Astonishing X-Men '90s Variant by J. Scott Campbell (Work In Progress)

J. Scott Campbell is currently pencilling a '90s themed Variant Cover for Astonishing X-Men, for which we got a glimpse of Gambit, Psylocke, Rogue & Bishop.

If Campbell's recent covers for X-Men Blue, Gold and Jean Grey are anything to go by, the set will include three variants (Modern, '90s and probably '80s or '00s). Stay tuned!

Astonishing X-Men #1 Cover & Variant Covers - Updated

Regular Cover by Jim Cheung	Variant Cover by Artgem	Variant Cover by John Cassaday
Character Variant Cover by Terry Dodson	Villain Variant Cover by Dale Keown	Remastered Variant Cover by Jim Lee
Trading Card Variant Cover by John Tyler Christopher	KRS Uncanny Variant by Philip Tan	Fried Pie Variant by Olivier Vatine
Exclusive Color Variant by Adi Granov	Exclusive Virgin Variant by Adi Granov	Age of Comics Variant by Elizabeth Torque
Unknown Comic Books Variant by Lucio Parrillo	Variant by Mark Brooks	Virgin Variant by Mark Brooks
Virgin Unknown Comic Books Variant by Lucio Parrillo	B&W Unknown Comic Books Variant by Lucio Parrillo	B&W KRS Uncanny Variant by Philip Tan
Remastered Unknown Comic Books Variant by Jim Lee	B&W Remastered Unknown Comic Books Variant by Jim Lee	Action Figure Variant by John Tyler Christopher

The Future of Astonishing X-Men

According to writer Charles Soule, "Astonishing X-Men" 1-12 makes up "Life of X". Similarly to "Death of Wolverine" & "Death of X", it comprises one story with a specific purpose.

Furthermore, editor Mark Paniccia revealed that the lineup may change a little with the following arc. After "Astonishing" intended 12-issue run, something significant and "new" to the landscape of X will spin out.

Astonishing X-Men #3 Pencils by Ed McGuinness

Marvel Debuts First Teaser Cover Images For Marvel Legacy

Yesterday, Marvel Comics promised an announcement that would change the face of comics. Today, ComicBook.com has your exclusive first look at what that looks like. Marvel has debuted 6 teaser images with only the text “MAKE MINE MARVEL” with “MARVEL LEGACY – Fall 2017.” The images when placed side by side clearly harken all the way back to Marvel’s beginnings. The Astonishing X-Men variant is pencilled by John Cassaday.

In a previous announcement, Marvel Editor In Chief has described Marvel Legacy as the following:

“A new initiative that will take things back to our iconic history, with a firm eye on the future, Marvel Legacy will present stories that remind everyone — newcomers and longtime fans alike — why Marvel stands as the premier name in fiction.”

Given by the look of the covers, Marvel wants to invoke some very key moments of it’s history and re-introduce those concepts for its new, larger audience.

Marvel Legacy is set to kick off with a 50-page one shot by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic that will set the tone of what the new Marvel Universe will look and feel like. Then, fans can expect some new and surprising creators to be on the company’s top books.

Astonishing X-Men #1 Adi Granov Variant Cover

Astonishing X-Men #1 John Tyler Christopher Variant Cover

Astonishing X-Men #1 Lettered Preview

A First Look at “Astonishing X-Men” #1, Plus A Chat with Writer Charles Soule and Editor Mark Paniccia

Multiversity Comics: On July 19th, “Astonishing X-Men” launches from Marvel. This series is quite different than the “X-Men: Blue” and “X-Men: Gold” books that are currently out, going for a larger scale and a unique creative approach. Each issue, writer Charles Soule will be joined by a different superstar artist – folks like Carlos Pacheco, Mike Deodato Jr., and Ed McGuinness – to tell this huge X-story in a unique way. The series will launch under the inimitable pencil of Jim Cheung, and we are thrilled to share an exclusive first look at his interior pages for “Astonishing X-Men” #1. In addition to that preview, we were able to have quick chats with writer Soule and series editor Mark Paniccia about how the series came about. Final order cut off is June 26th, so make sure you pre-order the book at your local comic shop, and keep reading below for the preview and interviews!

