival alter Colossus?

Kieron Gillen: Not enough, I think. He killed himself and I don't think has learned almost anything from the experience.

Nick Lowe: That was Colossus to a T, making such a sacrifice. I would say both the sacrifice and revival were more character defining than character changing.

Marvel: Fav Teams of 2011

2012-01-05T10:54:00.000-04:00

Link

10. THE NEW MUTANTS

Roster: Dani Moonstar, Cannonball, Karma, Sunspot, Magik, Magma, Warlock, Cypher, X-Man

2011 in Review: After the back-to-back challenges of escaping Limbo and surviving the Age of X cost her half her team, Dani Moonstar rallied the New Mutants by petitioning Cyclops for a new mission statement to clean up the X-Men’s unfinished business. This far the second generation Children of the Atom has rescued and recruited X-Man, aided Hela during Fear Itself and most recently tracked down the missing Blink.
Why They Make the List: Rather than sit around waiting for the elder X-Men to have use for them, the New Mutants under Dani’s direction became a pro-active force, dealing with the messes their one-time mentors forgot about and getting results. Furthering this stance, they moved off Utopia following Schism and took up residence in San Francisco itself to be closer to the action and people who need them.

Digital Highlight: NEW MUTANTS (2009) #19—The team’s final battle against Project Purgatory!

8. THE X-MEN (TEAM WOLVERINE)

Roster: Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Beast, Iceman, Rogue, Marvel Girl, Gambit, Husk, Armor

2011 in Review: After Schism split the X-Men, Wolverine took those loyal to him and any young mutants looking for a place to learn back to Westchester, New York, establishing the Jean Grey School and taking on the unfamiliar role of headmaster. These X-Men’s first challenge came in getting their certification from the board of education even as the new Hellfire Club besieged their grounds with genetically engineered monsters, a feat they accomplished through unconventional but effective means.

Why They Make the List: You have to admire Wolverine’s willingness to become a fish way out of water as the mentor to the next generation of mutants, putting his money where his mouth is as far as giving them a choice for their future. Also, it’s just nice to have X-Men in New York again.

Digital Highlight: UNCANNY X-MEN #522—Kitty Pryde makes her way back to the X-Men!

4. THE X-MEN (TEAM CYCLOPS)

Roster: Cyclops, Colossus, Storm, Magneto, Psylocke, Dazzler, Jubilee, Emma Frost, Namor, Danger, Domino, Hope, Magik, Warpath

2011 in Review: After his ideological split with Wolverine, Cyclops consolidated his forces on Utopia and marshaled the most powerful mutants among the populace into his new “Extinction Team.” The nascent group faced their trial by fire against a reinvigorated Mister Sinister, driving him away from San Francisco and staring down the cosmically powered Celestials in the process. Meanwhile, Storm led a smaller squadron to corral Sentinel activity in Eastern Europe and prevent international aggression alongside War Machine.

Why They Make the List: The world may always hate and fear the X-Men, and Cyclops has decided he’s ok with that, provided they also leave his people alone. Gathering perhaps the most powerful and certainly the most intimidating group in X-Men history with his Extinction Team, Scott Summers has resigned himself to safeguarding his species and protecting the world at large no matter what it takes or who he upsets as he goes; it’s risky, but you have to respect his guts and commitment.

Digital Highlight: UNCANNY X-MEN #534.1—As part of his ongoing efforts to establish the X-Men’s credibility, Cyclops attempts the daunting task of rehabilitating Magneto’s image!

1. X-FORCE

Roster: Wolverine, Archangel, Deadpool, Fantomex, Psylocke, Deathlok, Nightcrawler

2011 in Review: Following their harrowing initial mission that ended with Fantomex shooting a child clone of Apocalypse in cold blood, X-Force regrouped as best they could and faced an army of Deathlok androids from the future intent on acquiring the secrets of The World and dealt with the return of The Shadow King. From there, the Dark Angel Saga unfolded, with the team journeying to the Age of Apocalypse and fact, once again engaging the Horsemen, and finally needing to pull out all the stops and make huge sacrifices in order to halt the ascent of their corrupt teammate, Archangel.

Why They Make the List: Nobody likes taking out the garbage, but somebody has to do it. X-Force served this role in the Marvel Universe, getting their hands dirty with jobs others shied away from despite the tremendous toll it took on their souls. When even Deadpool expresses guilt, you know you’re facing steep challenges, but Wolverine’s black ops squad still forged ahead. They didn’t grab headlines or get tickertape parades, but really doesn’t that make what X-Force accomplished even more commendable? We’re sure they don’t feel like the top team of the year, but for all they gave up to keep safe a world that never knew it, we believe they earned at least one accolade.

Digital Highlight: UNCANNY X-FORCE #5.1—X-Force must save the X-Men from Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers without them knowing about it!

IGN Reviews Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha and Omega #1

2012-01-05T10:49:00.000-04:00

Link

Brian Wood is the rare sort of writer whose career has been characterized by a lack of focus on company-owned books. But Wood did get his start in the industry by writing Generation X. So as Wood begins taking on an increased number of licensed characters in 2012, it's only fitting that one such project sees him return to the troubled teen mutants among the X-Men.

Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha and Omega spins pretty directly out of Jason Aaron's young series, to the point where this first issue could almost function as the start of a new story arc. Quentin Quire is the primary focus of the story. With his anger and general teenage crankiness boiling over, he decides to finally get even with Headmaster Logan.

Quentin is a natural fit for Wood, as he specializes in maladjusted youth with larger-than-life problems. The series' greatest strength right out of the gate is its ability to delve into Quentin's head and explore what motivates him. Too often, readers have been kept at a distance with this character, which paints him as more of a villain than is strictly true. Wood's portrayal is well-rounded. Quentin is reasonably sympathetic without ignoring the fact that he's also an arrogant jerk. The same sense of bizarre whimsy that permeated the Jean Grey Institute in Aaron's first arc is apparent, though in general the humor and snarky dialogue has been toned down. Again, Wood plays to his particular strengths here.

The series does divide itself between Quentin and Wolverine's points of view, as the latter falls victim to a psychic attack from his new pupil. Unfortunately, the fantasy scenes are significantly weaker than the rest of the book. Wolverine finds himself trapped in a fairly generic dystopian world. With the script making it clear how false and transitory this world is right from the get-go, there's little reason for the reader to feel any sort of investment in these scenes. This portion of the book needs a stronger hook if it's meant to last for the remaining four issues.

Roland Boschi and Mark Brooks handle their respective sections well. Boschi benefits from some bright, attractive colors, which help shift his style away from the familiar realm of darkness and monsters we've seen in books like Ghost Rider and FrankenCastle. Brooks, fresh off his stint revisiting the Age of Apocalypse, continues along those lines in the fantasy pages. The dreary colors don't necessarily bring out the best in his work, but in this case dreary is what the story calls for.

Alpha and Omega isn't a bad start for Wood. However, the story does seem a bit light for a five-issue mini-series, particularly considering how much Aaron was able to accomplish in his first three issue of the main series. Hopefully the next chapter will be able to add a few more wrinkles to the formula.

Rating: 7/10

Marvel Announces "Avengers vs. X-Men" Launch Parties

2012-01-05T10:46:00.000-04:00

From CBR:

Official Press Release

Marvel’s making sure all comic book stores worldwide are armed for the biggest super hero war of all time with the Avengers VS X-Men Launch Parties on Tuesday, April 3rd at 8pm (local time), one day before the first issue goes on-sale. In addition to being the first in line to purchase Avengers VS X-Men #1, fans will also be able to receive special items exclusive to these parties, specific to the team—Avengers or X-Men—supported by the store.

To ensure these parties are the biggest sales success of 2012, each retailer opting into this event will receive a free Avengers VS X-Men Party Kit from Marvel, containing exclusive promotional materials.. In order to receive this party kit, every retailer just needs to choose a team—Avengers or X-Men—and will receive special bonuses for their allegiance.

“We’ve never had a bigger story than Avengers VS X-Men and we’re backing retailers with the biggest incentives you’ve ever seen through the Avengers VS X-Men Launch Parties,” said David Gabriel, Marvel Senior Vice-President of Sales. “Whether it’s advertising, promotional material or limited edition variant covers, every one of our valued retailer partners will be able to get the word out to both their regular customers and new fans about this comic event and the exciting Avengers VS X-Men Launch Parties. Some stores will choose to side with the Avengers and some will side with the X-Men, but I can guarantee one thing—Marvel will make sure all of them have everything they need to make Avengers VS X-Men #1 their top selling comic of the year.”

All retailers who opt into the parties & choose a team will receive the following as part of the Avengers VS X-Men Party Kit:

Avengers VS X-Men Program, a free comic previewing the upcoming event

Avengers VS X-Men Postcards

Avengers VS X-Men Customizable Flyer

Avengers VS X-Men Customizable Press Release

Avengers VS X-Men Backlist Sales

Avengers VS X-Men mini posters

Avengers VS X-Men promo items

Avengers VS X-Men #1 Advance Screening Copy, delivered to retailers in late March 2012

Avengers VS X-Men Party Lithographs

Mass media promotion around the launch of AvX and the associated parties

Promotion of parties to Marvel fan base via Marvel.com, Twitter and Facebook

An additional discount on the Road to Avengers VS X-Men Trade Paperback

And these same retailers will receive complimentary team specific versions—based on their allegiance—of the following:

Exclusive Avengers VS X-Men #1 Spotlight Variant specific to the team supported by the store

Free Avengers VS X-Men mini-posters showing store allegiance

Free Avengers VS X-Men Party Tickets

Free Avengers or X-Men Team Pins

Free Avengers VS X-Men in-store signage and shelf-talkers

Retailers, please check the Marvel Mailer or Diamond Daily for regular updates about the Avengers VS X-Men Launch Parties.

Which team will reign supreme? Join the conversation on Twitter with #AvX!

For more on Avengers VS X-Men, please visit avx.marvel.com

Comixfan's Pick Six!

2012-01-04T16:52:00.000-04:00

Will now be available on a weekly basis (provided Keogh posts the link to remind me!) to your immediate right. View and have fun!

Happy New Year!!!

2011-12-31T20:22:00.001-04:00

Bye bye 2011 - hello 2012!!!

MARVEL COMICS ON SALE JANUARY 4, 2012

2011-12-30T20:43:00.000-04:00

From: CBR

Avengers X-sanction #2

Uncanny X-Men #4

Uncanny X-Force #19.1

Wolverine and The X-Men: Alpha & Omega #1

X-23 #20

X-Club #2

X-Men #23

Broken Frontier Reviews: Wolverine & The X-Men #3

2011-12-29T19:17:00.001-04:00

http://www.brokenfrontier.com/reviews/p/detail/wolverine-and-the-x-men-3

Aaron and Bachalo's first arc at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning comes to a close, but calls in the cavalry to get it done on time.
With the new Hellfire Club's mission of destroying the newly-opened Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, Wolverine and his staff/X-Men must team up with the children of the academy to fight a litany of monsters, none less than Krakoa, the living island that the school just happened to be founded on. The attack isn't the biggest problem the kids have to face; with Quentin Quire personally on Captain America's watch list, Idie oddly coming to grips with the fact that she split up the X-Men, and even newcomer Broo using glasses to fit in, it's a class of misfits that all have their own trouble. With a new classmate in tow this issue (alongside the school board, which has been turned into classic Marvel villains), Wolverine may have bitten off more than he can chew opening a new school.

One would assume with that litany of visual artists on the book that there'd be some sort of massive mess in between the covers, akin to too many chefs in the kitchen. Like the second issue of The Incredible Hulk, which rivaled this book with its credited creators, the work largely melds together, with only a few possible stand-outs as not by Bachalo, notably the pages featuring Captain America, Daredevil, and Sabretooth. If they weren't drawn by other artists, then Bachalo seems to be off his game. Still the regular reader won't notice any discrepancies the first time through, and only the large artist list make the visual differentiation worth a second look. Bachalo's art continues to be amazing, and while the issue isn't fully his own, the stable that's been summoned can keep the consistency by and large.

Aaron's writing continues to make this the breakout hit of the X-Men universe since Astonishing X-Men relaunched the franchise years ago under the helm of Joss Whedon, invigorating what could be a very dull concept ("a new school of mutants") with a fresh concept ("lead by Wolverine, who is not an appropriate teacher"), and invigorates it with some truly off-the-wall stuff ("impish Nightcrawlers chanting 'Scotch!'") that makes the book truly absurd and fun. There's not a panel wasted on not building up characters or characterizations, and little humorous nuggets are interspersed with the deadly reality of the action. One two-page spread combines the best of both Aaron and Bachalo, defining the stand with what lengths the staff and students will take for their school.

There's a great team working on this book, and with any other pair or concept, it would just be "another X-Men book" or "another Wolverine book". There's a magic here, with both the writer and the artist working to each other's strengths, and the series is well worth enrolling in.

10 Characters to Watch in 2012

2011-12-29T19:10:00.001-04:00

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/10-to-watch-in-2012-characters-111228-1.html

#4 Hope

Marvel sure does love its redheads. From Jean Grey to Matt Murdock and Mary Jane Watson, Marvel has a special place for red-haired characters, and they've continued that tradition with the X-man Hope. Dubbed the "mutant messiah," she's the off-stage MacGuffin for the current Avengers: X-Sanction series and the catalyst for Marvel's 2012 event series Avengers vs. X-Men. Not bad for a character who's only been in comics for four years.

Originally introduced as a baby in the X-Men: Messiah Complex crossover storyline in 2007, Hope was spirited away by Cable to protect her against anti-mutant terrorists. On the trail of Cable and the kid was fellow X-Man Bishop, who recognizes Hope as the instigator for the mutant apocalypse in his home future. Growing up over the course of the 25-ssue Cable series as they constantly jump through time, Hope grew to see Cable as a father figure, going so far as to adopt his last name, "Summers," as her own. Cable and Hope returned to the present day in 2010's "Second Coming," with Cable sacrificing his life in the finale to protect Hope. After that, Hope slowly integrated herself into the modern Marvel Universe and recognized her ability to ignite mutant powers, as seen in the series Generation Hope. But her role in the bigger picture of the Marvel U took form in the recently released first issue of X-Sanction where a revived Cable comes back in time to single-handedly take on the Avengers after finding a future where they cause Hope's death.

With the events already set in motion, Hope is destined to be a key player in Marvel's 2012 plans. But as anyone who's read her in Generation Hope can tell you, she's not the kind to follow someone else's plans and might do something that could surprise us all.

CBR Top 100 Comics of 2011 #25-11

2011-12-29T19:07:00.001-04:00

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36136

23. Wolverine & The X-Men
Written by Jason Aaron
Drawn by Chris Bachalo
Published by Marvel Comics

"Jason Aaron mixes irreverent humor with fanboy-level reverence to create the thrill-a-minute X-Men comic fans have been waiting for."

-- CBR Contributor Brett White

"This is a genuinely funny brand new series with tons of action -- plus the premise makes me believe that Jason Aaron has actually been spying on the brains of every Kitty Pryde fan ever. I wish this book was coming out daily!"

-- CBR Staff Writer Josie Campbell

THAT Page...

2011-12-29T16:17:00.001-04:00

X-Men Legacy # 260 - Rogue Scans

2011-12-29T16:15:00.000-04:00

Mike Carey's final issue of X-Men Legacy...

And there you go! Have at it!

Note About X-Men Legacy #260.

2011-12-28T19:53:00.000-04:00

Hi, As you may know X-Men Legacy #260 was released today. As a Rogue based blog I'm sure that the site owner, the lovely and gracious Soulkiller, will post a few scans from the issue. The issue contains a page that some rogue fans won't like. However, it should be said that this is a Rogue Blog and as such there are many different type of fans of Rogue who follow this blog. We should be respectful of everyone's opinion and keep this blog as civil as possible. If you don't like how Rogue is being portrayed then please say so, but try to refrain from bashing her, other characters, or the writer. SK is a very gracious in that she keeps the blog up-to-date despite her busy RL, we should respect her, and her blog and do our part to keep it as friendly as possible.

Thank you for reading this, and Happy New Year.

-trinitytiger

Mike Carey's Long Run Ranks High in the X-MEN's Legacy

2011-12-28T19:37:00.000-04:00

From: Newsarama

Mike Carey's five-and-a-half year X-Men run ends this week with X-Men: Legacy #260, the conclusion of the two-part "Half a Step" arc that sets up the book's post X-Men: Schism status quo, and paves the way for new series writer Christos Gage.

Carey's stint started with X-Men #188 back in July 2006, and the series subsequently saw several shifts in status quo as well as the "Legacy" suffix added in 2008 with issue #208. In total, Carey's written 73 consecutive issues of X-Men — plus the "Endangered Species" one-shot and back-up stories that teed up "Messiah Complex," the New Mutants issues of "Age of X" and two annuals, one in 2006 and one in 2009.

