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X-Men Monday #60 – Jordan D. White Gives Update on 'X of Swords'

AIPT: In the past, you’ve talked about how beneficial the lead time on House of X and Powers of X was and how you’ve been trying to achieve something similar with X of Swords. Has this downtime had any positive effects on the stories that have been delayed? Has it allowed for any additions or revisions to improve quality?

Jordan: Yes! Without going too much into it, yes, it certainly has given us more time to make sure X of Swords is the best story possible. But we did also take the opportunity to make it a bigger story. I’m pretty sure when we first announced it, we said how many chapters it will be. It’s going to be more chapters than that now. Originally, every book of X of Swords was going to be out in July. Now it’s going to take more than a month to tell this story, but I think it’s very good and everybody working on it is very excited for it.

The first issue is totally drawn and mostly colored. Every person who sees the art is blown away. Pepe Larraz is so good. He’s so good. And because this is what I like to call a proper X-Men-style crossover with it hitting every book, we’ve got a ton of great artists working on it. But as a result, we’ve had to share Pepe’s art with a lot of people and they’re all like, “Oh my God, that’s so amazing, this guy’s the best!” It’s going to be a cool story and it’s going to have a lot of beautiful art.

AIPT: So with all the delays, how far ahead on the books are you now?

Jordan: Well, not as far ahead as we could have been because we did take the opportunity to double our efforts on this rather than moving forward faster. We’ve put more into X of Swords now than we would have been able to before. What we had planned to do and what we’ll end up doing–there’s a world of difference between them and I think it’s an improvement.

This is a terrible catastrophe the entire world has taken on, and there’s not a lot we can do to help the world but do what we do the best we can–make the best X-Men stories we can so people who pick up these stories, in these terrible times, can enjoy them and go, “Yeah, this was worth my time and money in this crazy world we’re struggling through.” And I think it will be.

AIPT: OK, it’s safe to say X-Fans are starved for some news. Marvel Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski recently revealed a teaser image for X of Swords: Creation #1. What’s that?

Jordan: It’s the launch issue. It’s chapter one of the entire story. I won’t say the names but there are three one-shots spaced at the beginning, middle and end of the story. The issues of our ongoing series are set in between the first and second and then second and third one-shots. That’s the physical structure of it.

So Creation is chapter one and I’m not going to say what the other chapters are. You’ll find out when you see how many chapters there are. Some people have asked if Creation is like an alpha issue. Yes, but first I think that name’s been used a lot–alpha, omega. We have three, so what do you call the other? But we went with another approach to naming ours, and I think it works well for what we have planned.

AIPT: Last one. A couple of chapters into X of Swords, which X-Men character will everyone be talking about?

Jordan: A couple chapters in… what X-Character… well, depending on how you define “couple,” I think there’s a good chance it’s Storm.

X-Solicits for August 2020

	Excalibur #11 Tini Howard (W) • Marcus To (A) Cover by: Mahmud Asrar In Stores: August 19, 2020 Blood of the Changeling! The Citadel has committed an act of war and Excalibur must respond. While they lick their wounds deep in Otherworld, Apocalypse takes steps toward his ultimate goal.
	X-Men #11 Jonathan Hickman (W) • Leinil Francis Yu (A/C) Empyre Variant Cover by: TBA Days of Future Past Variant Cover by: Javier Rodriguez In Stores: August 26, 2020 The trees are killing the children!
	Marauders #11 Gerry Duggan (W) • Stefano Casseli (A) Cover by: Russell Dauterman In Stores: August 12, 2020 The Queen is Dead! The Marauders…the Hellfire Trading Company…all of Krakoa is reeling from the death of Kate Pryde.
	X-Force #11 Benjamin Percy (W) • Joshua Cassara (A) Cover by: Dustin Weaver In Stores: August 12, 2020 Red Dawn! After taking on the Flower Cartel, Logan has brought back valuable intel to the mutant CIA. The non-treaty nation of Russia is working to undermine Krakoa — and may be aligned with Xeno. Beast wants Colossus on their side as the first drumbeats of war begin to sound.
	Hellions #3 Zeb Wells (W) • Stephen Segovia (A/C) Design Cover Variant by: Tom Mueller Variant Cover by: TBA Mas as Hell! In Stores: August 26, 2020 Krakoa’s resident rabble are up against the grand dame of the damned — the Goblin Queen, Madelyne Pryor! Talk about a return that could raise some havoc!
	X-Factor #2 Leah Williams (W) • David Baldeón (A) Cover by: Ivan Shavrin Variant Cover by: TBA Dark Marvel Variant Cover by: David Nakayama Days of Future Past Variant Cover by: Javier Rodriguez Dance of Death! In Stores: August 26, 2020 The team gets their first case — investigating the disappearance of a mutant dancer at a prestigious ballet academy…in the Mojoverse!
	Empyre: X-Men #2 Gerry Duggan, Benjamin Percy & Leah Williams (W) • Lucas Werneck (A) In Stores: August 5, 2020 Plant people from outer space have come to Earth and, wouldn’t you know it, they just happen to be here when millions of mutants rise as undead creatures hungry for human flesh. The X-Men return to Genosha in a tale so crazy, it’s taking the entire writing crew of the X-Men line to tackle it! Empyre: X-Men #3 & #4 Issue #3 – Ed Brisson, Vita Ayala & Zeb Wells (W) In Stores: August 12, 2020 Issue #4 – Jonathan Hickman & TBA (W) In Stores: August 19, 2020 • Aliens! Plant-Men! Mutants! Zombies! Old Women! Demons! Explosions! • These issues have more than you ever dreamed to ask for. And then some.

Captain Britain by Ben Caldwell

X-Men First Look: 'X of Swords'

X of Swords: Creation #1

Writer: Jonathan Hickman & Tini Howard

Art by: Pepe Larraz

In Stores: September 2020

Excalibur #10 Advanced Preview

In Stores: June 10, 2020

X-Men by David Yardin

Psylocke/Captain Britain by Wilton Santos

Captain Britain by Todd Nauck

Excalibur #10 Preview Art

Excalibur #10 on sale June 10th

Marvel To Resume New Comics Releases

Newsarama: Marvel Comics has outlined its plans to resuming shipping weekly comic books following an extended break due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Marvel will begin releasing new titles starting May 27, with what it calls a “balanced release schedule” aimed at publishing comic books “in the most thoughtful way we can for fans, creators, and the industry during these unpredictable times,” in the words of their release.

The publisher promises further updates as shipping resumes. Marvel’s currently released schedule, for the weeks between May 27 and July 8, follows:

Marvel Comics Release Schedule for X-Books (available in print and digital):

Wednesday, May 27:

• Marauders #10 (FEB200894)

Wednesday, June 3:

• Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon & John Cassaday Omnibus HC (OCT191092)
• X-Men Vol. 1 TPB (JAN201051)

Wednesday, June 10:

• Excalibur #10 (FEB200891)
• New Mutants #10 (FEB200892)

Wednesday, June 17:

• Dawn of X Vol. 5 TPB (JAN201049)

Wednesday, July 1:

• Dawn of X Vol. 6 TPB (JAN201050)
• Excalibur TPB (JAN201053)
• X-Men Milestones: Messiah War TPB (FEB201064)

Wednesday, July 8:

• X-Force #10 (FEB200893)
• X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills Extended Cut #1 (FEB200885)
• Marauders Vol. 1 TPB (JAN201052)