X-Force's Betsy Braddock by R.B. Silva

Source: Commissioned by Chris Garcia

NYCC 2023: The Rise and Fall of the X-Men's Krakoa Age Revealed

Marvel.com: In 2019, fans witnessed the dawn of the Krakoan Age in Jonathan Hickman’s groundbreaking HOUSE OF X and POWERS OF X, two interconnected five-issue limited series that spanned mutant history and future. Now, the Krakoan Age ends in the same dramatic fashion in FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X and RISE OF THE POWERS OF X. Each delivering half of the story that will bring the Krakoan Age to its conclusion, the pair of series will feature the X-Men of today and the X-Men of tomorrow as they wage the final war against extinction across their entire existence! Evolution is inevitable. Extinction is optional!

The two series are fittingly crafted by some of the Krakoa’s defining architects, writer Gerry Duggan (X-MEN, MARAUDERS) and artist Lucas Werneck (IMMORTAL X-MEN) delivering FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X and writer Kieron Gillen (IMMORTAL X-MEN) and artist R.B. Silva (POWERS OF X) delivering RISE OF THE POWER OF X, plus covers by HOUSE OF X superstar artist Pepe Larraz. 

Mark Brooks confirms Betsy is depicted as Lady Mandarin on the right.

Excalibur #13 Art

 

Excalibur #13 – X of Swords, Chapter 9 Preview

Excalibur #13

Writer: Tini Howard

Art by: R.B. Silva

Cover by: Mahmud Asrar

Variant Cover by: Lee Garbett

Nightcrawler Timeless Variant Cover by: Alex Rossross

The Story:

X of Swords – Chapter 9

Opposition. Despair. The dark night of the soul.

In Stores: October 21, 2020

Excalibur #13 Advanced Preview

R.B. Silva Previews Art featuring Captain Britain

Captain Britain by Mike McKone, R.B. Silva & Wilton Santos at #CCXP

 

Source: Facebook.com/MarvelPsylocke

Captain Britain by R.B. Silva

Captain Britain by R.B. Silva

Captain Britain by R.B. Silva

Jonathan Hickman Peels Back the Curtain on His X-Men Run

CBR: The month of July marks the release of House of X and Powers of X, two series which kick off writer Jonathan Hickman's upcoming tenure on Marvel's X-Men. Illustrated by artists Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva, respectively, the pair of six-issue miniseries will eventually lead to an all-new era for Marvel's merry mutants under Hickman's guidance. CBR spoke with Hickman about House of X and Powers of X to find out more about the mysterious series.

CBR: In your interview last week, you mentioned when you were pitching ideas for the X-Men, you thought about what the X-Men line needed. Specifically, what do you think has been missing from the line over the last several years?

Jonathan Hickman: Well, that's a super loaded question.

I can assure you that what hasn't been missing is talent. A lot of very good creators have worked on these books, and in the previous decade I was at Marvel, many of them were good friends of mine. You can certainly make the argument that when Bendis was writing the books he was doing interesting stuff and was working with a murderer's row of artist -- I honestly can't remember when the X-line has looked better than that. But I remember the day he quit those books, and why, and it's important to keep in mind that a lot of this job of ours is alchemy, not chemistry.

Sometimes the company's interests lie in other places. Sometimes your timing is bad and the market conspires against you. Sometimes the real world gets in the way of how a story is perceived. Sometimes competitors knock one out of the park and eat all the oxygen in the room. These are things it takes a colossal amount of effort, time, and money to control.

There, of course, are factors you can control, and one I think about a lot is value.

I don't know if you've been paying attention to what Tomm Coker and I have been doing over at Image on The Black Monday Murders, but we started experimenting with larger issues at a higher price point. We'd do an issue with 30 pages of comic art and 20-30 pages of data that supports the story and what we found was 1.) it provided a much denser read -- there was way more meat on the bone compared to a normal monthly comic, and 2.) because all the data was interspersed throughout the book it had an asymmetrical read that changed the normal monthly comic reading rhythms.

And by that last bit I mean that if you are reading a 20 page comic, you know what's happening on page 19. You've consumed enough pop culture that you're not going to really be surprised when you turn that page. I mean, you might be, but you certainly saw something coming. Doing the books the other way changes all of that. The reader gets lost in the dueling sections. It's really interesting.

Anyway, I bring that up because it's what we're doing with House of X and Powers of X. I know for the first issues of both the solicits say 40 pages / $5.99 but that's incorrect. The books are bigger than that because if we can provide good value, then it increases our odds the book will be judged solely on 'is it good?' And that's a challenge we're eager to undertake.

Oh, I should also probably note that we're working with designer Tom Muller on the data pages. Very excited about that. Muller's got some serious game.

