Thursday, August 28, 2014

X-Men #19 Preview

X-Men #19
Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Art by: Harvey Tolibao, Dexter Soy
Cover by: Terry Dodson

The Story:
• With S.W.O.R.D.'s orbital headquarters, the Peak, literally hanging in the balance, the X-Men race into deep space to find the source of the new threat that's emerged from the abyss.
• But little do they suspect that lurking in the shadows of the Acanti Skunkworks, a conspiracy is waiting to entangle them...
• And what's worse is that it's a conspiracy that has connections to the deaths of Rachel Grey's family!

In Stores: September 3, 2014

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

X-Position: Guggenheim Takes "X-Men" For a Space Adventure

CBR: This week, Guggenheim joined X-POSITION to discuss his current "X-Men" arc, returning to the X-Men universe after a lengthy hiatus, how his television experience with "Arrow" played into crafting the arc, his inspiration to bring the X-Men back into space and more.

You've mentioned in previous interviews that you made several pitches for your X-Men run, including at least one centering around each of the principal lead characters (Storm, Jubilee, Rachel, Monet, and Psylocke). Can you give us a hint as to what stories you had in mind for those characters and what particular qualities or paradoxes in each woman you want to emphasize in characterizing them?

Guggenheim: Well, my hope is to someday get to tell these stories, so, I probably shouldn't hint at them. [Laughs]

But I will say that the reason I didn't even contemplate shaking up Brian Wood's lineup was the fact that -- apart from the fact that, as I make a comment in issue #18, the vast majority of the team are all telepaths, they're all very different individuals. Rachel, I think, has this dark history and this tragic past, which colors her worldview in a very interesting way. Storm -- it's funny, it's hard to describe Storm. She's the easiest character for me to write, but she's the one I've spent the most time with as a reader. Her inner strength and inner nobility are very compelling things to see, particularly in comic books, which aren't always known for their strong female characters.

Monet -- I love sass. [Laughs] Monet's schtick is that she can sometimes border on obnoxious, but I love that voice and I love writing in that voice. Jubilee is the spark plug, literally the spark plug. She no longer has her powers, but she's still the youngster of the group that has a very interesting attitude herself. She's got a sense of humor about her -- it's different than Monet's, so I can play the two off of each other a little bit. Finally, there's Psylocke who is also another character that I've spent decades reading at this point, which makes me feel old. But I love the fact that she has a little bit of Storm's nobility with a little bit of Wolverine in her, too. It makes her a really interesting character.

A lot of times what I'll do is I'll think of stories -- and this is definitely true of the one that began on #18 -- and emotional journeys for these characters that's really based upon stuff that's happened to them in their past, and that's in part because I want to add new things to the sandbox, but at the same time, new character stuff can feel either like a gimmick or a ret-con. I'd rather start to work emotionally from the stuff that's already there. I think from the opening two pages of issue #18, you see that I'm doing that with Rachel's character and digging back into her past to try and bring out some stuff that still has some life to it. That's sort of true for all the characters -- they all have a rich history to them. They all have these rich backstories that I think make their emotional lives feel lived-in.

So far, there's only one arc announced for your "X-Men" run. Are you hoping to be able to tell a few of those stories you mentioned in further arcs down the line?

Guggenheim: Honestly, that's up to the powers that be at Marvel. When they asked me to come on, they were very clear that it would be a five-issue gig, and I just dove into it very enthusiastically. I love these characters and I love this world. I don't just mean the X-Men, I mean the Marvel Universe itself. I do really enjoy flexing those muscles. My hope is that there will be more Marvel work in my future. I've certainly been talking to various editors. If people agree, tweet! I think that helps.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

X-Solicits for November 2014

X-Force #12
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Art & Cover by: Rock-He Kim
"Ends/Means" Part 2 of 5
• Fantomex’s compulsion to be THE BEST has put him at odds with X-Force! Turning on his former teammates, can a squad of killers hope to escape science’s perfect living weapon?
• Also! The true identity of the villain X-Force has been pursuing is revealed…and it’s an all-too familiar face…



X-Men #21
Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Art by: Harvey Tolibao & Dexter Soy
Cover by: Terry Dodson
"Exogenous" Part 4 of 5!
• As the X-Men race to find the origins of the threat that has emerged from deep space, they discover that there’s a larger conspiracy at work…one that may have its roots close to home!
• What are Agent Brand’s ties to the mysterious Providian order?
• How could Deathbird’s secret upset the balance of the cosmos?
• And what does the third Summers brother—and Rachel Grey’s uncle—Vulcan have to do with it all?

Thursday, August 14, 2014

X-Force #8 Art

X-Force #8 Spoilers


Spoilers: A secret British covert ops team in the Middle East tries to track some sort of terrorist group that's been blowing people up with much mystery. The team is led by M16 Agent Melinda Argyll and is accompanied by an American journalist who will document the mission. The soldiers are attacked by mysterious figures disguised as the terrorists (which eventually turns out to be X-Force). In response to X-Force's attack, the covert ops team reveals that they all secretly have mutant powers, just in time for Pete Wisdom's crew to show up and chastise them as superhuman affairs are exclusively the jurisdiction of MI13. Pete kills the reporter, who turns out to be Meme in disguise, leading Cable to reveal himself.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

X-Men #18 Art

X-Men #18 Spoilers


Spoilers: The X-Men squad goes on a mission to exterminate A.I.M.-developed viruses which have and will continue to evolve. Psylocke, Rachel and Monet telekinetically push the viruses into a grouping so Storm can light them up. Afterwards, Beast contacts the team and informs about something that went down at SWORD’s orbital HQ: Deathbird was left for dead in outer space heading to Earth. Beast says Agent Brand has requested their help given the X-Men’s connection to the Shi’ar. Dr. Reyes is already on orbit awaiting for them due to her knowledge on Shi’ar biology. Once they meet, Brand explains she expects the X-Men telepaths to be able to get inside Deathbird’s head. While Dr. Reyes runs some tests, Psylocke, Rachel and Monet group together to enter Deathbird’s head. They find out she’s been experimented on. Deathbird wakes up and senses “they” are near. Elsewhere, Brand and Storm find the orbital headquarters being attacked by Sidrian hunters on their way for Deathbird. The Sidri cuts the station power and attacks. Cecilia joins the telepaths and together they protect Deathbird. Dr. Reyes assumes the Sidri are after Deathbird’s baby: she’s pregnant.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Uncanny Avengers #22 Art

Magistrate Braddock dies at the hands of Mar-vell.

X-Force #8 Preview


X-Force #8
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Art & Cover by: Rock-He Kim

The Story:
• Every country employs covert superhumans to protect their interests.
• And while pursuing the foe who killed one of their own, X-Force is about to run afoul of the United Kingdom's superhuman operatives: PETE WISDOM and MI13!
• In this game of spy versus spy, how can X-Force manage to outplay the best spy there is?

In Stores: August 13. 2014

Thursday, August 7, 2014

X-Men #18 Preview

X-Men #18
Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Art by: Harvey Tolibao
Cover by: Terry Dodson

The Story:
From the executive producer of tv's "Arrow"!
• New creative team! And a new mission for the first all-female team of X-MEN...
• S.W.O.R.D. is Earth's premiere counterterrorism and intelligence agency when it comes to dealing with extraterrestrial threats.
• But when the ferocious Shi'Ar warrior Deathbird lands on their doorstep at the brink of death, S.W.O.R.D. calls in the X-MEN to investigate!
• But are the X-Men equipped to handle the horrific new threat that's emerged from the edge of space?

In Stores: August 13, 2014