Sam Humphries Gets "Uncanny" with "X-Force"

CBR: Over the past year plus, Marvel Comics "Uncanny X-Force" has hit comic shops with a surprising mix of neon-tinted science fiction, broken hearted killers and critical acclaim. But when writer Rick Remender ends his run with the series in its next, 35th issue, the franchise won't be ending with him. As part of the ongoing Marvel NOW! relaunch of the publisher's superhero titles, "Uncanny X-Force" will be reborn under the pens of writer Sam Humphries and artist Ron Garney.

On the other side of the coin is returning heroine Psylocke. The writer had to play coy so as to not spoil her role in Remender's final issue. "With some characters, we're specifically picking up on threads Rick has so generously left dangling...and where Betsy's life is at is one of those threads," he said. "She's in a similar place to Storm. They have a lot to bond over." Humphries described her as a survivor both as an X-Man and as a character.

Spiral, the multi-armed carryover from the Mojoverse, is probably better known to "Marvel Vs. Capcom" video gamers, they explained. "She can't be a part of the whole 'Uncanny Avengers' scheme. She can't go to the school. She can't join Cyclops and his crew. She has nowhere to belong to right now," Humphries said. "Her trying to get by put her in direct confrontation with Betsy and Storm." He added that the history between Spiral and Psylocke will play a big role in her first appearance in issue #1 and beyond. "She's a surprise," Lowe said. "She was the character Sam threw out that completely threw me for a loop...but I thought, 'You know what? That would be awesome!'" The writer added that she has been a villain for years, but "You're going to see a side of her that's never been explored before...she's not just a villain but a victim of Mojo."

Asked whether Psylocke would lead the team, the group played coy. "Betsy is exactly where I want here...she's where I wanted to take over writing her as a character in that she's really interesting to me," the writer said. "In my mind, Betsy is as strong in the Marvel Universe as Wolverine, Rogue, Storm or any of those characters. What that means in the reality of who will lead the team" remains unknown as there are multiple people with leadership potential.

Finally, the panel was asked about a potential crossover between "Cable & The X-Force." Nothing official was confirmed, but Humphries talked up the fact that Psylocke and company view themselves as the only legitimate X-Force team, and so tensions between the two groups would be high. Particularly, he noted one book starring Cable and one featuring Bishop meant that some old rivalries would have to clash eventually.