Expecting part two of my Squadron Supreme retrospective this week? Ha! I never said it was a weekly series! Ok, well I was kinda planning for it to be, but, well, something suddenly came up…
As you’ve all no doubt heard by now a little leak in the e-mail exchange between Marvel and the retailers re: their May solicitations, and voila: we’ve got the full skinny on the much-ballyhooed X-Men Reloaded relaunch going down that month (my freshman year of college closed out with an X-Relaunch and now so will my senior year…makes me feel kinda warm and fuzzy inside).
The full solicitation has been reprinted on pretty much every major news site at this point (Including first and foremost, of course, ours, here and here; I swiped my solicit copy from UncannyXMen.net, which you should go check out, it’s pretty nifty), so after you’re done here getting the stuff you’re really lusting for, you can go see what those other hacks think. I’m just going to run through each solicit and give you my ever-so-humble opinion ad nauseum.
ASTONISHING X-MEN #1
Written by JOSS WHEDON
Pencils & Cover by JOHN CASSADAY
“GIFTED” pt. 1 (of 6)
Dream-team creators JOSS WHEDON (creator of TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and JOHN CASSADAY (Planetary, CAPTAIN AMERICA) bring you the explosive #1 issue of the all-new flagship X-Men series! As part of X-MEN: RELOAD, this issue marks a return to classic greatness and the beginning of a brand-new era for the X-Men.
Well, we all knew this was coming for quite some time now, but now that it’s official…damn, that’s awesome. I’ll just go ahead and echo the sentiments of every other internet comic journalist and say that Joss Whedon and the X-Men is a match made in someplace perhaps cooler than heaven. This guy thinks of more entertaining dialogue and elaborately clever plots when he’s taking a shower (hmm…) than I do when I sit down to try and write entertaining dialogue and elaborately clever plots. He’s one of the most brilliant writers of sci-fi comedic drama of our time now working without a special effects budget. This is going to be amazing. Joss noted in an interview with Wizard (released once the solicits got out) that he has all the time in the world to devote to comics now that he only has one show on the air instead of three…so I’m assuming the interview was done before the announcement about Angel not getting picked up for next season…excuse me, I need a moment to weep and curse the WB…alright, I’m back…well, didn’t think there would be an upside to that sad news so soon, but Joss being able to give his full attention to writing Astonishing X-Men is pretty close. This Wizard interview also reported that Whedon and Cassady would be doing one of those 12 issue runs that seems to be all the rage these days; it didn’t make it clear whether or not the series will continue beyond issue #12. I say it doesn’t really need to; four core books (keep reading) is too many; let Joss & John just tell the best stories they can for a year, let them use an all-star cast, then retire the book when they’re gone. Speaking of the cast, nobody’s talking, but Cassady did say he’s getting the opportunity to draw some characters he’s always wanted to…so I’m thinking icons, meaning Wolverine, Cyclops, maybe Beast…there’s a chance that this is just going to be the New X-Men crew transplanted to a different book (especially given who’s taking over that book). At the same time, I think this book should stand apart and be the best X-Men that Marvel can put out for a year; they’ve got Joss f’n Whedon, let him just write whoever he wants, even if they’re also in another book. I’m betting we get a Marvel media dream team of Wolverine, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Storm, Beast, maybe Rogue and Gambit, maybe Iceman, plus whoever Joss’ favorite characters are (there’s nothing in these solicits to indicate that Jean isn’t staying dead which is why I’m not mentioning her…but more on that later). I’ve babbled enough about this, we’ve got more to discuss…
UNCANNY X-MEN #444
Written by Chris Claremont
Pencils & Cover by Alan Davis
“THE END OF HISTORY” pt. 1 (of 4)
Beloved X-Men creators CHRIS CLAREMONT and ALAN DAVIS return to the series that started it all! New alliances are forged as old friendships are rekindled, but one thing is certain: The X-Men will never be the same!
