- ◦ Psylocke ◦ Like a Butterfly

Uncanny X-Men #7 Preview + Kieron Gillen's Interview

2012-02-11T01:14:00.006-02:00

Uncanny X-Men #7
Written by: Kieron Gillen
Pencils and Cover by: Greg Land

The Story:
• Tabula Rasa Part 3. The secrets of the evolutionary jungle are revealed, as the X-Men face the Immortal Man, with the help of a brand new ally!

In Stores: February 15, 2012

Newsarama: To stay on the Psylocke subject, you're using her in a much more integral role than you have in the past. Obviously, it's a natural choice given her part in the X-Force story, but what have you liked about exploring that character further — and her interactions with the rest of the team?

Kieron Gillen: Using her actually has a couple of useful, contradictory reasons. For people who read X-Force, they're in the position they know that Psylocke is lying — so you get a sort of dramatic irony response from the book. For the people who don't read X-Force, they basically take position of the X-Men trying to decode the mystery, and Magneto's probing of Psylocke provides particularly natural exposition.

The fact the emotional connection is so strong is something that really attracted to me. Being involved in the destruction of a town is a huge thing, and I wanted to dwell on how that actually impacts her. Since destruction is so common in superhero comics, we can end up skating over what it really means, but I wanted to put her face to face with the family of the people in the town and bring it home.

I also love playing with a character with a secret — and someone with power over her, in the form of Magneto. That's just great drama. Power, responsibility, corruption, ends-justifying-means, etc. These are all stuff that's bubbling under the surface with the book.

Deadpool #50 Spoilers & Art

2012-02-09T23:39:00.002-02:00

Spoilers from X-Man's Comic Blog: After watching his deformed clone die last issue by a dart that negates Deadpool's healing factor, Deadpool wants to get his hands on that dart, since it would finally give him what he'd always wanted: death. To that end, Deadpool ends up setting several powerful characters out to track down the anti-healing factor serum, for him. Wade tells Daken, Hydra Bob (who Pool sends to tell Kingpin), and Uncanny X-Force about the serum and waits for the results of their investigations. Daken is interested in getting a hold of the serum since he wanted to make sure it couldn't negate HIS healing factor, while Kingpin sees it as an opportunity to keep the mutants in line and expand his territory. Wolverine, believing Kingpin already had the serum (thanks to some crafty lying by Deadpool), wants to find the sniper who shot Evil Deadpool before heading after Kingpin himself. Wolvie manages to figure out that the sniper who shot Evil Deadpool was one of two men, and Deadpool teleports away with that information, hoping to get to the right sniper before anybody else. Meanwhile, Kingpin has sent Typhoid Mary and the Hand after one of the snipers, which ultimately brings Mary and the Hand into direct conflict with X-Force. Daken had managed to get to the other sniper and speaks with the man apparently responsible for the hit on Deadpool: Tombstone. Upon hearing from Daken that Pool was still alive (he thought Pool was the dead Evil Deadpool), Tombstone orders some more serum.

X-Men #24 Spoilers & Art

2012-02-08T16:44:00.002-02:00

Spoilers: Storm's team go looking for Jubilee. The TK katana makes a return!

Deadpool #50 Preview

2012-02-03T18:43:00.001-02:00

Deadpool #50
Written by: Daniel Way
Pencils by: Carlo Barberi
Cover by: Dave Johnson

The Story: Dead

Uncanny X-Force #22 Cover

2012-02-03T06:06:00.002-02:00

Uncanny X-Men #6 Art

2012-02-02T20:57:00.000-02:00

Uncanny X-Men #6 Spoilers

2012-02-02T11:31:00.002-02:00

Spoilers: The Immotal Man is unbothered by Psylocke and Magneto’s presence; however he holds a grudge against the native and kills him. Betsy requests assistance, but all the other X-Men are busy. Meanwhile, Cyclops and other humans have been kidnapped by a native savage who wants to learn English by listening to them. Magneto and Psylocke are still struggling with The Immortal Man, when Danger comes to their rescue. Storm arrives as well, which prompts The God to leave. Elsewhere, Magik is taken by some animals. Colossus tells the team he can take care of it by himself. At the same time, Namor and Hope try to make the marine creatures understand that they’re not their enemies. Cyclops and the Savage who had kidnapped him meet the team, where the former explain he had to do it in order to understand their language. The Savage explains that when his people, the Apex, were faced with the risk of extinction due to climate changes, his friend, The Immortal Man, thought the best solution was to break free from Tabula Rasa into the outside world. The Savage, on the other hand, thought better to enter stasis. The Immortal Man was caught in the boundary between worlds, while the Savage entered stasis. He awaked a hundred years later, only to find out his people were decimated. Now that the time-boundary collapsed and The Immortal Man was freed, he will try to restore his people at any cost.

Uncanny X-Force #21 Art

2012-02-01T22:35:00.002-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #21 Spoilers

2012-02-01T13:54:00.002-02:00

Spoilers:

Fantomex is injected with an anti-reality serum, and Betsy comes to his rescue. Brian chases them, but Betsy knocks him out. Meanwhile, The Goat uses the Orb of Metallum to destroy Wolverine. Nightcrawler then uses his teleportation to get the Orb destroyed, freeing Logan. The Goat is upset and tells Kurt he shouldn’t be there, before ordering his army to retreat. At the Starlight Citadel, Betsy looks for the door to Earth-616, when she is attacked by Jamie. Betsy flees once more, carrying Fantomex with her. Brian’s guards tell him The Goat has taken most of Otherworld. Brian is worried about Meggan, who’s guarding the Village of the South Woode. The guard notes that The Goat has three orbs, one which controls metal and earth, one which controls the laws of physics and one which brings life to the dead. Brian and Jamie conclude that their enemy holds the orbs of Necromon. Nightcrawler, Wolverine and the decapitated Deadpool meet Meggan and her army in the woods, meanwhile Betsy and Fantomex head to the Forest of Sorrows. Betsy seeks Krokwel, the Lord of the Forest who once was banished by Merlyn and Sir James Braddock for his use of forbidden magics. Betsy wants him to heal Fantomex in exchange for Krokwel’s freedom. Krokwel assures Betsy that the cost will be steeper than she could possibly expect. Brian finds the orbs of Necromon still in Merlyn’s chamber and doesn’t understand how The Goat could be in possession of their replicas as there are no such things in the Omniverse. Meggan and X-Force find The Goat’s headquarters where he is planning to use somebody who had suffered at Betsy and Fantomex’ hands to deal with both of them.

Uncanny X-Force #21 Preview

2012-01-26T16:15:00.003-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #21

Written by: Rick Remender
Pencils by: Greg Tocchini
Cover by: Leinil Francis Yu

The Story:
• Wolverine and AOA Nightcrawler face a strange and deadly new foe in Otherworld.
• Fantomex’s sentence is carried out and he is injected with an anti-reality serum…
• Psylocke becomes Lady Briton!
• Deadpool is decapitated.

In Stores: February 1 , 2012

Uncanny X-Men #6 Preview

2012-01-26T15:17:00.005-02:00

Uncanny X-Men #6
Written by: Kieron Gillen
Pencils and Cover by: Greg Land

The Story:
• Tabula Rasa Part 2, Cyclops and his team delver further into a world where evolution has run rampant.
• A new foe is revealed, who will show the X-Men just how out of date homo superior really are!

In Stores: February 1, 2012

X-Solicits for April 2012

2012-01-24T16:26:00.004-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #24
Writer: Rick Remender
Art and Cover by: Phil Noto
Avengers Art Appreciation Variant by: Julian Totino Tedesco
• Aoa Wolverine, Deadpool And Nightcrawler Go On Mission To Kill Aoa Iceman!
• What’s Left Of X-Force Returns From Otherworld!

X-Men #27
Writer: Victor Gischler
Art and Cover by: Jorge Molina
Avengers Art Appreciation Variant by: Khoi Pham
• Concluding Open Contract, The Story Of The Forgiven.
• The Marvel U’s Deadliest Assassins Have Been Sent After The Forgiven…And Are Trying To Kill Jubilee!
• Guest-Starring Lady Bullseye, The Assassin’s Guild, And Lord Deathstrike.

Wolverine & The X-Men #9
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art and Cover by: Chris Bachalo
Avengers Art Appreciation Variant by: Alex Maleev
• Avx Tie-In!
• Wolverine, Torn Between Two Teams!
• Will The Jean Grey School Follow Its Leader?

Avengers Vs. X-Men #1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: John Romita Jr.
Cover by: Jim Cheung
Variant Covers By Ryan Stegman & John Romita Jr.
Blank Variant Also Available
• It’s No Longer Coming—It’s Here!
• Does The Return Of The Phoenix To Earth Signal The Rebirth Of The Mutant Species? That’s What The X-Men Believe!
• Unfortunately, The Avengers Are Convinced That Its Coming Will Mean The End Of All Life On Earth!
• The Stage Is Set For The Ultimate Marvel Showdown In This Oversized First Issue!

Avengers Vs. X-Men #2
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: John Romita Jr.
Cover by: Jim Cheung
Variant Covers By Nick Bradshaw & Carlo Pagulayan
• As The Opening Shot Is Fired, The Avengers Storm The Beach Of Utopia, And The Phoenix Draws Ever Nearer To Earth!
• But Which Side Will Wolverine Fight On?
• And What Choice Will Hope Make That Will Change The Direction And Scope Of The Conflict Dramatically?

Wolverine & The X-Men #9 Cover by Bachalo

2012-01-20T17:50:00.002-02:00

Uncanny X-Men #5 Art

2012-01-19T23:58:00.001-02:00

Uncanny X-Men #5 Spoilers

2012-01-19T04:51:00.000-02:00

Spoilers: Psylocke brings the Tabula Rasa incident to the Extinction team’s attention, obviously without telling X-Force’s involvement in it. With Emma recovering from her injuries, Cyclops asks Betsy to join them. The team then is teleported to Montana for rescue and quarantine. After struggling with some alien creatures, Dr. Nemesis reports to Scott that there are traces of Celestial Energies all over the area. Cyclops blames Sinister, but Betsy assures him this is not the case. Scott sends Danger above Tabula Rasa to work as a satellite for the Science Team back in Utopia, while everyone else will work in teams of two to find survivors. Magik tries to convince Colossus to demonstrate his feelings again. Scott and Storm have a hear-to-heart, before he is swallowed by the earth and is kidnapped by a mysterious character. Namor and Hope dive into the river and face a marine beast. Magneto asks to be Psylocke’s partner and forces her to start talking; otherwise he would reveal X-Force’s existence to Cyclops. Betsy explains how Tabula Rasa came to be and Warren’s involvement in it. Magneto promises to keep it a secret. Betsy and Erik meet some alien creatures who have built an enormous monument for their Gods (Archangel and Fantomex). They examine a painting of a previous God, “The Immortal Man,” who had left the Heavens before the arrival of the new Gods. Much to their surprise, “The Immortal Man” returns.

Uncanny X-Force #20 Art

2012-01-18T17:48:00.001-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #20 Spoilers

2012-01-18T14:46:00.003-02:00

Spoilers: Betsy wakes up in Otherworld. Brian explains to her he had to bring her in her sleep, knowing otherwise she wouldn’t come. He says their psychic bond reconnected after Jean expanded Betsy’s psyche and he had seen memories of everything she did with X-Force, which he doesn’t approve. Brian says the reason Betsy was brought is the Battle for the Otherworld. He doesn’t know who’s behind it, but their goal is the access to the Tower of the Omniverse. A sane Jamie Braddock appears in front of them and tells Betsy that’s why they need her: to stop this invasion. Jamie then offers Psylocke a chance to return to her proper body and inheritance, in order to make it up for what he did to her in the past. Meanwhile, at the Danger Room, Wolverine and Deadpool briefs Nightcrawler on the likes of Sabretooth, Mystique and Lady Deathstrike. Ultimaton interrupts them and warns them Psylocke and Fantomex have been abducted. Brian tells Betsy that Fantomex will face no mercy for his crime. The Supreme Omniversal Tribune begins. Fantomex is found guilty and his punishment is eradication from existence. Fantomex’s sentence is to be carried out immediately. With the help of Gateway, Wolverine, Deadpool and Nightcrawler enter Otherworld in the middle of the war, meanwhile Betsy wearing her Lady Briton mantle (and apparently back to her former body) step in.

Avengers vs. X-Men #1 Cover by Jim Cheung

2012-01-16T06:24:00.001-02:00

Psylocke & Wolverine by Phil Noto

2012-01-14T23:50:00.000-02:00

Another sketch by the fabulous Phil Noto!

http://philnoto.tumblr.com/

Generation Hope #15 Preview

2012-01-13T06:12:00.003-02:00

Generation Hope #15
Written by: James Amus
Pencils: Tim Green
Cover: Jorge Molina

• Sebastian Shaw publicly returns to Utopia setting off old grudges and new divisions between the X-Men!
• Generation Hope clash with a gang of mutant villains living on the island!
• Romance blossoms between Marvel’s most unlikely couple!

Avengers Vs X-Men teasers

2012-01-12T23:53:00.001-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #20 Preview + Interview With Remender

2012-01-12T18:44:00.005-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #20

Written by: Rick Remender
Pencils by: Greg Tocchini
Cover by: Leinil Francis Yu
Venom Variant Cover by: Paul Renaud

The Story:
• The Trial of Fantomex begins! Part 1 of 4
• The X-Force team journey to Otherworld!
• Guest starring Captain Britain and the Captain Britain Corps!

In Stores: January 18 , 2012

iFanboy: To go along with some of this amazing art that you can see above, Ron Richards from iFanboy spoke briefly to writer Rick Remender about the upcoming arc to give us an idea of where Uncanny X-Force was headed:

iFanboy: So now that the Dark Angel Saga has concluded, what’s to come in issue #20?