“Astonishing X-Men” #1 launches very soon. It has an eclectic mix of X-Men characters. Can you talk about this mix of characters and what we can expect from them?

Charles Soule: Well, each character in the cast is very distinct, I’d say. They all have dark sides, and they all have history with each other. The book will use that history in a very particular way, almost as weapons. I know I’m being a little vague here – let me start over. Psylocke, Old Man Logan, Mystique, the rest… they’re all icons in their own way, each with huge moments and influential storylines from X history. I’m writing them that way – larger than life, but of it, too. They’re all sort of conscious of their role in the history of the world, the X universe and the Marvel universe – not in a meta way, but literally. They’re old soldiers, and they know it.

The current X-Men books are really varied and the characters are spread out in very different ways. Some of these characters (like Old Man Logan) are already involved in other team books. Could you talk a bit about how this series fits into the current landscape of the X-Men titles?

CS: “Astonishing” doesn’t contradict anything else (as far as I know), but it’s also somewhat in its own basket as far as the storytelling. The story’s enormous, both within the world of the book and its implications for the X universe (“Astonishing” will “count,” in a big way), but it also happens extremely fast. Once Issue 1, page 1, hits, it’s go go go – no rest for the X.

What will make “Astonishing X-Men” stand out?

CS: The tone feels different to me. This book is designed from the ground up to tell a very particular story. I know exactly where it’s going and why, and everything we see in the book serves that story. So, maybe it’s a little leaner, a little meaner? Or maybe a lot leaner and meaner. I’m not playing it safe with the cast, that’s for sure. I’m known in the X universe as something of a contract killer (after Wolverine, Cyclops, Madrox, etc. that’s probably at least a bit fair to say.) I love the X-Men, but I don’t think you can treat them with kid gloves, either – and this book holds to that principle 100%.

You’re working with a lot of artists on this book. Can you talk about any challenges and rewards with working with so many artists on one series?

CS: Every issue is drawn by one of the very best in the business. Not that all the X books aren’t like that, but this one in particular – just to start off with Jim Cheung on interiors is a huge treat. And then to move from that to Mike Deodato Jr… and Ed McGuinness… and so on. It’s fantastic. It’s reassuring to know that whatever the story needs will be beautifully executed on the page. That said, my recap page at the start of every script is getting longer, as I explain to each new artist what’s happened previously and what they might need to know. That’s not such a bad thing, though – it keeps me on track too. Man, this is a pretty book.

Mark, there are a bunch of X-books on the market, with different teams, different tones, and different purposes. How would you describe your goals for “Astonishing X-Men?”

Mark Paniccia: Yes, each book has its own voice, characters and stories to tell. We’ve literally got something for everyone. We’d been wanting to publish the “Astonishing” title for a long time–cut to Charles and a pitch he had for an X-Men story that was so rich with big ideas and concepts that it was hard to turn down. But where could it be told? We already had two flagship books–“Blue” and “Gold”–up and running. And Charles had some BIG things that happen and effect the X-Men universe. So “Astonishing” was born. It gives you a finite story with big reveals, takes you to almost every corner of the X-Men world and is drawn by some of the best artists in the industry.

The process of editing is something that a lot of fans don’t know a lot about. Walk us through your role in the creation of this book – were you involved with helping to find the talent on the book? What do your responsibilities look like on a month to month basis?

MP: We workshopped some of the elements of pitch with Charles, things that allowed him to use certain characters and give the reader more bang for their buck. He had originally pitched this as a limited but it had the potential to be a maxi-series. Once we got the beats down we looked at staffing this on the art end. Who would be best for each issue and who was available. It’s challenging to create a schedule for 12 different artists, to figure out where they will have time to break from their prior commitments or before they start a new project. So there is a lot of tracking and checking in and coordinating involved. But we’re working with such great artists that it’s a lot of fun too.