I’d get all excited about Chris Claremont being “back where he belongs,†but since all we know so far is that this book will feature Storm, Bishop and Sage, three characters Chris has already been writing for three years in X-Treme X-Men, it feels kinda flat. Still, Claremont has definitely stepped up his game again when everybody thought he was done after his second run on the core books; I’m geared for the hat trick and will be more so when we get some more details on what characters he’ll be playing with. More exciting news is that we get monthly doses of Alan Davis, who will be free to be at his most mind-numbingly brilliant without having to worry about writing the bloody thing as well. Ok, so we knew all this already, not really much to report here…still pretty cool if you’re a fan of old school X-goodness and/or good art. Aside: I hope Cannonball lands here as well as Claremont has been writing him brilliantly lately.
X-MEN #157
Written by Chuck Austen
Pencils & Cover by Salvador Larroca
“DAY OF THE ATOM” pt. 1 (of 4)
UNCANNY X-MEN scribe CHUCK AUSTEN moves to X-MEN (formerly NEW X-MEN) to team up with new regular artist SALVADOR LARROCA as part of X-MEN: RELOAD!
No more “New†X-Men, which is find with me, as it lets the Morrison run stand alone and because it just always sounded kind of silly. So Marvel is going to stick to their guns with Austen; ballsy, but respectable. I’ve made my opinion on the man clear: when he’s good, he’s damn good, when he’s bad, he’s the devil himself…who usually figures prominently into those really bad storylines! Still, if nothing else the man has made some of the less interesting x-characters interesting and he’s stuck to his vision of where he wants to take the book even when some…most…all of the fans haven’t supported him. I’m willing to give the guy another shot; his early Superman stuff is good and Uncanny X-Men has been getting better since the abominable “Draco†arc wrapped up. He doesn’t get to keep Archangel (confirmed for Excalibur; more in a moment), but I’m guessing Austen won’t have to fight hard for the rest of his cast. We all know he loves him some Nightcrawler and he’s done good stuff with Havok, Northstar (sometimes) and Juggernaut, so expect them all to stick around. Polaris he hasn’t handled so well, but it doesn’t seem likely he’s going to let her go and I don’t see Claremont putting up much of a fight. Husk and Jubilee…I dunno, I doubt the former will follow Warren to his new haunts (Austen already seems to be setting the fan-reviled couple up for a split) and Jubilee has done nothing since returning…I think they’ll both be cluttering up the pages of this title. As a big Iceman fan, I’m torn; Austen hasn’t always done the best job with him, but he has done some cool stuff, whereas he’s never been a Claremont favorite. I’m hoping Joss uses Bobby some, but for his regular home, well, I guess as long as he has one, I’m cool. Salva will be sticking around, which is always good, but I think they should just bite the bullet and put him back with Claremont. Kordey has been improving, but the fact is, neither Austen/Larocca nor Claremont/Kordey can generate the magic Claremont/Larocca does…and Austen/Kordey could still put out a decent book together.
EXCALIBUR #1 & #2
Written by Chris Claremont
Penciled by Igor Kordey
Covers by ANDY PARK
“FORGING THE SWORD” pts. 1 & 2
The island of Genosha was once a thriving nation of mutants, built from the ground up by Magneto, the mutant Master of Magnetism. Then, one day, an apocalyptic attack killed every man, woman and child, and reduced an entire society to rubble within hours. Now, Professor Charles Xavier – legendary founder of the X-Men, and the man who dreams of peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants – has come to Genosha with one intention: to rebuild a nation from its ashes. This brand-new X-MEN: RELOAD series features stories and art from the creative team that brought you X-TREME X-MEN!
Very…interesting. So we know we’ve got Claremont, Kordey, Prof. X and Archangel all trying to put Genosha back together. Claremont has actually written Chuck very little (and has expressed an urge to kill him off in many interviews) so his sudden excitement over using him tells me he’s got a solid plan…which with Claremont usually pays off. As her Dad died in Genosha and because she’s a Claremont favorite, I could see Shadowcat landing here as well (ties to the original series of the same name don’t hurt either). I don’t believe Claremont has ever written Archangel for terribly long either, but he nailed him pretty well in a few panels in X-Treme X-Men: X-Pose. This is a very specific concept and will be an interesting experiment…X-Treme X-Men started out very much the same way and most would say it succeeded, but ultimately the direction did have to change. Wait and see on this one, but it’s got me thinking, which is good.