Rick Remender: Issue #20 is a bit of a connector to the Dark Angel Saga. I still like playing with the idea that these dominoes that they set in motion are still falling. The tribunal/court in Otherworld run by Saturnyne and Captain Britain have decided that Fantomex must be eradicated. We reveal in the first few issues that Fantomex only exists on 616, he is something of an anomaly that should not exist for a few reasons that are mysterious and Brian [Captain Britain] fears him. There is a connection to the Braddock family that will be fun to see people’s reaction to.

The story is about, for those who the un-initiated, Otherworld is the dimension outside of all dimensions. In Otherworld, there is the Tower Omniverse, that’s run by the Captain Britain Corps, Merlin, Roma, Saturnye and all these really cool characters and they basically guard every dimension and in this tower there’s a doorway that leads to every dimension, and their job, The Captain Britain Corps, which are various Captain Britains from every dimension, gather and do their best to keep everything sane and logical. So they have taken it upon themselves to abduct Betsy (Psylocke) who is Captain Britain’s sister, and to put Fantomex on trial for his crimes and that’s where we open up the story.

iF: Captain Britain, Otherworld, Saturnyne, these are all old Alan Moore concepts that were then picked up by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis. Some pretty big names there. Why hasn’t anyone touched these concepts and why do it now?

RR: I don’t know why no one has. To me, when I realized that no one else had really dug in to it, and it had been touched upon in the late 90s/early 2000s by a few different people, but it was never really dug back into. So that seemed like a terrifying prospect. Like maybe there’s a good reason not to try and play in the playground of Alan Moore, Chris Claremont and Alan Davis. Maybe it’s a better idea to say, “Hey, those guys are pretty great and I should probably not do that!” (laughs)

I do think that Captain Britain and Otherworld, this stuff is as rich as anything that Thor has to offer, no question. It’s basically the English/Celtic mythology thing with Merlin and Arthur. It really does have as rich of a history as Norse mythology and Thor. Frankly, the Tower Omniverse with all those doorways is far more interesting to me than anything else that could exist. This tower where you could basically walk up and go into any reality, and we’ve seen some of those realities in various What If…? issues. It just opens up so many possibilities.

If I mess up, it will be pretty obvious given the caliber of people who have come before me and what I’m trying to put together here. It was a frightening prospect. I went back and re-read all that stuff and got versed. I had to make notes on how I will handle it and what do I have to say with this and what’s the difference with mine? Why would I bring it back up and do I have a story to tell? And I did. It really also gives us a chance to take a good, long look at Betsy Braddock and her family. Which is the thing that really defines character and in this case Betsy’s connection to Otherworld and her family and her relationship with her family now that they know what she’s been up to. As well as Fantomex and his relationship to her family which will make things strange and interesting between them moving forward. It was the same thing as the Apocalypse stuff. It was really cool stuff that had been left on the sidelines for a while and I was like, “Well, okay, I’ll take that!” (laughs)

iF: This week we saw the events of the Dark Angel Saga spilling into Wolverine & X-Men #4, and on the Marvel press conference about Secret Avengers, it sounded like this story in Uncanny X-Force would be spilling into Secret Avengers?

RR: Yes. I don’t want to make anyone have to buy another book. That was always the frustrating thing for me as a reader when it was like “Now, if you want to see what happens next, go buy…” You don’t have to read one to enjoy the other or to get full story. Otherworld is a 4 issue story, it has a beginning, middle and end. Like every thing else in X-Force, it sets up the next arc, and then bleeds into the next arc. We already have our tracks laid for the second year, so there are plenty of things that will pay off big. But if you do happen to read this and you read Secret Avengers, you’ll get a richer view of the story and you’ll have a richer view of Captain Britain and what he does.

iF: Your approach to Uncanny X-Force as been interesting to me as a reader, with a series of stories that tie into a larger narrative arc, kind of like what Claremont used to do. Was that the approach from the get go?

RR: Well, that’s the other big thing, the mega arc. I grew up reading Chris Claremont’s Uncanny X-Men, that stuff really grabbed me. I loved it when 2 years later something that was seeded would blow up in their face. I think that was something that going into it, I thought that if I’m going to do an X-Men book, that every chapter would have a beginning, middle and end. So if you just bought Deathlok Nation, you get a story. If you just bought any of the arcs, you’d get a full story. But I think the fun of it is it also fits into a bigger picture and when you read it all in a row you get a better story in a big season every year.

iF: With issue #20, you’re working with Greg Tocchini again. Why pull him into Uncanny X-Force now? Was there something about his art that fit this story or was it more about scheduling?

RR: Greg and I have been looking for something that was big fantasy. We have a creator owned project that we’ve been talking about forever. Three of the things we wanted to do, one of them was a big fantasy epic. When I was planning this arc out, I knew we needed somebody who could match Jerome Opena, and in many ways Greg does, and we needed somebody who could bring a scope and flair to fantasy stuff that would make it unique. Greg is in a class of his own when it comes to designing stuff. He has a beautiful, fluid style and his designs are so incredibly unique that I thought this would be a great time to get our fantasy stuff out of the way. Dean’s been doing a terrific job over him. I’m so spoiled, it’s really nice work.

iF: Talking about Tocchini has me curious about Last Days of American Crime, when we spoke last you said that there would be more. Are there any updates on that?

RR: We’re in production on American Crime, volume 2 right now with a different artist who hasn’t been announced yet. Different, but equally as amazing to Greg. Greg and I are neck deep in X-Force right now, making sure we can keep the quality that the book has had so far and I think we definitely have. He’s definitely the one doing the doing the heavy lifting. It’s much easier for me to write, “Double page spread! 45 zombie trolls come stomping around Dragon-Town.” I promise that’s way easier. It’s the way easier side of the job to be on. (laughs)

But yeah, we’re doing Last Days of American Crime volume 2 and it’s slow going because the artist we’ve got is amazing and we want to make sure we’ve got plenty in the can before we do a big announce and launch. And then Greg and I will do this arc of X-Force and we’re talking about our creator owned stuff and some potential projects to come after this.

iF: I have to admit, as a fan of your pre-Marvel work, it’s good to hear you talking about creator owned work again…

RR: I’m having a lot of fun playing int he Marvel sandbox and playing with all the different characters that I grew up reading, it’s definitely a ton of fun. But it’s also a very different exercise than creating your own characters and your own worlds. I don’t ever anticipate I’ll stop doing one or the other. I hope that I can find a nice middle ground and keep doing them both.

Uncanny X-Men #5 Preview

2012-01-12T15:37:00.004-02:00

Uncanny X-Men #5
Written by: Kieron Gillen
Pencils and Cover by: Greg Land

The Story: The X-Men investigate a new Marvel Universe area called Tabula Rasa!

In Stores: January 18, 2012

More Avengers vs. X-Men Teasers

2012-01-12T03:06:00.001-02:00

X-Position: Way Kills Deadpool in "Dead"

2012-01-12T02:53:00.001-02:00

CBR: How long will the "Dead" arc last and can we expect to see guest stars? And if so, who?

Daniel Way: "Dead" is a five-issue story (#50-54), with an oversized first issue. Lots of guest stars in this one -- not sure who's been mentioned yet, but I can say that X-Force plays a key role.

Psylocke • 2011

2012-01-11T04:06:00.001-02:00

Retrospective 2011: Psylocke. Talk about everything that happened to Psylocke in 2011: your favorite stories, favorite writers, favorite artists, favorite quotes, etc. And here's our usual little recap to refresh your memory! :D

JANUARY

Wolverine and Jubilee #1

• Cursed, Chapter 1

Flashback to the events of Uncanny X-Men #244.

Uncanny X-Force #4
• The Apocalypse Solution, Chapter 4
After learning that Apocalypse is just a child, Psylocke tries to protect him, but is left in a shock after Fantomex kills the boy.

FEBRUARY

Uncanny X-Force #5
• Deathlok Nation, Chapter 1
Psylocke attends an X-Force meeting to talk about the events of their first mission and the murder of the child.

X-Men Legacy #245
• Age of X, Chapter 1
[ALTERNATE TIMELINE] Psylocke is one of the Force Warriors, repairing the force field that protects Fortress X from intruders. She's also in a relationship with Iceman.

X-Men: To Serve & Protect #4
• Unforgettable
Psylocke meets Hercules and is pissed he doesn't remember being with her a few years earlier. She also makes a small cameo in "X-Dudes, Chapter 4."

Fantastic Four #588
• Three: Month of Mourning, Epilogue
Psylocke attends Johnny Storm's funeral.

MARCH

Uncanny X-Force #5.1
• Five Point One
After learning that The Reavers are back, Psylocke is especially happy as she makes them pay for what they did to her.

Uncanny X-Force #6
• Deathlok Nation, Chapter 2
Psylocke sets up the Danger Room to have a "conversation" with Brian, having him tell her he will always love her no matter what.

5 Ronin #4
• Chapter 4: The Way of the Butterfly
[ALTERNATE TIMELINE] Butterfly is an Oiran who seeks revenge against the Daimyo who confiscated her father's lands which led to his suicide.

New Mutants #23
• Age of X, Chapter 4
[ALTERNATE TIMELINE] After Magneto's rebellion against X, Psylocke and the Force Warriors take control over Fortress X and relieves Magneto of his command.

Uncanny X-Men #534
• Quarantine, Chapter 5
Psylocke and the X-Men battle against Lobe and his fake X-Men.

5 Ronin #5
• Chapter 4: The Way of the Fool
[ALTERNATE TIMELINE] Butterfly is asked to see the Daimyo. He, however, is somehow scared of her and dismisses her services.

APRIL

Uncanny X-Force #7
• Deathlok Nation, Chapter 3
Psylocke and X-Force enter The World. Betsy and Warren end up facing Deathlok versions of themselves.

X-Men Legacy #247
• Age of X, Chapter 5
[ALTERNATE TIMELINE] The Force Warriors battle Moonstar's Cadre before learning the truth about the "Age of X", a pocket universe created by one of Legion's personalities.

Uncanny X-Force #8
• Before The Fall, Chapter 1: Unintended Consequences
Psylocke confronts the Shadow King, who manages to break her down and free the Archangel persona in Warren.

New Mutants #24
• Age of X, Chapter 6
[ALTERNATE TIMELINE] The Force Warriors battle the enemy forces that arrive at Fortress X until Legion is able to restore reality back to its true state: Earth-616.

MAY

Uncanny X-Force #9
• Before The Fall, Chapter 2: High Art
After arriving from their last mission, Psylocke and the X-Force are discovered by Magneto.

New Mutants #25
• Unfinished Business, Chapter 1
Psylocke is gathered with the rest of the X-Men in case Cyclops' reunion with Magik goes wrong.

X-Men #11
• Blood Hunt
Psylocke attends Jubilee's birthday party.

Uncanny X-Force #10
• Before The Fall, Chapter 3: The Killer Among Us
Psylocke puts Archangel to sleep and learns that the only way to reverse his ascension into Apocalypse is by cleansing him with a Life Seed.

X-Men Giant-Size #1
• First To Last, Chapter 1
Psylocke and the X-Men battle against The Neo.

JUNE

Uncanny X-Force #11
• The Dark Angel Saga, Chapter 1: Journey To The Age of Apocalypse
In search of the Life See, Psylocke and the X-Force travel to the Age of Apocalypse where they ally themselves with the AoA X-Men.

X-Men #12
• First To Last, Chapter 2
Psylocke and the X-Men battle the Evolutionaries.

X-Men Legacy #250
• Lost Legions, Chapter 1
Flashback to the events of "Age of X".

Uncanny X-Men #538
• Breaking Point, Chapter 4
Psylocke and the X-Men prevent the Breakwolders and Kruun from invading Utopia.

X-Men #13
• First To Last, Chapter 3
Psylocke and the X-Men battle the Evolutionaries.

Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine #1
• Chapter 1: A Fall of Angels
[ALTERNATE TIMELINE] Psylocke is an ally of Wolverine and ends up killed during one of their escapes.

JULY

Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #1
• Before The Devil Knows We're Dead, Chapter 1
Psylocke and the X-Force investigate the connection between a suicide bomber and the Purifiers.

X-Men #14
• First To Last, Chapter 4
Psylocke and the X-Men battle the Evolutionaries.

X-Men: Schism #1
• Schism, Chapter 1
Gathered with the X-Men at Utopia witnessing the fallout of Quentin Quire's actions at a Arms Conference.

Uncanny X-Force #12
• The Dark Angel Saga, Chapter 2: Interruptions
Fantomex tries to convince Psylocke that she's not in love with Warren and kisses her. Betsy states she won't give up on Angel.

X-Men: Schism #2
• Schism, Chapter 2
Psylocke and Archangel battle the Sentinels let loose all over the world.

AUGUST

Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #2
• Before The Devil Knows We're Dead, Chapter 2
Psylocke and Fantomex are sent to Missouri. Betsy dismantles a bomb attached to the Purifier's chest, so they can get some answers.

Uncanny X-Men #542
• Fear Itself Tie-In, Chapter 3
Alongside Boom Boom, Psylocke tries to stop Juggernaut from coming towards Utopia.

Uncanny X-Force #13
• The Dark Angel Saga, Chapter 3: My World Won't Stop Without You
After retrieving the Life Seed, Psylocke and the X-Force are sent home to Earth-616 by Jean, only to be surprised by Archangel and his Horsemen.

Uncanny X-Force #14
• The Dark Angel Saga, Chapter 4: Thunder For The Next World
Psylocke fails to kill Archangel and is taken prisoner by him, as Apocalypse says she's important to further his plans.

SEPTEMBER

Uncanny X-Force #15
• The Dark Angel Saga, Chapter 5: Tabula Rasa
Psylocke tries to run away from Archangel's quarters and even defeats Pestilence, but at the last minute she is stopped by AoA Blob.

Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #3
• Before The Devil Knows We're Dead, Chapter 3
Psylocke and the X-Force manage to track down the leader of the Purifiers and finish him for good.