"I've really loved working in the X-Men universe," Carey said in a November interview with Newsarama. "You kind of feel like this is a house you lived in as a child, and here you are building new rooms onto it."

In terms of sheer numbers, Carey's ahead of noted X-Men runs by writers like Grant Morrison (41 issues), Matt Fraction (35 issues) and X-Men co-creator Stan Lee (19 issues). According to our research, Carey's actually No. 2 among writers for the longest consecutive X-Men runs, and No. 3 for actual "X-Men" comics written. Read on to see how it all breaks down.

[Newsarama note: For the purpose of this article, we're only counting nominal "X-Men" comics, though there are plenty of impressively lengthy runs throughout the X-books, such as Peter David's current stint on X-Factor and Larry Hama's many issues of Wolverine.]

Chris Claremont
Years on the book: 1975-1991 (Uncanny X-Men), 2000-2001 (Uncanny X-Men), 2001-2004 (X-Treme X-Men) 2004-2006 (Uncanny X-Men)
Consecutive issues: 186 (Uncanny X-Men #94-#279)

Chris Claremont's 16-year original run on Uncanny X-Men represents one of the most prolific periods in superhero comics, generating a steady stream of classic stories like "The Dark Phoenix Saga," "Days of Future Past" and God Loves, Man Kills. His 186 issues — which started with scripting plots by Len Wein, and include a stretch co-plotted by John Byrne — shaped modern perceptions of the team, and outdistances Peter David's Incredible Hulk (137 issues) and Stan Lee's 114 straight issues of Fantastic Four. Brian Michael Bendis is getting awfully close, though, when each incarnation of Ultimate Spider-Man is combined — currently at 165 issues and counting.

That alone would be a staggering feat, but Claremont also returned to Uncanny X-Men briefly in 2000 and for a bit longer in 2004, and wrote all 46 issues of X-Treme X-Men — plus the first four years of New Mutants, Excalibur, X-Men Forever and a lot more. So, yeah. The guy's written a lot of X-Men comics.

Mike Carey
Years on the book: 2006-2011
Consecutive issues: 73 (X-Men #188-X-Men: Legacy #260)

Carey's 73 issues of X-Men and X-Men: Legacy represent not only the second-longest consecutive run in X-Men history, but also one of the longest runs of his career, outpaced only by Vertigo title Lucifer. In terms of pages, though, when combined with additional material like two annuals, one-shots and "Endangered Species," it ranks as Carey's personal No. 1.

His run started as a typical X-Men team book — well, not completely typical, since the roster included Sabretooth, Mystique, Omega Sentinel and Lady Mastermind — before evolving into an ersatz Professor X solo book with the title switch to X-Men: Legacy. Rogue eventually stepped into the title role, and the book has continued to focus on her as the cast grew — and by all indications, she'll still be at the center of the series when Christos Gage takes over in January.

Scott Lobdell
Years on the book: 1992-1997
Consecutive issues: 70 (Uncanny X-Men #286-#350, plus four issues of Astonishing X-Men during "Age of Apocalypse" and a "Minus 1" issue in 1997)

Lobdell might be currently writing three different books for DC's "The New 52" — Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans and Superboy — but he'll always be closely associated with Marvel's mutants, picking up where Claremont left off and guiding the team through '90s events like "Fatal Attractions," "Age of Apocalypse" and "The Phalanx Covenant." He started off co-authoring three collaboratively written issues, before taking over as sole writer with Uncanny X-Men #289.

Lobdell's original run ended with Uncanny X-Men #350 — where he shared a co-writing credit with incoming writer Steven Seagle — but he rejoined the book briefly in 2001, and also wrote adjectiveless X-Men for a couple years in the '90s, putting him at right around 100 total issues of X-Men. That's not counting, of course, his issues of Excalibur, X-Factor or Generation X, the influential mutant teen book he co-created with Chris Bachalo. Scott Lobdell: another guy that's written a lot of X-Men comics.
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Thank you for the find, Bonez!

Comixfan Pick Six [12/28/2011]

2011-12-28T19:36:00.000-04:00

From: ComixFan

Comixfan Pick Six

Every week Comixfan will present you with six picks for the week; comic books and trade paperbacks that Comixfan Staff are anxiously looking forward to. No matter whether it is due to a stellar run by a creative team, an amazing story, the art, the characters or the promise of great character moments... these are examples why Comixfan staff are passionate about comic books. Give these recommendations a try!

Here are several comic books that look good this week, December 28th, 2011.

Teen Titans #4
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Norm Rapmund
Publisher: DC

Issue four already!?! Man, NuDC is starting to make me feel...not quite as young. It seems like just yesterday that DC comics decided to throw the baby out with the bathwater while letting Mr. Jones keep his favourite toys. But no! It was four months ago, and if nothing else it really has generated a whole new wave of energy for those used to coming in second place. Unfortunately, after firing the starting pistol, most of the titles I have tried have faltered pretty quickly, losing momentum, losing coherency and generally losing interest. Teen Titans is not one of them which, to be honest, I probably would have put money on from the start. Putting Scott Lobdell on a teen centric title is like offering me large quantities of catnip, sometimes you just don’t say no. Teen Titans does not disappoint, delivering what the author promised, a worthwhile investment in every issue while also being part of a larger, far richer whole. It’s fun, it’s energetic and it’s colourful, so of course I lurve it. Buy it! Home Schooled Robin demands it! ~ GoldenGirlDizzy, Comixfan Freelancer

Uncanny X-Men #3
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Carlos Pacheco
Publisher: Marvel

I know, I know, it’s another blurb for the least likable team of X-Men around. But what can I say? I am still thoroughly enjoying this book. Gillen has managed to take a problematic status quo and a cast of characters it is very hard to empathize with and found a way to make it work. Last issue we saw Mr. Sinister using the power of the Dreaming Celestial to transform himself into some sort of hive mind/Victorian theme park. Needless to say, the other members of the Celestial host weren’t too happy about this and decided that maybe it was time to visit Earth again and reevaluate their stance on humanity. And all that is standing in their way? Cyclops and his Extinction Team! (Yes, it’s true that the Eternals, who also live in the San Francisco area, should somehow be involved in this, but not enough people were interested in their last series, so we get the X-Men instead.) Now of course, this situation is absolutely ludicrous. However, given the fact that many people, myself included, are comparing this book to the Authority, the Celestials do seem like the sort of threat the team should be dealing with. You may remember that Warren Ellis’ third and final arc on the Authority could be summed up as “the Authority kill God,” so, you know, if you’re looking to do stuff on that level, you can’t go wrong with Arishem and company. Also, maybe one of them will actually step on Emma or Hope, and I know that would make some folks happy! ~ Gnosis, Comixfan Freelancer

FF #13
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Juan Bobillo
Publisher: Marvel

What's that, you say? Doctor Doom, on the side of the angels? Yes, in a manner of speaking. And unlike Magneto biding his time over in Uncanny X-Men pretending to be an ally to the team until he betrays them, at least this turn of events, and the reason behind it, feels right. I've really enjoyed Hickman as a writer in his various works, and right now Fantastic Four and FF are paying off. While things are busily happening over in the other book (yes, Johnny Storm is back from the dead), here the Future Foundation find themselves in battle with the Council of Reeds (to the uninitiated, yes, I know that sounds confusing), with all of reality at stake. Hickman's done a good job blending the deeply personal and the epic in his storytelling. You should be picking this book up, post haste! ~ William Keogh, Comixfan Columnist

Secret Avengers #20
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: John Cassady
Publisher: Marvel

Look, it’s Christmas, I have presents and stuff to enjoy so, hmmm, what to say without sounding like I’m slacking off. Alright, here we go, Warren Ellis on Secret Avengers has been nothing short of a miraculously good combination of writer and concept, the handful of equally talented artists that have been on board further adding sauce to the awesome. I’m reasonably sure that this is to be his final issue on the series (and if not, I won’t be wrong, merely misinformed), and what could have easily been a passable series of fill ins has been anything but. Every issue has been exceptional; one complete tale in every instalment which have been bursting with character, drama and excitement, and this one should be no different. The Secret Avengers are dead (what the what!?!), and that leaves the Black Widow with only one option! She must travel back in time and stop it from ever happening...secretly!! Naturally. That’s how I solve my problems. ~ GoldenGirlDizzy, Comixfan Freelancer

Captain America #5 & 6
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Steve McNiven & Alan Davis
Publisher: Marvel

Marvel’s scheduling geniuses strike again! This week we get not one, but two issues of Captain America. In issue 5, we see the “American Dreamers” arc conclude as Cap faces off against Codename: Bravo and HYDRA, with the fate of the American Dream at stake! (Yeah, it’s been a bit of a trippy storyline.) In issue, 6, which features art by Alan Davis, a horrible secret is revealed! Well at least that’s what the ads for the issue are saying. Who knows if it will really end up being that big of a shocker (let's face it; it's kind of hard to beat "We didn't kill Bucky off this time either.") Now at this point it should be clear to everyone that Brubaker knows how to tell a solid Cap story, but I really wasn’t totally on board with this book, mainly because I thought that they unceremoniously killed off Bucky so that Steve Rogers could take up the shield once again, just in time for the Captain America movie. But now that I know Bucky is still alive and kicking (albeit as the Winter Soldier rather than as Cap) I feel a little bit better about this series going forward. ~ Gnosis, Comixfan Freelancer

Annihilators: Earthfall #4
Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Artist: Tan Eng Huat
Publisher: Marvel

Though the solicits tell one tale, the previews for next week tell another, and so it seems that the miniseries that was meant to be a five issue run is, in fact, a four issue run, which makes this the last issue. Abnett and Lanning have brought their cosmic heroes to Earth, confronting the Avengers, and then pitted the two teams against the galactic threat of the Magus (he's always a problem this time of year). The fate of the universe is at stake (a common thread in these events, something that both teams are used to). And of course, nothing will ever be the same again. It appears to be the end of the line for the cosmic side of things for Abnett and Lanning, too. There's no hint of a cosmic event in coming solicits, but they've done exceptionally well with that side of the Marvel universe for the last few years. And in this miniseries, they've proven to me that they could be trusted with the reins of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. With the more then welcome news of late that Bendis is finally looking at an end to his mangle-all-sense-and-continuity stranglehold over much of the Avengers franchise, there's a chance that these two might get to play with the big guns. And if they could start out by having Thanos or Galactus drop by and obliterate Luke and Jessica Cage (neither character ever to be spoken of in the Marvel universe again, mind you), I'd be all the happier to see such a turn of events. ~ William Keogh, Comixfan Columnist
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Thank you for sharing, William Kendall. :)

X-POSITION : TOP X -MOMENTS OF 2011

2011-12-27T18:21:00.000-04:00

From CBR:

Another year has come and gone, yet so much has occurred within the X-Universe, it's hard to believe only twelve months have passed! During this time, there have been deaths, births, alternate universes, huge battles, a divisive schism among mutantkind, and the (brief) reappearance of a friend long thought gone. I get dizzy thinking about it now, so obviously my brain went on overload when trying to tabulate your votes for the Top X-Moments of 2011!

Thankfully, I managed to dig through all of your emails and forum postings, separated the wheat from the chaff, and arrived at a semi-scientific list that I hope many will agree with (and is bound to infuriate at least one individual from the boards). Your comments were funny, insightful, and full of the passion that makes being an X-fan such a great experience.

I know lots of end-of-the-year lists consist of a "Top Ten" but, just as last year, I'm sticking with a "Damn Great Dozen." Heck, there was enough greatness to make a "Terrific Twenty" list, but I only have so much space in this column. As these top moments are all about you and your opinions, I'm mostly just going to sit back and let your words guide our fun. So let's get to it!

12) THE BIRTH OF RAHNE'S CHILD

A good way to start things off is at the beginning, and you don't get much more of a new start than a birth. However, when it comes to X-Factor, even a simple thing like the arrival of an infant is extremely complex -- especially when the mother is a mutant and the father is a Wolf Prince from Asgard!

I loved that cute furball coming out of Rahne's mouth!
--Stopu

Rahne coughed up one hell of a hairball. I know now what I'm going to tell my kids when they ask where they came from…
--Andre4000

11) ICEMAN AND KITTY'S KISS

It was the kiss no one was expecting, and yet so many were grateful for it. Who knew "X-Men: The Last Stand" would be so prophetic?

Bobby being an immature underachiever was getting old. Bobby saw what he wanted and took it. "Wolverine & the X-Men" #2 bodes well for the future in many ways…
--Phoenix Egg

In "Wolverine & the X-Men" # 2, Logan's speech to Bobby was endearing and impeccable -- "Step up and be counted." And here, how Bobby steps up -- it's golden! His powers reach new heights and he gets tongue-in-cheek...with Kitty!
--Renaldo Matadeen

10) GAMBIT VS. DAKEN

Here is another surprising moment from the past year -- a battle between two of mutantkind's most handsome bachelors in "Daken: Dark Wolverine" #8. It just goes to prove that women read comics too -- although everyone loves a good ass-kicking!

This year has been kind of short on great one-on-one fights, but this has everything you could want: two hot males, sexual tension, and punching in the rain.
-- Bigbarda

I'm voting for this because the art by Marco Checchetto is stellar, especially the depiction of Gambit's power signature.
--Sarah Barnes

I'd like to vote for the fight between Gambit and Daken in "Daken: Dark Wolverine" #8. Everything from the conversation where Daken tried to charm Gambit (but got Remy's Bo Staff in his throat instead) to the awesome display of power showed in the book's amazing art was terrific. It really was a great moment between two fantastic characters, and it was refreshing to see Gambit actually kick some ass again.
--Nick Jones

9) SCARLET WITCH CALLS FOR "MORE MUTANTS"

Several years ago, an event occurred which changed mutantkind forever. In "House of M," the Scarlet Witch uttered a simple phrase that sent the X-Men's world into a tailspin: "No more mutants." This took the children of the atom down a path which first led to Utopia and has now taken them to "Schism." So what could be more appropriate to undo the source of these troubles with another simple phrase in the pages of "Avengers: The Children's Crusade?" Is now the time for "more mutants?"

While I understand this is technically an "Avengers" book, the Scarlet Witch belongs to the X-verse. The big moment this year is when Wanda remembers everything. The ramifications are innumerable, and have only been hinted at. This moment felt huge before we learned that she will be playing a large role in Avengers Vs. X-Men...
-- Al Gonzalez

Cheung's art and Heinberg's witty script play off each other well. Wanda reignites the first mutant depowered by her since M-Day...and naturally wanton violence ensues.
--Renaldo Matadeen

8) THE JEAN GREY SCHOOL FOR HIGHER LEARNING

Fans have been wondering for some time when the X-Men's Westchester school would reopen. In 2011, it finally happened, but in a way that no one could have anticipated!

The whole concept of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning and the entirety of "Wolverine & the X-Men" #1 was a top moment. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed an X-book that much, from the actual story to the additional material in the back. The staff diagram and curriculum deserves a special shout-out. Between the "Bamfs," the statue of Jean, the introduction of Broo as a main character, and the use of Rachel and Doop as receptionist -- it's pure gold.
-- Bigbarda

The naming of the school suggests both Jean Grey worship and a Logan/Jean pairing. I'm looking forward to their first interaction upon her return.
--Phoenix Egg

It's the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. 'Nuff said.
--Toboe

7) CYCLOPS' LEADERSHIP

Many of you called out particular moments of Cyclops' leadership over the past year. Rather than dispersing these votes over several moments, I hope you'll excuse me as I lumped them together and cherry-picked the moments you loved most!

Cyclops begging Storm to pretend she doesn't want to go with Logan is on my list! I was afraid they would shoehorn Storm into Scott's team. I just couldn't see her choosing him over Logan. Thankfully, her staying with Scott wasn't so contrived. And honestly, I just like seeing Scott humbled.
--Phoenix Egg

I loved Storm questioning Scott raising his hand at not being characterized as "mainly super villain" in "Uncanny X-Men" #1. It was funny and also a great fan-service.
--Bigbarda

…I can't imagine anything topping this moment for sheer awesome and meta-commentary.
--Krisis

Cyclops (not so subtly) insisting mutantkind will NOT be dicked with anymore! For a while, it felt as though "Uncanny X-Men" kept telling us what a good leader Cyclops was, but with only a few exceptions, we didn't really see it. Gillen's show-rather-than-tell approach illustrates Scott's level of planning and creative improvisation.
--Yanapryde

A la Nolan's "Dark Knight" film -- Scott did what the mayor of San Francisco failed to do. While she considered exterminating Utopia to save the humans, when she asks Scott if he'd consider the inverse, his response shows just how far he's grown -- love him or hate him -- in protecting his species…as well as [his feelings for] humans.
--Renaldo Matadeen

6) THE ENTIRE AGE OF X STORYLINE

Writer Mike Carey concluded a lengthy run writing the X-Men this year, but before leaving, he gave fans a gift in the form of the "Age of X" story. It seemed that readers had a hard time just selecting one moment from this tale, so here they are to explain why the whole story needs to be included on this list:

Mike Carey's reality-warping adventure found the X-Men placed in an environment of constant urgency and reliance upon one another. Contrasted with the X-Men's normal everyday activities on Utopia, this tight-knit crossover greatly balanced the importance of reimagined A-List favorites like Cyclops (Basilisk) and Z-Listers like the Acolyte Unuscione (Stand-Off).

