anyone get that Punisher max? last one before they reboot the series with aaron and dillon (smh)..but it was pretty good, i liked it.
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anyone get that Punisher max? last one before they reboot the series with aaron and dillon (smh)..but it was pretty good, i liked it.
i didn't see it, i would've bought it though, i like short story compilations
speaking of which, how was deadpool 900?
still havent gotten it.
if not SOLELY for the 3rd story, it was worth the read.
the first story was abysmal but it picks up.
Liefield was showin off i think lol.
Widdle Wade was pretty good too but overall this was funny y'all should check it when u kan
^^^awesome avatar, hopefully i'll be getting that tomorrow along with the wizard of oz hardcover
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that is the best spider-man cover i've seen in a long time.
and the punisher max & deadpool anthologies (#75 & dp #900) were both pretty good. i liked the punisher one better, but the deadpool just seems worth the 5 bucks. i liked the deadpool story with the shrink.
and the doctor voodoo book kinda took me by surprise. i thought it would be kinda middle road, but i ended up really liking it. doom just dismissing jericho drumm like he couldnt believe the eye chose him. im usually not into the supernatural comics, but this one might work really well.
and wolverine:weapon x is officially THE SHIT!
i was thinking the same about the spidey cover.
that black widow cover is nice. i gotta fux with that just to see whats good wit DD.
co sign about weapon x, aint it tho
xbabies is on 4?? wth my shops aint gettin em in, *blerg*
^^^#1 just came out...these are solicitations for january 2010
no one seems to be ordering x-babies, i missed out also lol
and weapon x is officially the business, wolverine:origins needs to be quietly put to sleep in the backyard.
and marcos martin, despite barely drawing that many spidey issues, is one of my favorite spidey artists ever.
stole this from cbr...
Mike Carey's "Legacy"
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- <LI itxtvisited="1">by Dave Richards, Staff Writer <LI itxtvisited="1">More from this Author
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Posted: 15 hours ago | Updated: 12 hours ago
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http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._cov.jpg&w=200 "X-Menhttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2.gif: Legacy" #228
The past several years have been tumultuous ones for the Marvel Universe's mutant population. Their ranks have been depleted while their enemies seem to grow stronger in power. Some mutants have been crushed by these changes, while others have risen to meet the challenges of their new environment. One mutant who's making the most of her current status quo is Rogue, who recently gained control over her mutant ability to absorb powers and memories, and can now touch others without harming them. She was also recently given new purpose when Cyclops tasked her with making sure the younger generation of X-Men are prepared to meet all the challenges that await them.
Rogue's exploits in her new role are currently being chronicled by writer Mike Carey in the pages of "X-Men: Legacy." CBR News spoke with Carey about his plans for Rogue, which include pitting her against a villain who's a dark reflection of herself, reuniting her with a loved one, and fighting to end a powerful threat that arises thanks to the events of the "Necrosha" storyline.
In "X-Men: Legacy Annual" #1 Rogue was tasked with a new mission from Cyclops, and the position really seems to suit her. In the issue, she counseled the young mutant Indra on reconciling the contradictions between his responsibilities as an X-Men and his religious beliefs. "I think to some extent she really takes to her new role because what Cyclops says to her is true. She is the patron saint of 'been there,'" Carey told CBR News. "She knows what it's like to be young and vulnerable and have a power that makes you into a pariah. She's been traumatized and she's been victimized in every respect. She can empathize with what some of the younger X-Men are going through. That's part of what she brings to the job.
"Also, in terms of personality, she's always been one of the most emotionally available and open-hearted X-Men," Carey continued. "She has this warm quality about her, and I think that's a great personality trait to have when you work with children or young people."
In "X-Men: Legacy Annual" #1 Carey kicked off a four part storyline that could be thought of as "X-Men" meets "Silence of the Lambs," since it pits Rogue against the violent and hungry mutant villain known as Emplate. In the "Annual," Emplate attacked the X-Men on their new island home of Utopia. Things got personal though for Rogue at the end when Emplate abducted one of her new charges, the young mutant known as Bling.
"We wanted to bring Emplate back because we needed a creepy villain to pop in on Utopia, and he hadn't been used for a long while. For my money, he was the most interesting villain of the 'Generation X' days. He ended up having this convoluted origin, which tied into the very complicated story of the St. Croix family. We refer to it a little bit in this arc, but we didn't want to stray too far into complicated continuity issues. So we're mainly extrapolating on the fact that Emplate has to feed on mutants to survive. He's effectively a vampire who feeds through these mouths in the palm of his hands, and he's been starving to death since the Decimation [the event that robbed most of the world's mutant population of their abilities] because there haven't been any new mutants to feed on. He's looking for someone he can use as long term food stock, and he settles on Bling."
http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg2.jpg&w=150 http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg3.jpg&w=150 Pages from "X-Men: Legacy" #228
One of the reasons Carey wanted to pit Rogue against Emplate is because the characters are dark reflections of each other. Rogue gains powers and memories by touching others and a side effect of her powers used to be that she would rip the conscious mind out of whoever she touched, effectively "eating" their personality. This caused Rogue all sorts of emotional pain and grief. Emplate on the other hand, gains powers by physically eating the marrow of other mutants, and he does so unrepentantly.
"There is a scene in 'Legacy' #230 where they touch," Carey revealed. "Emplate is feeding on Rogue, and there's this very scary short circuit in their powers, where each of them, to some extent, is feeding off the other. You could definitely see Emplate as 'There but for the grace of God,' as far as Rogue is concerned.