Wolverine #16
• Wolverine Forever
Melita Garner gathers Wolverine's friends, including Psylocke, to find him and to let him know they care about him.

OCTOBER

X-Men: Schism #5
• Schism, Chapter 5
After defeating Sentinels all over the world, Psylocke and other X-Men return to Utopia, only to find it in ruins.

Uncanny X-Force #16
• The Dark Angel Saga, Chapter 6: No Such Thing
Psylocke is finally convinced she has to kill Archangel, but she fails. Warren then bonds her with the Death Seed, turning her into Death.

X-Men: Regenesis #1
• Regenesis
Following the schism between Cyclops and Wolverine, Psylocke decides to remain in Utopia as the head of the security team, in addition to still being with X-Force.

Uncanny X-Men #544
• Uncanny
Psylocke and Domino train in the Danger Room, while Iceman says goodbye to Cyclops.

NOVEMBER

X-Men #20
• Machines of War, Chapter 1
Psylocke and her stealth team under the leadership of Storm investigate about Sentinels being traded on the black market in the Eastern Europe.

Uncanny X-Men #1
• Everything is Sinister, Chapter 1
Psylocke continues her duty as the head of Utopia's security and the training of the recruits.

Uncanny X-Force #17
• The Dark Angel Saga, Chapter 7: Opens a Window
As Death, Psylocke battles Fantomex. AoA Jean enters her mind and contains the Death persona, bringing the real Betsy back.

X-Men #21
• Machines of War, Chapter 2
Psylocke and her team tracks Domino’s location and find out more Sentinels and the details of the project involving them.

Generation Hope #13
• Regenesis Tie-In, Chapter 1
Psylocke and the veteran X-Men train with Hope and her Five Lights.

X-Men Legacy #259
• Half a Step, Chapter 1
Psylocke, Emma and Rachel sense Ariel's agony as she's trapped and isn't able to return.

DECEMBER

X-Men #22
• Machines of War, Chapter 3
Psylocke, Warpath and Jubilee battle Puternicstan soldiers inside their Sentinel warehouse.

Uncanny X-Force #18
• The Dark Angel Saga, Chapter 8: Red Sky Blue
Psylocke confronts Archangel for the last time, as she's forced to kill him with the Life Seed. She's much more surprise to find Warren healed and alive.

Uncanny X-Force #19
• Live With This
Psylocke is devastated when she finds out "Warren" is nothing more than a new being created by the Life Seed in his likeness.

Marvel Releases More AvX Teasers

2012-01-10T21:21:00.001-02:00

Notes: We're excited about AvX here at Like a Butterfly! Stay tuned for more news!

Greg Tocchini Art from the Otherworld Arc

2012-01-10T15:24:00.002-02:00

X-Men #27 Cover Revealed

2012-01-09T20:13:00.004-02:00

Jorge Molina uploaded the final cover for X-Men #27 over at his DeviantArt account.

Marvel Releases Avengers Vs X-Men Teasers

2012-01-09T06:24:00.000-02:00

X-Men #23 & Uncanny X-Men #4 Art

2012-01-09T03:27:00.002-02:00

X-Men #23 by Will Conrad

Uncanny X-Men #4 by Brandon Peterson

Marvel chooses Psylocke as their 2nd favorite hero of 2011!

2012-01-06T21:54:00.008-02:00

2. PSYLOCKE
Appeared In: UNCANNY X-FORCE, X-MEN, UNCANNY X-MEN

2011 in Review: As a member of X-Force, Betsy Braddock journeyed to the Age of Apocalypse and back seeking a way to save her lover, Warren Worthington, from permanently transforming into the evil Archangel. When these efforts failed, Psylocke found herself facing off against Warren on both the physical and psychic planes, fighting to save not only him but herself as well, and ultimately needing to sacrifice their love in order to save reality. With the X-Men, Betsy faced off against the survivors of Breakworld and a Serpent-powered Juggernaut before siding with Cyclops after Schism and joining Storm’s team on a mission in Eastern Europe to destroy a private army of Sentinels.

Why She Makes the List: Heroes in the Marvel Universe make sacrifices every day, but Betsy Braddock gave up the man she loved and perhaps any shot she ever had at finding happiness in order to save the world this year, and in our eyes it’s not an action that should be overlooked. It’s first worth noting that Psylocke went to every possible extreme to save Archangel from himself, diving into his treacherous mindscape as well as traversing dimensions to seek a cure, but when the chips came down and all other options fell off the table to the point where even her own life—which she would have gladly given—would not do the job, she killed the person she loved the most. That he returned to her without any memory of their love twisted the knife harder, but also reminded us of Psylocke’s tremendous and thankless heroism.

Check out their full hero list HERE

Plus! Archangel makes #1 in Marvel's list of their favorite villains of 2011!

1. ARCHANGEL
Appeared In: UNCANNY X-FORCE
2011 in Review: Warren Worthington III completed his transformation from Angel to Archangel to full-fledged heir to Apocalypse at the start of the year and things only got worse from there. He recruited Dark Beast, the Horsemen and Genocide to aid him in using technology purloined from both the Celestials and the World with the goal of reshaping Earth into a Darwinian landscape where only the strong would survive. At his worst, Archangel wiped out an entire town’s populace, staring an innocent child in the eyes as he pulled the “trigger.” It took X-Force, another dimension’s X-Men, much sleight of hand and tremendous sacrifice to stop this fallen hero’s twisted plans.

Why He Makes the List: No evil stings so much as the one coming from a former friend. A founding member of the X-Men and one of the most beloved heroes across the Marvel Universe, Warren Worthington spent years battling and defeating his inner demons, but they overwhelmed him this year and brought much suffering to those who cared for him. That Archangel would coldly bring about wholesale death while offering a small boy empty reassurances hurt enough, but seeing the face of a once great man as he performed these actions twisted the knife. It also made Warren a fascinating portrait of warped morality and the power of love, as his friends and the woman who loved him persevered to save him even after all hope had clearly left the shell of this dark Angel.

Full Villain List

Marvel Announces AVX tie-in mini series

2012-01-06T21:31:00.001-02:00

"In a nutshell, as we've said in the past, in 'Avengers vs. X-Men,' we're only doing tie-ins in our core Avengers and X-Men titles," said Brevoort. "'AvX: Versus' is the least essential read of 'AvX,' but it will probably be the most bestselling. It is literally the fight book." Brevoort said the series would expand the battles seen in the main pages of "AvX" and would have heavy action.

Viscardi mentioned there are two creative teams on each issue with two stories in each book. "It is the ultimate book for the quintessential Marvel fan," said Brevoort. "There's going to be plenty of fighting in the main 'AvX' title, but given the casts are so large and given that there are so many potential conflicts -- if you go to any message board right now where people are talking about 'AvX' and they want to see every character who's ever appeared in the Avengers fight every character that's ever appeared in the X-Men, there's not going to be enough space to do justice to all those conflicts in the main book."

Full Article (CBR)

Wolverine & The X-Men #4 Preview

2012-01-06T03:37:00.006-02:00

Wolverine & The X-Men #4
Written by: Jason Aaron
Pencils by: Nick Bradshaw
Cover by: Nick Bradshaw

The Story:

• Two new students join the school. Who could it be?
• The future comes back to haunt the school!
• And who is PREGNANT?!

In Stores: January 11th, 2012

Psylocke ClipArt Collection Update

2012-01-02T04:12:00.005-02:00

We've added two new Psylocke ClipArts to our "Psylocke ClipArt Collection: Looks Through The Years": Psylocke as Death and in her new X-Force uniform designed by Jerome Opeña. Check out all the other cliparts of Psylocke in her many incarnations here!

We'll be somewhat on hiatus for this week, so we're gonna be kinda slow on updates. You may use this post to talk about any news that we may haven't posted yet. :D Happy New Year!

CBR's Top 100 Comics of 2011

2012-01-02T04:05:00.001-02:00

6. Uncanny X-Force
Written by Rick Remender
Drawn by Jerome Opeña, Robbi Rodriguez, Mark Brooks, Billy Tan, Rafa Sandoval and Scot Eaton
Published by Marvel Comics

"Remender's 'Dark Angel Saga' sliced through Wolverine's black ops team without remorse in 2011, upholding this series' reputation for brutality, while never failing to sprinkle in a little Deadpool humor for good measure. For longtime followers of the X-Men, Warren Worthington, Psylocke and Apocalypse, the year was crammed full of heartbreak, suffering and shocking plot twists. All the while, though, the book's creative team kept revived characters and plot devices feeling fresh -- or at least as fresh as anything can feel in the unforgivingly dark world of 'Uncanny X-Force.'"

-- CBR Contributor Brian Warmoth

"Who would have thought this concept would work? Matching two overstylized words into the title should have been a giveaway and yet the industry was shocked when Rick Remender made a deadly team of most of the ubercool and oversaturated character into the must read of the Marvel U. The art, the dialogue, the nasty stories and the dedication to still being a superhero comic and yet meaning something below the taught tension of spandex makes 'Uncanny X-Force' the best 'mainstream' comic of the year."

-- CBR Reviewer Ryan K. Lindsay

"Has 'Uncanny X-Force' really only been going for a little over a year? Because it feels like Rick Remender and his all star team of artists have given us several years' worth of stories. The stories have all been excellent too. Best of all, Remender expertly weaves together threads from all of them to tell one epic tale."

-- CBR Staff Writer Dave Richards

X-Men #23 Preview

2011-12-30T03:14:00.002-02:00

X-Men #23
Written by: Victor Gischler
Pencils by: Will Conrad
Cover by: Adi Granov

The Story:
• The pulse-pounding conclusion to “Machines of War”!
• The fate of an oppressed people in the hands of War Machine and the X-Men!
• So many Sentinels they blot out the sky!

In Stores: January 4 , 2012

Deadpool #50 Teaser

2011-12-28T18:28:00.004-02:00

Deadpool is joined in the milestone issue by his teammates in X-Force who will play a large role in the upcoming storyarc, according to Way. "Deadpool's teammates on X-Force are also going to be part of 'Dead,'" Way said. "Since he's one of their own they feel some responsibility for what's going on, so they get drawn into the chaos and before they know it they're deeply enmeshed in things." Barberi's teaser depicts Deadpool as he faces his teammates Wolverine, Psylocke, Fantomex and Age of Apocalypse Nightcrawler with his back to the reader. While Barberi will handle the interior pages, Marvel revealed earlier this month that Dave Johnson would be providing the cover image to Deadpool's 50th issue. Not much else is known about Deadpool's ultimate suicidal plot, but one thing is certain: the New Year should be very good to Deadpool fans.
Full Article

X-Position: Top X-Moments of 2011

2011-12-28T10:14:00.004-02:00

CBR : Right before the end of 2011, CBR asked you - their faithful X-POSITION readers - to send them your favorite moments of the year gone by from the various X-books. Here they are!

1. The Year of Idie

2. X-Force's Uncanny Year

This was another "moment" where I, as judge of this list, had to stretch things. Many emails and forum postings mentioned "Uncanny X-Force" moments from the beginning of the year, and then -- in the same breath -- turn around and add events from the book's end-of-year storyline. My hands felt tied, so I'm naming the entire year's worth of stories as moment #2. And if you don't like it -- get your own column!

If January's issue was #4 and December's is #19, that means we had sixteen issues of "Uncanny X-Force" in twelve months (not including the .1!) . For this book, that turns out to be a good thing!
-- Al Gonzalez

"Uncanny X-Force" is by far the most compelling X-series since Carey's adjectiveless run on X-Men. Smart, funny, tragic, and dramatic -- just essential reading for any X-fan. If I had to pick one story line, it is the ‘Dark Angel Saga'…or Fantomex shooting young Apocalypse.
--Regino

In just one year, Rick Remender managed to redefine Psylocke and bring her back to her core. To watch every stage of the decay of her relationship with Warren leading to the final confrontation between them was very profound and quite sad. I don't think she was ever written this good. Also props to Opeña who got rid of her thong and gave her pants!
--Giselle

Archangel/Psylocke's heartbreaking love story gets my vote. It's not a specific moment, but…it was a thrilling to witness pretty boy Warren becoming one of the most compelling villains to ever grace the X-pages. It's just great stuff.
-- Ben Tennyson

Archangel asking Betsy in issue #16 "Does it cause you pain to know I manipulated you? That your love is the reason I was allowed to hide and thrive?" was like a punch to the soul. Everything about Archangel/Psylocke this year was just that good in my eyes and number one in my book…
--Like a Butterfly

This is a book that has been consistently good since its inception, but between the conclusion to "The Apocalypse Solution" and the epic craziness that has been Archangel's ascension, 2011 has been a rollercoaster all the way through. The stunning artwork from Jerome Opeña has been the perfect companion to Remender's story.
-- Toboe

3. Jean Gret Visists Wolverine

4. Rogue and Magneto Sitting in a Tree...

5. The Starjammers Return; Polaris and Magneto Reunite

6. The Entire Age of X Storyline

7. Cyclops' Leadership

8. The Jean Grey School for Higher Learning

9. Scarlet Witch Calls for "More Mutants"

10. Gambit vs. Daken

11. Iceman and Kitty's Kiss

12. The Birth of Rahne's Child

Uncanny X-Force #19 Art

2011-12-22T00:49:00.000-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #19 Spoilers

2011-12-21T14:24:00.004-02:00

Spoilers: Fantomex explains to Evan (Genesis) that the faith of the world depends on him becoming a good leader and a good person and that's why Evan must be sent to the School. Logan tries to convince Jean not to return to the Age of Apocalypse, but it's useless. Jean and Sabretooth return, while Nightcrawler decides to stay. Psylocke has to come to grips with the fact that "Warren" is nothing more than a new being created by the Life seed in his likeness. Fantomex tells Logan he cloned the child because he wanted to see if under different circumstances, the kid could be a good man. Logan says it's not the right time to tell the truth to the kid and asks Fantomex to trust him. Wolverine then calls Beast and Kitty and reveals everything about X-Force to them. Beast is upset, but comes to terms with it. It's decided then that Genesis and Angel will be sent to the school, while X-Force will work as on-call campus police, ensuring that no bad guys will show up at the school's doorstep. Later, Captain Britain shows up at Cavern-X, coming from a portal. He tells Fantomex he must be punished for his crimes and orders his Corpsmen to retrieve Betsy, for she must be cleansed and returned to her proper station as Otherworld needs her.