NEW X-MEN: ACADEMY X #1
Written by NUNZIO DEFILIPPIS & Christina Weir
Pencils & Cover by RandY Green
“CHOOSING SIDES” pt. 1 (of 5)
For the young mutants at the Xavier Institute, life will never be the same! The children at the X-Mansion thought they had it tough when Professor X was running things – but now that X-Men Cyclops and Emma Frost have taken over the reins of the school, they’re wishing for the simpler times of yesterday! Codenames, school-issued uniforms and mandatory training sessions in the Danger Room are just a few of the changes being implemented around the Institute – but when the entire student body is forced to divide itself up into small squads and “choose sides,” Xavier’s will never be the same again!
And here is where things get interesting. Good choice in my view; the Morrison stuff was so unique and outside of anything I think they’re likely to do in the core books without him, but at the heart, his run was about making X-Men about being a school again, and New Mutants seemed to capture that without losing its own identity. I think
EXILES #46 & #47
Written by Tony Bedard
Pencils & Covers by Mizuki Sakakibara
“EARN YOUR WINGS” pts. 1 & 2 (of 3)
There’s no rest for the weary when there are realities to save! After the devastating events of their last mission, the Exiles hope for a little downtime, only to find themselves ‘ported directly into a none-too-friendly reception from the regular Marvel Universe! This X-MEN: RELOAD issue is a perfect jumping-on point, featuring the debut of new writer TONY BEDARD (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Negation) and the promotion of EXILES cover artist MIZUKI SAKAKIBARA to regular artist! Guest-starring the Fantastic Four and Beak from NEW-X-MEN!
Now we’re talking. Exiles has been floundering since even before Judd Winick left and it needed somebody who’s going to take it in a bold new direction while not ditching what is a very cool core concept; Austen and Calafiore were both essentially doing “Winick-lite†(though, to be fair, Calafiore was really doing it even before Winick was), but from what little I know of Bedard, he’s his own man and will give this book the injection of new blood it needs. On the art end,
WEAPON X #23 & #24
Written by Frank Tieri
Penciled by TOM MANDRAKE
Covers by ANDY PARK
“WAR OF THE PROGRAMS” pts. 1 & 2 (of 3)
Featuring WOLVERINE and FANTOMEX! Writer FRANK TIERI and new regular artist TOM MANDRAKE take WEAPON X in an exciting new direction! What is the Weapon X Program? What is its relationship to the shadowy past of the most famous X-Man, Wolverine? And what did Wolverine recently learn about himself that threatens to destroy everything he believes in? Guest-starring FANTOMEX, these X-MEN: RELOAD issues serve as a great jumping-on point! Featuring covers by Tomb Raider artist Andy Park!
I’m a little leery here, I don’t read Weapon X regularly but I think it’s a quality book; I worry that Tieri is revamping just for the sake of revamping so he’ll fit into the Reload scheme of things. If they want to bring in Wolverine for one month to bolster excitement, cool (even though they’ve already done it); Fantomex…um…stretching it, but ok; more I’m worried that the book will become more focused on the Weapon X mysteries that have been dragging on for twenty years, what everybody feared it would be about in the first place, not the guilty pleasure it instead turned out to be. Weapon X has been a nice chance for second and third tier X-characters to shine (even if it’s for only one story before they’re killed off); also, Weapon X succeeded as a look at the dark side of comics with characters that were both appalling and simultaneously sympathetic in a bizarre way where many other titles have failed. I hope Tieri uses the guest appearances as a springboard to attract readers and then keeps telling the stories he wants to tell. Mandrake as new artist is certainly good news; he’s a veteran who does good work. On the other hand, what happened to Georges Jeanty? He had a nice look but he’s been disappearing at odd intervals (the middle or conclusions of big arcs) for months. Anybody got the (wait for it) 411?