"The other interesting thing about Emplate is that he's no longer attached to our dimension. He has a home, which is part fortress and part prison," Carey continued. "It's this pocket dimension where he lives after being exiled there by his sisters. So his greatest power is also his greatest weakness. He can't stay on our dimensional plane. He gets pulled back to this other dimension. That means it's really hard to fight him, because at any moment, he could make himself insubstantial, pull himself away from this reality so nothing can hurt him."
In the Annual's main story, Carey reintroduced X-Men readers to Emplate, but in the back-up story, he revived another plot element from X-Men lore; the fact that Rogue's on-again, off-again boyfriend, Gambit, had once been turned into Death, one of the servants of the mutant villain known as Apocalypse. In the back-up story, it appeared that that aspect of Gambit's personality had just been laying dormant, and a telepathic attack brought it out. Gambit was able to bring the Death aspect of his personality back under control by the story's end, but it appears to be only a matter of time before it returns once more.
"My main reason for putting that plot thread back into play was because, when I reintroduced Gambit en route to 'Messiah Complex,' I allowed him to sort of sweep the Death persona under the table. He says, 'I got by with a little help from my friends.' So we all know Mister Sinister did something; put some kind of blocks in which suppress the Death powers and personality," Carey explained. "We also know that Apocalypse used Celestial technology to transform Gambit into Death, and that technology is not easy to get out of you once it's been implanted. So it's something that needed to be addressed, or else we needed to pretend it never happened, and it was too important to say it never happened."
http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg4.jpg&w=150 http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg5.jpg&w=150 Pages from "X-Men: Legacy" #228
Carey sees Gambit as an integral part of the supporting cast of "X-Men: Legacy," and the storyline about his Death persona will move forward in the series, just not right away. "'Legacy' #228 is in stores this week, and is part two of the four part Emplate arc. Gambit does appear, but he's part of stuff happening in the background," Carey revealed. "The story mainly focuses on Rogue and Bling. We won't fully check in with Gambit again until around issue #233 or #234."
Bling may be a lesser known X-Men character, but Carey has found her to be quite compelling. "She has this strange life and backstory, which has seldom been touched on," the writer remarked. "So little of it has been seen or discussed openly. That makes her a really interesting character to revisit and sketch in a little more."
The presence of another supporting character, Emplate's sidekick D.O.A., is meant to inject the arc with elements of dark humor. "You can't play D.O.A. straight, so there is a little strain of dark comedy running through the story, just because he's there," Carey explained. "For the most part, though, it's sort of creepy and darkly atmospheric. After the Annual, all the other parts of the story take place in Emplate's dimension. You find out a lot more about his home and the other aspects of where he lives, as well as the other entities he shares that dimension with. It's a nasty place."
The Emplate arc wraps in November, and in December's issue #231, the "Necrosha" storyline hits "X-Men: Legacy." Carey's portion of the storyline, which runs through "X-Force," "New Mutants" and "Legacy," will remind some readers of his work on the adjectiveless "X-Men" series. "It becomes a team book again, for a little while, and what a team! We've got some of the X-Men's heaviest hitters coming together; some really powerful characters," Carey said. "The threat they're facing is appallingly powerful as well, though, so they'll need every single iota of that shared strength and experience to survive it."
The situation in "X-Men: Legacy" arises as an unintended consequence of the main "Necrosha" storyline, which will be chronicled in "X-Force." "What we're dealing with in 'Legacy' is part of the fallout from 'Necrosha.' The main threat is being dealt with in 'X-Force,' but something happens on Muir Island, which has the potential to be catastrophic in its own right. So the X-Men have to divide their forces, while at the same time they defend Utopia against this truly appalling threat."
Rogue's journey to Muir Island will bring her face to face with someone she never expected to see again, her deceased foster mother Irene Adler, AKA Destiny. "Rogue's relationship with her other foster mother, Mystique, is complicated, but I think she feels nothing but love, loyalty, and gratitude towards Destiny. There are a couple of poignant moments when they meet up again," Carey stated. "That positive parental relationship was part of the appeal of bringing her back, but the main reason she's brought back is plot driven. You'll see why she's brought back in 'Necrosha,' and then you'll see the consequences play out in 'Legacy.'"
http://comicbookresources.com/assets...3469.jpg&w=200"Necrosha" runs through "X-Men: Legacy" #232
Destiny won't be the only X-character returning to the fold during the "Legacy" issues of "Necrosha." "There are two other very important returning characters in the story, besides Destiny," Carey revealed. "One character will actually be on the team and is an important returning character who we haven't seen in awhile. The other is the villain, a character the X-Men have fought before, but weren't expecting to have to fight again."
For the Emplate and "Necrosha" storylines, Carey is working with two different artists, each with their own style, Daniel Acuna and Clay Mann. "Acuna is the perfect match for the Emplate story. I've seen his pages from issue #228, and they are both beautiful and terrifying. He really captures and creates a strong sense of this insane place where Emplate lives, and the insane and scary rules by which it operates," Carey remarked. "Clay Mann does gorgeous character work on the 'Necrosha' tie-in story. His Blindfold is heartrendingly beautiful; so vulnerable and convincing. Acuna has a certain heightened stylized approach, whereas Mann has very detailed and realistic style. I think they're each perfect matches for the stories that they're doing."