Remender on The Dark Angel Saga and Beyond

2011-12-19T22:56:00.002-02:00

Newsarama spoke with Remender for further insight into the major moments of "The Dark Angel Saga," and discuss what's coming in the very near future of Uncanny X-Force, which ships issue #19 this week.

Newsarama: Rick, I just re-read all eight parts of "The Dark Angel Saga" and the prelude to prepare for this interview and one thing that really struck me is how dense it is — the amount of characters in play, traveling between two different dimensions, and all of the ties to past Marvel continuity. When the trend in mainstream superhero comics is often to be as streamlined as possible, in a lot of ways this seemed to be in the complete other direction — which is not to say it was in any way inaccessible, but was it all intentionally geared more towards long-time readers?

Rick Remender: For me, the responsibility is to use things that long-time readers recognize in a way that new readers can understand. I made sure to introduce and develop these things in the story as if they were they new elements. While the Age of Apocalypse can be familiar to people who have read the original series, and read the series that happened 5-6 years ago, or any of the Exiles stuff where they touched on it — if you read that stuff, I make winks and nods, and I build off the continuity in a way that's respectful of it. But at the same time, I also explain it as it could be a brand new thing that you don't have to know anything about. They say, "It's a dimension where Apocalypse took over, and we're going to go there. You don't really have to have read anything to get it.

Now, if you have read it, and you understand the relationships of those characters, and what their interpersonal dynamics are, then you get a little more payment in terms of, "Oh, that's right, because this one time Nightcrawler did this, and that's why he's doing that." But if you don't know the background, and you don't know the Easter egg beats, you still get the same information, story-wise. In terms of that stuff, I've tried to be very mindful, and introduce everything as if it was a new element. The story was intended to be read from issue #1 to issue #18 — well, really #19 — it really is one big story. And #5.1 is included in that, but #5.1 actually plays a much larger role in year two. I think the responsibility for any of this stuff is to service both types of readers, and hopefully we've managed to do that.

Nrama: Speaking a little bit more of "The Dark Angel Saga" in the broader sense, it also maintained a balance between the bigger stuff — fight scenes, cosmic entities, hyper-compressed evolution — and character moments which are seen throughout, not only in the main dynamic of Warren and Betsy, but also a lot of important screen time for Wolverine, Fantomex, Deadpool and Deathlok. Is it difficult to achieve that balance in a story like this, or does it just sort of come with the territory?

Remender: That's planning. At the beginning of this story, as we were beating it up, I made a map of what each character does and where they get their moments. Before I put together the very first outline, and before [former Marvel editor] Jody [LeHeup] and I really got into breaking it apart, we had discussed the basic story arc a few times, and then I sat down and figured out, "Where does each character shine?" You've got a cast of six characters including Deathlok that you've put on the board, and that's not including Dark Beast or any of the villains who you also want to give an arc to, and have some sort of satisfying conclusion with.

For Wolverine, it was really the Age of Apocalypse. He's got a daughter with Mariko, a woman he loved for a long time and almost married. And here's Jean Grey, alive. And here's Nightcrawler, alive. And here's Sabretooth, his archnemesis, a good guy, alive. To me, that's a Wolverine story. For those three issues, we really do zero in on Wolverine and his mindset, and how he's dealing with that, and the rest of the characters take something of a back seat to it.

Once we get back and find Archangel has torn up Cavern-X to find The World and is after the Life Seed that Dark Beast tricks them into going to get, it then sort of shifts over to being a little more Betsy-centric. Then, after she allows herself to be taken prisoner, we focus on Fantomex, Deathlok and Deadpool, and we give those three guys a couple of issues to really shine, and really get to know their plight, while in the background you've got Betsy and Warren bubbling, and Wolverine has been melted at that point.

With Deadpool, he basically made it clear that he would have fought to the death to save Fantomex, the guy who had been sort of sh*tting all over him for a long time. I felt like that was enough of an arc for him. I felt like that was a heroic, selfless thing. He basically dove after a giant Iceman, and all he had left was a sword — and he did, he got Fantomex free. That felt like a big thing for that character to come around to do. To overcome his distaste for Fantomex, who had been sort of terrible to him, and done some terrible stuff, and not only to overcome that, but to put himself in danger to protect his teammate who he had become friends with.

And then as for Wolverine, he fights until his very end, but I just hate when Wolverine is so goddamn powerful. He's not. He's just not. Wolverine up against a cosmic deity like an Apocalypse? It's not going that far, in my mind. I don’t care how it’s been portrayed in the past. Not to be a total D&D geek, but if I had to get out my manual and start rolling die, I'd say that Archangel ascended to the role of Apocalypse takes down Wolverine, so it was important to me that he did.

Nrama: Moving to the more specific points, let's get right to the ending of Uncanny X-Force #18. While I think a lot of folks were expecting a more conventional "death" at the end of the story, there's still definitely a loss — can you clarify the status of Warren at this point? Mindwiped?

Remender: He's dead. Warren is dead. I know where he's ending up, I know what we're doing with him for the next year. Our intention right now is that Warren died. His soul died, his mind died, he died. But that Life Seed stuck in his gut regenerated something. It took the husk that was there, of Archangel, and it regenerated something else. It took that dead body and made this new body. What is the body, and who's the person inside? It's not Warren Worthington. It's not as simple as amnesia. That's a different person.

There's going to be cynics. For us, it was important not to just do, "And he died." We wanted to do something that was more of a knife in the gut, where he dies, and Betsy gets to live with him in this telepathic trance, where they get their lives together how it should have been. You think you've got some kind of closure, then you get the up moment of Warren returns — everybody is happy and excited — and he pushes Betsy aside and says, "Who are you?" Warren did die, but here's this person who looks just like him. It's even worse than him dying, in my opinion.

Nrama: I discussed recently the nature of comic book deaths as it related to the Fear Itself aftermath issues with Matt Fraction and Tom Brevoort, who essentially said that they wanted to do something different, since readers so easily see through them at this point. Did a similar kind of feeling motivate you?

Remender: This was a lot of back and forth with Jody and [Marvel senior editor] Nick [Lowe] in the X-Office. We did play with just, "He's dead-dead, and his body is disintegrated," but it just felt flat.

The way we landed, Betsy feels him released, he's dead, but the Life Seed does something, gives us more to play with later. Then we came up with an idea that I can't really reveal yet, and that'll be sort of the ongoing mystery with Warren.

Nrama: So Uncanny X-Force will continue to follow Warren's story?

Remender: For a little while. Just keep reading.

Nrama: With something as significant as one of the original X-Men essentially ceasing to exist as he has been, are we going to see reactions to this from beyond X-Force and into the rest of the X-Men?

Remender: You will see some reactions coming up, in the next month. But they’re so splintered — it's not the family it once was. We'll just leave it at that.

Nrama: Getting back to that sequence of what could have been between Warren and Betsy — early in the story, we saw Fantomex comment that Warren and Betsy weren't really in love, and that their relationship was more about dependency. So was that montage about sort of dismissing that point, and legitimizing their love as something real?

Remender: Yeah, and I think there might have been some validity to what Fantomex said, but that's the nuance of any complex relationship. There are going to be some things like that you could focus on. And I really didn't want to answer the question until the very end, where it was clear that, yeah, these people loved each other, and they were in some very strange situations and circumstances. The relationship might have had some uncommon challenges, but they did love each other, and that was what I really wanted to hit on at the end.

Nrama: One more specific thing I wanted to bring up — the decision to put AoA Wolverine in the Apocalypse role in his timeline. Certainly, that was a different side to Wolverine than readers are used to — what motivated that decision?

Remender: When we were building the story we went through a couple few options as to who would be Apocalypse in the AoA world. It served a number of purposes — one, we wanted to establish what it was that was happening to Warren. You were watching what happened in the Age of Apocalypse world, you saw what would happen in our world, so it was a nice look of what we were trying to fight to stop. And, to establish that whoever serves as Death will eventually take the role of Apocalypse. Just set that mythology up visually for us.

As for the choice of Wolverine, it really came down to dramatic punch, in the fact that I wanted to have some emotional beats in there with Jean and our Wolverine, and the best way to get that was to also have her separated from her Logan, and that way, when our Logan shows up, they're both sort of, "Oh my god." A kick to the gut.

We built that up, and then David Lapham will be picking that up. I touch on that one more time — I do an Age of Apocalypse story in #19.1, and then that rolls over into the new Age of Apocalypse ongoing by Lapham and De La Torre. And it is amazing. It's really, really good stuff. It's a post-apocalyptic world where mutants have taken over the planet, led by Wolverine, and you're following a squad of the last humans as they're trying to stay alive and turn things around. That was Jody's idea, to make humanity the focus of the new Age of Apocalypse stuff, and I fell in love with it, and so did David, so we all worked really close to build something up there.

Nrama: So, coming up in the title — looks like we've got a story with Captain Britain in Otherworld? And that AoA Nightcrawler is sticking around?

Remender: Yeah. We deal with why and how and all of that fun stuff in issue #19, which comes out in a week. And then we deal with the repercussions. We saw a scene in issue #5, I think, where Betsy had a hologram Danger Room session where her brother absolved her of her sins and told her he loves her. Now we get to see what her brother's really going to do when he finds out. There's what Betsy wishes he would be, and there's what Brian actually is, and I'm a big fan of the character.

During the course of "The Dark Angel Saga," Betsy could no longer tamp down her psychic link with Brian, so their connection was re-connected, and Brian ended up seeing what Betsy had been doing, and what she is doing. So Brian and Jamie, her brothers, they act, and that's what our inciting incident is. But they've also got a history with Fantomex that we will be revealing. And you'll also get to see the Skinless Man, who is one of Fantomex's archnemeses, who we've never met before, and there's a statue of him in The World. He is a product of the Weapon Plus program.

And we get to meet Betsy's family. For new fans, you get to see another side of Betsy and who she is and where she comes from, and for old fans, you get to see Meggan, and Captain Britain, and Widget, and Nightcrawler, Otherworld, and a big black metal Dungeons & Dragons fantasy take place over in the dimension between all dimensions.

Nrama: And with Captain Britain also a part of Secret Avengers, might there be some interaction between the two books?

Remender: That would be fun, yeah. Maybe I'll do that. I do go back and forth on it. Those two trains could definitely collide, but I don't want to promise anything until I know for sure that story-wise it's going to matter, and it's going to have some lasting consequences, and feel important.

Nrama: Deathlok had a lot of fun moments during "The Dark Angel Saga." Will he be sticking around in the book?

Remender: He'll come back, but it's not going to be for a while. He's got this tachyon transmitter, so he can talk to versions of himself from the future, so he's always gaining different intelligence from different versions of the future, and calculating probabilities. So he's off doing various things trying to maintain a soft and comfortable existence for mankind, and every so often that pulls him towards X-Force, and to become involved in their shenanigans. He's not gone for good, but he's gone for a little while.

Uncanny X-Men #4 Advance Preview

2011-12-17T07:01:00.000-02:00

Commentary Track: "Uncanny X-Force" #18 with Rick Remender

2011-12-15T19:28:00.008-02:00

CBR: In our latest Commentary Track, Rick Remender joins CBR for insight into some of the pivotal scenes of Uncanny X-Force #18, which will have a dramatic impact on the long form story the writer is telling in "Uncanny X-Force."

CBR News: Rick, you open things in a big way, here! On this page. it looks like a machine in the form of the Deathlok Prime cyborg learns how to love.

Rick Remender: That's the thing about the dichotomy between the AI and the human part of Deathlok. The human half is a mindless psychopath, and his identity has not yet been revealed. Deathlok Prime is a dude who is an awful, vicious psychopath, but the AI became self-aware and started processing the concept of love.

It's this good-hearted, heroic AI I've been building on from the stuff that Jason Aaron set up in "Wolverine: Weapon X" where Deathlok Prime first appeared. He's now turned into sort of a hippie. He's all about love and caring. I thought that was a fun direction to take the Deathlok cyborg.

We know that your upcoming run on "Secret Avengers" involves the evolution of robots and other artificial life forms, so it seems this scene might have some significance to both your work in that book and upcoming issues of "Uncanny X-Force."

[Laughs] Wow! Connecting the dots all ready. Yes, you will see Deathloks in "Secret Avengers" and you'll see Deathlok Prime in "Wolverine & the X-Men," so the Deathlok cyborgs are far from done. The more I dig into the Deathloks, the Weapon Plus Program and all of these really cool robot species in the Marvel Universe, the more potential I see for cool stories.

This is something that was actually percolating back when I was working on the FrankenCastle stuff in "Punisher." I was thinking about making an army of robots before I was thinking monsters, all these other cool robots that have never been given as much spotlight as the shiny super heroes. That's when I started cooking up the automaton revolution and all the upcoming Descendants stuff.

The first part of that was seeded in "Uncanny X-Force" #5.1. Lady Deathstrike throws out some clues in that issue. Then -- I don't want to give anything away about the story itself, but there's an image in issue #6 of a shiny Apocalypse in white armor that offers up some clues as to what we did in this issue.

We've had up to issue #19 broken down and plotted for about a year and a half, now. It was something Jody and I wanted to make sure was plotted out well in advance, so you could reread it and catch lots of clues and fun stuff. If you go back and look at "Uncanny X-Force" #5.1 and #6, you'll find a bunch of clues as to what's coming up in both "Secret Avengers" and "X-Force."