Let's go back a few months to the Mark Brooks promo art for House of X and Powers of X. It contained a good number of recognizable mutants, both heroes and villains, but a few new ones stand out. Most notably, there are two characters -- a man and woman -- who appear to be combinations of different X-Men characters all merged together.

The woman has metallic skin like Colossus, is holding Magik's Soulsword and has pigtails like Dani Moonstar. The man has Nightcrawler's body, but red skin. Both appear on the cover of Powers of X #1. Can you shed some insight into what is taking place with these characters? Are we interpreting things correctly by assuming those are familiar X-Men who have undergone some radical changes, or are they all-new characters?

JH: I feel like you're using the royal 'we' there, and I'm not sure how down I am with your aristocratic bent.

I will tell you that 'we' are not telling an Alt-Universe story.

The House of X art also shows the revived Charles Xavier, presumably from Charles Soule's run on Astonishing X-Men, alongside Cyclops, Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), Magneto and Wolverine. Their costumes come from different eras of X-Men history, especially Jean Grey's -- are we looking at Xavier plucking X-Men from different eras for his master plan for mutantkind, or do they simply signify the five most recognizable figures in the X-Men franchise?

JH: I'm not telling a story that deals with time travel.

The plant-like object they're stepping through on the HOX #1 cover is also seen in some of the interior preview pages. For example, we see Jean walking through it with a group of young mutants. There is also a significant amount of plant life on the POX #2 cover. Without going too heavily into spoilers, what can you tell us about this? Is Krakoa a member of your X-Men team?

JH: Okay, so this is the third question in a row that I'm ducking because I'm just not going to spoil the story for everyone who's looking forward to reading it.

Back in the day I absolutely would have, I think. When I first started doing this I honestly wouldn't shut up. I wanted to talk about 'my process', and what I hoped to accomplish in an issue, and then when the book came out I wanted to point out what everything meant just to make sure the reader knew exactly how clever I was. It was awful.

I remember I was at a show and a fan came up to me and told me about this elaborate theory they had about what I had meant in an issue of, I dunno, I think it was Fantastic Four. Anyway, I remember how crushed this person was when I told them that their theory was wrong and why. I mean, this dude was wrecked, and all I could think was, 'Why did I do that?'

Because I remember when I was kid, I used to do the same thing, I'd read the book and imagine where the story went, or what happened to that side character, or what the author was really talking about. And I think that's something we've lost in the intersection of 'behind the scenes' and 'community opinion.'

So I don't do that anymore. I feel like it's my job to tell the story. Then I give that story to you. And after that, whether you love it or hate it, my sole job is not screwing up that experience for you. Because it's yours.

Anyway, that's how you duck a question.

Have you come across any X-Men in your writing that have turned out to be far more intriguing to work on than you originally thought? And can we expect to be introduced to a lot of new mutants during the dual miniseries, or just a few?

JH: Generally, I don't like to make up a bunch of new characters when I take over a book at Marvel. Sure, there are times when a story I'm telling needs a certain something and I have to, but for the most part, I kind of want to write the pre-existing characters.

That's especially true with X-Men because there are already so many of them and, well, I've waited my whole life to write Goldballs.

We now know the current X-Men line will end right before HOX and POX launch. How closely did you work with Marvel to synchronize the ending points for books like Uncanny X-Men, Age of X-Man, etc.? Were there any notes provided to the creative teams on where you needed characters like Cyclops, Wolverine, etc. to be before HOX and POX kick off?

JH: When the decision was made that everything was going to wrap before we did House of X and Powers of X, the big question was what to do with the books leading up to July. Leaving the schedule open was never a serious consideration as, you know, Marvel prides themselves on their editors having a job to do and the company actually publishing comics. So, after some back-and-forth, knowing what I had planned, Jordan and the writers put together a mix of very intriguing stories and series, and outside of a few extremely minor things, no one was given story beats to hit, or departure points, and I personally didn't give anyone notes. Both House of X and Powers of X start in a really clean place. So those lead-up books had a very particular mandate, which was basically, ‘just go nuts, swing away, and knock it out of the park.'

I do want to add that I am a little disappointed that some people are saying the work that's been done -- that the stories that have been told -- don't matter because I'm doing my thing after that. Personally, I think what matters when you buy a book, or say, see a movie, is did you enjoy it? If the answer is yes, then it was worth it. If the answers no, then it wasn't worth it.

That might be facile, but it's how I feel.

As someone who was very pleased to see you bring Cannonball and Sunspot into the Avengers fold during your popular run, can we look forward to you bringing them home now that you'll be working on the X-Men?

JH: I won't be bringing them home.