Both the Emplate and the Necrosha storylines are firmly rooted in current X-Men continuity, a trend that will continue next year, because after "Necrosha" wraps up, "X-Men: Legacy" will be involved in the recently announced "Second Coming" crossover which runs through four X-titles and brings the "Messiah Trilogy" to a close. "We've come back into current X-Men continuity at a very exciting time," Carey said. "The X-Men are going through some major changes. The stakes are very high for everybody, and the world in which the surviving mutants live is changing radically. Rogue becomes part of all these events, and it's kind of cool to be expanding on them in this series."
good read.
a lil late on the rogue and power control but at least they reuniting her "with an old flame"
shit id be first in line to give her what she been missing hahahahahahahah... seriously.
guess i gotta just read on about necrosha.
im not happy about it but it is what it is.
the last 2 issues of legacy under its 'bold new direction!' lol (the annual and the issue that came out today) have been really good...and gambit was in the annual and will be in the next issue as well...marvel needs to just let mike carey, yost, and kyle be the 'x braintrust' on uncanny already.
chew was great as usual, interested to see where the series goes now.
my shop didn't have wizard of oz so i got legion of 3 worlds hardcover instead...hopefully i didn't waste 15 bucks (discounted)
you guys should check out elephantmen...
i got deadpool 900 but i haven't read it, i love these monster sized centenniary issues...to me this is the format monthly comics should have in order to keep the 'pamphlet' format alive...throw in short stories, reprints, whatever...if say...x-men or spider-man was 100 pages a month as a mix of regular sized stories, short stories, and reprints for 5 dollars I'd happily buy it.
since everyone here is apparently an x-men fan
X-POSITION: Craig Kyle and Chris Yost
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- <LI itxtvisited="1">by George A. Tramountanas, Staff Writer <LI itxtvisited="1">More from this Author
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http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._cov.jpg&w=190"X-Force" #20, on sale October 28
Over the past few months, the members of Marvel Comics' X-Force have traveled the globe to help prevent the mutant species from becoming extinct. They've even taken a jaunt through time to aid a possible mutant Messiah. After all of this, however, readers of the team's adventures have come to see that some events are inevitable; unfortunately, this includes the departure of the (relaunched) title's creators, Craig Kyle and Chris Yost.
As announced here on CBR, the writers will leave "X-Force" at the end of the recently disclosed "Second Coming" storyline. Before anyone panics, though, fans will still be able to enjoy the duo's work on the title for a number of months to come – and those months look to be busy! After concluding the current "Not Forgotten" arc, "Necrosha" and its tie-ins will occupy readers' time for quite awhile. This will be followed by the aforementioned "Second Coming," which will help conclude events kicked off way back in the "Messiah CompleX" event.
Between all these events and the writers' announced departure, readers naturally have questions – lots and lots of questions. Well, in what appears to be our largest X-POSITION yet, Kyle and Yost will attempt to appease and please you all. Let's cross our fingers and see how they fare…
Much of the email we received obviously had to do with the news that you're leaving "X-Force," so let's see if we can do something to "calm the masses." I've cobbled together portions of emails from several readers: Mirage, Evan O'Day, Sami Dawed, OrionRyking, and BloodWitch. Here's what they (and others) want to know:
A lot of the online fan community was disheartened to hear that you guys were leaving "X-Force" after the "Second Coming" event. Why are you going?
KYLE: Chris and I are old school X-fans. "Uncanny" will someday be the goal we achieve, but until then, we're going to keep telling stories as if we've got that title. When we started "X-Force," we had a very specific, massive journey in mind which involved Bastion and his Humanati. Other stories have built along the way – even back to "New X-Men" – that we want to make sure we finish, like "Necrosha."
http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg2.jpg&w=170EXCLUSIVE - Page from "X-Force" #20
This journey on "X-Force" had a lifecycle, and it worked out to be about thirty issues, not including (the miniseries) "X-Force: Sex & Violence," which is a side story coming out next year. So we just had a plan in mind from the beginning – we wanted to go out with a bang, put our characters in a situation that was far beyond what they could fight on their own, and deliver a story that we didn't think we could do better. So hopefully we'll end on a high note and leave a good challenge for the next team who comes along to keep the stories going.
YOST: Yeah, the great thing about "X-Force" is that it's so immediate and intense, and there's this pressing extinction coming that, if they don't do something about it, they're all going to die. And this is something you could really expand on for ten years. I mean, there's millions of ways to reinvent a book, but for this particular mission statement, it's not something you want to drag out forever.
Excuse me for jumping in, but does this mean their "mission statement" will be achieved by the end of your run?
KYLE: I will say that the events they have been chasing since the beginning will come to a head. And there will be some resolution, but the team is going to go through many changes before that day even comes. I just think that what everyone has been kind of waiting to see happen will happen – for better or for worse – by the time we get to the last issue of our run.
YOST: Okay, I'm just telling you right now – we're killing Wolverine. It's what we've wanted to do since Day One, so as of issue #28, he's gone.
KYLE: [Chuckling] We should call Jason Aaron (writer of "Wolverine: Weapon X") and let him know.
YOST: That's right! We may be pissing off some of the other writers, but we don't mind stepping on other people's toes.
You better contact Hugh Jackman's agent too. Now, back to the reader questions…
Does this mean the book will end or will it go in a new direction?
YOST: As far as I know, the book is going to continue. What that book will be…well, it could have Power Pack involved…it could have Cable…it could even have Jean Grey – we don't know.
Oh, really…?
YOST: Okay, it's not Jean Grey. Nobody likes her.
Is there any chance you'll be sticking around the X-Universe and write something else? And if so, will you be taking any of the "X-Force" characters with you?
