Tuesday, March 1, 2011

X-Men MMXI: Uncanny X-Force

Uncanny X-Force: MMXI - Liveblog!

X-Force will indeed be going to the Age of Apocalypse. This trip will be connected to the first two arcs of the series. It will have huge ramifications for the Marvel Universe.

There is somebody in the Age of Apocalypse that X-Force needs for some reason.

Archangel is not there [in the teaser] for a reason, and it's a reason you don't expect. Remender also said that they're looking for a natural way to expand the team membership. "While there are some new members coming up, I don't think people will see it coming.

There will be drama about AOA Nightcrawler and how these guys are seeing another version of their recently deceased friend. Ditto how Wolverine deals with AOA Jean Grey.

As far as where in the AOA chronology this takes place, without giving anything away, it's roughly a decade following the Age of Apocalypse mini that came out in 2005.

Mark Brooks will be kicking off the Age of Apocalypse arc with Jerome Opena batting cleanup. Esad Ribic will also continue to pitch in, as will Billy Tan and Greg Tocchini upcoming.

The version of Apocalypse we know is dead. Rick is building on the "mythology of Apocalypse" from the Clan Akkaba to the Dark Riders to the Age of Apocalypse, etc.

A thing that really resonates with Uncanny X-Force is that their actions do have consequences. They killed Apocalypse. He is dead. Will he ever come back? Who knows. But that happened and it mattered.

Rick takes addressing X-Force's kills very seriously. There are ethical issues and there are consequences.

Dark Beast plays a sizable role in the next year of X-Force.

Fantomex is pining for Betsy, but she and Warren are very happy at the moment. however, their relationship is also very parasitic with him needing her to keep Archangel at bay. That line between love and dependence can be complicated. There's definitely something happening with Fantomex, but the real meat is the complications between Warren and Betsy. That will be big coming up.

Rick Remender wanted to explore the duality in terms of Betsy's brothers, with shining super hero Brian and psycho villain Jamie. Betsy falls in the middle. She doesn't measure up to Brian but hasn't lost herself as much as Jamie. They play a role in defining her and I wanted to make sure they were included and dealt with.

From what Rick Remender just said, he's definitely a big fan of Psylocke and the entire Braddock family, not to mention her complex relationships with Archangel and even Fantomex, so expect big things!

• A poll conducted during the liveblog asked "Who is your favorite current member of X-Force?" Psylocke won with 26% of the votes, followed by Fantomex (23%), Deadpool (18%), Archangel (17%) and Wolverine (16%).

5 comments:

FSaker said...

I didn't understand one thing: what issues will Billy Tan work in? Isn't the Shadow King arc supposed to be drawn by Opena, or am I mistaken? Unless he means that both Tan and Brooks will work in the AoA arc (if this is the explanation, considering each of them will work in three issues, it would be a 6-issue arc... wow).

It sucks that Remender remembered to speak about Logan's feelings regarding Nightcrawler and Jean but didn't mention Sabretooth's relation with Psylocke; I hope this relationship will be approached in this AoA arc (even if minimally; in fact, it's better if he doesn't waste a lot of time in it, just give it some closure).

Other than that, however, it was a great interview! He didn't reveal much, but succeeded in capturing my interest! I just love how Remender gets the most random ideas and manage to make them not only interesting but also deeply connected to the overall story!

treysome said...

"While there are some new members coming up, I don't think people will see it coming"

I wonder who could it be

Anonymous said...

OMG, I love what I read, especially the stuff about Betsy and her brothers. I always thought her relationships with her brothers were really interesting.

Of course I'm also intrigued by the description of Fantomex pining after Betsy. I've been really curious as to why exactly Fantomex is so into Bets. I mean, I love Bets, but I'm just sort of puzzled, yet charmed, by Fantomex's feelings for her. It certainly seems to go deeper than, "Well she's hot and the only chick on the team."

like a butterfly said...

I think the solicit information was wrong. Billy Tan is drawing the Shadow King arc (#8-#10).Then comes Mark Brooks in the AoA arc (#11-13). Opeña told me he will return with issue #14.

whitephoenix said...

Wow Psylocke beat Deadpool and Wolverine! Just shows how popular Psylocke is getting.