Exciting and beautifully rendered by artists Clay Mann and Steve Kurth, the crossover also produced the now-recurring X-Man Frenzy. The longtime villain's life was turned upside-down after experiencing life as a heroine and wife of Cyclops. Unlike previous crossovers with gratuitous cameos that resulted in deaths and dead-ends, 90's favorite Chamber also found himself repowered thanks to the reality warp, and will be featured in Chris Gage's run of "X-Men: Legacy" in 2012.
-- Faded (Deluxe)

This is a story about bare survival and changed psyches. It showed the raw war that wakes you up every morning outside your fortress and never goes away…with beautiful art by Mann and Kurth. The most amazing moment had to be playing cards and drinking beer in Rat Run.
--Filip

Mike Carey wove a great mystery in the creation of this world and what happened to our heroes. The best moment therefore is the reveal: the identity of X, how she/it created the world and why she did it. "Moira" was a creepy yet sympathetic villain who is terribly powerful when you think about it. The revelations were a great twist in the story and complication for Legion. The story set up things for his character that will hopefully be explored further in the future.
-- Al Gonzalez

I loved the Moonstar Cadre and the moment Husk tells Cannonball she won't return to flesh and blood until he grieves for their family.
--Countryfan2004

5) THE STARJAMMERS RETURN; MAGNETO AND POLARIS REUNITE

There have been certain moments that X-fans constantly request from writers in X-POSITION, and these two definitely rank high on that list! With that in mind, there was bound to be high expectations with regard to these events. Fortunately, writer Mike Carey knows how to deliver!

Polaris, Havok and Rachel Summers were out in space for so long that it was great to see them return from limbo. Plus, Magneto finally referred to Polaris as his daughter and was shown to care for her. This had been left hanging for so long; I'm glad it's now been dealt with. It was also nice to see Magneto finally give her a nod on panel that was very in character. Given their history, Magneto's lack of acknowledgement about his youngest female child was a noticeable problem and it was great that a story finally addressed it.
--Blanchett

I loved seeing Magneto teach Polaris how to use her powers more concisely.
--Teddyeatsyourface

4) ROGUE AND MAGNETO, SITTING IN A TREE…

I see all your emails every week, and if there's one think I can conclude from them it's this: X-fans are hopeless romantics. Not a single week goes by that I don't receive a missive asking when Mutant X is going to get romantically involved with Mutant Y. Of these pairings, there are a handful that folks are dying to see. The #4 moment of this year is definitely one of these.

Rogue and Magneto on the final two pages of "X-Men: Legacy" #249 definitely stood out for me in this year's X-books. And calling it the best X-Moment of 2011 amounts to honoring the satisfying culmination of a long-running subplot…
-- Menshevik

This one gets my vote too, I think it was a pretty gutsy move on Carey's part to take twenty-plus years of attraction between the characters and finally do something with it. He built up to it in his run, but it was still shocking the way it happened.
--Siryn

Withdrawing from the expected norms of nostalgic and saccharine romance, Mike Carey used "Age of X" as a springboard for an unexpected and risky romance between ‘Legacy's' heroine Rogue and iconic villain Magneto. Magneto, who had since voluntarily submitted to the X-Men's practices, played devil's advocate and the two found themselves in each other's arms after closely working together in the aforementioned reality warp. While the pair has caused a ruckus on the internet, the twosome are yet another example of the reason why we all loved Mike Carey's writing in the first place: unorthodox, risky, and recklessly captivating.
--Faded (Deluxe)

3) JEAN GREY VISITS WOLVERINE

If there's anything X-fans enjoy as much as a good romance, it's a graceful return from the dead -- although we can't say for certain that this is what occurred in "Wolverine" #8. What we can deduce is that there's a chance Jean Grey/Phoenix is still out there, and that lots of folks are going to read "Avengers Vs. X-Men" in 2012 to see what becomes of the Phoenix Force.

You don't get much of Jean Grey these days, so when she randomly pops up in the X-books, it always brightens my day.
--Josh Tylen

The love of Logan's life and Logan's best friend appear from beyond death to save the Canucklehead from a foe he can't stab -- it's just great!
--Phoenix Egg

…anything is better with Jean Grey involved.
--Tracy Brandt

Jean Grey appears in "Wolverine" #8 and tells Wolverine to live. It was a beautiful moment and totally a Jean thing to do.
--Jessica Sota

2) X-FORCE'S UNCANNY YEAR

This was another "moment" where I, as judge of this list, had to stretch things. Many emails and forum postings mentioned "Uncanny X-Force" moments from the beginning of the year, and then -- in the same breath -- turn around and add events from the book's end-of-year storyline. My hands felt tied, so I'm naming the entire year's worth of stories as moment #2. And if you don't like it -- get your own column!

If January's issue was #4 and December's is #19, that means we had sixteen issues of "Uncanny X-Force" in twelve months (not including the .1!) . For this book, that turns out to be a good thing!
-- Al Gonzalez

"Uncanny X-Force" is by far the most compelling X-series since Carey's adjectiveless run on X-Men. Smart, funny, tragic, and dramatic -- just essential reading for any X-fan. If I had to pick one story line, it is the ‘Dark Angel Saga'…or Fantomex shooting young Apocalypse.
--Regino

In just one year, Rick Remender managed to redefine Psylocke and bring her back to her core. To watch every stage of the decay of her relationship with Warren leading to the final confrontation between them was very profound and quite sad. I don't think she was ever written this good. Also props to Opeña who got rid of her thong and gave her pants!
--Giselle

Archangel/Psylocke's heartbreaking love story gets my vote. It's not a specific moment, but…it was a thrilling to witness pretty boy Warren becoming one of the most compelling villains to ever grace the X-pages. It's just great stuff.
-- Ben Tennyson

Archangel asking Betsy in issue #16 "Does it cause you pain to know I manipulated you? That your love is the reason I was allowed to hide and thrive?" was like a punch to the soul. Everything about Archangel/Psylocke this year was just that good in my eyes and number one in my book…
--Like a Butterfly

This is a book that has been consistently good since its inception, but between the conclusion to "The Apocalypse Solution" and the epic craziness that has been Archangel's ascension, 2011 has been a rollercoaster all the way through. The stunning artwork from Jerome Opeña has been the perfect companion to Remender's story.
-- Toboe

1) THE YEAR OF IDIE

While the previous moment(s) did garner many votes, after going through your postings and emails with a fine-toothed comb, it was clear that no other character defined 2011 like Idie Okonkwo. Although she isn't a "moment," her actions (one in particular) determined the X-Men's direction for some time to come. In this past year, Idie brought about death, the Schism and a reinvention (as she tries for a second chance at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning). As forum poster Fod_xp stated, "Idie was 2011."

Idie is more self-aware than every mutant in history of the MU.
-- Meehl

I love that we found another minority character that can be a star. She's gonna grow up to be extra blunt and extra awesome. Not to mention that she's a GREAT troll.
--Phoenix Egg

Idie Okonkwo was the breakout character of 2011. The most interesting new mutant character to be created in a while, Idie impressed me with the unique way she's come to terms with what she is. She is a tragic figure, but so much fun to read at the same time. Her defining moments in "Schism" and "Generation Hope" #10 turned her into a favorite of mine.
--Toboe

"Generation Hope" #10 was extremely poignant as we actually see the inside of Idie's thoughts, and she's even more messed up than we had imagined.
-- Khajit

Two moments in "Generation Hope" #10 spoke to me: Idie talking about killing the Hellfire Club soldiers and asking if she needs to kill anyone else; also, her watching Rachel's video and talking about being a hound. Great moment and great storytelling by Gillen. I'll miss him writing Idie.
--Blanchett

"Generation Hope" might be the last in a long line of X-Men junior squads, but none before them have exemplified the kind of interpersonal tension this dysfunctional group has. [Everything] comes to a head when 14-year-old member Oya ends up killing dozens of Hellfire soldiers, and the team's members must agree to allow the youngest of the Five Lights to join Wolverine's school. Purposeful, hilarious, and unpredictable, 2011 was the year that Generation Hope became the most engaging X-juniors the line has ever seen.
--Faded (Deluxe)

That wraps up our "Top X-Moments" list for 2011 with a shiny bow. Thank you, once again, for all your submissions which helped to form this awe-inspiring list. Remember, X-POSITION exists as a special place where you, the readers, get to ask questions of your favorite X-creators. Our columns are only as good as your participation, so we appreciate your involvement in 2011 and look forward to even more fun in 2012! And I have a feeling there's going to be lots to talk about in the coming year…

Speaking of which, "X-Factor" writer Peter David will be here in seven days to answer your inquiries about his book. So start off 2012 in an inquisitive way and send me some thought-provoking missives as quickly as you can. Please put an "X-Position" in the subject line, and keep it lower case (no CAPS LOCK screaming while I recover from a late night December 31). Happy New Year!

~~~

Many thanks to Bonez for posting this link!

Rogue in Avengers: Children's Crusade #8 [AXEL-IN-CHARGE: A Holiday Fan Grab Bag]

2011-12-27T02:33:00.000-04:00

From: CBR

A few excerpts:

Meanwhile, Spidey616 asked after one of the key figures in Marvel history with "Professor X's role in the X-Universe seems to have decreased compared to the last few years worth of stories by writers like Ed Brubaker or Mike Carey. Any chance of Professor X being a key player in AvX, and going forward will he be a regular supporting character in any of the X titles?"   Alonso: Where the X-Men go, can that pesky Professor X be far behind? Yes, Spidey616, Xavier will play a role in "Avengers Vs. X-Men," but I can't get more specific than that. Oops spoilers!

----------------------------------
Thank you for the link, Bonez! I hope everyone had a good holiday ^__^

ComicVine Reviews Wolverine and The X-Men #3

2011-12-26T19:30:00.001-04:00

http://www.comicvine.com/wolverine-and-the-x-men-/37-307452/staff-review/

The new (and younger) Hellfire Club had attacked and demolished the school. The fight's not over and Wolverine and his school is really being put to the test.

The Good
When it comes to reading comics, there are times when you're looking for different things out of a title. We're used to heavy action and drama in the X-Men titles. Things have been so dour lately the old feeling of fun and adventure is long in the past. What happened to the days of playing baseball or the development in relationships and friendships among the mutants? WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN manages to combine the deadly threat that is constantly knocking on the X-Men's front door but also manages to contain a huge level of fun.

Jason Aaron is not trying to ignore the obvious. Taking matters like Quentin Quire being an ass or the new Hellfire Club being a bunch of kids that kicked the X-Men's butt, he can make light of them without feeling like he's coming down on what the book is supposed to be about. There is so much humorous moments mixed in with fighting and destruction. Never does it come across as an absurd combination.

Chris Bachalo's art captures the frantic action and also conveys so much emotion and feeling in the expressions on the characters. The characters don't all like each other and that's exactly how it should be. Aaron's words obviously tell what's going on but it wouldn't be the same without Bachalo's touch.

Throughout all of this, the big question is how the heck can Wolverine be the suitable choice to run a school? As we're seeing some of the characters evolve (like Iceman), Wolverine is also evolving a little as well. Normally he's quick to act but we're seeing that sometimes there are other choices. All this plus another new student is added to the school.

The Bad
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this issue. Nothing wrong here.

The Verdict
Is this the greatest X-Men comic in the history of...comics? Not necessarily. Did I have a helluva great time reading it? You bet. Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo are bringing back the fun times to the X-Men. There's been so much drama and hatred the mutants have had to face that it's great to read a series where you can actually smile when reading. That isn't to say this issue is all about having fun. There is still the attack by the new Hellfire Club they have to deal with but with multiple humorous moments and dialogue, you'll have a blast reading it. Wolverine is showing that he does have what it takes to run a school and deal with the consequences of attacks in a nature that he isn't known for. There may be a bunch of different X-Men books on sale but this one makes me happy to be reading comics. Action, humor, great art and story...what else is there to ask for?

Rating 4.5/5

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T10:01:00.001-04:00

(borrowed pic from the internet!)

Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope your year was good and that next year is even better! Hopefully you can spend this time with friends and family or take time to help others in need. Visit with elderly neighbours who may not have anyone! And let's not forget about all of our animal friends either! A lot of them have no homes, no warm place to go or a good meal. Donate to your local shelters or take in a stray animal!

My adopted shop kitty Marigold (Mari) says hi!

And a special thank you to all the folks who have contributed to this site! Thank you trinity and Threaza for taking time out of your busy schedule to help maintain the site! You guys are the BEST!

Preview ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #5

2011-12-23T09:39:00.000-04:00

From CBR:

• Stryker’s back in a bad way!

• Our heroes must assemble to put an end to Stryker's evil plan!

• Is there a traitor amidst the new X-Men?

~~~

Many thanks to Bonez for the heads up!!

CBR: EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW: "Uncanny X-Men" #3

2011-12-22T16:55:00.000-04:00

From: CBR

Mr. Sinister’s tampering with the Golden Celestial has summoned the immortal Space Gods to earth, to render judgment upon all mankind. If the X-Men we’re looking for a chance to prove that they are earth’s mightiest heroes, HERE. IT.IS!

Exclusive Marvel Preview: X-MEN LEGACY #260 [Regenesis]

2011-12-22T14:15:00.001-04:00

From: Newsarama

X-MEN LEGACY #260
Written by MIKE CAREY
Pencils by khoi pham
Cover by clay mann
X-MEN REGENSIS
Veteran X-scribe Mike Carey wraps up his five-year run on X-MEN: LEGACY with a story that marks the end of an era! In the aftermath of SCHISM, the X-Men are divided. Magneto has chosen to stay with Cyclops on Utopia. Gambit has chosen to follow Wolverine to Westchester. And now Rogue must decide who she is going to follow…
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

10 Critical Points in X-MEN History

2011-12-22T09:19:00.001-04:00

Here are a few from Newsarama:

# 7 THEY'RE DEAD! DIVIDED TEAMS!

Moved by the heroes' sacrifice, the cosmic being Roma restores the X-Men to life. Deciding it's advantageous to let the world continue thinking that they're dead, the X-Men don't bother telling any friends or family that they're alive, not even their absent colleagues Magneto, Nightcrawler and Shadowcat, the two latter of whom go off to form the team Excalibur. The X-Men move to Australia and, thanks to a spell cast by Roma, they now cannot be detected or recorded by any kind of surveillance except for direct eyesight and human hearing.

The X-Men now operate more clandestinely for a while, though eventually X-Factor discovers that they are alive, during a battle that leaves the X-Mansion destroyed. Eventually, the X-Men forced to leave their base in Australia and escape through the Siege Perilous, a portal left by Roma in case of emergency. The Siege Perilous transports them to different places, leaving some amnesiac and physically altering others (Psylocke went from a British telepath in armor to being an Asian ninja telepath with not-really-clothing). Now split up, its some time before the X-Men becomes a team again at all (although Xavier's old friend Moira MacTaggert briefly leads her own X-Men team).

The New Mutants deal with Doug's death and Magneto's increasingly domineering attitude. After a few weeks and a cosmic battle that leaves their teammate Magik de-aged into a pre-teen child, the New Mutants return to discover the X-Mansion is wrecked and that Magneto had given up on Xavier's dream months ago and had been secretly planning to make the Hellfire Club, New Mutants and X-Men into an army for mutant domination. They leave him and soon start working with the mysterious soldier Cable.

The island nation of Genosha turns out to be a major threat to mutantkind. And Storm is de-aged into a child. Hey, kinda like what happened to Magik. And Magneto that one time.

# 3 M-DAY

Magneto's daughter the Scarlet Witch had always been able to influence reality in small ways, causing "hexes" to cause misfortune for her enemies. But recently, a break from reality had caused her to tap into this power like never before, causing the Avengers to disband and several of its members to be killed (though they're all better now). The X-Men later met with the newly-reformed Avengers to discuss what to do about the lady when she went nuts again and reformed the Earth to her whim, putting mutants in charge. When the heroes remember how the world is supposed to be and fight against her, she set things right but also eliminates the X-gene from millions of mutants around the world. On "M-Day," the Scarlet Witch's power brings the active mutant population to just under 200.