YOST: Wow. These are some excellent questions. Here's the thing: we love to be honest with the fans. We don't like to beat around the bush and make up stuff…unless it's funny. But we're still eight or nine months out, so it's really hard to talk about future plans or endings or anything like that.
http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg3.jpg&w=140 http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg4.jpg&w=140EXCLUSIVE - Pages from "X-Force" #20
KYLE: Yeah, it's a tough thing to say. I mean, we're obviously happy, and we want the book to continue. We never wanted to put almost three years of our lives into "X-Force" just to see it end when we go away. It's been about building a cool title that people didn't have a lot of faith in when we first started, but, just like "New X-Men," people grew to love these characters.
And the X-Office has been very good to us. We've had amazing editors, and Axel has always looked after us. So there's many reasons to want to stick around in the X-World, as well as being fans since we were kids. "Who knows?" is the short answer, but we have many reasons to stick around is the second part of that. And let's not forget about all the fans who have been amazing to us since we started.
Should fans be looking for your works at companies other than Marvel?
YOST: Um, I don't know how to put this, but "Red Robin" is on sale monthly (from DC). I mean, I've got big love for Marvel – obviously – even though I'm working on a DC book right now. And of course, you're going to see Craig's work outside of the X-Men universe.
KYLE: Well, my day job is being a producer on the "Thor" live-action movie. But as far as me doing work and being published anywhere outside of Marvel…no. Not unless I'd like to lose my day job!
It's okay though, because I'm a Marvel boy and I've said it out loud. And it's not as though I don't have wonderful friends like Geoff Johns at DC, but, you know, unlike guys who can jump back and forth between worlds, I'm very comfortable in the world of Marvel. So I'm sticking around. If I'm doing comics, I'm doing Marvel comics.
YOST: And the third bottom line is, we love the X-Office – as Craig has already said – so it's hard for us to say "no." If they come up to us and say, "Hey, do you want to do X-whatever," it's hard for us to refuse that stuff because we love it.
You mentioned the "X-Force: Sex & Violence" title above. Taimur Dar has seen some art, and he's dying to know more. Hey, "Sex" sells, right?
1) Some great new Gabriele Dell'Otto pages for the "X-Force: Sex & Violence" mini were released not too long ago, so I was wondering if you could give us an update on the status of the project?
YOST: The second issue is about halfway done. I wouldn't be surprised if you see it in the solicitations by this spring, but that's just a guess.
KYLE: It's amazing. We've always been spoiled in this business – I don't think we've ever been given an artist who wasn't great, but Gabrielle is like something we've never dealt with. He's extraordinary. Every time we get a painted page, it's more exciting than the last.
YOST: It's like a gift.
http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg5.jpg&w=140 http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg6.jpg&w=140EXCLUSIVE - Pages from "X-Force" #20
KYLE: And again, that's hard to say when you have brilliant talents like the duo of Mike Choi and Sonia Oback, and Clayton Crain coming up for the "Necrosha" arc. Everywhere we turn we're surrounded by geniuses…which allows us to just drag our feet. But this being a very tight, short story, I think it will be wonderful for people because it's just about showcasing what amazing talent Gabe has, keeping the story nice, tight, and fun, and for us, it's probably our most cinematic comic – it feels like a movie.
It's a three act film, and it's real intimate, real fun, and, obviously very sexy and very violent. I think the fans are going to enjoy it, and the way Gabe has translated that story – it's just thrill after thrill. So no matter how long it takes, I assure you no one wants it on the shelves more than Chris and I. It's going to be worth the wait.
YOST: Not to toot our own horn, but we had a great time writing it, and we like to think people will have a good time reading it. Gabrielle Dell'Otto is known for his beautiful images, but he's drawn some really funny stuff with this one too. I mean, there are some facial expressions in there that are just laugh-out-loud funny. It's going to be a good time.
Has it been announced how many issues this mini is?
KYLE: Well if it hasn't, I'll tell you – it's three.
2) And here's a non-"X-Men" question for Chris: I can't wait until the new "Avengers" animated series airs, especially since I heard Brian Reed wrote an episode. Are there any other comic creators involved in the show that you can reveal?
YOST: I think it's just me and Brian right now.
Is there a premiere date yet?
KYLE: No. I don't think there has been a release date discussed yet.
BloodWitch wrote in next with our first "X-Force" query:
Will we see some resolution to Archangel's mental situation before you leave?
YOST: You're going to see his personality continue to go in a very extreme direction in "Necrosha," where he's in some pretty bloody situations. I really don't see him getting better.
KYLE: I think that's an ongoing struggle for him, and we will continue to touch on that…
YOST: …and make it worse!
KYLE: Yeah. I don't know if we're going to see him coming out of a shrink's office a better man. That's one of the stories that more of an ongoing than a "we can tackle that in ‘X' amount of issues."
http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._cov.jpg&w=140 http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg1.jpg&w=140"X Necrosha" one shot, on sale October 28
YOST: Yeah. We're not here to help you people… [laughs]
How about helping Hunter Lambright? He wants to know all about the upcoming event you've got planned…
1) What are the chances of any of the "living dead" staying in the land of the living once "Necrosha" dies down?
KYLE: I think the bigger concern is how many of the living are going to stay a part of that world and not go to the land of the dead, because we're not screwing around with this crossover. Is the potential there for those that were lost to return and stay? Maybe, but it really is the threat that's posed to those that are still alive and have never been dead.
YOST: Yeah, I think you're going to need two things here: a dead pool, and a live pool.
2) There seems to have been a delay or two in the title recently, with "X-Force" #20 pushed to the end of the month. Was this done to coincide with the "Necrosha" one-shot and the "New Mutants" tie-in? Or was it simply a standard delay?