How does the X-office work, in terms of what characters are available for what series? Are there turf wars over who gets Nightcrawler?

MP: This is one of the hardest parts of the gig, keeping track of all the characters. We share scripts with the writers and we have a chart but the X-world is very big and we just do our best at sharing.

What’s the one or two sentence description for this book – why is this the X-book people should be picking up?

MP: It’s big in scope and scale and will impact the world of X in a way no one is expecting. And it’s drawn by a murderer’s row of great comic artists.

Complete this sentence: By issue #10, the series will have changed in this key way:

MP: We’ll be out of the Astral Plane but not out of danger and there will be an exciting new player in the game.

To end on a lighthearted note, one of our former contributors was, hands down, the biggest Maggot fan in the world. Is there any chance we’ll get a Maggot appearance anytime soon? I know one dude in Las Vegas who would lose his mind if that happened!

MP: No Maggot in the near future. Sorry.

X-Solicits for September 2017

	Astonishing X-Men #3 Charles Soule (W) • Ed McGuinness (A/C) Variant Cover by: Simone Bianchi Variant Cover by: Dale Keown Character Variant Cover by: Alan Davis Villain Variant Cover by: Sanford Greene Venomized Magneto Variant Cover by: Francesco Mattina • Shadow King Showdown! The X-Men continue their fight against the Shadow King! But when Old Man Logan loses himself in the Astral Plane and Shadow King’s illusions, will he ever find his way back to his teammates? And what other horrors await our team? • Brought to you by the incomparable ED MCGUINNESS and eXcellent X-Men scribe, Charles Soule, Astonishing X-Men continues to be the X-Book you can’t afford to miss.
	X-Men: Blue #1 Cullen Bunn (W) • Giovanni Valletta (A) Cover by: Arthur Adams Rock-N-Roll Variant Cover by: Daniel Acuna • Now you see Beast…Henry Mccoy is known for a lot of things–his persona as the X-Men BEAST, his massive intellect…and now a penchant for MAGIC. But where did Hank learn this new-found skill? And will his teammates still want him around once the secret is out in the open?
	X-Men: Blue #12 Cullen Bunn (W) • Douglas Franchin (A) Cover by: Arthur Adams • …Now you don’t! While Hank continues to struggle with his newfound magical skill, Jimmy Hudson struggles with a challenge all his own… Will Jimmy be able to regain his memory with the help of his new friends? And will he like what he finds if he does?
	X-Men: Gold #11 Marc Guggenheim (W) • Lan Medina (A) Cover by: Dan Mora Rock-N-Roll Variant Cover by: Mike Del Mundo Venomized Omega Red Variant Cover by: Clayton Crain • Soviet scourge Omega Red has returned! But what does his return have to do with the reappearance of a relative Colossus and Magik thought long lost? Can the X-Men trust Anatoly Rasputin to help put Omega Red back in the grave? Or does he have ulterior motives for calling upon the X-Men?
	X-Men: Gold #12 Marc Guggenheim (W) • Luke Ross (A) Cover by: Ken Lashley • While on a mission to apprehend the latest incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the X-Men discovered a villain amongst their number who was a complete mystery. Little did they know, the alien KLEEVUS was on a mission of his own! Now, they’re on the verge of discovering Kleevus’ true nature…but will it be too late?

New Psylocke Statue

Iron Studios has announced a new Psylocke statue. The product is about 19 cm high and is expected to hit the market on the second half of 2017. Cast in polystone and hand painted, the statue is a limited edition and includes an extra head, exclusive to Concept Store, depicting Psylocke with the Crimson Dawn mark. The suggested price is R$339,99 (U$122,00).