DISTRICT X #1
Written by David Hine
Penciled by David Yardin
Cover by STEVE MCNIVEN
“MR. M” pt. 1 (of 6)
A new MARVEL KNIGHTS series! Welcome to Mutant Town, the dark corner of New York City where the long arm of the law has been severed clean. Here, the mutant population doesn’t sport GQ style or champagne dreams. They eke out each day in squalid tenement rows and filthy streets where only one man and one law can be trusted: the X-Man Bishop.
Re: this title, I’ve heard pretty much the same reaction from everybody I’ve spoken to: “Another new X-title? Isn’t this what they were supposed to be getting away from since the last revamp? Isn’t this why Gambit, Bishop & Mutant X got cancelled three years ago even though they were all still doing pretty well?†Can’t really disagree, here; I don’t know much about either creator, I did read the Pulse interview with Hine and he seems like a decent guy with some cool intentions, but I can’t see this series going anywhere. It’s essentially the same concept Marvel has already tried with a few different spins the last couple years with Morlocks, Muties, NYX and a couple others; none of those titles garnered much fan following except the last one, so why are they (apparently) canceling that and doing this? At this point, it doesn’t seem like readers want to read about your average mutant trying to survive on the mean streets with a dark, edgy setting. Of course the big difference here is that Bishop will be the focus here. I don’t know about that. Bishop had his own series and, according to the powers-that-be at Marvel, it wasn’t profitable enough to keep going; how will saddling him with a premise that has flopped numerous times benefit either the character or the concept? And though Hine seems like a talented creator, he admits to having little knowledge of the x-universe; will that help him or hurt him? If we’re comparing Reload to the last revamp, I can’t help but think District X will be this go-around’s The Brotherhood.
MYSTIQUE #14 & #15
Written by Sean McKeever
Penciled by MANUEL GARCIA
Covers by Mike Mayhew
“UNNATURAL” pts. 1 & 2 (of 5)
When Mystique is sent to Europe to investigate a biotech company rumored to be using mutants as guinea pigs, she discovers a mystery far greater than anything she’d imagined! Join the new X-MEN: RELOAD creative team of SEAN McKEEVER (SENTINEL, The Waiting Place) and returning artist MANUEL GARCIA (AVENGERS) for this bold new adventure featuring everyone’s favorite shape-shifting secret agent!
So McKeever didn’t get Exiles as rumored and got Mystique as a consolation prize. I think this might be a hard sell if only because this was a Brian K.Vaughan creation, and the books that BKV starts seem to be very much his babies in that he has a very clear idea of where the book is headed and what needs to happen when. Vaughan also provides the sort of buzz a rising star creator provides, while McKeever may get there soon (he certainly has a buzz building critically), but he’s also got the stigma of having all his work so far cancelled; doesn’t help either that he’s jumping on another Tsunami title, a playing field that has not been kind to him so far. Here’s hoping Sean McKeever doesn’t become the Priest of Tsunami: a talented writer who creates or takes over critically-acclaimed series only to see them cancelled time and again.
ALPHA FLIGHT #3
Written by Scott Lobdell
Pencils & Cover by Clayton Henry
“YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN’ ME” pt. 3 (of 6)
The All-New, All-Different Alpha Flight — led by everyone’s favorite Chewbacca look-alike, Sasquatch — unites to tackle the menace of the Plodex. But will Canada’s newest, hippest fighting force be able to save their maple-leaf-clad forefathers in time? Could this be — gasp! — the end of Puck, the Killer Canuck?