Marvel and Jonathan Hickman Unveil Plans for 'Whole New Era' of X-Men

ComicBook.com: This summer, everything will change for the X-Men when Jonathan Hickman makes his return to Marvel Comics. It begins with House of X and Powers of X, two six-issue miniseries. Based on our interview with Hickman, these miniseries set up a bold new era that will redefine the X-Men for years to come.

So, you're back at Marvel? How'd that happen?

Jonathan Hickman: Well, I was sitting in a LA hotel room a year-and-a-half ago and I got a call from Dan Buckley asking me to consider holding on some other projects until he had a chance to make me an offer. I, of course, said 'of course' as both he and Marvel have been good to me over the years.

So, we got on the phone and talked about a lot of things: What I'd like to do if I came back, what he'd like for me to do, and some vertically-integrated opportunities at the company that were not available when I was there last.

And then, he basically told me that my mandate if I came back would be to just 'try things.' Which on top of everything he'd already said made it a pretty attractive proposition.

Obviously, I accepted.

And this led to X-Men?

JH: Yeah. I mean, I threw out quite a few ideas I had for other books, but X-Men was the bigger, more timely, idea. It was certainly the one I was most excited about.

So, I thought about what I wanted to do, and more importantly, what I thought the line needed, and then I flew up to the Marvel offices and pitched all of senior editorial what I had in mind. We met for a while, fought a little bit, then I went back home and polished everything up, and then, about a year ago, I presented the entirety of it at a Marvel retreat. Which went well.

We have been working hard on it ever since then.

Did you always want to introduce this next era for the X-Men with House of X and Powers of X? How did this idea start for you?

JH: Okay, so, for the most part, I don't believe incrementalism works in fictional universes, and that, I think, is why almost every big franchise change that occurs has a delineated starting point. I mean, it does work, which is why the industry often abuses it as a sales tactic.

And in the spirit of 'what works' and also 'what the market is used to', I didn't feel like just doing a new number one was enough. I also didn't think that if we were serious about what we were trying to do we should have a mixed message in the market about what an X-book is.

So I argued for cancelling the entire line: Why it would work, why it was a good idea, and most importantly, why it was what we needed to do narratively to return the X-Men to their rightful prominent position in the Marvel Universe.

We needed to sell the idea that this is what we're going to be doing for the next few years. So if you want to read X-Men books during the run from late-July through September, House of X and Powers of X are the only new X-books available and everything that's going to follow is based on them. We wanted to be clear to the fans, to the stores, and just as importantly, to the creators who are going to be staffing these books in the future. We wanted the message to be very clear: This is a whole new era for the X-Men. This is what we're doing now.

And so, POX and HOX is how we're starting. It's a solid plan, I think.

You’ve said that fans will need to pick up both House of X and Powers of X to get the full story. Can you go into any more detail on how they relate? Why two six-issue series instead of one 12-issue series?

JH: Well, there's a practical element to all this, which is we only wanted one artist on each series. And based on the timeline, that wouldn't be possible with a higher issue count because we only had, roughly, a nine-month production window. So in my head, one single narrative was never an option.

But honestly, that really never was a concern because, in the same manner as when I was working on FF/F4 and Avengers/New Avengers, the format is basically two stories about one story.

One, House of X, is a story about a pivotal month in the history of the X-men where everything changes for mutants on Earth. And the other, Powers of X, is a story about the history of mutants in the Marvel Universe. It works as a series of reveals and revelations where each issue of HOX that follows POX -- and vice versa -- makes you reinterpret the issue you had previously read.

And then, obviously, at the end they crash together in a way that propels us forward into a new X-Universe.

What should fans expect from these two series?

JH: Big X-Men things. Some cool new ideas. A lot of your favorite mutants. Definitely some killer art, as Pepe and R.B. are doing an incredible job.

How prominent is the mutant metaphor in your take on the X-Men? Is that something you’re leaning into, or are you leaning more towards to sci-fi elements of the X-Men’s mythology?

JH: If by 'sci-fi elements' you mean some basic evolutionary biology, a little genetic homogeny, a lot of contact linguistics or, you know, how mutants bend the Kardashev scale, then sure. We'll be doing all that stuff.

As to the other, I'm not sure how you get away from doing metaphor when you're writing X-books. I suppose that, narratively, the problem nowadays is interpretation. Are we talking about a stand-in for marginalized groups, or the metaphor simply being a substitution of the word 'different' for 'special', or is the real modern complication atomization? Where everything is segmented to such a degree that there are no stories which mean something to everyone. Where the psychological expectation is something catered, or personalized.

I suspect that last bit also has a lot to do with why we've been in a nostalgic feedback loop for quite a while. Where everyone is telling X-Men stories about other X-Men stories.

With all that in mind, I think I have a pretty good idea of how to move all of this forward. Hopefully I'll get it right.

While we know you can’t share too much, can you share any details around this new direction of what’s happening in the X-Universe? Are there plans after House of X and Powers of X?

JH: At the conclusion of our 12 weeks of HOX and POX, we'll be launching an entire new universe of X-books. Some will be traditional fare, some carry through on ideas presented in HOX and POX. Some books are completely new concepts. I, personally, will be writing the ongoing flagship X-book.

Now, we're already in production on all of these 'Wave 1' books and our plan at this moment is to introduce the titles, creative teams, and publishing details around SDCC, which is a week before HOX #1 goes on sale.

We also just finished our plans for our 'Wave 2' books that will debut in 2020 and we're getting ready to hire talent for those.

It's pretty exciting, and this kind of long-term planning is one of the benefits of knowing what direction you're headed for the next few years.

Throughout their history, the X-Men have been depicted varying as a superhero team, a family, a school faculty, outlaws, and mutant law enforcement. How do you describe your version of the X-Men?

JH: Oh, I think the X-Men is about finding the family that you never knew you had. One that accepts you for who you are, who loves you at your best and worst, and who shares your dreams for what the world can be.

You know, everybody wants to love somebody, everyone wants to be loved, and it's pretty great when you find both. Especially if you're, say, a weirdo mutant with eyeballs covering your whole body.

Marvel Comics Announces Historic X-Men Milestone with 'House of X' and 'Powers of X'

Marvel.com: After weeks of speculation from comic book fans around the world, Marvel revealed the next monumental chapter for the X-Men during this year’s Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo. During Marvel’s Next Big Thing Panel, critically-acclaimed creator Jonathan Hickman announced two new series: HOUSE OF X and POWERS OF X, beginning this July!

Ever since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced the X-Men, fans everywhere have followed the extraordinary stories of the X-Men through seminal moments like GIANT-SIZE X-MEN, 1991’s X-MEN #1, AGE OF APOCALYPSE, and NEW X-MEN. Each of these moments introduced a new era for mutantkind—and starting this summer, the world will experience the next seminal moment in the history of the X-Men with HOUSE OF X and POWERS OF X.

“We are excited to have Jon back with the Marvel family, and we could not have asked for a better creative team to help usher the X-Men into a whole new era,” says Marvel Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski. “While we can’t reveal too much about the story just yet, these new stories will redefine the X-Men and their place in the Marvel Universe. This is a historic moment both new and passionate fans won’t want to miss.”

These two new series—written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Pepe Larraz, R.B. Silva, and colorist Marte Garcia—will build from every major X-Men milestone since 1963 up through the current X-Men series and storylines fans know and love, including some of our most iconic characters from over the decades. Each series will be released on an alternate weekly schedule, starting with HOUSE OF X, followed by POWERS OF X. Fans will be able to follow along each week this summer and witness history unfold.

HOUSE OF X and POWERS OF X will go on sale this July!

Uncanny X-Men #8 Art

Uncanny X-Men #5 Art

Uncanny X-Men #5 Preview

Uncanny X-Men #5
Written by: Ed Brisson, Matthew Rosenberg, Kelly Thompson
Art by: R.B. Silva
Cover by: Elizabeth Torque

The Story:
The Children of the Atom Are Back!
Psylocke vs. Angel?!

In Stores: December 12, 2018

 

Uncanny X-Men #2 Art

#XMenMonday Previews 'Uncanny X-Men'

Uncanny X-Men #5 by R.B. Silva

Uncanny X-Men #6 by Yildiray Cinar

Uncanny X-Men #7 by R.B. Silva

Uncanny X-Men #10 by Pere Perez

Uncanny X-Men #2 Preview

Uncanny X-Men #2

Written by: Ed Brisson, Matthew Rosenberg, Kelly Thompson

Art by: R.B. Silva

Cover by: Leinil Francis Yu & Edgar Delgado

The Story:

The Children of the Atom Are Back!

New ongoing series kicking off with a 10-part weekly epic, the flagship X-Men series that started it all is back and better than ever! Starting with a mysterious and tragic disappearance, the X-Men are drawn into what might be…their final adventure?! X-Fan favorite writers Ed Brisson (Extermination), Matthew Rosenberg (Phoenix Resurrection) and Kelly Thompson (MR. & MRS. X) and all-star artists Mahmud Asrar (X-Men Red), R.B. Silva (X-Men Blue), Yildiray Cinar (Weapon X) and Pere Pérez (Rogue and Gambit) join forces to bring you…X-Men Disassembled?!

In Stores: November 21, 2018