Last January, Marvel invited readers to vote to choose one of the members of the new X-Men team, with the new team to be revealed during this summer’s Hellfire Gala event. Polaris ended up the winner and beating out all the other mutant candidates which included Armor, Cannonball, Marrow, Tempo, Strong Guy, Boom Boom, Sunspot, Banshee, Forge. If your favorite mutant didn’t make the cut, fear not for today Marvel announced that the losing candidates will be headlining their own Secret X-Men comic series from writer Tini Howard and artist Francesco Mobili. No colorist, letterer, or additional members of the creative team were named in the announcement
Here’s how Marvel described the new Secret X-Men series:
Sunspot. Cannonball. Marrow. Boom-Boom. Tempo. Forge. Banshee. Strong Guy. Armor. Earlier this year, these X-Men characters were choices in the mega popular X-Men Vote! While they ultimately weren’t chosen as the final member of the Krakoan Age’s first team of X-Men, the vote took social media by storm with passionate fans campaigning fiercely for their favorites. And this February, fans can relive the excitement of this pivotal moment in X-Men history by seeing their chosen candidates in action in SECRET X-MEN #1! This special one-shot written by Excalibur and X of Swords scribe Tini Howard and drawn by Daredevil artist Francesco Mobili will bring all nine of these mutant heroes together for a secret mission to the stars!
When the Shi’ar Empire faces an unexpected threat, they must call upon the X-Men. Team co-captains Sunspot and Cannonball will lead Marrow, Tempo, Forge, Banshee, Strong Guy, Armor, and Boom-Boom on a dangerous mission to save a figure of paramount importance—the daughter of Professor X and empress of the Shi’ar: Xandra!
Howard also revealed the mutant that got her vote earlier this year.
“We had to do it, yeah? And I jumped at the chance to tell the story while I had the time,” Howard said. “Cannonball was my vote, and Strong Guy? Tempo? Boom-Boom? This is the perfect team for an intergalactic X-Men mission. I hope they didn’t forget anything important!
Check out the cover by Leinil Francis Yu below and look for Secret X-Men #1 to arrive in stores on February 9, 2022.