The XSE and X-Corporation are defunct and the X-Men now have a whole new ballgame. Their race is facing extinction and new strategies are called for. At the same time, Xavier (who could now walk again thanks to a side-effect of M-Day) is no longer trusted, as several deceptions by him are discovered. M-Day also restores all of Wolverine's memories, causing him to be slightly more violent and harsher, much as he'd been when he first joined the team.

For many months, no new mutant X-genes are activated. Then a baby is born, one who is a mutant. The X-Men and others race against each other to get to the child, believing she is either the key to hope or the damnation of the mutant race. The girl Hope is finally sent to Cable, who protects her and raises her in the future. Following this, Cyclops moves the X-Men to San Francisco, where mutants are generally accepted. He also sanctions the creation of a new X-Force team, a black ops unit that will quietly kill enemies that can't be handled any other way.

# 1 POST-SCHISM

Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Iceman, Beast and others rebuild and re-open the X-Mansion as a school. Renaming it the Jean Grey Institute for Higher Learning, the school is now run by Kitty and Wolverine, who are adjusting to their new positions of not merely leading people into combat but organizing classes, dealing with politics, and doing their best to guide the entire student body. Their adventures are featured in Wolverine and the X-Men.

Cyclops continues to operate on Utopia, leading those who remained. His street level team is led by Dazzler, while he commands a primary team of heavy hitters (including Magneto, Storm, Namor and others) that is nicknamed the "extinction team," acting to stop world-wide threats, not just evil mutants. Their adventures are depicted in the pages of the new series Uncanny X-Men.

Cyclops has put together a few other team as well. The science team, led by World War II adventurer Dr. Nemesis, is featured in X-Club. The security recon force, led by Psylocke, is featured in the adjectiveless title X-Men. Dani Moonstar leads her "clean-up" team in New Mutants. Cyclops sends Hope and a small team on a mission to look for newly emerging mutants, as depicted in the pages of Generation Hope.

Meanwhile, Rogue and some of the others are dealing with fall-out from recent adventures, which is covered in the series X-Men: Legacy.X-Force continues operating in the series Uncanny X-Force. And X-Factor Investigations has recently been reunited with Havok and Polaris, who've been sent by Cyclops. You can read about that in X-Factor.

And that brings you up to speed! Now go out and enjoy the Post-Schism X-Men era (for as long at it lasts)!

~~~

Many thanks to sandman for the heads up! :D

Aaron Rains Hellfire on "Wolverine & the X-Men"

2011-12-22T09:16:00.000-04:00

Excerpts from CBR:

"So far I've just been trying to introduce everybody and give them at least a little moment to shine. I want to get all the characters on the table and we really won't have everybody on the table until issue #4. A couple of our students pop up for the first time in that issue," Aaron explained. "Everybody isn't going to get their moments in the first couple arcs. This is a book I'm committed to for the long haul though, and these are characters I want to explore over the course of several issues. I'm going to unfold some big character arcs so things are really just getting off the ground right now."

Aaron is juggling a large cast but promises the major players will be revealed by #4

Those character arcs will be part of a wide variety of stories. "I consider 'Wolverine & the X-Men' a mash up of the best elements of all of the different areas of X-Men history; Going back to the original Lee-Kirby school stuff, to the fun of the Claremont-Byrne stuff and certainly the strangeness and big ideas of the Morrison run," Aaron stated. "And we have characters mixed in from even more eras than that; from the beginning all the way up until the most recent."

Aaron began the series dealing with a group of antagonists who were a major element of the most recent era of X-Men history -- the new, youthful Hellfire Club. The writer introduced the club members in the pages of his "X-Men: Schism" miniseries and the brilliant, brutal and vicious children set up the situation resulting in the X-Men's split.

"They're a lot of fun to write and they'll be the main reoccurring villains for the book going forward. They won't be the only villains though. At the end of issue #3 a big time Marvel villain makes an appearance and the arc that begins in issue #5 doesn't involve the Hellfire Club at all," Aaron said. "I like the idea of a group of evil children making money off of mutants being hated and feared, so it makes perfect sense to have them as the main opposition to a school that's trying to train mutants how to live in harmony with humans. There's still a lot to explore with these characters too in terms of who these Hellfire Club kids are.

January's "Wolverine & the X-Men" #4 will also address Wolverine's membership in the covert kill squad X-Force and how it might impact his position as headmaster of the Jean Grey School. It also serves as part two of the epilogue for "The Dark Angel Saga," the recently wrapped story arc of writer Rick Remender's "Uncanny X-Force" series.

"Rick and I talk a lot about stuff. He's picked up and ran with a lot of the threads I had laid down with Deathlok from 'Wolverine: Weapon X' and the Fantomex stuff from my 'Dark Reign' one-shot. So this is the opportunity for me to return the favor and pick up some of his threads," Aaron explained. "One of the questions we asked when we realized Wolverine would be starting a school was how does that affect X-Force? Wolverine has been running this secret squad for months now and how does that Wolverine turn around and go run a school? Thats the big question in issue #4, which ties into 'X-Force' #19. Both those issues are looking at the same question from different sides. The answer may surprise some people."

Issue #4 also features an appearance by an X-Force associate, the cyborg Deathlok Prime, who will have the honor of being the Jean Grey School's first guest lecturer. "He's the first and certainly not the last," Aaron stated. "You never know who will pop up to give a lecture or teach a class given Wolverine's connection to pretty much everybody in the Marvel Universe at this point. Anybody is fair game for a guest spot in 'Wolverine & the X-Men.'"

February's "Wolverine & the X-Men" #5 kicks off an arc that sees the X-Men deal with some complications of an interstellar nature, and as the New Year continues those otherworldly problems will grow in size and intensity. "In the arc that starts with issue #5 there are a few different stories going on," Aaron explained. "Kitty Pryde is dealing with a strange medical condition. There appear to be Brood in the school, and Wolverine and Quentin Quire have gone off planet to visit an alien casino to try and win enough money to help keep the school open. All those storylines will then start to converge.

~~~

Thank you sandman for sharing this link!

Hilarious Cat Video

2011-12-19T09:54:00.000-04:00

I normally don't like to post anything with swear words in it, but this is just too hilarious!!! Turn the volume down if you like - it has the F word in it.

AXEL-IN-CHARGE: One Year Behind Us, One Year Ahead by Axel Alonso, Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief | Axel-In-Charge Home |

2011-12-17T20:09:00.000-04:00

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=35979

Excerpt:

Reader red eyes wanted to know, "With the ‘Avengers vs. X-Men' event coming this summer, will a large number of X-Men have roles, for example Gambit has been left out of the X-Men since "Messiah CompleX," will he have a role?"

Alonso: Though he's on the cover of "AVX" #1, Gambit doesn't yet have a strong presence in the story. But we have been discussing the possibility of a "Gambit" ongoing series. On second thought, maybe not. I mean, who likes Gambit…?

....
Thank you Bonez for the heads up! There are a couple of X-Men Legacy pages too, but I can't post them! :(

David Lapham Returns to "Age of Apocalypse"

2011-12-15T11:18:00.000-04:00

From CBR:

"Fans will get a taste and lead in to this story in the 'Uncanny X-Force' Point One issue next week," said Viscardi.

"Literally after 'Uncanny X-Force' Point One, 'Age of Apocalypse' takes place five minutes later," said Girner.

Lapham said that he was wanted to "bring the continuity and follow it. Not just ignore that stuff." The writer is crafting "a bunch of new characters," but "the villains we see at the start are going to be characters we're familiar with."

Wolverine, Sabertooth and Jean Grey will all play a significant role in the upcoming series. "Dark Beast will be involved. We might see Sugar Man," said Lapham. "There are plenty of bad guys that we've seen. I really want to create a credible world. It's from the old series, it's the Age of Apocalypse."

"I think it's important that the whole plot -- the book is called 'Age of Apocalypse.' X-Men comics have always been about what it’s like to be different," said Girner. "All these characters have to reaffirm their humanity. … All of this spins out of 'X-Force' and each character immediately has very hard choices to make."

According to Lapham, the Celestials will have an element in "Age of Apocalypse." "It's a 100% [chance] there because that becomes the reason for Weapon X, who we're calling Weapon Omega when we get to the book, that's the reason he has this power, that's his motivation," said Lapham. "He's not just a mustache twirler. He's completely evil, but he has a purpose. He's following this directive he has to advance evolution."

"The basis of the book, though is going to be these human level characters in this world where they're outnumbered one thousand to one," he said. "At this point, I don't see it just ramping up to become this universe expanding Celestials where that leads to that level of character. The focus is going to be on the human characters."

The writer brought it back to some of the new characters in "Age of Apocalypse" and how some established Marvel U characters could make it into the book. "Even some of the old characters, we have to be careful about the ones that were clearly obliterated," he said. "I think anything is really open and it's all a big wide world. The only limitation is that we get 20 pages a month, so we have to pick."

The topic turned to the timeline of the book and when it takes place in AoA continuity. "In any kind of mainstream comics work is that element where you'd be a little unspecific about years, because these things go on for fifty years and nobody ages," Lapham said. "There are a lot of changes with Wolverine being the big bad and Apocalypse is gone. I've approached it that this was going on for a very long time. It hasn't been three years. It's been ten, fifteen, twenty years that this has been going on from the very start. There will be characters you see that aren't old, but some of the younger characters have grown up."

"If anything, the first issue picks up immediately after the 19.1 issue of 'X-Force' and that issue picks up right after the 'Dark Angel Saga,'" said Viscardi. "That story is going to continue. Essentially the story that started in 'X-Force' started way after the last visit to the Age of Apocalypse."