KYLE: We've had a pretty amazing run of never missing our release dates, but, you know, every once in awhile there's just a slowdown because we've all got a lot on our plates. It's really no one's fault, and we don't want to be pointing any fingers – especially not in our own direction – but going nineteen issues before having that problem is something to be pretty proud of. The guys who oversee us in the X-Office do a good job of managing everybody. If you want the books to come in looking great, sometimes it takes the extra time, and that was just one issue where that was the case.
YOST: The other thing is – the "Not Forgotten" arc? It's been packed. I mean, coming out of "Messiah War," we wrapped up one storyline, we jumped into another one, we had Rahne and the Frost Giants, plus "Necrosha" set-up to include – there's a lot going on in all of these issues. And the X-23 storyline is the focus of issue #20 which is coming up and it's great – it's gorgeous. And the other thing is, now you don't have to wait any time at all to go into "Necrosha."
KYLE: That's the real plus – you go right from a Mike Choi/Sonia Oback issue right into the big beginning of the crossover, which is a Clayton Crain issue, so we're kinda stoked. And the fact that everything is going to drop now on the week of Halloween is pretty sweet, so think of it as a Halloween treat!
YOST: Yeah, "Necrosha" – spooooky…
That will be a treat! And now, Chrisss Topher is "dying" to hear more about Selene's tricks:
In "Necrosha," how will Selene keep Bastion from getting involved and ruining her plans? I mean, she is using a portion of the tech that he developed to reanimate the dead. How will Selene keep Bastion at bay?
YOST: I would say Bastion is very aware of what's going on with Selene and takes note of it immediately…and Selene could give two craps about Bastion. She is basically, at this point, an unstoppable force. By the time anyone notices anything is wrong, it's going to be too late. And she's pretty confident at this point because she's seen the future.
KYLE: That's right. And Bastion is a machine – he has a very set plan he's been plotting since our very first issue, although he most likely will be forced to accelerate that plan. He's not going to jeopardize his endgame by acting before he believes that he can actually succeed in wiping out mutantkind. There's definitely a timing issue here as well.
http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg4.jpg&w=140 http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg5.jpg&w=140"X Necrosha" one shot, on sale October 28
Caleb Warren is curious about the details of Selene's powers. How about a clue?
Do the people Selene resurrects have an automatic loyalty to her?
YOST: I wouldn't call it automatic.
KYLE: No. More like a "forced will" is a better way to look at it.
YOST: The "New Mutants" story in the one-shot really deals with this in a gorgeous way, and you'll see it in the "X-Force" lead-up issue too. It is not people coming out of the grave saying, "We love Selene."
KYLE: They're also not saying "Braaains." They are here as themselves. They are as confused and terrified about their own situations as anyone who's seen them for the first time back from the dead. I think people will enjoy it because we didn't want to bring back a bunch of mindless undead machines – it's a very different scenario we see in there.
YOST: Yeah, they're not like decomposed weird "things." I mean, they are the characters that you know and love with the personalities that you remember. They're just in this particular situation that's kind of out of their control.
Zachary Simon doesn't want to call these characters "things" either – he wants names! Do you have a few to spare?
In "Necrosha," do you have any plans to bring back people like Banshee, Mariko Yashida, Sabretooth, Omega Red, and/or Peepers? Banshee would cause a major impact in the lives of the X-Men and Syrin over in "X-Factor," Mariko Yashida and Sabretooth would give Wolverine some major drama, and the last two are just plain cool. Thoughts?
KYLE: Dammit. Peepers – why didn't we think about that?
YOST: It's the lynchpin to the whole plan.
KYLE: Why don't we answer a few of those, Chris?
YOST: Well, Banshee is on a solicitation cover that was released this week.
KYLE: Thunderbird has been established as being resurrected, and…who else can we talk about?
YOST: Destiny, Cypher, Caliban, and the Hellions are back.
KYLE: I just think that within the first two issues of "Necrosha," people are going to be seeing a flood of people being brought back, from the most obscure – maybe not Peepers obscure – to the coolest. Do you want to answer the Sabretooth question?
YOST: You go ahead.
http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg6.jpg&w=140 http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg7.jpg&w=140"X Necrosha" one shot, on sale October 28
KYLE: No, we're not. We touched on him when the clones were used in Sinister's lab several storylines back when Domino joined the team, so we kinda felt like "been there, done that," and we try not to repeat ourselves in an arc.
YOST: And the other thing is, Selene's not dumb. There are mutants out there that are really powerful, and bringing them back would be dangerous. Sabretooth's not necessarily one of them, but there are mutant out there that she would say "no" to…like Peepers.
Okay, Peepers' mutant power seems to be the ability to derail a Q&A. Let's move on to the event that follows "Necrosha" – "Second Coming." I received several emails on this subject, but all the questions essentially read like the following letter from Neostorm:
I have questions about the upcoming "Second Coming" X-Over. I am an avid X-Men fan and I love where each series has been going lately, but with the "Second Coming," will it finally be revealed who Hope is?
I remember that at the end of "Messiah CompleX" (in "X-Men" #207) – right before Cyclops gave Hope to Cable – Hope grabbed the locket around Scott's neck that had a picture of him and Jean Grey in it. So I've always suspected that Hope was part of Jean (not just because Hope resembles Jean and Rachel) and Scott in some way. Could Hope possibly be Scott and Jean's daughter? I think it would be very entertaining if this was true because of the implications it could (and would) have on Scott and Emma.