The success or failure of the new Alpha Flight depends almost solely on one factor: how funny can Scott Lobdell be. The fact is, whatever old school Alpha fans are left after the second series are not going to be too eager to pick up this new series, which either doesn’t feature many of their old favorites or is treating them like jokes or background characters. That being said, I think Lobdell is well aware of this and is not targeting this audience. With the cancellation of Young Justice and Supergirl (aka the Peter David books) as well as Agent X last year, a big void was left in the market of funny super hero comics. The success of Formerly Known As The Justice League shows that there is still a very lucrative market to be tapped there. Also, I don’t think the nostalgia factor for Alpha will be as big as it was for FKAJL (for the reasons I mentioned above), but it’s still there. So it comes back to the big question: how funny can Scott Lobdell be? The guy is a stand up comedian and his interviews are pretty humorous, but his track record shows that while he’s a hell of a comic book writer, his best stories have always been the more dramatic ones (this is the guy who wrote the brilliant “The Cure,†the death of Colossus, one of the best comics I’ve ever read). A funny take on Alpha Flight, a known property but one that can be tinkered with and not send tremors too big through the comic book world, is certainly a concept with a lot of potential, it just remains to be seen how Lobdell can handle the execution.
EMMA FROST #11
Written by Karl Bollers
Penciled by Carlo Pagulayan
Cover by GREG HORN
“MIND GAMES” pt. 5 (of 6)
Emma Frost has freed herself from her overbearing father, but now she’s on her own and in over her head with the Boston mob! Her developing mutant powers have barely saved her so far, but how will she escape mob custody with nowhere to run?
I’m very curious to know the sales numbers on this book and, in particular, how it’s selling among the female demographic. Daron tells me he thinks it’s doing surprisingly well in both areas but if anybody has a better idea, drop me an e-mail. This is a book that’s always going to be on the chopping block when Marvel needs to make a cancellation because it has a female protagonist (settle down girl power readers, I’m just telling it like it is; Marvel just cancelled Elektra and Spider-Girl, though it will probably survive nuclear annihilation with the cockroaches, has been cancelled and brought back more times than The Family Guy), it doesn’t have anybody in costume or big name guest stars and it’s pretty light on the action (and because Kingpin, which had a very similar premise, was not long for this world). On the other hand, Emma Frost is a fantastic character, she’s about to get even more exposure in the main books it seems, and if the book can survive another year or so, they can start getting into her Hellfire Club years and hook the Claremont/Byrne nostalgia audience perhaps and start slipping guest stars in. I’d like to see this book succeed and I’ll be keeping my eye on it; get me those numbers.
CABLE/DEADPOOL #3
Written by Fabian Nicieza
Penciled by Mark Brooks
Cover by Rob Liefeld
“IF LOOKS COULD KILL” pt. 3 (of 6)
The One World Church has a lovely message of eliminating all that divides us to bring about a glorious global unity. All they want is to love you till you’re blue in the face — literally! Will Cable and Deadpool allow themselves to be recruited, or will they go ballistic?
Tough one here. Fabian Nicieza was my very favorite writer growing up, and remains near the top of the list today, and his renditions of Cable and Deadpool are the ones I grew up on. He’s doing a great job with the “off duty super hero on a road trip†thing over in Hawkeye (hey, whoever’s getting me the Emma Frost numbers, could you look up Hawkeye as well? Thanks), so doing a “buddy movie†comic seems right up his alley. It’s the characters that worry me. Cable…I have a fondness for the big guy, as X-Force (the original) was my other favorite comic (besides New Warriors) as a kid, but the fact is, the character has been beat up and shuffled around so much in the last three years, I think his fanbase is virtually non-existent at this point and what’s left is fickle. Deadpool is another story altogether as the character has a huge fanbase, but not for this “version,†so to say; we haven’t heard much out loud backlash from Agent X fans about this series, but I think the backlash will come more in the sales numbers. Unless Nicieza can pull off a minor miracle here (and as much as I love the guy, he’s got no shortage of cancelled series under his belt), I don’t see this going a year. Marvel would be better served to go grovel to Gail Simone and get an Agency X book in place ASAP.
ULTIMATE X-MEN #45
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils & Cover by David Finch
The last part of “NEW MUTANTS” sees a final battle between the X-Men and the Sentinels in the heart of Washington, D.C. How will the not-so-merry mutants deal with the awful aftermath?