"Age of Apocalypse" launches in March 2012.

~~~

Thank you sandman for posting this link!

Comixfan Pick Six - Dec 14, 2011

2011-12-14T15:53:00.000-04:00

From Comixfan:

Posted by William Keogh
Comixfan Moderator and Columnist

Carnage USA #1
Writer: Zeb Wells
Artist: Clayton Crain
Publisher: Marvel

Uncanny X-Force #18
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Esad Ribic
Publisher: Marvel

I have a confession to make (actually, I have several, but they are all far too naughty for the likes of you!), which is that I haven’t been reading all that many comics as of late. Buying them? Oh yes, I have developed a tasty little pile to nose through this last month of so, but reading them? Hmm. No, not really, not when I’m a supervisor (no, really, I truly am allowed to wield responsibility in business), in retail at Christmas. Time, this is not something I have in abundance, and my investment in comics has taken a hit until I can find enough of it to breath. That being said, some things refuse to be ignored, some things refuse to put aside, some things leap at me with such force (like my Lori!), that I simply have to give it my full attention as immediately as possible. Uncanny X-Force is one such thing, currently the best title in comics, bar none, which is such a masterful, such a powerful, such an emotional and compelling source of storytelling that it invades my life and demands attention, it demands to be read RIGHT NOW!! So while most of my comics will join the shamefully growing pile for later, the final chapter of the Dark Angel Saga will be clutched eagerly in my paws, and even though I have no idea how it is going to end, I know I will not be disappointed. Buy it, buy the collections, this is comic book history in the making! Now shoo! Off with you! Naughtiness is afoot... ~ GoldenGirlDizzy, Comixfan Freelancer

New Avengers #19
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mike Deodato
Publisher: Marvel

Avengers Academy #23
Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Tom Raney
Publisher: Marvel

Okay, so you may look at this cover and roll your eyes, but to me, X-23 joining the cast makes a lot of sense. I will admit that I have not read that many books featuring X-23, either due to either not liking the writers of said books or budget constraints (feel free to blame me for the cancellation of her solo series if you so desire,) but I have always liked the character in theory. Laura represents the complete opposite of Logan. Rather than Wolverine’s struggle between his humanity and his bestial nature, with X-23 it is a struggle between her humanity and her programming by the Facility to be the ultimate weapon. And it is because of this desire to overcome her programming that X-23 is a natural fit for the Avengers Academy team; just as the main students of the Academy are learning to overcome the damage done to them by Norman Osborn, so too is Laura learning to overcome the damage done to her by the Facility. And now that her book has been cancelled, this could serve as a good way to keep the character in circulation. Also I am really curious to see how my favorite student at the Academy, Finesse, deals with Laura’s presence. I could either see them as being really good friends or serious rivals. Either way, I have no doubt it will be awesome. This issue is also making news due to the fact it deals with the sexual orientation of one of the core members of the team. However, I have to ask, does this really even qualify as news anymore in comic books? I honestly thought we were way past anyone’s sexuality being a big enough deal to warrant a press release about it. ~ Gnosis, Comixfan Freelancer

Demon Knights #4
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artist: Mike Choi
Publisher: DC

Avengers: X-Sanction #1
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Ed McGuinness
Publisher: Marvel

All it took for me to write a blurb about Avengers X-Sanction was a I dare you to... When I first heard about this miniseries, admittedly, I was on the fence about it. I'm not a Cable fan, after all, but it does feature the Avengers. And I've put up with the ongoing decline in quality in two of the Avengers titles with the expectation that sooner or later, the writer will go away and get replaced by someone who can fix the monstrous mess he's made of it (you already know who I'm talking about), so surely I could put up, even for a miniseries, with a writer who, frankly, is long past his best days of writing. Jeph Loeb once wrote outstanding works like Batman The Long Hallowe'en and Batman Dark Victory. That was a long time ago. His more recent comics work mangled the Hulk after all of the good work done by Greg Pak on that character, and the damage has only been mended by the careful hand of Pak and Jeff Parker. And by mangled, I mean totally decimated it. Loeb disregards continuity and crams just about every character he can think of into a story. The deciding factor for me came in the previews, where Radioactive Man, who was so well written for years as a sympathetic character in Thunderbolts turns up as a villain. For no reason at all. And Marvel's response to complaints about this have amounted to well, he's evil because we say he's evil. Like I said, disregarding continuity, and I'm not pleased about it. As to this miniseries.... Cable's back from the dead (again). He's coming after the Avengers for some reason (he must be getting senile in his old age). Will he survive? Considering that Scott Summers' time displaced son is a ninety seven year old geezer who should be dead of a heart attack, I'm placing my bets on the heart attack taking him out early on in the fourth round. If you're a die-hard Cable fan who must have every single appearance of the character, by all means, check the miniseries out. Just don't say we didn't warn you. ~ William Keogh, Comixfan Columnist

First Look: X-Men March Solicitations

2011-12-13T18:35:00.000-04:00

From: Marvel

AGE OF APOCALYPSE #1
WRITER: Dave Lapham
ARTIST: Roberto De La Torre
Cover By Humberto Ramos
Variant Cover By Bryan Hitch
• Spinning Directly Out Of Uncanny X-Force
• The Amazing X-Men Have Lost And The Evil Weapon X Is More Powerful Than Ever
• Jean Grey And Sabretooth Are At Their Lowest
• Who Are The X-Terminated?
32 Pgs./Parental Advisory …$2.99

ASTONISHING X-MEN #48
WRITER: Marjorie Liu
ARTIST: Mike Perkins
Cover By Dustin Weaver
Amazing Spider-Man 50Th Anniversary Variant By Tba
• New Creative Team! Best-Selling Author Marjorie Liu And Mike Perkins (The Stand)
• The X-Men Return To New York City, But It’s Not A Social Call
• Don’t Miss The First Chapter Of What Will Be The Most Controversial Story Of 2012!
32 Pgs./Rated T+ …$3.99

UNCANNY X-MEN #8
WRITER: Kieron Gillen
ARTIST: Greg Land
• The Conclusion Of Tabula Rasa!
• Namor Does The Unthinkable To Save The Day
32 Pgs./Rated T+ …$3.99

UNCANNY X-MEN #9
WRITER: Kieron Gillen
ARTIST: Carlos Pacheco
• Prison Break!
• Featuring The Avengers!
32 Pgs./Rated T+ …$3.99

WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN: ALPHA & OMEGA #3 (Of 5)
WRITER: Brian Wood
ARTISTS: Mark Brooks & Roland Boschi
Cover By John Tyler Christopher
• Quentin Loses Control Over The Construct
• Logan’s Health Further Deteriorates, While In The Real World The Berserker Invades The Jean Grey School
• Quentin Enters The Construct As A ‘Player’ To Try And Regain Control Over His Creation
32 Pgs./Parental Advisory …$3.99

WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN #7
WRITER: Jason Aaron
ARTIST: Nick Bradshaw
• A Pregnant Kitty Pryde, Broo The Broodling, And An Army Of Bamfs Vs. An All-New, Unstoppable Alien Foe!
• Meanwhile, Beast, Iceman, & Rachel Grey Shrink Down Inside Their Friend To Deal With Her…Condition!
• Plus, Wolverine Deals With A Problem You Never Thought He’d Face…
32 Pgs./Rated T+ …$3.99

WOLVERINE #302 & #303
WRITER: Jason Aaron
ARTISTS: Billy Tan & Steven Sanders
Issue #302 Cover By Arthur Adams
Issue #303 Cover By Jerome Opeña
• Logan, Yukio And Amiko Invade The Secret Cave Headquarters Of The Hand To Save The Silver Samurai
• The Big Finale Of The Hand/Yakuza War!
• The Puppetmaster Is Finally Revealed
• This Ending Will Forever Change The Landscape For Wolverine In Japan.
32 Pgs. (Each)/Parental Advisory …$3.99 (Each)

UNCANNY X-FORCE #23
WRITER: Rick Remender
ARTIST: Greg Tocchini
Cover By Leinil Francis Yu
• The Trial Of Fantomex Concludes!
• The Multiverse Is In Danger, The Captain Britain Corps Is In Shambles And It Is Up To X-Force To Save The Day
• A Terrible Choice Must Be Made For The Protection Of All Reality!
32 Pgs./Parental Advisory …$3.99

X-MEN #26
WRITER: Victor Gischler
ARTIST: Jorge Molina
• The X-Men Fight To Rescue Jubilee From The Hands Of Her Vampire Brethren!
• The Forgiven Fight To Protect Their Own!
• Featuring The Deadliest Mercenaries In The Entire Marvel Universe!
32 Pgs./Rated T…$3.99

X-MEN LEGACY #263
WRITER: Christos Gage
ARTIST: David Baldeon
Cover By Mark Brooks
• The Final Chapter In The Story Featuring Classic X-Villain Exodus
• Wolverine’s X-Men Are Joined In Battle By Cyclops’ Young X-Men Recruits…To Disastrous Results!
32 Pgs./Rated T+ …$2.99

X-MEN LEGACY #264
WRITER: Christos Gage
ARTIST: Rafa Sandoval
Cover By Mark Brooks
• Featuring Mimic And Weapon Omega!
• Weapon Omega Is A Mutant Time Bomb, Ready To Explode…And He’s Just Shown Up On The Doorstep Of The Jean Grey School For Higher Learning. How Will The X-Men Disarm Him Before He Detonates?
32 Pgs./Rated T+ …$2.99

DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE #22 & #23
WRITER: Rob Williams
ARTIST: Alessandro Vitti
Covers By Giuseppe Camuncoli
Series Finale!
• Daken’s Terminal Disease Is In Its Final Stages. What Choices Will He Makes When Finally Faced With Death? Will He Die Here And What Will His Final Actions Be?
• The Final Confrontation Between Daken And His Father, Wolverine
32 Pgs. (Each) /Parental Advisory …$2.99 (Each)

X-23 #21
WRITER: Marjorie Liu
ARTIST: Phil Noto
Cover By Kalman Andrasofsky
Series Finale!
• X-23’S Globehopping Journey Comes To A Close
• After All This Time Spent Choosing Who She Will Be, Will She Permanently Choose A Team As Well?
32 Pgs./Parental Advisory …$2.99

NEW MUTANTS #39
WRITERS: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
ARTIST: Leo Fernandez
Cover By Kris Anka
• Trapped On An Island Consumed By A Super Virus, The New Mutants Fall One By One To The Monstrous Infection...And Begin To Change
• Can Warlock Keep The Virus In Check, Even If It Means Going Against His Friends?
32 Pgs./Rated T+ …$2.99

X-FACTOR #233
WRITER: Peter David
ARTIST: Leonard Kirk
Cover By David Yardin
• Havok And Polaris Take The Reins Of X-Factor Investigations!
• Featuring The Return Of X-Factor Foe The Isolationist
32 Pgs./Rated T+ …$2.99

X-CLUB #4 (Of 4)
WRITER: Simon Spurrier
ARTIST: Paul Davidson
Cover By Rodin Esquejo
• The X-Club Fights Nazis! With Science!
• And The Villain Responsible For Framing The X-Men Is Revealed…
32 Pgs./Rated T+ …$2.99

GENERATION HOPE #17
WRITER: James Asmus
ARTIST: Takeshi Miyazawa Cover By Salvador Espin
• The Mutiny Continues, As The Lights Rebel Against Their Leader!
• Kenji Vs. Hope For The Final Fate Of The Lights!
32 Pgs./Rated T…$2.99

DEADPOOL #52
WRITER: Daniel Way
ARTIST: Ale Garza
Cover By Dave Johnson
• ’Pool’s Epic “Dead” Storyline Continues!
• Deadpool Wants To Die…Can He Make It Happen?
• Will X-Force Stop Him…Or Pull The Trigger?
32 Pgs./Parental Advisory …$2.99

X-POSITION: PAK'S "ASTONISHING X-MEN" RUN BRINGS BACK STORM'S MOHAWK

2011-12-13T18:16:00.000-04:00

From: CBR

4) Why did you decide to use Storm as a central figure in your "Astonishing X-Men?" What attracts you to her?

Storm is one of my favorite comic book characters of all time. She's strong and bigger than life with a thief-turned-goddess backstory that allows for tremendous character exploration. She should have a solo book and I should write it. Start the petitions and letter-writing campaigns... now!

I have a feeling the X-office will receive quite a few letters bearing this request. And speaking of writing projects, Marcus Martin hopes you can tell us -- "what's next?"

1) I was a big fan of your run on "Incredible Hulk" and I am currently enjoying your "Alpha Flight" miniseries. After this concludes and you are finished with your "Astonishing X-Men" story, will you have other work from Marvel that I (and many other readers) can look forward to? Maybe more X-Men?

I just turned in the first script for a brand new Marvel project that hasn't yet been announced. It's not X-Men related, but it is a character I've been dreaming about getting my hands on for ages. Stay tuned!

I'd love to do more X-stories -- in particular with Magneto and with the characters we're introducing in this "Astonishing" storyline. Fingers crossed!

2) I have a small question about your current "Astonishing" story. Shouldn't [Scott] feel upset that he drove off most of the original X-Men -- like Beast and Iceman -- based on his choices? How will this motivate his choices?

Scott's clearly upset about the events of "Schism" -- hence his spontaneous property damage at the beginning of issue #44. But I think Scott believes he made the only choice he could have and would do the same thing all over again if given the chance. However, the events of this storyline may give him a new way to think about the way he's been living his life and leading the X-Men.

FRANK CHO COVERS "AVENGERS VS. X-MEN" #0

2011-12-13T18:10:00.000-04:00

From: CBR

This March, fans worldwide cannot miss the prologue to the biggest pop culture comic event of the year as Marvel is pleased to unveil the trade dress and cover to Avengers VS. X-Men #0! Just before the Avengers and the X-Men go head to head, superstar creators Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron & Frank Cho set up the crucial roles of the Scarlet Witch and Hope Summers in the coming storm. With all eyes on Wanda and the Mutant Messiah, both sides have already made up their mind on where allegiances SHOULD lie …but what about those caught in the middle? The drums of war are beating and fans should be ready for the essential opening to the event that will change everything you know about the Marvel Universe in Avengers VS. X-Men #0!

You’ve heard It’s Coming -- and this April The War Is Here in Avengers VS X-Men! All your favorite super heroes enter—and only one team will emerge victorious!

Which team will reign supreme? Join the conversation on Twitter with #AvX!

For more on Avengers VS X-Men, please visit http://avx.marvel.com

AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #0
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & JASON AARON
Art & Cover by FRANK CHO
ON SALE THIS MARCH!

Exclusive Marvel First Look: X-MEN LEGACY #260.1 (UNLETTERED)

2011-12-13T01:22:00.000-04:00

From: Newsarama

X-MEN LEGACY #260.1
CHRISTOS GAGE (W) • DAVID BALDEON (A)
COVER BY MARK BROOKS

• REGENESIS tie-in! A new creative team and a new status quo for X-MEN: LEGACY...
• Rogue, Gambit, Iceman, Frenzy and Rachel Summers take up their posts as teachers
and protectors of Wolverine’s School...just in time to defend it from invading N’Garai demons!

Advanced Preview: WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN #4 (UNLETTERED)

2011-12-13T01:17:00.001-04:00

From: CBR

Just when Logan has a moment to breathe, the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning is visited by THE FUTURE as red-hot artist Nick Bradshaw joins superstar writer Jason Aaron in Wolverine & The X-Men #4! After a rocky opening courtesy of the new Hellfire Club, school is in session with new students and new faculty joining the roster – including X-Force’s Deathlok.

10 Potential Avengers vs X-Men Match-Ups…

2011-12-12T17:37:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Doctors Office Link

5). Psylocke vs. Iron Fist

They both are some of the most highly skilled combatants in the world. Iron Fist is a master of K’un L’un martial arts and the wielder of the chi-powered Iron Fist. Psylocke is a stealthy ninja, equipped with a very powerful psychic blade. Their fight would be amazing. I’m sure Iron Fist’s chi or whatever could keep Psylocke for just telepathically shutting him down. So what we would get would be a flurry of fists and feet. It would probably be the most physical fight on this list…and I LOVE IT.

2) Rogue and Gambit vs Luke Cage and Jewel

In one corner we have two former lovers but current teammates and in the other we have a married couple and teammates. Gambit and Rogue taking on Luke Cage and Jewel (Jessica Jones) could be one of the best potentials from this crossover. Jewel’s best friend is Ms. Marvel, so she definitely has some hard feelings towards Rogue, which could factor into their fight. Rogue’s ability to now control her powers makes her very dangerous in a fight against two people who have to have physical contact with their opponents. And then there is Gambit and his explosive playing cards, an ace in the hole if I ever seen one. This fight would be explosive, energetic, and fun it choreographed by the right writer and artist. Just thinking about it, gets me excited.

~~~

Many thanks to Bonez for this find!

Marjorie Liu Takes Over "Astonishing X-Men"

2011-12-12T17:34:00.000-04:00

From CBR:

Marvel's last week was explosive with the announcement of "Avengers vs. X-Men" and their live webcast on the event. Marvel kicked this week off this week in style with their Next Big Thing press conference call on a new run of "Astonishing X-Men" beginning with Issue #48 with writer Marjorie Liu and artist Mike Perkins. Liu, Perkins, X-Book editor Nick Lowe and Assistant Editor Jeanine Schaefer were all on hand to answer questions.

Junior Sales Administrator James Viscardi kicked things off by turning it over to Nick Lowe, who explained how Liu's "Astonishing" run got off the ground. "Marjorie's been aching to get some X-Men team action," said Lowe, referencing that Liu had been a fan of the old "X-Men" cartoon.

This will be the first time that Liu has written a team book, despite having written a number of solo series for Marvel. "My solo series in some ways have been rarely truly solo," she said, mentioning that her characters, such as X-23 and Black Widow, also revolve around other secondary characters.

"I've actually been on the X-Men before very briefly," said Perkins, referring to his time inking "Deadly Genesis." "The X-Men, their whole basis is setting a team feeling to the book. It's definitely a different approach as in the amount of characters per panel and the interaction of those characters."

The conversation then turned to the team lineup. "The first thing that people should know, whereas the previous arc of 'Astonishing'...this is on Wolverine's side of 'Regenesis,'" said Lowe. "The team will feature Wolverine as leader, but Lowe said that he is "far from being the heart of the book." The team consists of Warbird, who Liu was super-psyched about. Northstar, Gambit, Iceman, Cecelia Reyes and Karma will also be featured on Wolverine's "Astonishing" team.

"Originally, I wanted to keep the team really small, but as brainstorming continued … there were certain characters that I really wanted to write and that I thought would balance well with each other," said Liu.

"I'm particularly looking forward to tackling Iceman, because he's such a visual character that we can utilize," said Perkins, mentioning that he had been enjoying how Jason Aaron was using Iceman in "Wolverine and the X-Men."

Liu spoke briefly on the first issue, saying that there was a theme of moving and movement. "We've got Northstar moving back to New York and he's going to be living with his boyfriend, Kyle," she said. "Another side of it, we've got characters like Cecelia and Gambit circling each other and [Gambit] moving into his own apartment in Westchester." The first issue will settle in the team and introduce the villains, the Marauders.

Liu has added the Vanisher and Chimera to the Marauders, but did not comment on the rest of the current team line-up. "Chimera's a villainess who [uses] telekinetic dragons," she said.

"The opening section is definitely a James Bond balls-to-the wall action sort of thing," said Perkins. "You've got these relationship parts … but it's sandwiched by these amazing action sequences. In separate ways, they blow the Astonishing X-Men's world apart."

"We want to let people know that this is a new era of Astonishing X-Men that we're kicking off here. There are shocks and surprises coming," said Lowe.

Liu and Perkins spoke a bit more on the selection of the Marauders as the series' primary antagonists. "Mike and I have been talking about the Marauders forever," said Liu. "They have a history of wreaking havoc in the Marvel Universe. … From my point of view, I thought this was the perfect time to bring them on. Nothing is going to be exactly what it seems, but the Marauders are going to be a big part of it."

"It comes down to visual aspect for me, " said Perkins. "To get let loose upon these action scenes is just fantastic. The Marauders bring such a visual dynamite to the piece. I'm really looking forward to this."

As for the post-"Schism" status quo, Liu said that her run of "Astonishing" will keep the major feelings and fallout off to the side. Lowe elaborated, saying,"You won't see a big Cyclops versus Wolverine fight here. That's not what this book is for. ... This is very much tied into Wolverine's side of the X-Men and the roles that [they] play at the school." Lowe elaborated, saying "Wolverine and the X-Men" centered more around the student/teacher dynamic, while "Astonishing" would focus more on the instructors as superheroes. "This is the book that's on Wolverine's side that doesn't give you the classes. That's the role that this book plays. It gives you the non-school-centric team on Wolverine's side." Lowe and Liu also clarified that the book will also feature much more adult content, but is by no means a MAX title.

Liu and Perkins also spoke to their collaborative process, mentioning how easy it was to work with each other. "When you're telling a story like this, it's really important to get along and to brainstorm," said Liu.

"Marjorie knows so much about the characters and interactions, and you can see that in her novels, as well," said Perkins. "You can just tell that she knows how a team works."

The writer also said that, despite his obvious ties to the series' big villain, Mr. Sinister won't be involved in her "Astonishing" run and that Gambit's Marauders ties won't be mentioned. "I don't plan on spending a lot of time on it," she said. "That's not the focus of the story."

The X-Editors was pretty tight lipped on where the book would be going, but Schaefer did say that what happened in the opening storyline would impact the future. "Some of the stuff that's going to happen in the first arc is really going to inform what happens next. It's really going to affect it in a big way."

Although, Perkins was able to offer how he hopes things will develop in the long run from an artistic standpoint. "From an artistic point of view, I'm looking forward to the long run and developing these characters and screwing around with them," he said.

As for X-23, Liu wasn't able to bring her onto the book for a variety of reasons, which she detailed. "Originally, I did want to bring X-23 onto the book but because Wolverine has his ideology, his mandate is that underage children are not able to fight," she said. "X-23 is still technically a child. Having her on the team would be a violation of his new mandate. Also, she's going to be a member of Avengers Academy and they're on the West Coast."