YOST: "Second Coming" is going to answer the question regarding what/who is Hope.
KYLE: I think that's the good answer, and I think beyond that, we can't say anymore.
YOST: But some woman in Alaska did give birth to her. Was it Jean? Was Jean resurrected, shipped to Alaska, impregnated by Scott…
KYLE: [Laughs] …and then killed.
YOST: …and then killed only to be resurrected in her own baby who then grabbed Scott's locket? Hey, I think this is working for me.
KYLE: That could be a theory. We're just putting it out there. SPOILERS!
And it wouldn't be the weirdest X-story ever told.
KYLE: That's true, and we'd be proud to have it…if that is the story.
YOST: Oh, and she's going to be raised by Rachel!
Chris L. gets the privilege of closing out today's craziness. He sent in a query specifically for Yost regarding the upcoming "Psylocke" miniseries he's writing:
Psylocke is a character that most just see as a sexy ninja. With her new miniseries coming on, will we get the opportunity to finally go deeper than this and understand her motivations, dreams, and fears? She's also been changed and transformed so many times since her creation that I wonder – is there anything left in Psylocke from that little blonde British girl who first appeared in "Captain Britain"? Is there any way to unify these different incarnations of the character and make it a whole?
http://comicbookresources.com/assets..._pg8.jpg&w=180"X Necrosha" one shot, on sale October 28
YOST: It's funny, because we do see that "little blonde British girl" a few times in this series. This series is really about this character reflecting on her life and just the flat-out insanity of it, and what that does to a person. Like, what does being involved with the X-Men, and all the death and all the resurrection, and being blinded, and having your brother from an alternate dimension try to hurt you in horrible ways, do to a person? How do you not snap? This is a sad story. It's basically like Matsu'o taking a match and throwing it onto the powder keg that is her life. It's a very touchy-feely book.
Thanks fellas! But before you go, we have a small bit o' fun for you. Last week, I offered up a challenge to X-POSITION readers. As certain duos become known for working together, they are often given a nickname that's an amalgamation of their names.
There's Bennifer (but we won't got there); Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (DnA)…you get the idea. So I asked fans for their thoughts. I didn't get too many, but Bloodwitch sent in a bunch. Let's start with her! She offered up Kost, Yle, Yoyle…
KYLE: That sounds Jewish. My wife will love that one.
...Yole, KyYo…
KYLE: That sounds like my name with a weird accent on it.
...and she sent in K-Y, but so did several others. OrionRyking, however, actually cared enough to send in a slogan for this moniker: "When it comes to comics, it just feels better when you've got K-Y involved…"
[Kyle and Yost burst out laughing.]
KYLE: We've got a winner! Tell OrionRyking to submit their address to me in a PM (on the CBR forums) and I'll send them some free comics.
X-Writers Prepare for the "Second Coming"
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- <LI itxtvisited="1">by Dave Richards, Staff Writer <LI itxtvisited="1">More from this Author
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Mon, October 12th, 2009 at 6:58PM (PDT)
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http://comicbookresources.com/assets...1962.jpg&w=210David Finch's cover for "X-Men: Second Coming" #1
In January, 2006, it looked like the Marvel Universe's mutant population was headed towards a grim fate. Thanks to the reality warping powers of the Scarlet Witch, scores of mutants lost their powers. Suddenly there were less than 200 known mutants worldwide, and no new mutants were being born.
Then, just as things were looking their darkest, a new mutant baby was born. In the 2007 crossover "Messiah CompleX," the X-Men fought a battle against the combined forces of their enemies, the Marauders and the Acolytes, for custody of the child, whom many viewed as a mutant messiah. The X-Men prevailed, but the child's safety was not yet assured. The X-Man, Bishop, believed that the child would grow up to be mutantkind's downfall instead of its salvation, and that, if he killed the mutant baby, the nightmarish future world where he was born would never come to exist.
Cyclops gave custody of the mutant baby girl, who would come to be called Hope, to his son Cable in order to save her. Cable used a time machine to escape into the future, where he and the girl would be relentlessly hounded by Bishop who had his own time machine. In the 2009 crossover, "Messiah War," Cyclops sent X-Force to the future in order to retrieve Cable and Hope, where they discovered that Hope had grown into a young girl. Together, they battled the forces of Cable's old foe Stryfe and Bishop, and in the end, Cable and Hope chose to keep running further into the future.
You can't run forever, though, and in March of 2010, Cable and Hope return to the present. Kicking off the final chapter in the Messiah Trilogy, "X-Men: Second Coming" was announced today at the Diamond Retailer Summit. It's a multi-part crossover that begins in the "X-Men: Second Coming"one-shot, then runs through issues of "Uncanny X-Men," "X-Men: Legacy," "X-Force" and "New Mutants," before ending in June with another one-shot. CBR News spoke with writers Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, Matt Fraction, Mike Carey, and Zeb Wells and editor Nick Lowe about the crossover.
Kyle and Yost wrote the "New X-Men" installments of "Messiah CompleX," the "X-Force" chapters of "Messiah War," and are enjoying the opportunity to help finish the Messiah Trilogy as the writers of the "Second Coming" one-shot and "X-Force." "I think you'll finally see some answers to questions that were posed way back in Messiah CompleX," Chris Yost told CBR. "Who, and what, is Hope? What does her return mean to the X-Men?"
Craig Kyle added. "Like a lot of fans, I’ve been anxious to finish the journey and see what it all means. This has been one of the longer sagas in X-Men history, and I think people are expecting a lot. They've invested a lot of time, money, and energy into these characters and this story. Like them, I'm expecting a big result at the end, and I think readers are going to get it."