ULTIMATE X-MEN #46
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Pencils & Cover by Brandon Peterson
New storyline! New creative team! An Ultimatized version of one of the X-Men’s greatest adversaries rears his scary head.
So apparently David Mack is out, Bendis will not be going through #50 as expected and Bryan Singer may or may not be coming in down the road…well, anything is better than more Mark Millar (I kid, I kid…sort of). Marvel has to be careful with this book; I understand they may think it’s indestructible as far as sales go because it is an Ultimate book, but also, this is the book that people who see the movie are encouraged (by Marvel marketing) to read, the book that is supposed to turn casual fans into hardcore fans; that doesn’t mean it needs to be exactly like the movie, but it needs to present a consistent direction. That being said, Bendis has done a good job salvaging the Millar run and keeping the book accessible. As to Bendis’ successor, I must say, I think BKV is a far better choice than David Mack. The latter may have appealed to people already reading comics, but he writes the kind of introspective and sometimes slow-moving stories that a person who just saw X2 is going to hate. BKV is a hot young writer who writes smart stories (Y: The Last Man) but is also great with action (Mystique) and quirky humor (Runaways). In short, he’s good with all the things that people loved in the X-Men movies. If Singer does indeed follow BKV, be it for a fill-in arc or for a more lengthy stint, I think it will be a far smoother transition. BKV’s status as a creator on the rise will hook as many pure comic fans as Mack’s reputation would have as well, I think.
Late Breaking News
The day after the initial solicitation leak, two images began circulating the net, to the covers of Astonishing X-Men #1 and Uncanny X-Men #444 (snagged these from ComiX-Fan).
Here’s what these images tell us:
1. Costumes are back
And I for one am psyched. The school uniforms grew on me after awhile, but nothing beats diverse colorful X-Men togs if you ask me. I’m one of those guys who doesn’t care if it makes internal sense that a guy like Wolverine walks around in a costume that is the exact opposite of covert, it just looks cool (though I’ll admit I was more hoping for a return to the brown and tan, and Cyclops having the skullcap back is a step backwards in my view). Throw in that Alan Davis is one of the best costume designers in the biz and he’s on one of the titles and this is clearly a good move.
2. The lineup shown on Astonishing X-Men #1 would seem to include Wolverine, Cyclops, The White Queen, Beast and another girl
There has been some question as to whether that’s Emma or Storm, but it seems to pretty clearly be Emma to me. Speculation on the unknown girl has ranged from Rogue to Shadowcat to beyond, but I don’t recognize her and personally think it may be a new character (my first instinct was actually Cargill, of the Acolytes and Eve of Destruction team…then I slapped myself). It would seem to back up my theory of the New X-Men team moving to Astonishing X-Men, the Uncanny X-Men team moving to X-Men and Uncanny getting filled with the X-Treme X-Men refugees plus some surprises, except…
3. Is there any doubt that’s Nightcrawler’s tail on the Uncanny cover?
No, didn’t think so. What I think that means is we’re going back to the days of all three writers getting to share all the characters (to an extent). I mean, there’s no way that Chuck Austen, who was rumored to be doing a freaking Nightcrawler ongoing, isn’t going to at least get the character occasionally. Similarly, I don’t think Joss Whedon will be signing on to do a year of X-Men and not want access to all the characters. And you know Claremont will be using Wolverine. I’m certainly down with this, I like a tighter continuity between the books (the last few years have always left me wondering where the Uncanny team is during every NXM crisis seeing as they do live in the school…didn’t drive me nuts, but I thought about it) and a more shared universe. The only thing I hope is that being able to use all the toys doesn’t stop Austen from keeping Havok, Juggernaut & Northstar around; those guys have been his one saving grace (although I’d be curious to see Claremont’s take on a “reformed†Juggernaut).
Ok, next time, more Squadron Supreme…unless they relaunch the Spider-Man titles this week or something.