With that the call wrapped, leaving readers to look forward to the newest incarnation of "Astonishing X-Men" and the surprises in store for Wolverine's Westchester team.

~~~

Many thanks to Bonez for posting this link!

Marvel Preview: AVENGERS: X-SANCTION #1

2011-12-10T16:52:00.001-04:00

http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=45080

- Posted using BlogPress

Many 'thank you's' to sandman for posting this link!

Marvel Universe 'Greatest Battles' Two-Packs to Pair Thanos and Adam Warlock, Mr. Sinister and Gambit

2011-12-09T13:49:00.000-04:00

From Comics Alliance:

Hasbro's Marvel Universe "Greatest Battles" two-packs are about to welcome all new Adam Warlock, Mr. Sinister and Gambit figures, along with a repainted Thanos to the 3.75" line. Tentatively slotted to arrive in stores later this year/early in 2012 according to PGT and BBTS, the two packs will pair Thanos and Adam Warlock with a copy of The Infinity Gauntlet #3, while Mr. Sinister and Gambit will come packed with a copy of X-Men #1 (with the Gambit cover, naturally).

While Thanos had previously come packaged with an Infinity Gauntlet in his size in Marvel Universe Wave 11, this time around its Adam Warlock who gets to don the mighty mitt in a size befitting his more slender stature.

For his part, Gambit is looking appropriately '90s in his two-pack with Mr. Sinister. He's even got his a trusty whomping pole! No exploding cards seem to come packed with the Ragin' Cajun, but he appears to come with a suitably posed hand for flipping charged projectles.

See images of the upcoming Marvel Universe "Greatest Battle" two-pack toys below:

The First Step Towards AVENGERS VS X-MEN Is Revealed

2011-12-08T16:01:00.000-04:00

From ComicVine:

This week Marvel announced that the Avengers and the X-Men would be going up against one another. We've seen superheroes fight other superheroes all the time. It's a classic comic book cliche. From the information released so far and all the creators involved, it's shaping up to be more than a mere cliche. This is going to be an event. Say what you want about events, you can't argue that, as a fan, seeing an epic battle like this is going to be worth checking out.

The question is, what starts it all? Why would these two teams fight, especially where there are members belonging to both teams? Looks like we'll start getting some answers in next week's AVENGERS: X-SANCTION #1.

“The opening salvo in the upcoming war between the Avengers and X-Men is fired in next week’s Avengers: X-Sanction #1 from the chart topping team of Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness! The time-traveling mutant known as Cable, has returned from the future with 24 hours to save the world…by destroying the Avengers?! What makes Earth’s Mightiest Heroes such a threat to a better tomorrow? Cable’s on a mission to prevent the tragedies that lead to the events of Avengers VS X-Men…and every move he makes irrevocably changes the direction of the Marvel Universe!

“On the eve of the biggest Marvel event—maybe ever—Ed McGuinness and I are thrilled to be the lead-in forAvengers VS X-Men,” said Loeb. “Hopefully longtime fans and first time Cable, X-Men and Avengers readers will be excited by a story that can be read entirely on its own -- and at the same time has lots of stocking stuffer-esque surprises just in time for the holidays.”

It all begins with Cable versus Captain America…and only one will emerge victorious! The Avengers and X-Men are on a collision course…and the first steps towards war are taken in Avengers: X-Sanction #1, available in comic stores and on the Marvel Comics app next Wednesday!

Retailers: Please note that Marvel is rush printing a second printing of Avengers: X-Sanction #1 due to expected demand and its relationship to Avengers vs X-Men. Check the Marvel Mailer and Diamond Daily for more details."

AVENGERS: X-SANCTION #1

Written by JEPH LOEB

Art & Cover by ED MCGUINNESS

ON SALE – 12/14/11

~~~

Many thanks to sandman for the heads up!

Marvel's "Avengers Vs. X-Men" Press Conference

2011-12-07T17:22:00.001-04:00

Jump on over to CBR!

For Marvel Comics readers, the next major event is here. Announced this week, "Avengers Vs. X-Men" is the brand new 12-part series launching in April of next year will be written by the publisher's "Architects" Brian Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker and Jonathan Hickman. The bi-weekly series will be drawn by John Romita, Jr., Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert.

The specifics of the story were covered today via a live streaming video events, and CBR was on hand with the full scoop as Senior Editor Nick Lowe of the X-Men line lead a conversation with the five writers and Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso as well as SVP of Publishing Tom Brevoort.

"We've got a very interesting arc for the Avengers," Bendis said of how his franchise runs into the event. "What's been going on lately is that they've been tested...they're wondering what it means to be an Avenger...when the world is throwing one terrible disaster at them after another...it takes a toll on a society and the Avengers are left to take the blame for it, as it were. They're going to want answers from Captain America." Bendis mentioned how Avengers characters like Wolverine and Storm who are traditionally X-Men will play a big part in the story.

Jason Aaron spoke to the X-side of the equation next. "I think this is something the X-Men have been headed toward since before I got involved," he said. "There were millions of mutants and then one day that number dwindled down to a few hundred because of what Scarlet Witch did." Aaron explained that Hope Summers role as the "Mutant Messiah" has been the thread he's picked up on. "She is the mutant messiah. It's not conjecture as far as Cyclops is concerned...coming out of 'Schism,' Cyclops is becoming harder edged. He had a philosophical split with the guy who was his top advisor for so long in Wolverine."

The X-Men will be driven to protect Hope as their messiah as she struggles to find out who she is. On the other side, Wolverine will have to decide where his final allegiances lie. "He's on the outs with a lot of people who were his friends for years," said Aaron

Fraction expressed his interest in writing Captain America and Cyclops as the leaders of the two factions as well as getting back to writing Hope after his stint on "Uncanny X-Men" expanded her role. "And Scarlet Witch is back, who's been gone for a while...that's pretty exciting," he said adding "We get to see new armor on Iron Man made with a specific foe in mind. And Thor will be up to some cosmic colossal shenanigans...there's a plethora, if you will, of great, great fights to write."

Brubaker spoke to the generals of the battle as well, saying, "They're really similar characters in their own way because they're both patriotic for their own people, and they're both willing to do anything," he said. "I think Cyclops is probably more willing to [push the limits] than Steve Rogers."

Lowe busted on Hickman's chops saying, "Jonathan...you haven't written the Avengers or the X-Men. Why are you here?" Hickman explained that in his view, either team could come out on top in the battle, which is why the drama of the book will work.

Alonso stepped up next to explain the origins of the specific series. "The seeds for this event were planted many, many years ago in 'House of M' on into 'Messiah CompleX,'" he said, noting the ramifications of Hope's existence were well known for the X-Men. However, he went to Bendis and Brevoort with a plan to make the Avengers a big part of the finale of the years-long story.

"'Avengers Vs. X-Men' is structured completely differently from any event we've ever done," Tom Brevoort added, saying that the five-man team broke out the overall storyline over the course of multiple summits before Bendis and Aaron sat down to hammer out the specific beats of the issues before each single installment was written by one writer. "It's really like running a relay race. Rather than having a single writer and a single voice, we've got a chorus of voices....when you read an Ed Brubaker issue, it'll read like one of Ed's comics, and when you read one of Matt's issues, it'll read like Matt's comics."

Fan questions opened up with a query on whether Loki would work with or against Magneto. Fraction said it was a relationship rife with interesting possibilities, but he didn't want to reveal how Kid Loki would factor into the series.

Aaron spoke to the big flaming threat headed towards earth and how he and his fellow X-Men scribes viewed the cosmic entity. "We're trying to write the Phoenix that honors everything that's been done with [the entity] before from the Claremont stuff to the Grant Morrison stuff...certainly if you've read that stuff there will be more layers, but you won't need to know it all to jump right in."

The battle over Hope's future starts before the Phoenix strikes. Brevoort promised that the incoming "Avengers: X-Sanction" by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness will prove a key lead in as Cable returns from the future with a mission that has a bit of a time bomb on it, bringing him into conflict with the Avengers as the big event looms. Alonso added, "For anyone wondering who Hope is, what her destiny is and what if any connection to Jean Grey – and Wanda – she has, [you'll learn that here.]"

Bendis said that the "Avengers Vs. X-Men" #0 prelude issue set to hit in advance of the main book will not simply be reprints of older stories or rehashings of "House of M" plot points but a full new story that sets the final pieces of the story in place as drawn by Frank Cho.

Character in the series were discussed here and there with Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel both playing key roles, though Hickman said they wanted to make sure to not let the expansive cast overtake the core of the story. "Black Panther's allegiance is to the Avengers while Storm is split right down the middle," Bendis said of the first couple of Wakanda. "Storm's choice will be felt very loudly."

One fan asked "Where are the villains?" to which Alonso replied "The villains are busy doing their bad stuff...certainly if I was Doctor Doom and a comet was headed to raze the planet, I'd be concerned." Though he said while fans can expect some nods to the villain community, the major players will be the heroes of the two franchises.

As for the artists, they revealed that Romita will draw the first act while Coipel will come in for Act 2 and Kubert will cover Act 3. "The three artists are at the top of their game, and people won't be disappointed at all," Lowe said.

Brubaker explained that for now, Bucky Barnes AKA the Winter Soldier will be functioning more outside the confines of the event as his own solo series gets rolling.

Bendis explained that he and Brevoort had been discussing bringing Storm to the Avengers for years before the current "Avengers" arc did that very move, but just as soon as they'd locked the move in, "AvX" came along and added a new wrinkle to the relationship.

"Xavier can't just sit on the sidelines...he'll have to be involved in some way or another," Aaron said. Meanwhile, Brevoort promised that the kids of the newly founded Jean Grey School For Gifted Youngsters will also factor in. Not just they will appear either as the SVP promised plenty of cameos and roles for characters from across the Marvel U. "Everybody's going to get a little bit of screentime."

Brevoort wrapped the news portion of the conference by noting that the event would not crossover into every Marvel Universe title, but it would cross into all the Avengers and X-Men books with one exception. "The one book that's not going to be touched by this, and it's a very deliberate choice on our part, is the new 'Avengers Assembled' title," he said, noting how that series is being made specifically for fans from the movies to read without any other tie-ins. "If you're talking about 'Uncanny X-Men' or 'Secret Avengers' or 'New Avengers' or 'Wolverine & The X-Men'...it's going to be all 'AvX' all the time in the Avengers and X-Men books."

For more on "Avengers Vs. X-Men," stay tuned later today for CBR's exclusive first interview with Axel Alonso.

~~~

Thank you sandman for the heads up!!!

'X-Men: First Class' Gets the 'How it Should Have Ended' Treatment [Video]

2011-12-07T15:57:00.000-04:00

From Comics Alliance:

For comic book fans and pretty much anyone who has ever seen any of Fox's previous three X-Men films (plus X-Men: Origins Wolverine), the conclusion to this past summer's X-Men: First class was already a bit of a forgone conclusion. As with all cinematic retellings of comic tales, though, the devil was in the details. Playing off what some might consider story shortcomings, the animators at How It Should Have Ended have finally gotten around to poking their brand of fun at First class, hereby capping 2011's Marvel summer superhero film trifecta that included Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. See if you agree with How It Should Have Ended's assessment of X-Men: First Class after the cut.

X-POSITION: Jason Aaron on Wolverine, Quentin Quire and Hellfire Kids

2011-12-07T11:33:00.001-04:00

Excerpt from CBR:

Joshua needs a little help defining terms. What do you say?

What does the term "Adjunct Staff" mean? And is it really smart to have Frenzy as part of the staff at this school?

Adjunct Staff are just the more secondary staff members. Wolverine and Kitty run the show, and right below them is a core group of senior staff members. Below that are the more non-essential personnel (sorry, Toad). As for how smart it was to bring Frenzy along, only time will tell. I'd suggest you keep an eye on Chris Gage's "X-Men: Legacy."

Derek asks: I'm excited to see Rachel as a prominent member of the cast. At this point, however, no one has made it clear why she chose Wolverine's side over her father, Scott's. What was her reasoning?

Good question. For now, I'll just say that Rachel's time in the spotlight is coming, soon enough.

X-fan April will be picking that up and more, it appears. Until that issue hits the stands though, she has a few fun queries:

First of all, I'd like to say that I have been enjoying your run on "Wolverine," and "Wolverine and the X-Men" is a great new take on the "school for mutant youth." My questions are:

1) Since Mike Carey brought back Ariel over in "X-Men: Legacy," would you consider scooping her up for Wolverine's side? So far Cyclops has three teleporters, but Wolverine only has "Age of Apocalypse" Nightcrawler (whose existence is a secret from everyone). Ariel would make a good addition both power and staff-wise. Logan also appears to be short on psychics…

MARVEL ANNOUNCES "AVENGERS VS. X-MEN" FOR 2012

2011-12-06T14:24:00.000-04:00

From: CBR & USA TODAY

For months, Marvel Comics has been promising something big coming down the pike for readers invested in the Marvel Universe. The planned 2012 project has been described by Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso as "not part of a cosmic event, but a Marvel Universe event," adding, "Very soon, we're going to reveal all. Three simple words that speak to the hardcore Marvel fan and the guy or gal on the street who's seen one or two super hero movies."

Today, those three words became clear: "Avengers Vs. X-Men."

In a story published on the Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction -- and drawn by big name artists Frank Cho, John Romita, Jr., Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert.

The appeal of the series is obvious, Alonso told the newspaper: "You've got two populations whose motivations are simple and understandable and defensible. That's part of the beauty of this. You're seeing a story that evolves out of 'What would you do?'"

In a separate article, the mechanics of the title and its promotion were laid out, from each issue being scripted by one writer who then hands the story off to another for the next issue, to plans to integrate Google+ into the ongoing promotional efforts.

On a story level, the focus of 2009's X-Men "Second Coming" crossover, Hope Summers, will once again be the center of attention in "Avengers Vs. X-Men," as the presumed host for the returning Phoenix Force. In fact, it's the threat of the returning Phoenix Force that will instigate the conflict in the first place, Alonso says. "The Phoenix Force is the spirit of destruction and rebirth. It razes worlds to create something new. It's bad news if you happen to be living on the world about to be razed. It's great news if you're what's going to be the outcome of that world."

Also taking center stage is the Scarlet Witch, who, in many ways, instigated this conflict years ago when she used her reality-altering powers to all but erase mutantkind from the planet. Bendis, who scripts her story in the series' prologue issue, told the newspaper,"She's been on a road of almost impossible-to-perceive redemption over the last few years and now is going to come face-to-face with the Avengers."

Stay tuned to CBR News all week for more on this major story, and check out USA Today for more on its initial announcement.

Best Shots Comic Reviews: UNCANNY X-MEN

2011-12-06T12:37:00.000-04:00

From: Newsarama

Uncanny X-Men #2
Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Carlos Pacheco, Jorge Molina, Rodney Buchemi, Cam Smith, Roger Bonet, Walden Wong, Frank D'Armata, Rachelle Rosenberg and Jim Charalampidis
Lettering by Joe Caramagna
Published by Marvel Comics
Review by Patrick Hume
'Rama Rating: 7 out of 10

I think Sinister has been underutilized.

There, I said it, and I don't feel bad about it. Do most people associate Sinister with all that was indecipherable about the X-Men of the '90s? Sure. Did his original design come off like something out of a overambitious Marilyn Manson video? Absolutely. I submit, however, that in the right hands, any character is redeemable, and Sinister has a lot going for him. A shadowy presence that has haunted the lives of the X-Men, and Cyclops in particular, for decades, Sinister should almost be the anti-Xavier, someone whose knowledge of the mutant genome has turned him inward to the secrets of existence rather than outward to the sociopolitical landscape.

And that's the Sinister that has shown up in the inaugural arc of this new volume of Uncanny X-Men. Sinister using the power of the Dreaming Celestial to remake the world in his image is both the kind of grandiose scheme that we should be seeing from one of the X-Men's top nemeses, as well as the kind of threat that the flagship title and team should have to face. There's no subtlety or innovation about what Gillen is doing here, and that's what makes it work. Cyclops and his "Extinction Team" are meant to be on the same level as the Avengers, to stop the big threats, and Sinister's invocation of the near-Biblical might of the Celestials is about as big a threat as they come.

Even in the midst of these grandiose goings-on, however, Gillen finds time to let us know that character matters to him. He hasn't just assembled these particular mutants because of editorial fiat or because he thought they'd look cool together. The Extinction Team have personalities as powerful as their mutant abilities, and everything from Emma and Hope's contingency plan to quips from relative newcomers Namor and Danger shows that Gillen cares how these characters think and interact with one another. He's laying the groundwork for some interesting dynamics as time goes on, and I look forward to seeing where they go.

If you'll direct your attention to the top of the review, you'll note that there are nine names credited on interior art. I assume this has something to do with the two-page flashback to Sinister's younger years. Regardless, the art is consistent throughout, if a little flat. Even on the opening splash and what should be a few other money shots later on, I didn't get the sense of motion or dimensionality that I look for in action-oriented books like this. Body language was somewhat lacking as well. This might just be an instance of too many cooks spoiling the broth, which hopefully won't be as much of a factor going forward.

Gillen and primary artist Carlos Pacheco have taken on a great deal in rebooting Uncanny. The X-universe has changed dramatically over the past couple of years, and anyone who stepped away from reading comics for a while would have very little idea what was going on in this book. It's clear, however, that Gillen and Pacheco intend to swing for the fences and see what happens, an attitude I can appreciate. Gillen has a lot of big ideas, and once his and Pacheco's styles begin to gel a little more, I think this could be a great standard-bearer for the Regenesis era of X-Men comics.

----------------------------------------------
Thanks for the find, Sandman. :)

Marvel Comics Schedules Phoenix Teaser Revelation

2011-12-06T11:15:00.001-04:00

From: Robot 6

After two months of teases, it looks like we may get some payoff on the “It’s coming” images that Marvel started running around the New York Comic-Con. The company has scheduled a live event this Wednesday at 3 p.m. Eastern to hopefully announce the project.

Since October, Marvel has run Phoenix-themed teaser images, with several of their top creators tied to it — Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Olivier Coipel, John Romiat Jr. and Adam Kubert. And in the recent Point One comic, the Phoenix entity popped up in the Nova story, which led to Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso confirming that it’s part of a “Marvel Universe event.”

“The Phoenix is the spirit of destruction and rebirth,” Alonso told CBR’s Kiel Phegley during a discussion about Point One. “It razes worlds to grow something new. It’s bad news if you happen to be part of that ecosystem; good news if you’re the next stage. And, as everyone knows, the Phoenix is nothing without a host. So, the question emerges: If the Phoenix is headed somewhere, where is that? And if it needs a host, who is that host? Because we all know what happened the last time it found a host!”

You can check out the panel from the Nova story featuring the big ol’ flaming bird after the jump.

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Thanks for the link, sandman(s) ^_^

Marvel 'Next Big Thing' - Brian Wood on WOLVERINE

2011-12-05T08:50:00.001-04:00

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/brian-wood-wolverine-alpha-omega-111202.html

DMZ writer Brian Wood is back at Marvel, and his first project is the five-issue miniseries Wolverine & the X-Men: Alpha & Omega. Along with Marvel editor Jeanine Schafer, he's on the line with the comic book press Friday to talk about the series in Marvel's latest "Next Big Thing" conference call.

(click the link to read)

- Posted using BlogPress

MARVEL COMICS ON SALE DECEMBER 7, 2011

2011-12-02T01:42:00.000-04:00

From: CBR

X-Men #22

X-Club #1

X-Factor #228

X-23 #18

ComicVine Reviews X-Men Legacy # 259

2011-12-01T12:46:00.000-04:00

From ComicVine:

With Regenesis under way, some of the characters' decision was abrupt and with X-MEN LEGACY wrapping up its previous storyline, we now get to see some of those decisions along with a new plot twist.

The Good
The conversation between Cyclops and Havok was great to see. Even with X-MEN: REGENESIS focusing on the different members of the X-Men choosing to stay with Cyclops or leave with Wolverine, we didn't get to see everyone's struggle with the choice. In a surprising fashion, Scott actually tries to justify Wolverine's choice to his brother. We also see more of the conversation between Rogue and Magneto which leads to an interesting twist involving one of the members that was out in space.

There's a lot of room here for characters to get a chance in the spotlight. Emma Frost, while usually portrayed as cold and cruel but seeing her interact with one of the students was a great reminder that deep down, she does care about the kids and being a teacher.

The great part of this issue is the return of a character. If it had been previously announced or revealed, I somehow missed it. I felt the excitement build up as I read and turned each page waiting to see who would be revealed. It was a great feeling to be able to read an issue without being spoiled as to what the big twist would be.

Khoi Pham's art added a nice vibe to the story. Combined with the muted colors by Antonio Fabela, this issue had a feel that kept it separated from the other X-titles.

The Bad
We're already two months into Regenesis but this issue is showing us what characters such as Havok and Rogue are going through in making their decision. It's great to see but some of the value is taken away since we already know what side they choose. It's unfortunate that we didn't get to see more interaction between Scott and Alex or Scott and Rachel. There's a moment here she calls him 'dad' but I feel like they don't have a father-daughter relationship. It's weird that she's been gone, out in space, all this time and we never saw whether he cared that she returned. From REGENESIS, we know she chooses to go to join Wolverine.

The Verdict
Even though this sports the Regenesis banner, it's still taking place before the full split of the team. Some members we know will be leaving Utopia are still here as a new and interesting plot twist arises with the return of the mutants from space. It's great to see some of the interaction between characters such as Cyclops and Havok but we don't get enough. There simply isn't room here (or elsewhere) which is unfortunate. There is the return of a character that I hadn't heard about and that made this an exciting read as I read through to see who it would be. This issue should have happened a couple months ago but it's just one of those things you have to let go while enjoying the story. The story combined with the art makes this a great X-title that should stand out apart from the other X-titles. I'm getting more and more excited for where this series is going to go.

Rating: 4/5
~~~

