Captain Britain by Phil Noto

Captain Britain by Phil Noto

Excalibur #22 Variant Cover by Phil Noto

Excalibur #14 Art

Excalibur #14 – X of Swords, Chapter 15 Preview

Excalibur #14

Writer: Tini Howard

Art by: Phil Noto

Cover by: Mahmud Asrar

The Story:

X of Swords – Chapter 15

Two swords. Two cups. Two must answer.

In Stores: November 11, 2020

X-Men Monday #82 – Jordan D. White Answers Your X of Swords Week 7 Questions

AIPT!: X-Men Senior Editor Jordan D. White runs through X-Fans’ latest round of burning X of Swords questions.

AIPT: Based on Saturnyne’s interactions with the representatives from Mercator in Stasis, is it safe to assume she herself doesn’t know everything about the post-Secret Wars Otherworld she oversees? 

Jordan: It is very safe to assume that. She has never been in there. I’m pretty sure if you go back to the data page about Mercator, it talks about how it used to be a different kingdom. So she knew about that. But something has happened that has taken over that realm and has sealed it off. And no one from outside has been in since then. So she doesn’t know what happened in there since that time. 

But it does have a familiar name. 

AIPT: Based on Tarot’s reading at the end of Stasis, things seem pretty dire for Captain Britain. What can you tease about Betsy’s future? 

Jordan: What can I tease about Betsy? I love Betsy. I’ve been a fan of Betsy for ages. I think I’ve been a fan of her for a long time, but my fandom for her grew because she was a very prominent character in one of my first ongoing gigs at Marvel, which is the book New Exiles. 

She was a cast member in that. Her and Sage were the two 616 characters in that book. And as a result, both of them have become very close to my heart. Just because, again, I’ve been reading Marvel Comics my whole life and getting a job at Marvel was an absolute dream job. So I was very, very excited, and to jump on New Exiles–as my first issue was Exiles #99, but you know, we were already working on the relaunch for New Exiles at that time. And yeah, it really bonded her to my heart. She’s terrific. 

That was one of many times when we tried unsuccessfully to give her pants. Once in a while we go, “Why don’t we put pants on Psylocke?” And we do it, but then time passes and she just stops wearing them. I don’t know what the deal is. 

AIPT: You pivoted from teasing her future to talking about her past and then pants. So, what can you tease about her future? 

Jordan: So obviously, we’ve got big plans for her. I don’t know what your readers consider spoilers. I mean, there’s an interesting cover, but it also doesn’t quite answer the question. 

AIPT: Are you talking about the one where Betsy appears to be the Queen of England? 

Jordan: That’s the one. Well, again, I wasn’t saying it, because I don’t know, some people consider a few upcoming covers to be spoilers. But yes, I’m talking about the cover of Excalibur #17 where she seems to be the Queen of England. But then the question is, is that her? That’s a good question. There are important things going on with her and I hope everybody enjoys them. 

AIPT: Are the Tarot cards accurate glimpses into the future, or can we never truly trust anything from Saturnyne? 

Jordan: That’s a really good question. I think that, yes, of course, Saturnyne does mess with people, but I don’t think she’s stacking the deck, if you know what I’m saying. Like, I think she is using this Tarot deck that she, you know, had to destroy a sun, I think to get–it’s a big thing. 

She is doing the proper reading that said–well, I don’t want to say as with all Tarot cards, because my belief on how, or whether Tarot cards work in real life is a separate matter entirely. As with Tarot cards in fiction, always, I think the future is in motion and et cetera, et cetera, you know, like, just because it says something will happen doesn’t mean you can’t avoid it, or you can’t change it. And also, as Tini has often pointed out, Tarot cards are not usually telling you, “Hey, tell me what is going to happen in the next three days.” It will be this, this, this, this–it’s more a reading of what the forces of the world are aligned toward, you know? And so it’s telling you about now and where now is headed, but that can then be changed. It’s not a locked-in reading of “Here is what happens in the future.” It’s, “Here’s what will happen from now.” 

That’s a little confusing, but hopefully, it made sense.

Cable #5 – X of Swords, Chapter 8 Preview

Cable #5
Writer: Gerry Duggan

Art & Cover by: Phil Noto
Variant Cover by: Ivan Shavrin

The Story:
X of Swords – Chapter 8
A hand held aloft. A mystery in the stars. An ace up the sleeve.

In Stores: October 21, 2020

Thor #9 Phil Noto Marvel 80th Anniversary Variant Cover

X-Men Gold #30 Cover by Phil Noto

Astonishing X-Men #7 Art

Artist Phil Noto introduces a new take on Charles Xavier!

Marvel.com: Series writer Charles Soule keeps throwing curveballs at his Astonishing X-Men team. And they might not be ready for the latest twist heading their way.

When Part One of the new storyline “A Man Called X” begins with Astonishing X-Men #7, the merry mutants must reckon with a resurgent—and slightly unfamiliar—Charles Xavier. Written by Soule with art by Phil Noto, this epic tale starts with a bang.

We caught up with Noto to discuss teaming up with his Poe Dameron partner on a different series, getting to know a few mutants better, and developing a new look for Professor X.

Marvel.com: There has been an all-star lineup of artists contributing to this run of Astonishing X-Men so far. What most appealed to you about joining in on the fun?

Phil Noto: I was flattered to be included with those artists in the lineup. It’s also been awhile since I’ve worked on an X-book, so that appealed to me.

Marvel.com: This book contains a pretty eclectic group of X-Men. Did any of them offer a surprising challenge when you started digging into the issue?

Phil Noto: Well, I’ve drawn most of them in one form or another—except for Bishop. I think this might be my first official Bishop work, which has been fun because I’ve been a fan of the character since the old X-Men cartoon. Other than a few costume changes with Gambit and Rogue, I felt like I had a pretty good handle on them.

Now, creating a young Xavier definitely felt like a bit of a challenge. He’s more cocky and laid back than his future self. He’s also walking around. I just tried to make him read as X as much as I could, and I think it worked.

Marvel.com: What’s it like shining the spotlight on Professor X this way?

Phil Noto: It was fun to do a Professor-centric issue. I’ve never really spent much time drawing him. And the way Charles has written this new incarnation of Xavier is very cool!

Marvel.com: What can you tell us about the threat Professor X and his team find themselves up against as “A Man Called X” begins?

Phil Noto: After the defeat of the Shadow King, London remains swarming with psychic zombies, with Bishop being one of them. Suddenly, a young Xavier appears—dressed as Fantomex—and tells the team that it’s cool, that he’s got it under control. Next thing you know, there’s a crazy green sun, which can’t be good. Don’t want to spoil more than that!

Marvel.com: You’ve worked with Charles Soule before—how has your collaborative relationship evolved over time?

Phil Noto: Charles and I go way back. We did a Thunderbolts issue together years ago. Working on Poe Dameron with him has been a delight. From planning out the initial story and characters to doing the book together, we definitely have a good rapport. It’s nice to have that kind of relationship with a writer. I usually instinctively know what he’s going for on the page. If I have any questions about something, I can just text him. I think we make a pretty good team!

Writer Charles Soule and artist Phil Noto’s ASTONISHING X-MEN #7 drops on January 3!

Charles Soule Lays Out His Astonishing Mutant Landscape

Announcing Cheung, Garney, ACO, Noto, Land, Rosanas and more bringing the story to life!

Marvel.com: It shouldn’t be too astonishing that the X-Men are as popular as they are. After all, their collection of diverse of mutants offers a never-ending grab bag of super powered mayhem that usually goes toward saving the day–when they’re not too busy butting heads with the Inhumans, that is. Simply put, there is no shortage of classic “X-Men” content and one particular title is about to re-enter the limelight.

After a four-year hiatus, Marvel is bringing back the “Astonishing X-Men” series this summer under the confident pen of writer, Charles Soule who’s not too worried that he’s got some big shoes to fill. We’re also excited to announce that Jim Cheung, Ron Garney, ACO, Phil Noto, Greg Land, Ramon Rosanas and more will be bringing the serialized, ongoing story to life with some incredible artwork.

Get pumped for the returning title by checking out our interview with Charles who discusses the book’s iconic cast, its use of the entirety of Marvel history and how the series will mutate under his skilled direction.

Marvel.com: “Astonishing X-Men” is a title whose original run spanned from the mid-1990s to 2013. What was the most exciting part about being the person responsible for relaunching it?

Charles Soule: “Astonishing” is one of the fundamental “X”-titles for me, especially the Whedon/Cassaday run. It’s some of the best “X-Men” storytelling of all time. So, exciting, yes – also somewhat terrifying. But like any book I take on, I’ll do my best.

Marvel.com: Over the years, the series was written by a litany of big Marvel creative minds like Joss Whedon, Warren Ellis, Marjorie Liu and Greg Pak. How were you hoping to approach it differently than these writers did in the past? How did you pour your own heart and, forgive me, soul into the writing?

Charles Soule: I’d like to think that any story I do will be different from the other incredible talents who have worked under this banner in the past, just because I’m not them. This sort of “Murderer’s Row” legacy isn’t anything new to me, though – from my very first Marvel project (“Thunderbolts”) to Daredevil to pretty much everything I’ve done, I’ve been working on titles that have superstar creators in their past. You just put your head down and write your story and hope that it can stand next to the other books in the line.

Marvel.com: Going off that, can you talk a little bit about the artistic vision you had for the look and feel of the series?

Charles Soule: I mostly want it to feel epic. I’m trying to go as big as I can both for character moments and “page-feel,” if that’s a term I can coin. I remember when Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch were working in what was termed “widescreen” back on their “Ultimates” project. I’d say it’s something like that, but within every massive beat there’s a character moment (or ten) to back it up. Mostly, I wanted to anchor “Astonishing X-Men” in the real world, so-to-speak. Many times the big superhero stories take place away from population centers, especially mutant stories. I get it – a superhero slugfest with a bunch of civilians around complicates things immensely. I’ve done it myself many times. Setting your battle scene on a remote glacier solves a lot of storytelling problems. However, I think the X-Men are at their best story-wise when they’re not only fighting super-villains, but their activities are seen through the lens of the human world. So, we’ll get a lot of that here – a lot of the action takes place in the heart of London, with all the attendant repercussions. Good times all around.

Marvel.com: We know the series will feature a veritable Who’s Who of fan favorite X-Men (i.e. Old Man Logan, Archangel, Mystique, Rogue, Gambit, Psylocke and Fantomex), but what can you tell us about the villains being featured in the story?

Charles Soule: Not too much just yet… but we’ll get there! I want it to feel like a nice reveal, but the way the story is designed I can pull in bad guys from literally any era of Marvel history. The book is built like a bit of a puzzle box, with multiple layers of reveals. Part of the fun of certain “X”-stories is speculating about what’s really going on, and this is definitely one of those.

Marvel.com: Now onto the heroes. What was the decision process behind choosing these specific characters to make up this team other than being adored by fans and veterans of the original run?

Charles Soule: It’s a mix of characters who I really wanted to write and characters who hadn’t been seen in a bit, or both! I wanted a bunch of people I knew I could write well, but who also had lots of history with each other. All of these people have been “bad guys” at one point or another – checkered pasts all around. Many of them have dated each other, or have been in love triangles… it’s just a feast of drama, and the soap opera stuff is part of what makes the X-Men great. It’s fun to write all these folks, especially in a really focused story like I’m telling in Astonishing. The book has a specific point, story and end goal… which you’ll see soon enough!

Marvel.com: Will we be seeing a different team dynamic than we’ve seen in the past and were there any specific characters you had a blast writing?

Charles Soule: I’ve said this before, but this book doesn’t have a team. It has a cast. It doesn’t have a leader, either. It’s like a novel, or a film, or a TV series. There are characters who are more or less prominent from scene to scene, but this isn’t a story about superheroes coming together with a shared goal to fight bad guys, with a base, and cool coordinated costumes and so on. This is a bunch of flawed, extremely powerful individuals who find themselves in the same place at the same time as something very intense and potentially world-ending happens. Then, we see what they do next. It’s a pretty cool ride, I think.

Deadpool #42 Variant By Phil Noto

X-Force #1 Variant by Phil Noto

Uncanny X-Force #12 X-Men 50th Anniversary Variant by Phil Noto

Battle of The Atom – Chapters 1 & 2 Spoilers

Chapter 1 – X-Men: Battle of The Atom #1: Magik time-travels to the future to see if their future was worth fighting for. At the Jean Grey School, Cerebro detects a new mutant - a very powerful one at that. Kitty takes the original X-Men with her to stop her - Animax - who's creating monsters and destroying the city. A Sentinel appears and attacks them. Cyclops and his X-Men arrive to help and both teams battle the Sentinel. They succeed, but at the last minute the Sentinel shoots against Teen Cyclops, which nearly kills him. As his life is about to end, the Old Cyclops ceases to exist. Triage heals Teen Cyclops and brings him back to life, resulting in the Old Cyclops appearing again. At the School, the X-Men decide it's too risky to have the original X-Men in the present and want them to go back to the past. They are not happy about this, especially Jean who's made up her mind about not going back. Suddenly, the X-Men from the future arrive warning that they'll stop the X-Men from making a mistake that will doom the mutant species.

Chapter 2 – All-New X-Men #16: The X-Men from the future warn that letting the X-Men from the past to stay in the present was a mistake that must be reversed. They reveal that sending them back now will prevent a series of events that lead to... Suddenly, Wolverine is forced to pop out his claws and attack the future X-Men. A battle ensues between the two factions. Logan says that it wasn't his doing and that Jean was the only one able to force him to do this. Everyone realizes that Jean and Teen Cyclops have ran away. While the future and present X-Men were busy arguing, Jean talked telepathically to Teen Beast and Teen Cyclops about her suspicions of something wrong going on as the minds of the future X-Men were blocked. Beast refuses to run away with her, but Cyclops accepts it. They take the Blackbird to do so. The present and future X-Men decide to go after them even though Storm and Wolverine suspects Jean only ran away because she picked something up in the minds of the future X-Men. Rachel is upset that there's somebody wearing a Xorn mask, considering Xorn killed Jean. Xorna then reveals herself to be none other than adult Jean Grey from the future.

Uncanny X-Force #35 Art

Uncanny X-Force #35 Preview

Uncanny X-Force #35

Writer: Rick Remender

Art: Phil Noto

Cover by: Julian Totino Tedesco

Final Issue!

• Final Extinction concludes and so does Uncanny X-Force!

• Rick Remender’s landmark run comes to a conclusion with one of the most shocking moments in X-Force history.

• What will become of what’s left of X-Force?

Uncanny X-Force #34 Art

Uncanny X-Force #34 Preview

Uncanny X-Force #34
Writer: Rick Remender

Art: Phil Noto

Covers by: Julian Totino Tedesco

Final Execution races to its thrilling conclusion!

• X-Force brings the attack to the Brotherhood, but there is dissension in the ranks.

• Genesis faces the truth about Apocalypse and his destiny!