Marvel have announced, via the beaming presence of an interview feature with Albert Ching, that Greg Rucka and Russell Dauterman will be the creative team for an ongoing Cyclops solo series. The book will start in May.
After the picture of Hepzibah will be spoilers for the most recent issues of All-New X-Men. All is safe until that point!
Focusing on the adventures of Young Cyclops – remember, there are three Cyclopses (Cyclopi?) currently in the Marvel Universe, and this series will focus on the younger time-displaced version of Scott Summers – the book will be set in space. Speaking on the announcement, Rucka says:
There’s something Gary Cooper about him that I really like. There’s something about this kid — and I’m looking at him very much as a kid; for our purposes he’s 16 — he’s really trying to figure out how to be a stand-up man. Right now, he’s got an example that he’s not in love with. The stand-up man version of himself is problematic!
So Cyclops is heading out into space, to do some Starjamming! That means HEPZIBAH!!
Yes, that was essentially all I could tell you about the series without spoilers. The big news is that the man leading Cyclops as he journeys through space? His father, Corsair – revealed to be alive and well after all. The character was killed off during ‘The Rise and Fall of the Shi’Ar Empire’ storyline, but the most recent issue of All-New X-Men reveals him to be totally fine. And flanked by HEPZIBAH!!
Here’s the cover for issue #1 the series:
The cast will feature Corsair, Hepzibah, Cyclops, and the rest of the Starjammers. Describing the first arc of the May-launching series, Rucka tells Albert:
The first three issues are done-in-ones. The first one is basically the decision that Scott and Corsair reach to go, “OK, hey, let’s go do this thing.” The second issue is them visiting galactic Manhattan, for lack of a better word, and interacting in a wonderful space city environment; them kind of feeling each other out, and getting to know each other a little better. Then in the third issue something happens that changes their relationship, and I don’t want to talk about what that is specifically. It’s not a “changes it for the worse,” it’s not necessarily “changes it for the better,” but something happens that puts them both in a situation where they can’t hide from each other behind all the other stuff that’s going on.
He also says:
Hepzibah
So you know The Beat is officially on-board with this series. My first ever article here was banging on about how much I love Hepzibah, and I’ve been annoying you with comments about her for something like two years now. Hepzair has returned!
Who are the three Cyclopses? I count:
Main 616 adult Cyke
time displaced teenage Cyke
and?
There is a third Cyclops who travelled across to Earth at the end of Greg Pak/Steven Segovia’s X-Treme X-Men run – he’s a COWBOY
Ah, has he been seen since then?
Not yet! But I’m going to keep mentioning him until one day he returns!
Shouldn’t there be a Hepzibah/Rocket Raccoon team-up?
Zero interest in the older douchebag/Prof X killing-version of Cyclops, but I may have to check this out for the normal past version interacting w/his father…
@Dave Miller-lad: I can see it now — Rocket Racoon recruits Skunk Girl (Hepzibah), Nasty Honey Badger Girl (X-23) and Squirrel Girl (uh, Squirrel Girl) to form their own detective agency. Rocket Raccoon has a supporting role as their aide-de-camp (emphasis on “camp”) They get their assignments on speakerphone from the voice of that Man with the powers of a Bat … Daredevil! They know who he is even though he insists on them calling him Charlie, he knows that they know who he is even though he insists on them calling him Charlie, but they all go along with it because it’s funny. And thus begins . . . Charlie’s Rodents!
Now THAT seems to be the most interesting new Marvel series in a long time!
I may even buy it, if they don’t go overboard with variant covers. I hate those suckers since it usually means I always get the least interesting cover for a given issue. Any series with a lot of them goes right to “TPB only” status for me – and sometimes I forget to buy those! So, do a lot of variants and you’ll probably lose me…
Rucka always delivers, but I’m tremendously put off by the impression that Bendis just didn’t that realize Corsair was dead and then brushed it off with a single line of dialogue–“I’m not dead–YOU’RE dead!” Bendis already teased the fact that there was someone related to the O5 in space some time ago, and I remember everyone being confused because Corsair clearly WASN’T around there anymore.
And it’s silly to argue that a good story trumps continuity when your story leans on continuity with its full weight.
(I don’t even care that he was still around for this and am going to complain that this is what happens when you let Nick Lowe leave the X-books!)
Dauterman is a good artist. I really liked his work with Grace Randolph on Supurbia
@Neils: Anything that ignores or retcons any part of the Vulcan-era X-Books is a welcome turn of events in my book. I’d even applaud any storyline that would make Gabriel Summers a clone of Gambit, the X-Man who *should* be the third Summers son.
this does look interesting. scott stays in space and the rest of the original x-men go back to earth?
@niels – completely agree with your statement pointing out the hypocrisy of ignoring continuity while at the same time completely relying on continuity to create the story. to be honest marvel pulls that stunt all the time.
as for the whole premise of the original five in the present day, so far it would seem that this whole saga will one day end with them going back to the past with no memories of themselves in the future so they can fulfill their destinies. on the other hand , what if marvel decides to kill one of them off, which in turn would change the past, present and future of the marvel universe, resulting in a complete and total DC style reboot of the MU. oh shit, i hope i’m not giving anyone any bad ideas! (well maybe not a permanent reboot, just next summer’s major cross-over, blockbuster event). shit, another bad idea, i did it again. must resist the urge to utter another bad idea…..must………..stop……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
I would rather Rucka do another original book than more Marvel Mulch.
Now, this is why current Marvel comics don’t work for me. All the continuity and baggage each book comes with – even before you get to a 1st issue. I guess this is aimed at hardcore readers who know the continuity.
I do like Greg Rucka (love Lazarus), but this’ll be a skip for me.
No desire to read this even though I am a big Rucka fan. But I will continue to pick up his creator owned work.
Rich H:
Continuity is what you make of it, and only a problem when handled badly. What’s so complicated about “kid finds out his dad is cool space pirate, does what any kid would and goes on adventures with him”?
Niels,
When your dad’s dead, there’s a bit of complication. Is this whole deal a Weekend atcBernie’s style comedy romp? I doubt that’s the intention.
But you say, he’s not dead.
They’re not even trying any more.
Silly but True
Hey, look above, I’m right there protesting the throwing out of old developments.
I’m only saying that just because characters who have been around a long time have a lot of backstory, that in no way has to mean that their current stories are complicated because of that–or that they’re “aimed at hardcore readers who know the continuity,” as Rich H said.
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