Utopia
“Utopia” is a crossover between "Dark Avengers" and "Uncanny X-Men". It will be written by Matt Fraction. The first chapter of the crossover will be released next week - on June 24th. After a mutant riot in San Francisco, Norman Osborn tries to enforce peace by creating his own team of Dark X-Men to serve in much the same way the Dark Avengers did, and using both his teams to bring down the real X-Men.
Meet the Dark Avengers
Norman Osborn: “The perfect manipulator”
Venom: “Deeply psychotic”
Bullseye: “Kills people without remorse”
Daken: “Eeverything Wolverine isn't”
Sentry: “Norman's ace in the hole”
+ Moonstone, Ares and Noh-Varr
Meet the Dark X-Men
Emma Frost: “Playing the very difficult cards that she's been dealt”
Professor X: “Wants what he always wants, peaceful coexistence”
Namor: “For him this is more of an association, a political alliance”
Daken: “Loves the glory, the fame and the fortune that comes along with it”
Cloak and Dagger: “They're fish out of water, they're not team players”
Mimic: “Really thinks this is his shot to be something, to be somebody”
Weapon Omega: “It's like having a killer shark on the team”
Norman Osborn: “The perfect manipulator”
Venom: “Deeply psychotic”
Bullseye: “Kills people without remorse”
Daken: “Eeverything Wolverine isn't”
Sentry: “Norman's ace in the hole”
+ Moonstone, Ares and Noh-Varr
Meet the Dark X-Men
Emma Frost: “Playing the very difficult cards that she's been dealt”
Professor X: “Wants what he always wants, peaceful coexistence”
Namor: “For him this is more of an association, a political alliance”
Daken: “Loves the glory, the fame and the fortune that comes along with it”
Cloak and Dagger: “They're fish out of water, they're not team players”
Mimic: “Really thinks this is his shot to be something, to be somebody”
Weapon Omega: “It's like having a killer shark on the team”
Prologue
X-Men: Legacy #225
X-Men: Legacy #225
After Professor Xavier convinces the Acolytes that mutantkind should stick together in San Francisco, he receives a very unusual visit by Norman Osborn.
Chapter 1
Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia #1
When mutant riots break out in San Francisco, Norman Osborn declares martial law and sends the Dark Avengers in to quell the riots and take down the X-Men.
Chapter 2
Uncanny X-Men #513
Uncanny X-Men #513
He has his own Avengers team and now Norman Osborn has his own X-Men team. The other shoe has finally dropped and Emma Frost has betrayed Cyclops and the rest of the X-Men.
Chapter 3
Dark Avengers #7
San Francisco teeters on the brink of absolute chaos and the X-Men keep getting in the way of Norman's vision of law and order.
Chapter 4
Uncanny X-Men #514
Uncanny X-Men #514
Norman Osborn’s victory in San Francisco is cemented when the Dark X-Men succeed where the X-Men can’t.
Chapter 5
Dark Avengers #8
Dark Avengers #8
The X-Men strike at Norman, at H.A.M.M.E.R., at his fraud X-Men and his sham Avengers all at once!
Chapter 6
Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus #1
Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus #1
The final battle for the Dark Avengers and the X-Men that will change the status quo for the Marvel Universe.
Epilogue
Dark X-Men: The Confession #1
Emma Frost's secret dealings with the Cabal come to light and her life will never be the same.
Tie-Ins
X-Men: Legacy #226
X-Men: Legacy #226
Rogue, Gambit and Danger go to join the X-Men in San Francisco, only to find it in flames. Will they side with Cyclops and the X-Men? Or go to Osborn and his Dark X-Men?
X-Men: Legacy #227
While San Francisco is still reeling from the onslaught of the Dark Avengers, Rogue struggles to cope with the power and perspective of a God.
Dark X-Men: The Beginning #1
Who are the Dark X-Men and how did they come to be?
Dark X-Men: The Beginning #2
This first two issues focus on Emma Frost, Mimic, Cloak & Dagger, Daken, Weapon X and Dark Beast!
Dark X-Men: The Beginning #3
In this issue, Emma Frost convinces Namor to join the team. And learn where Professor X fits into Utopia.
Aftermath
Solicits for the core X-Books after the crossover have been classified until next Monday. Rumor has it that some announcements concerning the future of the X-verse will be made this weekend at a Comic Con. Uncanny X-Men #515 by Fraction and Greg Land is classified until next Monday. X-Men: Legacy Annual #1 by Mike Carey and Daniel Acuña is already solicited on Marvel.com to go on sale in September. Last but not least Astonishing X-Men #31 by Warren Ellis, also not solicited yet, welcomes its new penciler: Phil Jimenez.
Psylocke
Even though Psylocke doesn't show up on the Utopia preview, she's already confirmed to play a part in this crossover. Terry Dodson also confirmed she will be wearing a different uniform other than her old Jim Lee design. When asked about it on his Yahoo Groups, Dodson told Psylocke fans to wait until August. Fraction also talked a little about her in this Podcast. He said she is terrific character and that it will be great to writer her after the crossover is done. That's it! Utopia begins next Wednesday, when the first Chapter is released. Keep an eye out for it. :D
Thanks for the huge recap. I don't care or like any of the Marvel Universe besides the X-men so I doubt I'll get the other issues and know the whole story. I can't wait to read the X-men after all this is over with, hopefully without Emma.
ReplyDeleteI listened to that podcast with Fraction the other day and it was terrible. Way too long and stupid. He seems like a real douchebag. I hate how he brought in the character Psylocke and he pretty much admits it wasn't his idea or goal but someone told him to do it. And then it was to bring diversity to the group with her being Asian as well as her being a 'hot ninja' (rolls eyes). If this were the case (bringing diversity to a cast with plenty of Asian females) why have the British body appear at all? I wish the guys asked him about "simplifying her" but it seemed like he knew nothing of her history in the first place saying someone had to run through it all with him. He is such an idiot I swear I just wish he left the body swap story alone.
I have not listened to the podcast so it is a bit unfair for me comment, but given what we have seen so far, what you are saying makes perfect sense. It seemed to me that the writer did not understand the charechter at all in the last arc, and was just going through the paces. And by the way he throws those cute, ironic and um "cool" bits into the writing, that seem to smack of someone who thinks his own @#$% is hilarious, I can buy the douchebag part.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately that means that Betsy may be sidelined like Dazzler in the future, but that's ok because we all want to know what Pixie and Emma are doing at all times, and everyone else just gets in the way of that. (That's irony)
Wow, that's a brilliant recap, LuckyStar! Thanks for sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteI hope Betsy doesn't get sidelined in Utopia (especially sidelined in favor of that stupid Pixie). I can see Betsy fighting either Marvel Boy or Moonstone (i thought Moonstone would fight Rogue, but it seems Rogue's opponent will be Ares).
I just hope her new outfit is cool, that she manages to stick with it for at least the same amount of time she did with her New Exiles one, and that she kicks some ass in this war!!
(oh yeah, and that she manages to at least cameo in the X-Men Legacy tie-in)
Love this blog! Thanks for the recap.
ReplyDeleteI bet we'll see Betsy in the crossover - she will probably take up the token X-Woman role with Emma on the other side. However, I doubt we'll see a lot of lines or any real characterization. So long as she gets a moment to shine (like psychic knifing Emma Frost!), I'll be happy.
WOW! Thanks for taking the time to do that! That's totally cleared alot of things up 4 me!!!
ReplyDelete