In this scene, Fantomex tries to get Archangel riled up with jealousy, teasing Warren about how his girlfriend Psylocke chose Fantomex over him. In light of this and his elaborate plan to take down Archangel, which also we see in this issue, we have to wonder: How does Fantomex feel about Psylocke? Does he truly have feelings for her, or has he made romantic advances toward her because he thought she might be of strategic importance? Or was it a little bit of both?

That's a really good question. The character has three brains. We haven't addressed what those three brains do, but in issue #16, we did reveal that they have different opinions and they each run the show on separate occasions.

Maybe all of his three brains have different objectives and, who knows, one of them he might not even be aware of. What he's done with Betsy and Kid Apocalypse and all these different pieces definitely does leave us with some questions at the end of the story that we'll dig into in the second year of the book.

At the top of this page, it looks like the battle to save Warren Worthington's soul is coming to a conclusion, though the war against Apocalypse's followers, the Akkaba Society, will rage on.

Yeah, I wanted this threat to build to a point where there was no clean resolution at the end. I wanted it to feel like this was a threat that was well beyond our characters. You have to feel that the heroes are out of their elements and in over their heads in order to really build tension.

It was important to me that these villains be built up in a way that they're such a threat that our characters barely manage to make their way through them. You want to see the heroes succeed, but in some cases, they didn't make their way through all the villains. In some cases, they just got really lucky. So, you end up with a lot of pieces that are still on the board moving forward as well as what Dark Beast revealed is inside Pestilence.

Also, that is a living, breathing Sinister Iceman in the upper left corner on page 5, panel 2.

On the bottom of the page, we see that Fantomex has survived being stabbed in the head by Archangel. Can you comment at all on what this means for him in terms of health or his mental "misdirection" powers?

He lost a brain -- that much is clear. It was stabbed. That's something that will be followed up on later, but if I address it now, I risk tipping my hand and spoiling some stuff.

In "Uncanny X-Force" #4 Fantomex shot and killed the newly youthful Apocalypse and then takes a sample of his blood. Later, we learn Fantomex used that blood sample to grow a clone of kid Apocalypse, which he's keeping in a tank in the Weapon Plus Facility known as The World. Here, we find out that Fantomex has been using the tank to provide the clone of Kid Apocalypse a heroic upbringing. When did you get the idea to transform Kid Apocalypse into the hero Genesis.

That was literally from the very beginning. As we started to put together that very first arc, the question became, "How can we make this 10 times more interesting and get a year's worth of stories out of it?" We didn't want the series to be four to five issues of fighting different opponents. It was paramount to me that it be this boiling, churning cauldron of falling consequences for their action.

As I started writing that first arc, I laid down some of the Archangel problems. You can see Betsy in Warren's head, trying to fight back Archangel right there in the very beginning of issue #1. After he read that scene, editor Jody LeHeup pushed to really move Archangel forward as the main villain. So we got to work. We knew where the story ended fairly early, but Jody and I spent hours on the phone beating the rest into shape.

And as for Fantomex, people will get some clues about what he's up to when they read issues #19-20.

This scene was also making sure Fantomex wasn't unredeemable based on what he did at the end of the first arc. I wanted him to be a heroic and intelligent character like he's been written to be. So he needed to have more going on and a guy with three brains needed to have other motives. Those other motives might seed into year two with the Descendants stuff taking place in "X-Force" and "Secret Avengers." Fantomex is definitely going to play a role in both of those books.

It seems that constructing and implementing a plan like this is an argument that Fantomex should be leading X-Force. Does he want to lead the team?

I honestly don't see that character wanting any sort of leadership. A leader has a lot of eyes on him, and Fantomex if anything is mysterious. We won't really discover his true motives and what he's up to until, I believe, issue #28. What he's in the midst of doing and his motives for doing it involve not wanting to be in the spotlight.

I did want to show that if he was thrown into a situation where it was sink or swim, he would figure out a way to swim. I think the circumstances dictated that he take on a leadership role for a while, there, and he did a good job, but I don't think he wanted it.

In this scene, we get a glimpse of Genesis' virtual life, where it looks like he's been growing up on a farm in Kansas. Is this a wink and nod to a certain "Super" hero from the Distinguished Competition?

[Laughs] No, not at all. I just think it's a fun little Kansas farm. I don't even know which character you're referring to. [Laughs]

Okay, maybe it's a wink and nod, but the idea is just that he was raised on a farm in Kansas by a couple of loving, caring parents to be a moral and ethical person, and to be a hero. It's helping Fantomex deal with the nature versus nurture debate. We see a lot of Fantomex's thought process, or at least what he wants people to see of it, in issue #19.

Here, Archangel and Genesis are battling. Since this is his first real fight ,we have to wonder, how powerful is Genesis?

He's powerful, but I think in the end he's not as powerful as Archangel. He's basically a young Apocalypse. So he's still a bad ass.

In this scene, Archangel and Genesis go crashing into a massive hall full of stone statues of some interesting looking characters, like Doctor Mind Bubble and the Skinless Man. Are the statues in this hall of new characters that we haven't met yet?

They are. The Skinless Man will appear in the upcoming Otherworld arc of "Uncanny X-Force." He is a product of the Weapon Plus program. And Doctor Mind Bubble is somebody I have big plans for. All I can say about him right now is that the Weapon Plus Program created him in the '60s.

I'm planned so far out ahead at this point, I knew those characters were going to appear, so I thought this would be a hell of a place to seed them. Again, I'm just a nerd for that stuff. I love knowing that the writer has a far reaching plan.

Here, we get the end of an emotionally powerful telepathic illusion. What was it like writing this scene? You seem to have a real emotional attachment to the characters of Warren and Betsy and their romantic relationship.

Absolutely. I think if you don't try and tap into what these characters really want you can't write them effectively. To me, these are two characters who have very chaotic lives. They're never going to get a normal life. They're never going to move to a cabin, have a couple of kids and teach them how to paint and make pancakes on Sunday. They're never going to get that.

Of course, we all want what we can't have. So that was something that I wanted to make sure, if it hasn't been said out loud, that this is what these people want in their heart of hearts; to have some semblance of a normal life back. There, at the end, Betsy gives that to Warren before he goes.

It seems an illusion that intricate would require a lot of raw telepathic power to create. What does this scene say about Psylocke 's telepathic abilities?

The Jean Grey of the "Age of Apocalypse" reality opened Betsy's mind up. She unlocked a lot of stuff. In this issue, you saw the giant, Phoenix-like butterfly effect Betsy generated when she was fighting Archangel. She knocked him down with that. No one had accomplished that to this point -- she hadn't been able to get into his mind before that either. He had just been this thing that was way, way beyond her. Whatever Jean Grey did when she was inside Betsy's head unlocked some potential.

We're going to be seeing a lot of that. She is an Omega level. One thing we wanted to accomplish with this story was that Betsy comes out a full fledged Omega level mutant, on par with Xavier or Jean. In my mind, that's what was accomplished when Jean unlocked the powers in her head.

A couple pages earlier Betsy, apparently kills Warren by stabbing him with the Life Seed, but here we have a guy who looks very much like Warren did in his non-Archangel form, only he doesn't know who Psylocke is. What can you tell us about this scene? Is this Warren we're seeing, or somebody completely different?

Warren died. We knew we wanted this storyline to end with a character death, but let's face it, character deaths are just becoming flat. No matter how well they're written or what kind of emotional punch they have, we've just seen too many characters die. I wanted Warren to die, and Jody LeHeup, my old editor and a huge part of this year's success, also wanted Warren to die, but we didn't want it to be just another death. It was workshopped with the X-teams and everyone fell in love with this version of Warren's death.

I really fell in love with the idea that Betsy says good bye to Warren and watches him die. She feels his mind dissipate from his body. She's then pulled away from his dead body with the Life Seed stuck in it. And at the very end, after you get over that emotional beat and you see her talking with Jean, here comes Warren stumbling out into the snow! Only, it's bittersweet as he has no memory, no trace of the man he was. He's an all-new being.

Our big question now is, what is he? What is this thing that looks like Warren and has these feathery, angelic wings? It's definitely not Warren. There isn't a trace of him or Archangel left. A Celestial Life Seed is something Celestials plant on a dead planet to give new life to the entire planet. Now, we've just shoved one into Warren Worthington and it erased whatever was there, but it built something new. He's essentially a blank slate. I think that really twists the knife in Betsy's stomach more than anything else I could cook up.

This scene brings "The Dark Angel Saga" to a close, but does it also wrap up your initial longform story for the book? Are you now going to move onto a different longform epic?

It sets some new things in motion, but it's not really the end of our long orm story. The Otherworld arc is just a continuation of this arc. One idea gives birth to another idea, and I just end up writing one big story.

That's what I say to people about my creator-owned book, "Fear Agent." They're like, "I bought issue #28 and I didn't know what was going on." I reply, "That's like watching 'The Wire:' season four, episode 2." I think you need to start at the first issue and move forward, because I don't always write in a way where you can cleanly hop in later. I know no editor wants to hear me say that! [Laughs] Just go back to the first issue and move forward.

You can jump right in and enjoy the Otherworld arc, but it's playing off of all that's come before. "The Dark Angel Saga" raises a lot of questions, and many of them don't have answers by the end of the arc. So this arc isn't the end of our longform story; it's the end of Warren's chapter in it.

Now, we're dealing with Betsy's fall out from all of this. I don't think anybody is going to anticipate Betsy's arc for next year, so the Otherworld arc is really about Betsy's reaction to what happened, Fantomex and the consequences for what he's been up to, as well as the rest of the Braddock clan being hip to the fact that this guy is someone to be wary of.

The other big question is, where do you go from here? How much story time has passed when "Uncanny X-Force" #19 begins? And is this the issue where you explore some of the fallout from "Schism?"

I think, chronologically, we're saying that "Schism" happened before "The Dark Angel Saga" began, so this is something that Wolverine has been dealing with that is removed from the schism with Scott, which is fine. I don't think that one thing necessarily has to affect the other, but you're not going to find out what happens to every single character in "The Dark Angel" saga unless you buy "X-Force" #19 and "Wolverine & the X-Men" #4.

Those two books feed one into the other. To really get to the end of "The Dark Angel Saga" and see where it all goes, you're going to want to buy "Wolverine & the X-Men" #4 as well as "X-Force" #19. I want retailers to know that as well, because I don't know if it was solicited. In case you're reading "X-Force" and not reading "Wolverine & the X-Men," it's a wonderful series. I highly recommend it, and this story moves over there now.

How does it feel now that everything but the epilogue of "The Dark Angel Saga" is complete and available to readers?

I hope the way we approached this story was emotionally satisfying and warranted being sealed in a black plastic bag. We wanted to do something that was unique but still felt monumental and epic. I hope it pays off. I hope people are emotionally satisfied by the end of the journey with Warren. It's a hell of a responsibility to take a character like that off the board, and we didn't take it lightly. If you love the first year of "Uncanny X-Force," please make sure to also thank editor Jody LeHeup at his Twitter handle -- @JodyLeHeup.

Uncanny X-Force #19 Preview

2011-12-15T18:20:00.001-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #19
Written by: Rick Remender
Penciled by: Robbi Rodriguez
Cover by: Rafael Grampa
Variant Cover by: Nick Bradshaw
Spoiler Variant available

The Story: The aftermath of The Dark Angel Saga! A member lost! New members gained! An Avenger discovers the secret of X-Force! Fantomex and Ultimaton must allow the world’s most powerful weapon to leave their care. Elizabeth Braddock must say goodbye to the man she loves. New friends must stand and make a suicide march. Next generation superstar artist Robbi Rodriguez joins Rick Remender to break your heart.

In Stores: Decemebr 21, 2011

Uncanny X-Force #18 Art

2011-12-15T06:52:00.000-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #18 Spoilers

2011-12-14T14:41:00.002-02:00

Spoilers: Deathlok reasons his way out of War's spell, which prompts Dark Beast, War and Pestilence to run away from him and the Amazing X-Men. Dark Beast orders Ship to leave immediately for they must protect Archangel's heir inside Pestilence's womb. Meanwhile Fantomex and Psylocke confront Archangel. Warren stabs Fantomex in the head. Psylocke attacks Archangel, but hesitates to kill him. Warren knocks her out. Fantomex calls Ultimaton at the World and tells him to let the Apocalypse boy clone out. Meanwhile, Sunfire struggles to deal with the remaining villains. The Apocalypse boy has been programmed to believe he's a hero, and Ultimaton tells him he needs to save all of them and defeat Archangel. The boy calls himself Genesis and fights Archangel; however he's easily defeated by Warren. Psylocke surprises Archangel and stabs him with the seed. Sunfire, on the other hand, cannot contain Genocide's flames and explodes. Warren comes to his senses, and Betsy tells him everything is going to be okay. Psylocke uses her telepathy to make Warren believe they had a wonderful life together with their two daughters and growing old together, endind up in Warren's peaceful death. Fantomex, Deathlok and Ultimaton retrieve all the remaining X-Force and AoA X-Men members and take them to E.V.A. Jean tells Psylocke she knew she could do it. Betsy thanks her for... Warren. Warren shows up nude confused. Betsy runs to him and kiss him. Warren only asks who she is...

Super Hero Squad Online: Meet Psylocke

2011-12-14T06:27:00.003-02:00

Marvel.com: Psylocke bursts into 'Super Hero Squad Online' as the newest playable character in this character vignette from the game! Psylocke brings her awesome fighting skills to "Super Hero Squad Online" as one of the game's newest playable characters!

The X-Men's resident psychic ninja joins her fellow Squaddies to fight the forces of evil throughout Super Hero City and beyond! Play as Psylocke now at www.HeroUp.com and add her to your personal Super Hero Squad.

Keep your eyes peeled to Marvel.com as we continue to bring you more spotlights on the Squaddies from "Super Hero Squad Online," and vist www.HeroUp.com to play the game yourself!

X-Solicits for March 2012

2011-12-13T15:31:00.002-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #23
Writer: Rick Remender
Art: Greg Tocchini
Cover by: Leinil Francis Yu
• The Trial Of Fantomex Concludes!
• The Multiverse Is In Danger, The Captain Britain Corps Is In Shambles And It Is Up To X-Force To Save The Day.
• A Terrible Choice Must Be Made For The Protection Of All Reality!

X-Men #26
Writer: Victor Gischler
Art: Jorge Molina
• The X-Men Fight To Rescue Jubilee From The Hands Of Her Vampire Brethren!

• The Forgiven Fight To Protect Their Own!

• Featuring The Deadliest Mercenaries In The Entire Marvel Universe!

Uncanny X-Men #8
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Art & Cover by: Greg Land
• The Conclusion Of Tabula Rasa!
• Namor Does The Unthinkable To Save The Day.

Uncanny X-Men #9
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Art: Carlos Pacheco
• Prison Break!
• Featuring The Avengers!

Deadpool #52

Writer: Daniel Way
Art: Ale Garza
Cover by: Dave Johnson
• ’Pool’s Epic “Dead” Storyline Continues!
• Deadpool Wants To Die…Can He Make It Happen?
• Will X-Force Stop Him…Or Pull The Trigger?

Wolverine & the X-Men #4 Preview

2011-12-12T21:31:00.000-02:00

CBR

10 Avengers Vs. X-Men Match-Ups We Want to See

2011-12-10T06:26:00.005-02:00

Newsarama: For our latest countdown, we've put together our own list of 10 possible conflicts we'd like to see at some point during Avengers vs. X-Men. Some are obvious, some are considerably less so, but all would be pretty cool.

10. Secret Avengers vs. Uncanny X-Force: This one is a no-brainer. Not only are both of these teams black-ops squads that do the things that their parents teams don't want to do, both of the books are currently written by Rick Remender. It would actually be more difficult to not do this fight than to do it. (Possibly not an actual fact.)

The individuals combinations are also exciting -- it looks like Venom's becoming a Secret Avenger soon, which could mean a'90s-tastic collision with Deadpool. Sibling rivalry in the form of Captain Britain vs. Psylocke. And Fantomex is cool against pretty much anybody. Fantomex vs. Hawkeye. Fantomex vs. Black Widow. Fantomex vs. Ant-Man? Make it happen, Marvel!

During Marvel.com's livebog, Brubaker responded to a fan’s question if Ms. Marvel and Psylocke will have a part in things, and he confirmed both will be in the series.

The Best of Marvel Comics in 2011

2011-12-10T06:19:00.003-02:00

According to IGN, these are the titles that every comic book fan should have on their pull lists in 2012.

2. Uncanny X-Force: X-Men books have a reputation for being burdened by continuity and inaccessible to newcomers. Uncanny X-Force proved this doesn't have to be the case. Spinning out of the events of Second Coming, this series sees Wolverine revive the covert squad of mutant assassins as they battle a reborn Apocalypse, the Reavers, and other threats to the mutant race.

This series is a prime example of how a book can be more than the sum of its parts. Rick Remender is a talented writer, but when paired with an artist like Jerome Opena, the result is pure comic book magic. Uncanny X-Force achieves that rare blend of ingredients – it has gripping plot twists, memorable action sequences, terrific visuals, ample doses of humor, and some of the best character work you'll find in a Marvel book. Whether you've been following the X-Men franchise for decades or only just jumped into this universe, Uncanny X-Force will grab your attention and never let go.

Greg Tocchini Art from the Otherworld Arc

2011-12-08T12:52:00.001-02:00

X-Men #22 Art

2011-12-08T05:36:00.000-02:00

X-Men #22 Spoilers

2011-12-08T00:56:00.002-02:00

Spoilers: While Storm, Colossus and War Machine struggle to fight with the Sentinel in the open air; Psylocke, Warpath and Jubilee are battling Puternicstan soldiers inside the warehouse. Meanwhile, the Puternicstan Governor orders her scientists to program the Sentinel Army to attack Symkaria, hoping the X-Men will follow them. Storm, Colossus and War Machine take out the Sentinel; and Domino forces the doctor to bring her where the action is. Domino meets with Psylocke's team at the warehouse, from where the Puternicstans activate every Sentinel unit they have to attack Symkaria. Jubilee takes Warpath's knife and uses her abilities to plant a grenade in a Sentinel, but there are thirty more of them. Storm uses her powers and a powerful hurricane is formed in the path of the Sentinels...

Uncanny X-Force #18 Preview

2011-12-07T15:40:00.004-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #18
Written by: Rick Remender
Pencils by: Jerome Opeña
Cover by: Esad Ribic

The Story: “Dark Angel Saga” Conclusion. Rick Remender (Venom, Fear Agent), Jerome Opeña (Punisher, Fear Agent) and Dean White (Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man) bring you a tale of devastation, bravery, and salvation.

In Stores: December 14, 2011

How Uncanny X-Force author Rick Remender dreamt up Archangel’s very bad day

2011-12-06T23:11:00.002-02:00

io9: One of the more colorful X-Men titles on the stands is Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force. Replete with gorgeous visuals (courtesy of artists like Jerome Opena) and steeped in X-Men lore, Uncanny X-Force has been a rock-solid read for fans of full-blown mutant insanity.

io9 recently caught up with Remender to chat about the conclusion to the "Dark Angel Saga," an eight-part yarn he's been spinning for the last few months. With the finale in comic shops next week, Remender elaborated on the creative method that transformed the good-natured (if angsty) X-Man Archangel into a crazed villain with aspirations for global armageddon.

First off, "Dark Angel Saga" encompasses so many bizarre corners of the X-Universe. How did you formulate this roller coaster ride through the history of the X-Men?

I'm versed in it, I'm a nerd. When I was a kid, the X-Men were my jam. In 1984, I mowed lawns to save up money for back issues of Secret Wars. I extrapolated on what was already there — after we killed Kid Apocalypse [in the first arc of Uncanny X-Force], it almost became A Beautiful Mind situation in connecting the dots. For example, "What is Archangel?" "What is Apocalypse's true connection to the Celestials?" There were all of these things that were always hinted at, but never cohesively explained.

You see the seeds of the "Dark Angel Saga" in the first ten page of Uncanny X-Force. Psylocke is inside Warren Worthington's head, fighting Archangel as a separate entity. I wanted the very extreme ending of the first arc — Fantomex's murder of Kid Apocalypse — to have a domino effect. You can go back in time and kill Hitler, but what worse person rises because of that? What is this new chain of events from these decisions? These events were Chekhov's rifle on the mantel.

People always ask me, "Where should I start on Uncanny X-Force?" Unfortunately, I write big mega-arcs, so I tend to say "Issue #1!" The book is built like an HBO series. I wouldn't tell people to start at Season 3, Episode 4 of The Wire.

In the "Dark Angel Saga," you put the X-Men from The Age of Apocalypse through the wringer. Were you surprised about the amount of alternate dimension superheroes you could kill with impunity?

That was all part of a whole other plan. In Uncanny X-Force #19.1, I'm launching the Age of Apocalypse ongoing series. It's all leading to something in that issue. Editor Jody Leheup and I were working together pretty closely with an idea that he had, and then we integrated it into both the "Dark Angel Saga" and also the Age of Apocalypse series. That's the inverse of our world: instead of 200-300 mutants left, there are 2000-3000 humans left. The rest of the world is populated by mutants. It follows a band of humans and few mutants who are familiar to us. But yeah, I don't slaughter characters willy-nilly for shock value.

I really liked how you took the Blob — the ultimate doofus villain — and made him one of the most formidable bad guys in the Age of Apocalypse.

I love the Blob. This version allowed for a dirtier approach. He's been fiddled with in the laboratories of the Dark Beast. He's way more depraved than our Blob, he's covered in acne, and he uses his powers in a lot of strange ways.

Fantomex was introduced in Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men and then fell off the radar for a few years. Since then, you've made him one of the marquee X-Men characters again. How'd that work out?

Matt Fraction and Jason Aaron had really gone to bat to get the character back in play. By the time, I took on Uncanny X-Force, he was someone who was around. The fun part's been taking a lot of characters who may have a central commonality and then finding all the interpersonal connective tissue. I'm digging through Fantomex's collective history with Wolverine, Deadpool, and the Weapon Plus program. We'll be exploring that next. We will see some new Weapons that have been created in the last 30-40 years.

I know you can't give away too much, but what will the team's status quo be post-"Dark Angel Saga?"

It will stay a lot the same. They will have new responsibilities, but they'll be trying to maintain their secrecy and preemptive takedowns of villains before they can twirl their mustaches and reveal their schemes. There are four issues in Otherworld coming up. Greg Tocchini, who is a genius, will be illustrating that.

The Otherworld's the dimension between all dimensions, where Captain Britain and the Captain Britain Corps protect the Omniverse. I like that there's a door that leads to every dimension in the Starlight Citadel. That's why I put Captain Britain in my upcoming run on Secret Avengers.

Does that mean we'll see a crossover between Uncanny X-Force and Secret Avengers?

That would be a pretty cool thing, a pretty natural connection there. If I were to be writing those two books and have characters like Beast who are teamed up with Wolverine on other teams, Captain Britain who is related to Psylocke, a whole cast of characters that are all interconnected, I might cross them over at some point. Who knows?

What are Rick Remender's top X-Men story arcs?

Obviously a couple hundred issues of Chris Claremont X-Men. We'll definitely see some things from the Australian years reflected in Uncanny X-Force. I'm going to be using Lady Deathstrike quite a bit. We'll see an Excalibur reunion of sorts in the Otherworld arc, so I'm drawing from that stuff as well. Let's see, Chris Claremont, Grant Morrison, and I would be an asshole to leave out Louise and Walt Simonson who created the foundations of this Apocalypse mythology that I've been building upon.

Uncanny X-Force #18 will be out Wednesday, December 14.

Marvel Announces "Avengers Vs. X-Men" For 2012

2011-12-06T23:00:00.004-02:00

CBR: For months, Marvel Comics has been promising something big coming down the pike for readers invested in the Marvel Universe. The planned 2012 project has been described by Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso as "not part of a cosmic event, but a Marvel Universe event," adding, "Very soon, we're going to reveal all. Three simple words that speak to the hardcore Marvel fan and the guy or gal on the street who's seen one or two super hero movies."

Today, those three words became clear: "Avengers Vs. X-Men."

In a story published on the USA Today website, the publisher announced a 12-part bi-weekly series debuting in April. The core "Avengers Vs. X-Men" title will be co-written by Marvel's "Architect" writers -- Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction -- and drawn by big name artists Frank Cho, John Romita, Jr., Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert.

The appeal of the series is obvious, Alonso told the newspaper: "You've got two populations whose motivations are simple and understandable and defensible. That's part of the beauty of this. You're seeing a story that evolves out of 'What would you do?'"
In a separate article, the mechanics of the title and its promotion were laid out, from each issue being scripted by one writer who then hands the story off to another for the next issue, to plans to integrate Google+ into the ongoing promotional efforts.

On a story level, the focus of 2009's X-Men "Second Coming" crossover, Hope Summers, will once again be the center of attention in "Avengers Vs. X-Men," as the presumed host for the returning Phoenix Force. In fact, it's the threat of the returning Phoenix Force that will instigate the conflict in the first place, Alonso says. "The Phoenix Force is the spirit of destruction and rebirth. It razes worlds to create something new. It's bad news if you happen to be living on the world about to be razed. It's great news if you're what's going to be the outcome of that world."

Also taking center stage is the Scarlet Witch, who, in many ways, instigated this conflict years ago when she used her reality-altering powers to all but erase mutantkind from the planet. Bendis, who scripts her story in the series' prologue issue, told the newspaper,"She's been on a road of almost impossible-to-perceive redemption over the last few years and now is going to come face-to-face with the Avengers."

Marvel Universe Psylocke Figure

2011-12-06T22:53:00.002-02:00

The latest wave of Marvel Universe figures by Hasbro has landed in the US. The fourth series of single carded figures debuted this month with character art by Ed McGuiness (Wave 17).

Psylocke's accessories include a purple psychic katana and a psi-blade.

X-Force to appear in Deadpool #50

2011-12-06T22:28:00.002-02:00

Could this be it? Has everyone’s favorite Merc With A Mouth finally made an appointment with Lady Death? This February, witness the biggest change in Deadpool’s life as “DEAD” kicks off in Deadpool #50! From the creative team of Daniel Way & Carlo Barberi, Deadpool’s lease on life is about to expire and those around him are going to feel the consequences including X-Force! Following the epic battle with his former body parts gone rogue, Wade Wilson makes a monumental decision that will forever change who he is. See how it all goes down this February, in Deadpool #50!

DEADPOOL #50 (DEC110676)

Written by DANIEL WAY

Pencils by CARLO BARBERI

Cover by DAVE JOHNSON

FOC – 1/16/12, ON SALE 2/8/12

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X-Men #22 Preview

2011-12-02T03:44:00.003-02:00

X-Men #22
Written by: Victor Gischler
Pencils by: Will Conrad
Cover by: Adi Granov

The Story: The X-Men and War Machine are on a collision course with an international incident of catastrophic proportions. No longer content to fend off attackers, the Governor and her army of Sentinels are hell-bent on going on the offensive…leading towards one of the worst ethnic cleansings in the history of the world.

In Stores: December 7, 2011

X-Men Legacy #259 Art

2011-11-30T16:29:00.004-02:00

Psylocke cameos in X-Men Legacy #259

X-Position: Victor Gischler Secures the X-Men

2011-11-30T04:08:00.001-02:00

CBR: Victor Gischler has survived Black Friday and joins us to present you with a true holiday special: personal responses to all your emails.

With Psylocke, Domino, Ororo and Jubilee all having close ties to Logan, will he factor into this title in any way? Will we see his influence on these characters?

Victor Gischler: That's an understandable question, Renaldo, and I plan to discuss with Editor Nick Lowe how/if/when we talk about Logan and what that might be like. Don't look for a Wolverine guest appearance any time soon, but certainly his influence is felt in characters such as Jubilee. It's something that at least needs to be touched on, I think.

Cyclops describes this team as his security team, but what are they securing? Are there still residents on Utopia that aren't part of the X-Men?

Victor Gischler: "Security" is a loose term that covers a lot of things -- basically, any leaks Cyclops thinks needs to be plugged or any X-Men-related issue that looks like it's going to develop into a problem. For example, in the current arc we have some Sentinels in the hands of some people that might cause problems with them down the road. That's X-Men business and needs to be dealt with. But it's also a situation that bleeds over into the rest of Marvel U.

I love the first arc's lineup of characters. It's a great mix of very capable people who can be stealthy and strong with varied powers. Will the focus be on this team for future arcs? Or will certain members take the spotlight?

Victor Gischler: The Marvel U is a fluid place, so if there's one thing I've learned is that things can change -- sometimes in an eye-blink. But my thought is that these are the characters we'll be playing with for a while. Keep your eye on Jubilee for future spotlight goodness.

X-Position: A Call for the Best X-Moments of 2011

2011-11-29T05:16:00.002-02:00

CBR: X-Position's "Best X-Moments of 2011" is the column where readers tell us what events from Marvel's X-Universe made you cheer with glee (or possibly cry with emotion) over the past 365 days. From today through Christmas, either post your favorite X-Moments of 2011 at the X-Books forum or email (george@comicbookresources.com) with your thoughts on the matter. Put "Best X-Moment of 2011" in the subject line.

Let me know why you picked this moment and which X-issue it came from. Images help us out too, so either post them in the thread or send them to me in your email (not a requirement, but it's appreciated). We'll do a tally of the results between the forum posts and emails, and then expect one heck of a fun X-POSITION at year's end.

Notes: Remember, in 2009, Psylocke's return to the X-Books was picked the best moment of that year. In 2010, Psylocke and Angel getting back together was picked second best moment of that year. Let's all vote for Psylocke this year as well. Her confronting Archangel was one of her finest moments this year. Vote for her participation in the Dark Angel Saga! :D

The Best Ongoing Comic Books of 2011

2011-11-29T05:12:00.004-02:00

MTV Geek's staff picks the best comics of 2011, and Uncanny X-Force makes the list! Take a look:

6. Uncanny X-Force (Rick Remender [w] & Mark Brooks/Dean White [a], Marvel Comics)
Like "Spider-Island," the long-running "Dark Angel Saga" should have more than worn out its welcome this year over in Uncanny X-Force, but the fact that it's 2011 and we're talking about a book with X-Force in the title with excitement means writer Rick Remender has been doing something right for the past year and change. Kicking things off with the steady corruption of Angel by his Apocalypse-created persona Archangel, Remender has shaped Warren Worthington into a calm, almost gentle villain who wants to see Apocalypse's terrible vision for the world to fruition.

Super Hero Squad in game Psylocke cards

2011-11-20T21:06:00.001-02:00

Super Hero Squad Online has their own in game card game. Here are the Psylocke related cards available so far.

X-Men #21 Art

2011-11-17T01:35:00.003-02:00

X-Men #21 Spoilers

2011-11-16T16:05:00.004-02:00

Spoilers: War Machine fights Storm and Colossus, but is caught by surprise by an airspace violation by the Symkarians, which changes everything. Storm explains the Sentinel situation to War Machine, and he accepts the X-Men’s help. Meanwhile, Domino’s body is retrieved by the Puternicstans. Psylocke and her team tracks Domino’s location, and on their way, they find out more Sentinels and the details of some project involving the machines, however Betsy and her team are discovered by the Puternicstan soldiers. At the Puternicstan HQ, the Governor explains that by using Domino’s mutant bio-signature, they can get the Sentinel to attack anything they want by tricking it into thinking it’s attacking a mutant. She plans to use the robots against Symkaria and Latveria. At the medical lab, Domino regains consciousness and escapes. The Governor and her men spot Storm, War Machine and Colossus invading their airspace. The Puternicstans activate the Sentinel which was reprogrammed. Their plan works as the Sentinel attacks War Machine after detecting him as a mutant.

X-Position: Rick Remender

2011-11-15T22:05:00.002-02:00

CBR: Given that Psylocke is also on Cyclops' side post-Schism, are you going to address the tensions between her and Wolverine caused by her playing both sides of the field?

Rick Remender: The reason Psylocke doesn't go to the school with Wolverine will be clear in issue #19. Your assumptions are off-target. And I wouldn't assume that there is any upset between Psylocke and Wolverine based on her decision. Or is there? Or isn't there? Or... whatever.

With Wolverine running the Jean Grey School, fighting alongside the Avengers, and caught up in his (always interesting) solo escapades -- is he going to take more of a backseat in X-Force? He's on the cover for #19 and beyond, but I feel like you've been building up the rest of the cast to be potential field leaders in the event Wolverine has to step away...

Rick Remender: While Wolverine has many other jobs, X-Force is still his responsibility. While he sees the need for this team and their methodology, he is not willing to let anyone else call the shots. I don't think he's taken a backseat, he's just been beaten down a few times.

I like to be responsible when handling Wolverine, and while he's a beloved character who we all want to see win the day, I also have to be realistic about his power set in the face of certain threats. There's just certain things Wolverine cannot contend with. There are certain villains and certain threats that are beyond him in a physical battle. But when it comes to leadership, he's the one with the most experience and he's the one who set this thing up with Warren to ensure they could take down threats to the mutant population and humanity before they grew. Wolverine plays a giant role in the team and the upcoming stories; he is the lead dog.

I suppose this question is relevant pre- or post-Schism, but... how do you think Cyclops would react to Wolverine keeping X-Force around?

Rick Remender: I don't know if it matters at this point. They've broken apart -- they're no longer working together. While it might add more fuel to the flame, I don't see it leading to any action. It would give Scott a philosophical leg in their debate, but I don't think that Scott would take any action against X-Force if he learned of their existence -- especially given that Scott once saw the need for such a team.

Will AOA Nightcrawler experience cabin fever? I imagine it would be hard to explain his presence without revealing X-Force's secret, so he would have to stay hidden except to accomplish X-Force missions...

Rick Remender: Nightcrawler has his own set of objectives on our world to keep him busy when he's not helping X-Force. And given that he disappears in shadows -- and that he is one stealthy little devil -- I think he can accomplish them without being detected.

Are you going to bring Magneto back into the picture... possibly as a team member? Magneto could "pull a Psylocke," especially since he doesn't have compunctions about killing and would do anything to protect mutantkind...

Rick Remender: There are some conversations taking place about Magneto. It's too early to say anything, but we did seed that he is aware of X-Force for a reason. Now it's just a matter of finding the right time to pull that trigger.

Do you have any plans to deal with Magneto's knowledge of X-Force's existence, especially since he's chosen to stay with Scott and Emma? Do they need to "shut him up" before he sells the UXF out?

Rick Remender: Don't forget that Wolverine did Magneto a solid by killing one of the Nazis who tormented him during his time in the concentration camps. The bigger question to ask is if Magneto thinks what X-Force is doing is the right thing, and if so, why would he want to upset that? What would Magneto gain from telling Scott?

Considering the teasers for "Uncanny X-Force" #18, did you always plan on killing a character here that's integral to the team? And how do you feel about comic book deaths and their duration in light of death's "revolving door" policy in comics?

Rick Remender: If you're reading a story, especially an action-adventure story, and there is no threat that any of your cast members could perish during the story, it removes a good deal of tension. At that point, the only other people that can be in danger are supporting cast members, pedestrians, loved ones, etc.

That's not to say that the only stakes in the story have to be life-and-death, but in these types of stories -- if life-and-death is taken out of the equation -- it can remove a good deal of anxiety. So sometimes characters have to die to reaffirm that it can happen. As for X-Force, we have a mandate that this book has to have assassination in the team's objectives. The point of this team is that they go out and kill people that they believe will eventually kill innocents. So in terms of this title, there will absolutely be a body count. In every story. Without question.

How did you decide to make Fantomex the character that would challenge Warren, especially when it came to Psylocke's affections?

Rick Remender: [Matt] Fraction wrote a scene in "Uncanny X-Men" that showed Fantomex bringing flowers to Psylocke. It was a quiet moment that caught my interest, given how out of character it was for Fantomex. I began to try and logic through it, and as I did, I really liked the idea that he would be incredibly attracted to Betsy -- someone else who has a dark past and is a jumble of a person. It seemed like a natural fit. I had already cemented the Warren-Betsy relationship, and this was a nice wrinkle that gave me some nice soap opera beats. At this point, their relationship becomes a very large part of the story moving forward. More to come.

How do you plan on differentiating your "Secret Avengers" title from the other Avengers books out there? And what will help define the team as you take the book over?

Rick Remender: The Secret Avengers are born out of the same natural instinct that gave birth to X-Force. Steve Rogers became aware that there were threats bubbling under the surface that needed to be dealt with covertly before they rose to a boil. The team, as I'm building them, are going to have a different mandate. Hawkeye, a former villain himself, is becoming more and more convinced that in order to differentiate between heroes and villains the Avengers need to reconfirm their "no kill" rule -- especially on a team like the Secret Avengers where killing can be an all-too-simple solution.

It's a super slippery slope when superheroes take it upon themselves to assassinate people, making themselves judge, jury, and executioner. Hawkeye is trying to see himself and the Avengers as above this and wants them to operate in a different fashion. To help with this, Hank Pym has created a subatomic prison on their new satellite station, the Lighthouse, to store any of the threats that cannot be dealt with in other ways. So this series will have similar threats -- and tie into "Uncanny X-Force" -- but the team will use a different methodology. There are many malevolent and ugly things creeping under the crust waiting to rise up and attack us. Hawkeye and his Secret Avengers are in place to take them down before they do. Their missions will be international as well as interdimensional, and the stakes will be earth-shattering and widely felt.

According to teasers, it states that soon in the pages of "Uncanny X-Force" an Avenger will uncover the team's existence. Is this an Avenger that Logan can trust? Please say "yes!"

Rick Remender: You'll have to read "Uncanny X-Force" #19 to find out.

With "Venom," "Secret Avengers," and "Uncanny X-Force," you are writing three books that play a major part in the darker side of Marvel Comics. What draws you to this and any chance for an event (or two) between these titles?

Rick Remender: All three titles will interconnect in different ways. What I find alluring about the tone of these books is that I can basically write my version of an X-Men, Spider-Man or Avengers story with the additional tension that part of my mandate is that characters will likely perish. The darker tone allows me to sink my characters low into the muck so far down the readers will wonder how they could possibly get back up. So I look at it more as something that opens up my opportunities for storytelling, allowing for wider character arcs they can dip down into and potentially be dipped so low the character doesn't come back up out of it. Those stakes are what people are responding to, I think, and they definitely keep me excited about the work.

Assuming Warren survives "The Dark Angel Saga," could he be redeemed? Would Warren even think he's worth redemption? And, more importantly, would you consider bringing him back into the fold somewhere down the road? I'm really going to miss your Archangel...

Rick Remender: There's so many questions that I'm not going to answer right now. I hope you enjoy issue #18 and that the ending comes as a surprise...

Seeing that you'll be touching Otherworld both in "Uncanny X-Force" and "Secret Avengers," do you have plans to revisit the character of Sage, who was last seen left with all of Roma's knowledge and has ties with both Captain Britain and Psylocke (and Otherworld) as well?

Rick Remender: I had plans to use Sage in "Uncanny X-Force" #22, but didn't have space. To bring Sage back properly, I would need to have quite a bit of real estate to do her justice for old fans, as well as redefine her for new ones.

Apart from the Otherworld arc, is there anything else you can tease us for X-Force's second year? I think you've mentioned on Twitter a new second member (besides Nightcrawler) as well? Thanks for the first year -- it was truly an uncanny experience!

Rick Remender: Thanks for the kind words. Everyone's support has meant the world to us. We never anticipated such a reaction and it's very gratifying.

Issue #19 will answer your question. But if you guess who the new member is before it ships (other than Nightcrawler), I'll send you a no-prize. Twitter me @Remender to guess.

Tuesday Q&A: Rick Remender

2011-11-15T17:55:00.003-02:00

Marvel.com: For writer Rick Remender, there’s more to the Marvel Universe than the bright heroics of Spider-Man and the Avengers. Writing both Uncanny X-Force and Venom, the California-based writer shows that heroes can have dark edges, and that those edges can cut—and sometimes kill.

In Uncanny X-Force, the team’s one-time compatriot Archangel threatens to bring about a new Age of Apocalypse. As Wolverine and company attempt to stop him, Psylocke feels the pull of competing loyalties. In December’s Uncanny X-Force #18, the finale of the “Dark Angel Saga” brings all that to a head.

Marvel.com: In Uncanny X-Force you’re barreling your way to the finale of the “Dark Angel Saga,” something you’ve been building towards since the series began. What can people look forward to in issue #18?

Rick Remender: As people who followed [my independent comic] Fear Agent know, I like long-form stories and seeding things so that it pays off later in big ways. There have been a number of those things seeded throughout the 18 issues leading up to Uncanny X-Force #18, such as Archangel becoming the new Apocalypse. There’s more waiting to come to the surface for this next issue.

Marvel.com: This arc has brought the Age of Apocalypse back into the mix of the Marvel Universe. What’s it like being able to revisit this classic event from the 90’s and make it work organically today?

Rick Remender: I’m a tremendous fan of alternate reality characters, and love the potential emanating from variations on familiar characters being raised in other worlds. It goes back to the “nature vs. nurture” debate and the question of if we’re cooked by our environment or if people are set in stone by birth. Alternate versions of characters help explore that. It’s exciting to take characters from post-apocalyptic worlds like Age of Apocalypse and see how different they are based on the hardships they’ve lived through.

