Seems like yesterday when the Krakoan Age of the X-Men comics launched. But all things must come to an end. Fans have been wondering about the new direction for the X-Men comics for a long while now. We already knew editor Tom Brevoort would be making the jump to the X line after over two decades on the Avengers, as well as Gail Simone would be involved. Earlier today at ‘Future of Marvel Comics’ X-Men and Digital Comics’ panel at South by Southwest (SXSW), Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski and VP, Executive Editor Tom Brevoort were joined by Simone as well as writer Jed MacKay to announce what’s coming next for Marvel’s line of X-Men comics.
This new era of the X-Men comics line will be centered around three flagship titles.
First up is adjectiveless X-Men by writer Jed MacKay and artist Ryan Stegman arriving July 10th.
From their new base in Alaska, the X-Men raise a flag of defiance! Join CYCLOPS, BEAST, MAGNETO, PSYLOCKE, KID OMEGA, TEMPER (formerly OYA), MAGIK and JUGGERNAUT as they assemble against new forces, battling for the destiny and philosophy of the mutant species. Mutant business is their business.
“It’s not just those three titles in this relaunch, there’s a lot!” MacKay shared at the panel. “[My X-Men title] is where we’ll see the first inklings of what the X-Men will look like in 2024. I’m very excited for you guys to see it when it comes out. If you look at that line-up, they’re a group of people who are not well suited to integrating into the world. And in these books, we’ll see what that means and what it looks like going forward.”
The following up will be Uncanny X-Men written by Gail Simone Simone with artist David Marquez arriving on August 7th.
Making themselves at home in the Big Easy, the X-Men protect a world that hates and fears them! Join ROGUE, GAMBIT, NIGHTCRAWLER, JUBILEE and WOLVERINE on explosive super hero adventures. Uncanny as ever, the X-Men are back to saving the day mutant-style!
“I think X-Fans are special in that we identify with having something different about us…and you’re going to feel that in this book, and what it means to have that thing about you that’s different, or exceptional. We go deep into the emotional part of that,” Simone told the crowd.
“David Marquez is the perfect artist for this book,” she continued. “He does amazing action, amazing character work, and he’s really excited about getting into the characters appearing in this book. I knew from the very first panel that this book was going to be super exciting and gorgeous. He just knows how to knock it out of the park!”
Finally expect Exceptional X-Men from writer Eve L. Ewing and artist Carmen Carnero on September 4th.
MUTANTKIND’S TWO GREATEST TEACHERS MOLD THE NEXT GENERATION OF X-MEN!
KATE PRYDE has returned home to Chicago following the war with ORCHIS. Having stepped away from the world of mutantdom, she is nevertheless called back into action as she crosses paths with a trio of new young mutants, BRONZE, AXO and MELEE, who clearly need training and guidance. Unfortunately for Kate, EMMA FROST thinks so as well!
“Long-time fans of Kitty Pryde can count on the kinds of adventures you expect from her as a classic favorite, while I hope new and old readers alike will get to love this all-new team of young mutants,” Ewing shared. “Kitty, the one-time kid sister figure of the X-Men, has to reckon with her own memories—good and bad—of being a child of Xavier as she navigates a role as leader and mentor for a new generation of mutants who are trying to make their way in a time of crisis. I always try to strike a chord between appealing to veteran comics fans and new readers, but since so many people fell in love with the X-Men as teens and this book is about a team of young folks, that feels especially important to me here. I hope that for some 13- or 14-year-old readers, this might be the first comic book they pick up. Working on this series has been a ton of fun already, as Carmen Carnero’s art is bringing so much dynamism to these pages and the entire X-team of writers is in a flurry sharing scripts and feedback and ideas.”
Marvel Comics VP Executive Editor Tom Brevoort explained the new approach and what fans can expect:
“The X-Men are fractured in the aftermath of the end of Krakoa, scattered across the globe without a central base of operation. What that means in practice is that all three titles carrying the name X-MEN are core X-MEN series—they all center around one of the major aspects of what the team has been about at different points. This is very much by design. We want to field a wide assortment of X-titles with different styles and tones and approaches, an X-MEN book for virtually any taste.”
In addition, Marvel released trailer featuring never-before-seen artwork that teases new villains and the mystery of Inmate X.
Besides the X-MEN: FROM THE ASHES promotional image by Ryan Stegman and Marte Gracia at the top of the article, Marvel also teased titles to come. It won’t come as a surprise that a Wolverine or X-Force title will be announced. But I’m sure fans will be most excited to see some of the other upcoming books teased including X-Factor, Storm, Phoenix, and the return of NYX.
And don’t forget to take your first steps into the new era on May 4 with a special prelude tale by Gail Simone in FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2024: BLOOD HUNT/X-MEN #1 AND in June’s X-MEN #35, the 700th issue of Uncanny X-Men, which will feature stories by both Simone and MacKay.
Between this and the X-Men ’97 cartoon, there’s never been a better time to be an X-Men fan!
Great to see Gail Simone back on a big title again
I will definitely read Uncanny because Gail Simone is on it, I have read almost all of her prior DC work and some of the stuff she did at Dynamite…still, the Krakoa era overstayed its welcome and this feels like a return to the status quo before 2019’s excellent Hox/PoX…
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