Thank you sandman for the heads up!

IGN Reviews X-Men Legacy # 259

2011-12-01T10:13:00.000-04:00

IGN:

X-Men Legacy has been a bit behind the times with respect to the whole Schism/Regenesis plotline, but issue #259 brings Rogue and her space-faring compatriots roaring back into the discussion. Writer Mike Carey entwines the stories of where Rogue will place her allegiance and who might have followed her back from her trip between dimensions, making excellent use of his 32 pages. Rogue's internal conflict is brought out nicely in the dialog without being explained too blatantly. The art by penciller Khoi Pham is nicely understated in this section, conveying something akin to the sorrowful exhaustion the characters would likely be feeling after returning from an arduous trip to find their friends on opposite sides of an argument. Indispensible to Pham's effort in creating this effect, though, are the light inks of Tom Palmer and pastels of Antonio Fabela.

The transition into the mystery of the stowaway spirit is handled smoothly by the creative team. Pham's compositions become more densely populated, Palmer increases the pressure on his brush, and Fabela throws some powerful primaries and secondaries into the mix. All of these artistic adjustments help to refocus the energy and pace of the book on its new direction. Carey ties the book's two sections together and keeps Rogue firmly in the spotlight with the recurring use of her touch powers. He also does a good job to keep the reader wondering about the stowaway's identity up to the final page, even though he has already thrown out hints in previous issues and interviews.

This book does a lot of things well, and, for the relatively low price of $2.99, you'd do well to snap up a copy. It's a well-timed and approachable character study that doesn't succumb to the tendency of stagnation from which such stories usually suffer. The mystery of the stowaway spirit presented and solved in this issue is engrossing, and the momentum of the final pages is contagious. An enjoyable book all around.

Rating: 8.0/10

X-Men Legacy # 259 Rogue Scans!

2011-11-30T17:02:00.000-04:00

Here you go!

CBR's "Best X-Moments of 2011"

2011-11-30T15:32:00.000-04:00

This is the column where you, our readers, tell us what events from Marvel's X-Universe made you cheer with glee (or possibly cry with emotion) over the past 365 days. From today through Christmas, either post your favorite X-Moments of 2010 at the appropriate string in our X-forums or email me directly with your thoughts on the matter.

Let me know why you picked this moment and which X-issue it came from. Images help us out too, so either post them in the thread or send them to me in your email (not a requirement, but it's appreciated). We'll do a tally of the results between the forum posts and emails, and then expect one heck of a fun X-POSITION at year's end. If you do email me, put "Best X-Moment of 2010" in the subject line -- pretty please?

X-POSITION: VICTOR GISCHLER SECURES THE X-MEN

2011-11-30T15:29:00.000-04:00

From: CBR

A few Excerpts:

1) Cyclops describes this team as his security team, but what are they securing? Are there still residents on Utopia that aren't part of the X-Men?

Jubilee, Psylocke and Warpath get the cover treatment for "X-Men" #22
"Security" is a loose term that covers a lot of things -- basically, any leaks Cyclops thinks needs to be plugged or any X-Men-related issue that looks like it's going to develop into a problem. For example, in the current arc we have some Sentinels in the hands of some people that might cause problems with them down the road. That's X-Men business and needs to be dealt with. But it's also a situation that bleeds over into the rest of Marvel U.

2) It's felt like Warpath has been in the background ever since he joined the X-Men years ago. Can we expect to get more in depth with him? He is one of the most powerful X-Men with super-strength, super-speed, heightened durability, endurance and agility, enhanced senses and flight, and I'd love to see more done with him.

That's one of the reasons we thought Warpath could use some more face time. (And also, he's just cool.) Having story arcs that focus specifically on him is something we might explore in the future.

3) Keeping with this title's purpose of intermingling with the rest of the Marvel Universe, it would be interesting to see Warpath work with other Native American characters like American Eagle or Puma. Or maybe Domino could get the team involved with some S.H.I.E.L.D. operations? Any chance for either of these situations?

Honestly, we haven't thought about those specific situations, but you're right that those are ideas just right for adjectiveless X-Men. I wouldn't be surprised to see such scenarios developed.

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Thanks to Sandman for the link

LEAVING A LEGACY WITH MIKE CAREY

2011-11-27T15:27:00.000-04:00

From: The Cupcake Rogues

A few Excerpts.

Carmen Axle: Were you a fan of Rogue and the X-Men before you began to write for X-Men?

Mike Carey: Yes, I was. My relationship with comics as a reader goes back a very long way. I read the original run when I was a kid in the English reprint editions and then very, very early in the Chris Claremont revival I caught on to what was happening and it was actually the Claremont/Cockrum runs that got me back into the comics after a period when I wasn’t reading them much at all. And I carried on reading through about issue 300 or so of the original book. Certainly long enough for New Mutants to launch and then for X-Factor to launch.

After the mutant massacre I stopped being a regular reader, but I dropped back in every so often and picked up a run here and a run there or a trade and kept abreast of what was going on.

I know it eventually became a repeated trope, and I’ve done it myself, to have former villains be reclaimed and be rehabilitated and become X-men – but Rogue was, if not the first, one of the first to make that transition and it was surprising and it was exciting to have her cross the lines from the Brotherhood to the X-Men and then to have to work that out with both her new teammates and with her mother, Mystique.

All of those beats were very cool and I loved those stories when I first read them. I always thought Rogue was one of the most interesting characters in the line up.

CA: How big of a deal was that to sell the idea of Rogue now having control over her powers? Obviously that’s a huge game-changer in the X-Men world.

MC: It wasn’t hard. It wasn’t like the X-Men editors were dubious about me changing Rogue’s situation. I think they like it when writers mess with the status quo and bring new things to the table. This was obviously something that had been pending for a very, very long time, arguably going back to the moment when she joins the X-Men, because Professor X implicitly promises this to her and then never delivers.

So I pitched it as part of the Professor X era of Legacy. The whole arc of Professor X in those issues is to revisit all the unfinished business from his past. Wouldn’t it be great if it ended with him going back to Rogue and finally keeping his promise to her. And, at the same time, wouldn’t that be great if that was then the hand over from Professor X to Rogue as the protagonist on the book? And Daniel Ketchum was totally behind me in that. He was really enthusiastic about it.

SPOILERS – The Kiss That Was Heard Around The World – Wolverine And The X-Men #2

2011-11-25T17:52:00.001-04:00

From Bleeding Cool:

The second issue of Wolverine & The X-Men, published today, sees Bobby Drake, Iceman, step up. Called on by Wolverine to live up to his potential, he’s on a promise to do something amazing. And, in an assault on the school by The Hellfire Creche, he does just that.

Those actions are probably a different spoiler in themselves and they lead to one page which has taken our attention. And which could have major ramifications for this team, Cyclops’ team and the X-Men in general.

*** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS *** SPOILERS ***

Okay, that should do. Because this is a story about “Squee!”

Two characters, who have hung out around each other for an age, and who didn’t seem up for a thing. Colossus is a coast away. Bobby Drake always had that possibility he ice-batted for the other team.

But right here, right now, Iceman steps up.
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Marvel Comics On Sale November 30, 2011

2011-11-25T10:22:00.003-04:00

Available from CBR:

Ultimate Comics Ultimates #4

Uncanny X-Men #2

Wolverine #19

X-Men Legacy #259

~~~

Thank you sandman for the heads up!

LBFA Presents: What Are Superheroes Thankful For? [Original Comic]

2011-11-23T19:55:00.002-04:00

From Comics Alliance:

- Posted using BlogPress

AXEL-IN-CHARGE: A Thanksgiving Feast of Fan Questions

2011-11-23T19:52:00.001-04:00

Excerpt from CBR:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=35619

In a similar vein, Sv7nd was focusing on the ladies and asked: "Hey, Axel. There have been many new female characters in recent years that are male character spin-offs. For example: Black Panther, Red She-Hulk, Ghost Rider, X-23, numerous Spider themed ladies, etc. My question is, when you(Marvel) are trying to create a new female character to lead an ongoing title do you feel that they need to stem from or have a connection to a popular male character in order to help them be noticed and successful? While some of the above creations may turn out great; I personally feel this gimmick has been highly overused and would be more interested in a completely original female characters that can stand on their own."

Alonso: Creating any character with the intention of having them anchor an ongoing title is probably the fastest way for them not to catch on, Sv7nd. That said, a strong female character needn't have roots in a male character, but any new character benefits from a high-profile launching pad. It's not a surprise that some of our strongest female characters are our X-Women, none of whom are rooted in a male character, but all of whom reflect the paradigm -- Jean Grey is, hands down, the character we get the most fan mail about, even though it's been years since we last saw her, Storm is one of the most popular X-Men period. And I'm betting Kitty Pryde, who made a huge comeback in Joss Whedon's "Astonishing X-Men" is going to have a great year in 2012.

In the broader Marvel Universe, there are so many standouts over the years: Black Widow, the Wasp, the Scarlet Witch -- Ms. Marvel, too, unless you deem her too derivative. And there's a lot of interest in Veil from "Avengers Academy" and, of course, red-haired, green-eyed Hope, from "Uncanny X-Men" and "Generation Hope." And then there's Lady Hit-Monkey -- I keed.

- Posted using BlogPress

Comics Carey Looks Back on Five-and-a-Half Years with the X-MEN

2011-11-23T18:31:00.001-04:00

From Newsarama:

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/mike-carey-x-men-legacy-111123.html?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social%2Bmedia&utm_campaign=seo%2Bblitz&utm_content=Newsarama

Mike Carey's final X-Men arc — for now, at least — begins later this month with X-Men: Legacy #259, out Nov. 30.

The two-part story details the return of Rogue's team from far-off space — including Havok, Polaris and Rachel Grey arriving at Utopia for the first time. Of course, as a result of X-Men: Schism and Regenesis, readers know that Rogue and most of her associated have left the west coast for Wolverine's Jean Grey School of Higher Learning in Westchester, and these issues detail that decision.

Newsarama spoke with Carey about ending his run on X-Men: Legacy — which started in summer 2006 with X-Men #188, before becoming X-Men: Legacy as of issue #208 — his final story on the book, what he wished he had the chance to explore further, and his plans for the future.

Newsarama: Mike, we're coming up on your last story arc on X-Men: Legacy, and it's a two-parter, right?

Mike Carey: Yep, it's just a short and sweet coda to my run, and introduction to Christos [Gage]'s.

Nrama: So the obvious question is, after five-and-a-half years on the book, what makes now the right time to leave?

Carey: I guess there never is a "right time" to leave, really, and I leave with a lot of regrets. But I've got commitments elsewhere that I was having trouble meeting, mostly prose fiction and screenplay stuff. I've had to cut back on a lot of fronts, and the last thing you want to do, if you’re writing on a book like X-Men, is to skimp or to give it less than your full attention and energy. So I figured it would be best to bow out, at least for a while.

Nrama: Longevity-wise, this is your second-longest run on a book, correct? Right behind Lucifer?

Carey: I think actually, in terms of pages, it's more than Lucifer. Lucifer was 75 straight issues of the monthly, plus the three-part miniseries and [one-shot] Nirvana. With X-Men, I've got a 73-issue sequential run plus two annuals.

Nrama: And plus the New Mutants issues of "Age of X."

Carey: Right. And also the "Endangered Species" chapters that I wrote, which were kind of a prologue to "Messiah Complex." I think in terms of actual volume of work, it's the longest run I've ever had on any book.

Nrama: Back when you first took over the series, did you have any plans or expectations to have this long of a run? Was there a "master plan" or did it just kind of unfold organically?

Carey: When I came in, it was a team book; it was still adjectiveless. My pitch took the form of, "This would be my team, and this is what I'd love to do with them."

Obviously it was then completely reinvented when it became Legacy. From then on, there was kind of a longer-term plan, to work through the Professor X stuff, and then to bring Rogue front and center. There's a sense in which, for at least part of the time, yes, there was a master plan. But with any ongoing book, you're constantly introducing new plotlines, you're constantly tying off old ones, so whenever you leave, you leave with stuff undone, sadly.

Nrama: Yeah, it seems inevitable that there would still be plotlines you didn't get to develop — and probably characters you wished you could feature more, too.

Carey: Yep, all of that. There were plotlines that we trailed — Gambit's other persona, this other self that's sort of awake and aware inside him. There's this mystery of Blindfold's brother. There's stuff we would have loved to do.

Having said that, there are some things that we do tie off [in my last two issues]. There's plenty of stuff there that will give long-term readers a big kick, I would hope.

Nrama: Are there any characters in particular you wished you had more time to explore?

Carey: I'm hugely nostalgic for the lineup that I had in the first year when I was working with Chris Bachalo.

Nrama: Mystique, Sabretooth...

Carey: Yeah, and Lady Mastermind, and Karima. Iceman, of course, and Cannonball. It was a fantastic group of characters. There was loads of potential there for storylines. They were characters who struck sparks off each other in fun and interesting ways.

Nrama: Of course, your biggest "legacy" (sorry, couldn't be avoided) on the series is probably your work on Rogue. That's obviously a character you're fond of — how pleased were you to get the chance to build her up during your run?

Carey: Yeah, totally. I loved writing Rogue. She's one of many characters who I loved writing. I guess it always comes back, for me, to the fact that these are characters whose adventures I read and enjoyed when I was younger, and it's a privilege to add chapters to their story.

I say this a lot, but it's true: You kind of feel like this is a house you lived in as a child, and here you are building new rooms onto it.

Nrama: Your last arc on the book looks like it's centered on Rogue and Magneto's relationship, given that we know at this point that post-Schism they go their separate ways.

Carey: It's certainly centered on Rogue's decision. We see Rogue discussing options with both Magneto and Gambit, and several other characters, including Rachel. It's a tying off of loose ends for Rogue. It's also a re-introduction of an existing character wgo we haven't seen for a long time, who I hope will be used in some of the X-books going forward. And it's kind of a farewell to some characters and relationships that I have enjoyed writing.

Nrama: The previous Legacy arc, "Five Miles South of the Universe," seemed like a good note to go out on: a big, five-part space drama. Did you intend for that to be one of your last stories in the series, or did it just kind of end up that way?

Carey: It just ended up that way. I pitched the space story before I pitched "Lost Legions." But then when "Age of X" got up and running, we realized that we'd have to put the space story on the backburner for a little while, because there was other stuff that would arise out of "Age of X."

It was a good note to go out on. In so many ways, the last year-and-a-half has been stupendous. I loved writing "Age of X;" I loved turning Legacy to some extent back into a team book again. It's just been very cool.

Nrama: What can you tell us about the other projects you're working on? Obviously there's Unwritten still going at Vertigo — anything else you can discuss, or is it a little too early?

Carey: Unwritten's the only ongoing comic commitment I've got. Of course, at the moment, Unwritten is coming out twice a month because of the .5 issues. The first of them is about to hit the stands — #31.5. "War of Words" has major revelations about the cabal, about Tom's past, and about Tom's nature, and some pretty huge climaxes — some game-changing stuff, introducing a completely new phase of the book for next year.

There's some stuff that I did last year that is hopefully going to hit next year. I did a werewolf story for Thomas Jane's Raw Studios; there is some stuff that I'm talked about elsewhere that hasn't been announced yet. I just finished co-writing, with my wife and daughter, a fantasy novel, The Steel Seraglio, which comes out from ChiZine Publications in March.
I'm working on two thrillers — the first one came out in August. It's difficult to talk about them, because they're pseudonymous. They're not Mike Carey books, they're written under someone else's names for complex reasons. I'm working up a lot of pitches for TV, I'm talking to someone about a movie screenplay, I have a movie screenplay which is hopefully going into production shortly... It's a lot of stuff.

Nrama: That's certainly a lot on your plate, but are you talking at all to Marvel about more work with them, maybe down the line?

Carey: I would love to come back. I would love to come back and do some more X-Men work. I know it's easier to leave than it is to come back, because things move on — you don't know where you're going to be six months or a year down the road. But I've really loved working in the X-Men universe.
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Thank you Bonez for posting this libk!

Exclusive Marvel Preview: X-MEN LEGACY #259

2011-11-23T14:10:00.000-04:00

From: Newsarama

X-MEN LEGACY #259
Written by MIKE CAREY
Pencils by KHOI PHAM
Cover by CLAY MANN
Regenesis Gold Variant by NICK BRADSHAW
Marvel Comics 50th Anniversary Variant by DAVID YARDIN
SCHISM AFTERMATH!
The X-Men are divided. As the teams part ways, Rogue, Magneto and Gambit attend to unfinished business, hoping to avoid answering the question: Whose side are they on?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

X-POSITION: ABNETT & LANNING STRADDLE THE SCHISM IN & NEW MUTANTS

2011-11-23T07:07:00.002-04:00

Excerpt from CBR:

Renaldo asks:

Due to the "Schism," many found it interesting that Sam couldn't stay and lead on the Summers' side and ended up deferring to Wolverine's branch. Was this always a part of the plan? And will this absence be a key part of Dani and the team's upcoming arcs?

Yes, it was. We want to do some particular things with the team as it is, and there is a valuable sadness in having some team members step down (even for a short time). Sam also has issues and needs a rest, poor guy. Trust us, we're not done with anything. Unfinished business, unfinished business...

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KIERON GILLEN HAS SINISTER PLANS FOR UNCANNY X-MEN

2011-11-23T07:02:00.002-04:00

Excerpt from CBR:

"I essentially wanted to put Colossus through the grinder. I think he's a character who could use some growth, and making him the Juggernaut was a great opportunity for that," Gillen remarked. "Now, he's very much a Jekyll and Hyde style character. Basically, he can transform into this stronger form, but when he undergoes that transformation, he becomes morally tarnished. Those dark feelings and thoughts wouldn't have phased somebody like the former Juggernaut, Cain Marko, but Colossus is pretty conflicted and confused. He's trying to keep his moral core and that's problematic. He's going through something similar to what his sister went through, and she's come out the other side. If they were in Possessed People Anonymous, she would be his sponsor. They're tying to keep things on an even keel, here. The question is, can he? Through Colossus, they have access to all this enormous power, but now they have to make sure nothing can go wrong. It's what the whole series reduces down to, in some ways"

Magik and Colossus' codependent relationship may make them feel like outsiders within the Extinction Team, but they can still count on each other. Some of their teammates, like Magneto and Storm, are more isolated and have no real confidants that they can turn to for advice and support.

"Magneto is kind of on the edge of the group, because he is Magneto. They are not going to completely trust him. He knows that he could move towards the center of the group by being diplomatic and putting himself next to Cyclops, but seems to be avoiding it. He is a tactician. He's clearly got his motivations. He also knows this is a team that exists to save the world and make sure they don't attack mutants -- which is something he clearly believes in, entirely. So there's an interesting balancing act there," Gillen stated. "Storm has a much more difficult role to play. She's the moral anchor of the team. Scott told her that if everyone in the room is saying, 'Yep. We should kill everybody,' it's her job to go, 'No! No! No! We are not killing anybody!' One of my favorite pages in the first issue was her and Magneto, where she says how much she hates violence -- and had just blown something enormous up.

"That's the conflict with Storm," Gillen continued. "She's not a pacifist. She's committed acts of enormous violence, but doesn't think doing that is acceptable, let alone good. That makes her perfect for the team. Of all the members, she's probably the most vital in Scott's plan. Without Storm, this probably doesn't work. Scott wouldn't even try to do this if he didn't have Storm."

Storm plays such an essential role on Cyclops' Extinction Team, serving to enforce the concept of defending mutants without harming anyone along the way. Several years ago, Cyclops secretly assembled his own version of the covert mutant kill squad X-Force to hunt down and kill powerful anti-mutant figures. Storm must make sure that the Extinction Team aren't used for a similar purpose.

"I think Emma Frost losing an arm in our first issue is an extreme example of the forces we're dealing with here," Gillen continued. "Early on, I wanted to make it clear that this is a team where people get hurt, and if they get hurt bad enough, they'll need to recover. If Emma's arm isn't magically healed, she's probably not going to be in the next mission, and maybe not the one after that. The arm coming off could be filed under what people term super hero decadence. I disagree with that term, however, despite what some argue, when you juxtapose something like that with something like the British Class system as the villain and lead to something that's thrilling. I think you can do whatever you want with comics, and I think when rhetoric clouds possibility, you're generally in trouble."

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X-Men book gets an 'Astonishing' new writer

2011-11-22T18:01:00.001-04:00

From: USA TODAY

A few Experts:

"I loved writing the Hulk beyond all reason," Pak says. "There's a great heroic reticence, even silence to the Hulk that I really responded to as a writer. But the X-Men can be loud and brash and talky and snarky, which is a whole other barrel of fun. That variety of voices and the depth of the relationships between the characters is a constant joy to explore."

Pak's no stranger to the X-universe, though, penning the miniseries Magneto: Testament and X-Men: Phoenix — Endsong. He worked with X-Men editor Nick Lowe on the latter book, and those were two of Lowe's favorite X-Men comics in modern memory, he says. "I've been angling to get him back in the X-Stable for some time."

Featuring art by Mike McKone, issue 44 of Astonishing X-Men picks up with the mutants divided following Jason Aaron's recent Schism event series. Cyclops has long been the central character of Astonishing, so Pak's setting his adventures on the island Utopia in the San Francisco Bay with the X-Men leader and rest of Team Cyclops.

However, he's still feeling the emotional aftermath of his fallout with Wolverine and having some issues recovering mentally.

"He's been separated from a number of his closest friends in the world," Pak says. "One of the things this story does is tempt him with the chance to reclaim some of that friendship and heroism of a simpler time. We'll see just how dangerous that temptation really is."

From: Marvel

“We open ASTONISHING X-MEN #44 with Cyclops in stoic hero mode, lifting weights in the X-Gym as part of his post-Schism-Wolverine-fight physical therapy,” Pak explains. “But as we soon learn, he's dealing with some pretty substantial emotional scars as well.

“Schism laid the groundwork for the emotional story we're exploring. Cyclops has lost many of his dearest and oldest friends. During the course of our story, he'll have a chance to rekindle those old friendships and the heroism of a more innocent time. Exactly what he does with that opportunity and what secret challenges might lie in his path remains to be seen.”

Pak promises a whopper of an adversary to stir up trouble in his run, but for now he’s remaining mum on that personage’s identity.

“We meet our big baddie in issue #44. You might not recognize him yet. But you know him. Keep on reading, friends!”

Along with the hallmark mutant action that’s defined the X-titles, the writer also notes his drive to infuse the series with a healthy dose of pathos and real emotions.

“There's a significant emotional story for every character in the book, so I'm doing my best to raise the stakes with every scene,” he says. “Sometimes the characters are deflecting with humor; other times the drama breaks through in much more searing ways. There's a moment in issue #45 involving a Spider-Man lunchbox that sort of crept up on me. And there are some key interactions between Cyclops and the guy on the cover of issue #46 that felt pretty great.

“The trick is always to make sure that the emotional storyline is powering every aspect of the book. When the emotional storyline underlies every bit of action and the action increases the tensions of the emotional storyline, we've hit the sweet spot.

“Another hallmark of X-Men stories are big, crazy sci-fi ideas that in some way reflect on that central theme of mutant survival. The ‘Exalted’ story that runs from issues #44 to #47 turns on exactly that kind of huge concept. But again, what makes all that mind-bending sci-fi madness work is that it's all grounded in major emotional experiences and decisions for our central characters.”

And of course, there’s the kiss seen round the world. Scott and Ororo don’t necessarily show up on most X-fans’ romance radar, so one might wonder what Pak’s up to with this new wrinkle in X-Men personal relations.

“I love the fan reaction to that crazy kiss,” he reports. “It goes right to the heart of why we all love the X-Men: we care about these characters and we're involved in their struggles and emotional lives. Imagining what's going on in these heroes' hearts and speculating about what's coming next for them is a massive part of what makes reading these comics so fun. So I'm thrilled that the cover of ASTONISHING X-MEN #44 has been able to be part of that.”

Another huge part of the series falls upon the shoulder of Pak’s partner in astonishment, artist Mike McKone, who has most recently wowed the industry with his work on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and AVENGERS ACADEMY.

“Fans of Mike's books know that he always delivers gorgeous, clean lines, fantastic action, and great character moments,” says the writer. “The added bonus here is the amazing texture he's bringing to our book. He's inking his own pages, and there's a depth and grit to the art that makes every scene immediately compelling and real. If you loved the look and feel of those [Joss] Whedon/[John] Cassaday issues, you'll be right at home with this story.

“And let me rave a bit about Rachelle Rosenberg's colors as well. She's doing a tremendous job of keeping things subtle and real while cutting loose with the fantastical action. This is a very, very, very pretty book, and I couldn't be happier!”

Super Hero Squad: Rogue/Gambit Cards

2011-11-21T11:14:00.000-04:00

Link to Rogue related cards:

Description:
Team: X-Men
Playable: Yes
Cost: 600 Gold
Fight Style: Melee
Movement: Flight
Combo Damage: 8+10+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+30+30=92
Power 1: Flyin' Kick -1 Star- Kicks for 21 Damage & knockdown.
Power 2: Kiss Goodbye -2 Stars- Kisses for 18 Damage and stun.
Power 3: Dashin' Punches -3 Stars- Flys for punching for 11+11+11+11+11+11 Damage
Hero Up: Slams into ground for 90 Damage to all in radius. (All Stats for Maxed Hero)

Link to Gambit related cards:

Description: Hang on to your cards - Gambit can send them flying at enemies with a burst of energy faster than you can say "go fish!"
Team: X-Men
Playable: Yes
Cost: 600 Gold
Fight Style: Melee
Movement: Basic
Combo Damage: 13+5+13+37+44+44=156
Power 1: Three of a Kind -1 Star- Throws three cards for 8+8+8 damage.
Power 2: Luck of the Draw -2 Stars- Random Card thrown for damage [Hearts-18 And stun][Spades-18 and knockdown][Diamonds-18 Area Damage][Clubs-30 Damage]
Power 3: Kinetic Charge -3 Stars- Throws Pineapple for 56 Damage and knockdown.
Hero Up: Throws cards into air they do 25 Damage to all in radius. (Stats for Maxed hero)

~~~

Many thanks to Bonez for this find!

WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #3 (UNLETTERED)

2011-11-18T12:55:00.000-04:00

From: CBR

Something has gone terribly wrong when Quentin Quire is the X-Men’s only hope of survival! The acclaimed team of Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo close out their explosive first arc in Wolverine & The X-Men #3 as the team desperately fights through everything the new Hellfire Club throws their way. Will Quire and Wolverine see eye to eye and save the new Jean Grey School for Higher Learning? Find out in Wolverine & The X-Men #3!

Off My Mind: How Mighty is Captain America's New Avengers Lineup?

2011-11-18T12:52:00.000-04:00

From: Comic Vine

The storm parts:

There's been a lot of discussion about choosing members of a team. We looked at the characteristics teams should have as well as how leaders of teams are selected. Some teams rarely change their roster. Other teams, like the Justice League or Avengers, are constantly changing members.

With the current disasters in the Marvel Universe, the time came to re-examine where they were and what would be best for the world. With so many members running around, Captain America felt the time was to narrow it down, to figure out who the actual team would consist of. Luke Cage's New Avengers would remain untouched but Cap's Avengers are considered the sanctioned authority.

It was Tony Stark's idea that the team needed some old friends. Captain America now has to decide who stays on the team and who he needs to try to recruit. It won't be an easy task. He needs to figure out who will make the team balanced in terms of personality and firepower. And there's also the fact that not everyone asked will want to join the team. As we look over the roster he's chosen, be aware that there will be some spoilers to Avengers #19, but if you've seen the cover, you basically already know who's on the team.

Storm

Cap started out asking Black Panther to rejoin. He told him he'd be there when they need him but he has other things he needs to do (he better do them quickly since word is out his title is ending soon). T'challa is in a weird place right now (not in terms of location). He left Wakanda and took up residence in Hell's Kitchen. Despite being married to Storm, he insisted on fighting his own battles without her help. And similarly, he doesn't want the Avengers' help either.

He told Steve that it wasn't a friendly face he needed but instead, firepower. He suggested his wife. Storm is an insanely powerful mutant. There's no question why many call her a goddess. Besides firepower, she is also a formidable hand-to-hand fighter. Having lead the X-Men for so long, she even has some tactical skills. She can fly and blast enemies from afar. She is clearly a great addition to the team.

Problems?

The team has a lot of leaders on it. Cap, Iron Man, Storm, Vision and even Red Hulk could all make plans during a battle. Hopefully everyone will not be able to resist the fact that Captain America is the ultimate leader and should always be looked to when time for decisions.

No telepath? Having someone with telepathy makes it easier for the team to remain in contact with each other. With all the brains and technology, they could easily whip up some sort of tiny communication devices but sometimes telepathy is easier. And you don't have to worry about batteries dying.

Magic? They don't have any protection against mystical attacks.

Speed? They don't have a dedicated speedster although Noh-Varr has been said to have fast reflexes. Hopefully speed won't be a major issue with all the other powers on the team.

Summary

The team appears to be pretty well-rounded. There are a couple areas to be concerned with but it looks like Cap chose a pretty good roster. Black Panther will probably start hanging out with them more often. His fighting skills (along with Cap's) will add even more to the team when fighting the villains.

The big question is how will this team work together. With some veteran members and new Avengers, they're going to have to spend some time getting to know each other and each other's abilities. They could have all the firepower and skills in the world but if they can't work together as a team, none of that will matter.

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Thank you sandman for the find!

MARVEL COMICS ON SALE NOVEMBER 23, 2011

2011-11-18T12:44:00.000-04:00

From: CBR

Wolverine and the X-men #2

Daken: Dark Wolverine #17

Astonishing X-Men #44

Avengers Origin: Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch #1