"X-Men - Gals On The Run" by Chris Claremont and Milo Manara will be released at Lucca Comic-Con 2009. Panini will publish a volume of 64 pages with a 48-page story in black and white. The graphic novel will be released in Italy on November 5, and previewed a couple of days earlier at Lucca. According to Claremont, it will go on sale in the United States in 2010."Panini Comics is proud to present a unique event in comics. An unprecedented book that unites a legend of American comics and an European master. Chris Claremont, author of the myth of the X-Men as we know them today and Milo Manara, the famous Italian artist of Il Gioco, Il Profumo dell’Invisibile, El Gaucho and much more give life to "X-Men - Gals On The Run", a fantastic graphic novel starring the women of the X-Men. 48 pages of adventure among Madripoor and the Greek islands, where Storm, Rogue, Psylocke, Kitty Pryde, Marvel Girl and Emma Frost face a mysterious enemy. An exclusive volume, drawn with the magical pencils of the erotic art Master."
Chris Claremont: "I have the very great privilege of working with the amazing Italian artist, Milo Manara, on a very special X-Men project, featuring Storm, Kitty, Sage, Rogue, Psylocke, Rachel, & Emma Frost. Yes, all women! The title is still being worked out, but the in-house title is X-Babes. For those of you who know Manara's work – and if you're an adult you should check him out – this is everything you would imagine. This is the first time this preeminent European artist has ever done superheroes, and he's having so much fun! First publication is in Italy, in time for Lucca. Look to the publisher's web site: Panini, as well as a cover story in the Italian magazine La Rebulica this September, for a first look. Marvel will publish in the US next year."
“For so long, my life has been out of control. Chaos and serendipity, wrapped in insanity. I have suffered, I have lost. Not just my life, but my very soul, my self. But no more. Now I know who I am.” – Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Braddock, daughter of Otherworld, mutant, telepath, telekinetic, defender of the realm and, above all, X-Man.
42 comments:
Woah, this is....odd lol it should be good and I'm glad Psylocke's in it, an X-men book about the X-women wouldnt be complete without betts : D
But i'm wondering, with so many characters in one book, will anyone get suffiecient 'air-time' if you get what i'm saying...
I'm thrilled to see this book was actually produced. I am also happy that all of the established X-Girls are included, especially Bets. I wonder if Dazzler will make an appearance? It certainly isn't Claremont's first "X-Girl" exclusive comic. I think Claremont's UXM 244 was an X-Girl centric issue.
There is a line between those who adore Claremont's recent work, and those who abhor it. I am a member of the former, at least most of his work. Although some of the recent criticism may be valid, Claremont has created some of the best and most successful female X-Men characters, and without him, we wouldn't have Psylocke at all.
I wish this new X-Girl book were colored. I will get a copy once it is available.
I wonder what the X-girls are running from? :)
looks cheap and weird. i was hoping for a british psylocke at least. i wish it was based around the australian era.
Marvel whoring out its characters for some half baked claremont idea is not good in my opinion.
This is part of an agreement Marvel had with it's licensed publisher in europe, Panini, and this is the last of the books that where publicited then, (being one of them Wolverine: Saudade and the others one starred by Cap America & Daredevil and one featuring Spider-Man).
It was first announced way back circa 2004-2005, and then it fell behind schedule in part because of Claremont's illness (the same one that delayed his Exiles premiere) and Manara's speed as an artists (he is indeed a very well recognised author here in europe and I'm sure he has plenty of commissions which may have interferred with this work). This page actually already showed up in the internet a few years back.
The pros (IMMHO):
Europeans will, for once, see an X-book sooner than Americans, as Panini publishes these books simoultaneously in all the countries under his agreement with Marvel, adapting the language as it fits.
We'll have a larger version of it, 'cause it will be published as the rest of the titles of this agreement so far, kind of a french bande desinee album.
'Cmon, Manara + X-girls, it's like a dream team, although I'm sure it wouldn't have the half (or any) of the sassyness and sheer sexuality as other Manara's books, I'm sure it's gonna feature some of the most beautiful portrayals of the characters in their history.
The cons:
Black and white, why? Because it's already late? It may be Manara's imposition, as he usually colors his own books, but man, it's gonna look half-done.
I don't know... on one hand, it's nice to see Betsy in another title, and Manara is a great artist (I'm not expecting Claremont to deliver a great plot, so at least nice art can make this book interesting). On the other hand, I'm a little bit afraid Manara may "sluttify" the X-Women (and that includes Psylocke).
One thing calls my attention, though: as Centurion already pointed out, Dazzler is missing from the team, yet I would expect that since she's not ultra-popular; but... where is JEAN GREY?? Come on, Claremont chose RACHEL over JEAN??
Captainfur. I enjoyed reading your response. I honestly would have preferred a colored edition of this book, but I am more interested in the portrayal of the characters. After a 2004-2005 announcement, one would assume that that was ample time to complete and color this book...
When can I expect an all male cast? Perhaps, Gambit, Iceman, Rictor, Northstar, Shatterstar, and Daken. LOL.
Hi, Fsaker. Betsy has often been portrayed as the eye-candy or one of the unattainable, yet hotly desired X-Girls. Betsy was in the 90s what Emma Frost is today in that respect. Nowadays, Dazzler seems to be in the C list of X-Girls, but she could make an appearance in this Manara book as a support character. I was looking at Terry Dodson's portrait of the X-Girls posing for a picture (not sure when this was drawn): Dodson had Shadowcat, Psylocke, Storm, Rogue, (a picture of Jean in the background), Emma Frost, and Dazzler. One would assume that those X-Girls were selected because they were the most memorable and popular characters. Dazzler should be in this new Manara book.
Centurion, the Dodson picture you're reffering to is the alternative cover (well, one of them) of the 500th issue of Uncanny X-Men. Here's a link to it:
http://stormantic.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/dodson-x-women-500-cover1.jpg
Regarding the cast (no Dazzler, Rachel over Jean, etc) I think the easy (yet maybe closer to the truth) answer may be that when Claremont wrote this (or startet to plot it at least) those where the characters he had been using for a while in the main X-Men title.
You have to realise this is as out of continuity as it gets, it's written for the european market and Manara's fans, whom usually aren't very prone to reading X-books and I predict will be very dissapointed when they don't find the "sluttyness" some of you will find and reject.
Thanks for the clarification, Captainfur.
Yeah its blatantly set before Betsy disappeared into Exiles, Kitty went bullet riding and Rachel went space hopping.
Lol @ Soultapestry, can u imagine? Hells gonna freeze over first, im sure they're going to back out of slutty little Daken's boy bonking behaviour.
Soultapestry, I doubt it is going to happen, my friend.
Thanks for the link, Captainfur.
wow, and I thought land was the king of porn faces
Ugg I really HATE the art....reminds me of the awful artwork in X-Treme after Salvador left......ugg
@Centurion: You're welcome. Twice.
@Anonymous: Land traces from porn, Manara draws porn, I think there's a large difference in there.
@Askanipsion: Well, it's kind of funny then that both Igor kordey and Milo Manara are two of the better recognised european cartoonists in the world... and yet you find their work "awful".
Ick, as soon as I saw Claremont I just felt a whole lot of disappointment. The idea had potential, but was put into the wrong hands already.
Also, I just have to say that it sounds like he doesn't take things very seriously considering he called them "X-Babes". Which he should considering he's been thrown to the hellish corner of alternate universe titles. Anyway, if I ever become a writer, I'm SO going to call the men the "X-Dicks" or the man meats and just wait for people to get up in arms about it.
No way, I'd definitively subscribe to a book called "X-Dicks".
I'd even buy the trades.
Send a pitch to Marvel.
Like... NOW.
Yeah. This story is set during REALOAD. That's why there's no Dazzler and no Jean Grey.
Sorry. I meant RELOAD.
Hahah, all right, I'll ask for Greg Land considering there's no on better for sexual objectification. And "X-Dicks" will concern all the men dealing with their need to wear skimpy clothing while fighting evil and having very homoerotically toned moments. I'm thinking Wolvie and Scott are OTP, they already have a history according to me Here and here
Mr. Hellfire, I did notice that Land seems to often portray his female characters as if they are often having orgasmic eruptions in very mundane situations. The sexuality is often exaggerated in their facial expressions and mannerisms, too. In response to your mention of Claremont, some of his recent work has been lackluster, to say the least. X-Force and Uncanny are probably two of the strongest current X-books in my humble opinion. I am still reading X-Men Forever, and enjoy most of it, but it feels naked without Psylocke, Colossus, Angel and so many others that were prominent figures in that era. X-Men Forever is average, nowhere near as great as it could have been with Psylocke, Colossus and others from the 1990s Jim Lee/Claremont era.
Based on much of what has been said on this blog regarding "X-Men: Gals on the Run" it seems as though many would agree that the upcoming Manara/Claremont book has the propensity to become nothing but a series of ditsy portrayals of our beloved X-Girls, performing even ditsier (is that a word?) displays of behavior, "babe" antics, and brainless dialogue. Gosh, I hope not... :(
centurion
Oh totally, my blog's best moments are mocking Land's over-sexualizing of everyone.
And Uncanny? Mmm, not now I'd say, maybe with Land awhile ago since it was more of a campy entertainment. Now with Dodson, things are just plain boring.
And I haven't even touched Forever, it doesn't seem like my deal. Claremont's genius is gone in my eyes, plain and simple. He can go have fun off in alt. universe corner, but he won't get my attention.
Man, this blog is HOT tonight, that is assuming one is in the eastern US! I enjoyed your posts, Mr. Hellfire. You know, Mr. Hellfire, someone out in the wide world of the internet said - I don't recall who or where - that X-Men Forever was just Claremont's unofficial New Exiles 2.0 without the dimension hopping, and I see that there is much merit in that statement. You see, the more I read XM Forever (I am sure this is a very valid criticism), it seems less like Claremont picking up the reins from where he left off in 1991, and more like him trying to create an alternative playground or in some cases, redefine (maybe expunge?) the memory of the Jim Lee era. Many of us became avid X-Men fans in those beloved Jim Lee days. My question with XM Forever is why go back? Sabertooth is Wolverine's father; Gambit is Remy Lebeau; Wolverine's death; No Blue or Gold Teams... The list of changes in favor of an alternative timeline goes on ad infinitum. I am probably going to continue reading Forever to fill the void left by Ultimate X-Men, but that void is a huge one to fill. Hopefully, Bets wil come into Forever and use her telepathy to probe evil Storm's mind.
I think Claremont's already stated that Psylocke will play a part in issue #9 or so of X-Men Forever, but in my opinion, maybe due all this years f what it's been called "decompressed storytelling", X-Men Forever feels rushed, we're what, six issues in? Look how fart he has gone from the pick-up point. I'm liking t so far, but I don't know if I (or better put, Claremont) can follow this rhythm.
Thanks very much, centurion, I work very hard to be an ass XD.
And this blog is indeed the most up-to-date and detailed Psylocke resource I know of, so it's attention is well-deserved.
And meh, Claremont is beyond sense or thought. He's gives hope to every failure fan fiction writer everywhere. Seriously, what the heck? OH and why isn't Jean probing evil Storm? She doing the dead thing again?
Seems that way, Mr. Hellfire. Jean and Professor X failed to probe Storm, and they are quite high on the psionic ability scale. And in issue 6, I think it was mentioned that none of the higher order telepaths could probe her mind. I wonder what Emma or Bets could do if they tried to extract information from Storm? It's not certain what Emma Frost's alignment is at this time and in this particular alternate universe. Whether Emma would be amenable to helping the X-Men with this debacle or not is a question up for discussion. I'm sure Betsy would help immediately, unless she were predisposed in her own adventures.
Hey, Captainfur. Yes, you're right. Claremont did mention that on a CBR transcript. I will give him the benfit of the doubt. I am anxiously awaiting her appearance in XM Forever. Forever is bi-monthly. There is still potential there for improvement. I really do enjoy it despite those issues we discussed above. I love Grummett's art in general.
So she's possessed by the Shadow King. Again. Why is she young again by the way?
Oh and Emma Frost is def. pre-reform by 40 issues since Uncanny 381 and X-Men 1 came out at the same time. I love her, but not evil her, too unremarkable.
And did Claremont not say that this picked up after #3? Betsy did not head off for England until like #8 or something. Seriously, some serious re-reading should've been done by Sir Sloppy Claremont before even issuing a single statement. And I bet he wonders why he's been demoted.
Really? a possession by the Shadow King? That would explain why Professor X and Jean, two high order telepaths, are so confounded by Storm's mental plight. Absolutely, I love Emma Frost, too, but as you rightly mentioned, she is better as a "good" character, not a cliched villainess.
Yep, there are certainly some continuity issues here... Uh huh, another good point, Mr. Hellfire, that supports the alternative timeline theory. I remember reading the trade X-Men Visionaries and Betsy was a member of the rescue team against Matsuo and Omega Red, which I recall took place between X-Men issues 5-7.
It's likely and sorta predictable Claremont.
And mm, indeed she's more fun as a cruelly-inclined X-Man. Which is NOT what Fraction is giving us. Hence my hate for him.
And yeah, he's got some shit screwed up. Something I think people forget is that THIS IS HIS JOB. He is paid for his efforts like the rest of us. We're the receivers of his product, we are more than entitled to criticize especially since he's such a slob about it and just does not ever seem to shape up.
Well, he's paid for writing books that people later buy, if they're good or not is of little interest for the company, example of this is any book written by Jeph Loeb or the constant cut & paste of artists, if they're paid according to the quality of his work, we'd see a very different Land.
@captainfur I just don't like either of their styles for X-Men books. Igor is the reason I dropped X-Treme as it had became difficult to tell each character from each other....the characters' faces were a mess.
"Recognized" as he may be.....I just don't feel his work is right for this X-book. In the sample page, the characters have awful expressions on their faces.
I would rather have had Alan Davis or Silvestri doing the art on this book.
@Askanipsion: I agree!
Askanipsion, I wasn't discussing if they're a good fit for a X-book, you simply said they're "awful", and I found that term somewhat unfortunate.
Now, if you tell me you don't like them on a X-book, I'm not gonna argue with you on that, because that's your personal taste, from my point of view, and considering the mess Silvestri ans his cohort of inkers did on the lastest Dark Avengers/X-Men Utopia One Shot, I'd settle for a new, refreshing, change in the looks of my heroines.
And, as a prove of Manara's value, he was one of the few artists handpicked by Neil Gaiman to ilustrate one of the short stories on his comeback to the Sandman universe in the Hardcover Sandman: Endless Nights.
And, if further prove is nessesary (because, really, judging one artist by ONE page seems kind of unfair):
http://dreamers.com/maestrosdelcomic/html/imagenes.html
I dont think people feel he is a bad artist its just A LOT of people complain about the over sexualization of the X-girls (Betsy butt floss, Emma Frost etc etc) so are clearly going to draw negative connotations from this concept.
Also yeah Igor Kordey drew some of the ugliest X-men I ever saw.
Anonymous, do you have any links to some of Igor Kordey's X-Men work? Thanks in advance.
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