Mike Carey wrote the "X-Men" chapters of "Messiah CompleX" and found that coming back to help finish the Messiah Trilogy in "X-Men: Legacy" has been very satisfying. "We've known that we would end up here since the time we were finishing 'Messiah CompleX,'" Carey said. "There's a lot of things going on here. You could say, we've been building to this story ever since 'House of M,' and you'll see some resolution to these big plot threads."
"Uncanny X-Men" writer Matt Fraction and "New Mutants" writer Zeb Wells did not work on the previous two chapters of the Messiah Trilogy, but are excited to be involved in bringing the epic tale to a close. "It would be intimidating, but the team Executive Editor Axel Alonso assembled to break the story was so strong. It was the first time in my life I was the least talented person in the room. At least that's how I choose to understand the terrible things Axel said to me," Wells joked.
Another reason the five X-Books writers are excited about "Second Coming" is that it gives them the chance to write both Cable and Hope, who regularly appear in the current "Cable" series, written by Duane Swierczynski. "I can't wait to see how Cable interacts with his old subordinates in the New Mutants and X-Force," Zeb Wells said. "I like the fact that Hope is a messiah who isn't quite positive what that even means. And I love what she brings out of Cable's character. He's a teacher/father around her."
Matt Fraction is especially keen to explore the dynamic between Cyclops, Cable and Hope. "You've got three generations, there, who are all a little screwed up. I think the stuff that Duane has been doing in 'Cable' is fantastic, and in 'Second Coming,' you get to see what Hope is like when she's back in her own time, where she's seen by some as the savior of her species," Fraction stated. "There's all these great expectations of her. Even though she's so young, she's lived this insane life and has sort of become this teenage guerilla fighter. She's been to some places that are fascinating to me."
Fans of writer Mike Carey's run on "X-Men" already know that he's got an affinity for Cable and feels that the character's adventures in his current solo series have made him even more intriguing. "Cable took on this bigger parental-style responsibility years ago when he founded the first incarnation of X-Force, and you see him doing that again in relation to Hope. It's brought out different aspects in his nature, and their relationship has changed as she's grown up," Carey said. "They've been through some bittersweet moments, and I'm looking forward to exploring their relationship.
http://comicbookresources.com/assets...6103.jpg&w=200"Cable" #21 starts the prelude to "X-Men: Second Coming"
"And Hope is still a big mystery," Carey continued. "She's been hailed as the Mutant Messiah, but we know from Bishop's reaction to her that she has the alleged potential to be something else as well. And we still don't have a clear idea of what her mutant power is or how it works. So what is the potential that's buried in her? And how will it change the status quo when she comes back to present time?"
Craig Kyle and Chris Yost wrote Cable and Hope in the "X-Force" installments of "Messiah War," but feel that both characters have changed in interesting ways since that story, especially Hope. "I don't know if you saw the solicitation image from an upcoming 'Cable' issue, but Hope has definitely grown and become her own person. When most of the X-Men last saw her she was a baby, and when X-Force saw her in 'Messiah War,' she was like eight years old. When she comes back in 'Second Coming,' she's basically in her late teens, so it's going to be interesting to see what her personality has become," Chris Yost said. "You've also got to wonder, what kind of life has Cable given her? How has being on the run in a post apocalyptic future world affected her? Is that the best childhood they could have given the Mutant Messiah? Or did that make her more like the person Bishop has become?"
There's been no announcement yet regarding the art for the individual chapters of "Second Coming," but Marvel is talking about one of the big named artists involved. "David Finch is drawing the 'Second Coming' one-shot!" Nick Lowe revealed. "That may be the biggest news of all!"
In the "X-Men: Second Coming" one-shot, Cable and Hope's sudden return to the present forces the villainous Bastion, who's machinations have been plaguing X-Force, to put the final stage of his master plan into action."You're going to see in 'Necrosha' [the crossover involving "X-Force," "X-Men: Legacy," and "New Mutants" which begins later this month] that Bastion doesn't go away. He's aware of things. You'll see his reaction to the events in 'Necrosha,' but Hope's return is the explosion that means things have to happen now," Kyle revealed. "What Bastion knows about, now, and what he must do, is always in flux. The actions of Selene in 'Necrosha' and the arrival of Hope are two things he can't plan for. So this is going to push everything to a head. That also speaks to why our team is going to have no time to rest in between the two biggest fights of their lives."
Yost added, "X-Force has always been the team that hasn't gotten a lot of down time. They're always going from one mission to the next. In this case, the entire mutant species is on edge coming off things like the recent 'Utopia' crossover, the upcoming 'Nation X' storyline, and 'Necrosha.' Everything seems to be escalating, and this what it's escalating to."
In "X-Force" #1, Kyle and Yost resurrected Bastion, so "Second Coming" is a storyline that provides pay offs for many of the plot elements they've been building to in the series. "Early on in our 'X-Force' run, we knew that there were certain fights that the team was going to be able to handle by themselves, often by the skin of their teeth. Bastion, though, is pulling all these strings together to create this ultimate threat to the X-Men. So there was no way to bring that arc to a close in our book," Craig Kyle explained. "Fortunately for us, the Messiah storyline and the Bastion arc lined up perfectly. So it was a marriage of events that everyone was supportive of. The last thing you want to do is bring something to an event and go, 'Everybody get out of our way and let us do this and take over your titles,' but everyone really decided to get behind this, which was great."