In terms of the larger story, it was a natural extension of what was planned. Dark Beast was a natural go-to guy when it comes to exploring Apocalypse’s powers, and with his origins in the Age of Apocalypse universe we tied it back through to our team being stranded there.
Uncanny X-Force #19 cover by Rafael Grampa

It’s my responsibility to take these alternate versions of fan-favorite characters and make them three-dimensional and developed. For instance, this Nightcrawler isn’t just a wacky version of Kurt brought in for no reason. He’s a very different character than the Kurt Wagner we’ve come to know, and he happens to fit in well with the tone of the X-Force team as we’ll see in the near future.

As for the rest of them, we’ve extrapolated where they’d be and set about making that world relevant and interesting in a modern context. Both the fans and Marvel itself responded well to what’s been introduced, and they’re launching the new series Age of Apocalypse out of that, which you’ll see more of in December’s Uncanny X-Force #19.1. It’s a nice validation to see that springing out of our book and it’s invigorating that the fans liked it so much.

Marvel.com: After the “Dark Angel Saga” ends, the series dovetails into the line-wide Regenesis event and the Age of Apocalypse Nightcrawler joins the team. What can you tell us going forward?

Rick Remender: There are some new directives for the team, but it’s all still building off what’s gone down in the first year of the series. The second year builds into a very similar kind of thing; a mega-arc, beginning with issue #19 which is an epilogue to the “Dark Angel Saga” drawn by Robbi Rodriguez. This issue shows what happens to Nightcrawler and the Age of Apocalypse characters as well as sets up a new status quo—or a side-job at least—for X-Force. This ties in with Wolverine & The X-Men #4, and Jason Aaron and I have worked extremely hard to make our two books fit as neatly as possible. Both our books live in the same corner of the Marvel Universe and Logan leads both squads, so there’s a lot of connective tissue between the school and this covert ops squad.

After that and the Point One issue, the next four issues illustrated by Greg Tocchini takes us to Otherworld as Betsy’s family is concerned with her work in X-Force. We’ve also got Fantomex put on trial for what he’s done over the course of the book. I love the idea that dominoes from the first arc are still falling and things the team has done are still catching up to them.

Marvel.com: Hearing you mention Otherworld brings back memories to the classic Excaliburdays with Betsy’s brother Captain Britain. We saw Brian briefly in the last issue of Uncanny X-Force, so does that mean he’s playing a bigger role going forward?

Rick Remender: Definitely. I’m working hard to re-establish Captain Britain with Uncanny X-Force and Secret Avengers. I like Brian because he’s a conflicted character; a man of science who had to accept magic. He has a suit of armor powered by magic, tied to his confidence level. I love him as a character and for his history, and we’re going to put him back in the spotlight as the Lord of Otherworld and show his connection to Betsy and what’s going on in her life. Brian and Betsy’s brother Jamie plays a role as well.

Marvel.com: Speaking of strained family ties, the X-Force team has that given that they’ve been keeping their actions a secret from their fellow X-Men as well as the world at large. So far the secret’s only leaked out to Magneto, but how long can it last?

Rick Remender: I think it’s one of those things they constantly have to cover up. It’s like telling a lie; they try to hide it but it slowly grows and as someone calls you on it they have to elaborate on that lie and it becomes a web. Because of what they’re doing in Uncanny X-Force, the team has become sort of isolated from the rest of the X-Men. They can say they saved the day sort-of-ish, but they didn’t really save the day. Things are continuing to spiral and get worse, and at this point it’s like a vase that has been shattered but glued back together; the water keeps leaking out from those cracks no matter how quickly they patch it.

Magneto is aware of X-Force, but not necessarily aware of the whole scope of the team’s actions. In Uncanny X-Force #19, a couple other X-Men and an Avenger both discover X-Force’s actions and it will definitely have ramifications going forward.

Marvel.com: In addition to that, you also have the politics relating to the schism inside the X-Men. How does the split in the mutant race play out on the X-Force team?

Rick Remender: There’s a reason Psylocke doesn’t want to be at the school but remains on the X-Force team. This second year on Uncanny X-Force is a big development year for her as a character. That will be easily apparent to readers after #18 and #19. Moving forward into the next year, we have some fairly unexpected things planned for her. With that being said, the schism between Scott and Logan will definitely change the landscape of things but since the X-Force squad works in the shadows on their own and Wolverine is running the show, there’s not a lot of interconnectivity with Scott and his team.

X-Solicits for February 2012

2011-11-15T15:48:00.004-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #21 & 22
Writer: Rick Remender
Art: Greg Tocchini
Cover by: Leinil Francis Yu
• Wolverine and AOA Nightcrawler face a strange and deadly new foe in Otherworld.
• Fantomex’s sentence is carried out and he is injected with an anti-reality serum…
• Psylocke becomes Lady Briton!
• Deadpool is decapitated!

Uncanny X-Men #6
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Art & Cover by: Greg Land
• Tabula Rasa Part 2, Cyclops and his team delver further into a world where evolution has run rampant.
• A new foe is revealed, who will show the X-Men just how out of date homo superior really are!

Uncanny X-Men #7
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Art & Cover by: Greg Land
• Tabula Rasa Part 3. The secrets of the evolutionary jungle are revealed, as the X-Men face the Immortal Man, with the help of a brand new ally!

X-Men #24
Writer: Victor Gischler
Art: Adi Granov (#24) & Jorge Molina (#25)
Cover by: Jorge Molina
Issue #24
• Jubilee learns more about her vampire heritage.
• Featuring Raizo and the Forgiven!
Issue #25
• The X-Men will stop at nothing to find Jubilee, even if they have to kill every vampire on Earth to do so!
• X-Men vs. Vampires in a major way!

Astonishing X-Men #47
Writer: Greg Pak
Art & Cover by: Mike McKone
• The climactic conclusion to “Exalted”!
• Our world’s X-Men join the fight in an alternate dimension.
• How far will Cyclops go to save our world’s mutants?

Marvel Teases Possible Death in "Uncanny X-Force" #18

2011-11-11T21:37:00.003-02:00

CBR: In the final "Uncanny X-Force" teaser of the week, Marvel highlights team member Psylocke, hinting at a possible character death as Rick Remender and Jerome Opena's "Dark Angel Saga" concludes. The image itself shows Psylocke bringing her full telepathic powers to bore on Archangel under the quote "Goodbye Elizabeth."

Don’t miss the shocking conclusion to the critically acclaimed Dark Angel Saga from the blockbuster creative team of Rick Remender, Jerome Opeña & Dean White, this December in the polybagged Uncanny X-Force #18!

X-Men #21 Preview

2011-11-11T05:29:00.004-02:00

X-Men #21
Written by: Victor Gischler
Pencils by: Will Conrad
Cover by: Adi Granov

The Story: Guest-starring Iron Man 2.0! The fallout of Schism pushes the X-Men and War Machine at each other in Eastern Europe as sentinels are being traded on the black market. But things aren’t as they seem and the X-Men and War Machine are going to have to work together to stop a truly horrible plot.

In Stores: November 16, 2011

Marvel releases another Uncanny X-Force #18 teaser

2011-11-10T21:34:00.001-02:00

CBR: Following up on yesterday's "Uncanny X-Force" teaser, Marvel has released a second "Dark Angel Saga" brain teaser, this time in an email asking the question "Whose death is it, anyway?" Featuring a pair of Jerome Opena images featuring Archangel and Fantomex battling each other, the teaser has a question of its own -- "You have no idea what's going on here, do you?"

Fans should expect all these questions to be answered in December's "Uncanny X-Force" #18 by Rick Remender, Opena and Dean White.

Marvel Unleashes "Dark Angel Saga" Teaser

2011-11-10T15:46:00.002-02:00

CBR: With Rick Remender and Jerome Opena's "Dark Angel Saga" coming to a conclusion in just under a month, Marvel has begun releasing teasers, hinting at the ending of the storyline. Today's features what appears to be Dark Beast flying away from battle under the quote "You are a grave disappointment." "Dark Angel Saga" concludes in December's "Uncanny X-Force" #18. Don’t miss the shocking conclusion to the critically acclaimed Dark Angel Saga this December in the polybagged Uncanny X-Force #18!

In time, In seven short days, Rick Remender -- the writer of "Uncanny X-Force" -- stops by to answer your questions about his unique team of mutant mercenaries. Send your questions to george@comicbookresources.com and throw an "X-Position" in the subject line. :)

Uncanny X-Force #17 Art

2011-11-09T20:57:00.002-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #17 Spoilers

2011-11-09T16:22:00.001-02:00

Spoilers: Betsy finally transcends into Death. Meanwhile, Wolverine is having a hard time fighting AoA Iceman, but fortunately for him, Fantomex shows up to the rescue with the Amazing X-Men (Jean, Sabretooth, Wildchild, Nightcrawler and Sunfire) as Jean-Phillipe had seek Gateway's help to bring them to the 616 world. Nightcrawler teleports Genocide's helmet away, which leads to an explosion. Afterwards, they realize what's become of Psylocke and Fantomex is left to deal with her. Archangel retreats but Wolverine, Sabretooth, Wildchild and Sunfire go after him. Archangel chops Wildchild in half and orders Iceman to deal with Sunfire, while he takes on the other three. Psylocke cuts Fantomex's throat, and while she lowers her defenses, Jean enters her mind where Betsy is reliving a memory that brings her happiness: the first time she met Warren at a Hellfire Club dress up party. Jean then contains her Death persona and brings the real Betsy back. Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Sabretooth aren't having much success fighting Archangel, so the Phoenix steps in. Archangel deals with them easily and retreats to his HQ, where Psylocke and Fantomex are waiting for him.

Uncanny X-Force #17 Preview

2011-11-03T20:54:00.001-02:00

Uncanny X-Force #17
Written by: Rick Remender
Penciled by: Jerome Opeña
Cover by: Esad Ribic
The Dark Angel Saga: Part 7. Archangel is ascended. The betrayer has turned the tide. The World will be opened. Realities will clash. Life will be lost. Love shattered. Do not miss this or we will find you! The boss team of Rick Remender (Venom, Fear Agent), Jerome Opeña (Punisher, Fear Agent) and Dean White (Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man) are reunited to bring on the bad guys!

source: ign.com

Teasers: Uncanny X-Men #4 and #5 & Wolverine and The X-Men #4

2011-11-03T01:53:00.003-02:00

Our very own CmX scanned these preview pages from Marvel Previews #99 which was released this Wednesday. It looks like Psylocke will be very busy in 2012 since she's in all three issues previewed. Take a look:

Uncanny X-Men #4 art by Brandon Peterson and #5 art by Greg Land.

Wolverine and The X-Men #4 art by Nick Bradshaw.

Uncanny X-Men #1 Art

2011-11-03T01:35:00.002-02:00

Psylocke cameos in the first issue of Uncanny X-Men and is supposed to be fighting Magneto in a teaser for upcoming issues.

X-Men #20 Art

2011-11-02T18:21:00.002-02:00

X-Men #20 Spoilers

2011-11-02T17:22:00.002-02:00

Spoilers: The Chechens buy a couple of Sentinels on the black market in order to use them against the Russians. The Chechens are then attacked by an unknown military force which takes the Sentinels with them. Domino having spied the whole operation, reports to Cyclops. Scott wants Storm to lead a team to go after them and retrieve the Sentinels. Aboard the Black Bird, Storm, Psylocke, Warpath, Colossus and Jubilee are on their way to the Chechen Republic, when they are interrupted and questioned by War Wachine who wants them to leave and not interfere in the matters of the government. Storm plays it cool and tells War Machine they’re leaving when in reality she plans to reach their final destination by another route. We find out the people who stole the Sentinels are from Puterniscstan, a country surrounded by Symkaria and Latveria, two oppressor nations. One of the stolen Sentinels goes rogue and starts to hunt mutants, eventually tracking Domino. Neena contacts Storm’s team via Psylocke’s telepathy and warns them about the Sentinel. Before they can come to Domino’s rescue, the team needs to deal with War Machine who returns and tell them he has orders to secure the zone and will make them leave by any means necessary. Storm tells him he has bigger worries than the X-Men: the Sentinel who apparently has killed Domino.

X-Position: Nick Lowe & X-Editorial

2011-11-02T04:04:00.002-02:00

CBR: This week we have Senior Editor Nick Lowe and his able Associate Editors Daniel Ketchum and Jordan D. White on hand to answer questions from the CBR readers about everything related to Marvel's uncanny heroes.

Given Psylocke's divided ties between the Uncanny X-Force team and Scott's X-Men, will she experience many moments of questioning her loyalties?
Nick Lowe: It’s a bit early to say whether she’s going to question her loyalties. The real fun of that will happen if the two sides ever come to blows.

'Uncanny X-Men' Take On the World

2011-11-01T06:23:00.002-02:00

Rolling Stone: Kieron Gillen talks about Uncanny X-Men's second arc which will feature Psylocke.

Though Gillen's first year of Uncanny X-Men stories will focus on the heroes taking on planetary-scale threats, he has one story arc planned in which the X-Men will confront a problem they can't solve with brute force in an alien environment known as Tabula Rasa. "It's a scientific conundrum that you can't just punch in the face until it goes away," he says. "It challenges the team on a philosophical and moral level. That's the main way I approach superhero comics – there's got to be some manner of human connection to the threat or it is literally just punching and there's no point in that."

X-Men #20 Preview

2011-10-28T05:40:00.003-02:00

X-Men #20
Written by: Victor Gischler
Pencils by: Will Conrad
Cover by: Adi Granov

The Story: Guest-starring Iron Man 2.0! The fallout of Schism pushes the X-Men and War Machine at each other in Eastern Europe as sentinels are being traded on the black market. But things aren’t as they seem and the X-Men and War Machine are going to have to work together to stop a truly horrible plot.

In Stores: November 2, 2011