Yost added, "'X-Force' has had two major storylines running through the series: Bastion and Selene. And, of course, Selene's storyline is going to explode into 'Necrosha,' so the question became, how do we make Bastion look even bigger? It just so happened that our discussions about that lined up with 'Second Coming.' So we were very pleased with the way things turned out."
Another ongoing plot element of "X-Force" has been their clandestine nature. Cyclops has kept the team's existence from the other X-Men because the bloody nature of the missions that he sends them on. However, the events of "Second Coming" will make it extremely difficult to hide the true nature of X-Force from their fellow mutant comrades. "Secrets can't trump the importance of saving lives, especially since everything as far as Cyclops is concerned hinges on Hope and what she means for the future of mutantkind," Kyle remarked. "So I think that's an issue that will absolutely be dealt with when it comes to the final chapter of this saga."
http://comicbookresources.com/assets...6634.jpg&w=200The events of "Necrosha" flow directly into "Second Coming" in "X-Force"
Part of the reason "X-Force" will have a tough time concealing their nature is the fact that "Second Coming" is structured very much like "Messiah CompleX." Each chapter of the story flows into the next one, and each writer will be playing with their normal cast of characters as well as ones who don't usually appear in their book. Working with a larger cast can be difficult, but it's something that's become old hat for Matt Fraction. "Thank god I've got another giant ensemble piece coming out of the X-Men/Dark Avengers crossover," the writer joked. "One of the big things we've set up with 'Uncanny X-Men,' though, is that it's the book where everybody shows up. Each issue already kind of deals with mutantkind as a whole. So you'll see characters from all over appearing all over the place."
Fraction sees the "Second Coming" storyline as a mixture of both intimate and explosive moments. "Everything is building to this incredible crescendo. In between these smaller moments of Hope and Cable on the run, you've got bigger moments like Scott's ability to tap into his inner leader being predicated on the fact that Hope is out there. His faith has been rewarded in that Cable has done his job and Hope is back, but these bad guys have been lying in wait," Fraction revealed. "So each issue has a few quiet moments as well as some incredible action set pieces as Bastion's vast plan comes to fruition."
Bastion has proved to be a very compelling character for Fraction. "I think anybody that can create a new spin on the, 'I'm coming to kill the X-Men story' is very interesting," the writer remarked. "Bastion is a big character with big plans, and we've got the special effects budget to capture those plans."
Like the members of X-Force, the cast of "New Mutants" will be coming into "Second Coming" almost immediately after their adventures in "Necrosha." They might be better prepared to handle things, however. "The New Mutants will be ready," Zeb Wells hinted. "And after 'Necrosha,' they'll have a few more members to go into battle with."
Indeed, there will be plenty of battles for the New Mutants to become embroiled in during "Second Coming." "I think they've become a team that Cyclops won't be afraid to use like any other team of X-Men," Wells remarked. "Which is to say, Cyclops is going to use them to kick ass."
Wells feels that Bastion is the perfect foil for both the New Mutants and the entire cast of "Second Coming." "Like my editor Nick Lowe, he despises all mutants," the writer joked. "With their population on the ropes, Bastion will not take kindly to someone showing up who may or may not hold the key to a mutant renaissance."
"X-Men: Legacy" currently stars longtime fan favorite, Rogue, following her in her new role of preparing the younger generation of X-Men for what's to come. During "Necrosha," Rogue will fight side by side with other X-Men, and other mutants will continue to play roles in the series during "Second Coming." Rogue fans can also expect the character to play a pivotal part in "Second Coming." "You'll definitely see a number of very significant moments between Rogue and Hope," Mike Carey hinted. "Not because Hope is a younger mutant and is part of Rogue's new duties. It's more that there's unexpected contact between them that becomes very important."
Pitting Rogue against the forces of Bastion is especially exciting to Carey due to the fact that the anti-mutant crusader is a big and iconic X-Villain that he hasn't previously had a chance to write. "I think Bastion is fascinating in a paradoxical sort of way," Carey remarked. "He's someone who has cauterized his own humanity in defending what he sees as humanity's best interests. He's a very cool monster."
"X-Men: Second Coming" begins in Spring of 2010, but that should give readers plenty of time to prepare and say goodbye to the current status quos of many of the books in the X-line. "You'll see new books being born and existing books being redefined," Mike Carey said. "As with 'Messiah CompleX,' I hope it will feel like the natural playing out of elements we've been building for a long time. You'll suddenly see the relevance of a whole lot of stuff."
Matt Fraction added, "And we're not changing things because it's another crossover and it's time to throw everything overboard. This is the thing we've been building to for years. It's the third act in a story that started years ago. So, it's incredibly satisfying to finally pay this stuff off."
For Craig Kyle and Chris Yost, "X-Men: Second Coming" is doubly satisfying because not only is it the final chapter of the Messiah Trilogy, it's also the final chapter in their run on "X-Force." "Chris and I have had a plan from the beginning of what we wanted to do with this team. We knew what the last page of our last issue on the title looked like," Craig Kyle said. "This is going to close a chapter for us, and like our run on 'New X-Men,' it's exciting because we planned for it and knew it was coming. We've been talking with everybody for about a year and a half now about how we wanted to go out, and it's going to be in a blaze of glory.
"'Necrosha' kind of gives us a chance for our team to do a big fight on their own. Mike Carey and Zeb Wells have come up with great stories to connect to 'Necrosha,' but those are spillover stories. X-Force is tackling the main threat on their own," Kyle continued. "'Second Coming' is a chance for them to jump back into the larger X-Men universe and fight side by side with their friends in a larger finale. We get two endings for our team, which is the best scenario possible."