Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Mandripoor #4 Spoiler Variant Cover Step by Step by Terry Dodson

Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Madripoor #4 Spoiler Variant by Terry Dodson

Disclaimer: The Spoiler Variant Cover for Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor #4 started making the rounds. The cover art by Terry Dodson was released today by Previews World and Forbidden Planet.

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

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

X-Men #9 Preview

X-Men #9

Writer: Brian Wood

Art and Cover by: Terry Dodson

The Story:

Muertas, Part 3!

• Lady Deathstrike’s new Sisterhood set their sights on the X-Men, and Psylocke is in the crosshairs!

• A foe awakens... and neither team might be able to handle her!

In Stores: January 22, 2014

X-Men #9 Advanced Preview

X-Men #8 Preview

X-Men #8

Writer: Brian Wood

Art & Cover by: Terry Dodson

• Lady Deathstrike is building an all-new empire and the X-Men will be her calling card!

• Without her tech, Karima struggles to remember who she was.

• And introducing… Monet!

Lady Deathstrike Returns With Surprising New Allies in X-Men

Newsarama spoke with Brian Wood shortly after X-Men #7 was released, talking about future plans for the book and his thoughts on this newly recruited Sisterhood.

Newsarama: X-Men kicked off a new arc last month with #7’s “Muertas,” featuring the return of a dead villain as well as a X-Men alum. First off, Lady Deathstrike – what drew you to her?

 Brian Wood: Sort of a process of elimination mixed with some personal interest. We needed a villain, a big one, and I wanted it to be someone who could be a constant presence in the book, not just for an arc. But like a villain in the old school sense, that reappears frequently. I ran down a list of potentials that I thought seemed cool, editorial did checking on their end, and we ended up with a new Sisterhood with Lady Deathstrike at the helm.

Nrama: And I have to ask about this great way to bring about the return of a character thought dead – being hosted in another body by way of a seemingly digital download of her consciousness. Writing superhero comics I’m sure the issue of bringing back “dead” characters is one you have to deal with more often than in other forms of fiction, so can you talk about this way to re-introduce her – and do it with this new Columbian, almost Dia De Los Muertos design?

Wood: Yeah, there's always lot of dead characters and, weirdly, an awful lot of disembodied consciousnesses. In the case of Lady Deathstrike, she needed a new body to inhabit and I wanted to switch it up and give her a new look, not just a copy of what she was before. It's safe to say, without spoiling anything, that this can come to no good, this notion of two personalities in the same body, so no one is going to assume this is a permanent change. But it’s what's going on right now. The Day Of The Dead look I've loved ever since Fiona Staples did that amazing cover for DV8 #2, and I guess its stuck in my head since then.

Nrama: Another return in this issue is Monet. We talked about her briefly before, but seeing you now writing her in this issue and she leaps off the page. How do you view her as a character, and what are you aiming for when you write her?

Wood: A few things.... I find it a big challenge to write these "perfect" characters, in the sense of these perfectly powered, perfect looking superheroes. Where do you find the faults, or how do you threaten them? And how do they handle failure? It's also going to be fun to write some Monet vs. Jubilee moments. I can only imagine the despair Jubilee feels seeing Monet breeze through those doors. High school all over again.

Nrama: I wanted to ask about that – you wrote both of them inGeneration X, and they have a bit of history. How would you describe what’s going on between them?

Wood: I'm build it up over time, but at the start its sort of a revisit of the old Gen X sass, the snarky comments back and forth, a sort of rivalry of peers. But Jubilee's changed [Newsarama Note: She’s now a mother via adoption – oh, and a Vampire with no mutant powers], as has Monet [Newsarama Note: She died, and was brought back to life by Strong Guy, who himself undead (and soulless) became a Hell king in order to do the deed], so we'll evolve their relationship as the two start to see each other as who they are now. No longer just students, but serious operators worthy of each other's respect. (Also, sass.)

Nrama: The returning Lady Deathstrike originally came to the Jean Grey School to get Karima, but she soon discovers something even more alluring – Arkea. Can you say what she wants out of it?

Wood: I'm enjoying writing Lady Deathstrike as a body modification junkie. I guess she always was, but I'm speaking plainly about it... she has this new body and wants to jack it up as much as she can, to try and regain her former edge and the feeling she's used to. What is Arkea if not the absolute very ultimate in body mod upgrades? She's so into it that she'll brush off the warning signs.

Nrama: And to help her in this new quest, the final page reveal shows she’s recruited another storied Marvel villainess – Typhoid Mary. Typhoid Mary’s almost exclusively known for her Daredevil stories, so what led to her being brought in here?

Wood: In the 90's one of the first comics I bought was this John Van Fleet Typhoid Mary series, and it was great, the images have really stuck with me.

Nrama: That was in 1995, Typhoid written by Ann Nocenti and drawn by Van Fleet.

Wood: Right. And I could see some benefit to looking for villains outside the typical pool that is drawn from. Of course, she's a mutant, so it all makes sense.

Nrama: And this Sisterhood is more than just a duo; from the advance solicits we know another member being added, the Asgardian Enchantress, Amora. What can you say about her inclusion?

Wood: Pretty much the same as with Mary, looking for new villains and new threats to bring to X-Men. I am terminally jealous of any writer that gets to write the Norse stuff, so I was personally eager to tap into it here. Coming up in a future issue we have a fight scene between Amora and Monet, which is a pretty intense clash.

Nrama: This issue says “Muertas” is a six part arc, but that’s now split in half with X-Men #10 starting a new arc titled “Dead.” Was this decision based just on the artist change from Terry Dodson to Kris Anka, or something else?

Wood: The second arc is called “Ghosts.” It’s a bit of everything, really... the artist was changing, and #10 fits in well with a big “All-New Marvel NOW” push. But despite that, these two arcs still form a whole, the story is continued from one to the other in a way that's pretty seamless.

Nrama: I want to step back and talk big picture. Looking over your work at Marvel, I’ve noticed that you’ve exclusively worked on the X titles; from Generation X back in the day to your current run with X-Men. Is that more your instigation, or what Marvel’s offered you? What’s your fascination with the X-Men side of the Marvel U?

Wood: When I approached Marvel following my DC expulsion, the X-Men office is where it seemed like I would feel most at home, I guess having worked there in the past. I was pretty happy with that, and to be honest is the part of the Marvel U that I know the best. I also like Thor, and Daredevil, so maybe in the future I'll venture out. But for now I'm 100% content with the X-Men. I hope to write them for a really long time.

X-Men #7 Art

X-Men #8 Advanced Preview

SDCC: Wood & Dodson Team-Up For The Return Of Lady Deathstrike

CBR: "X-Men" will join "Uncanny X-Men" and "All-New X-Men" for the time traveling crossover event "Battle of the Atom." And once the crossover wraps in Issue #6, Brian Wood begins a new arc with the addition of artist Terry Dodson. Wood spoke with Comic Book Resources about his next arc, which is highlighted by the return of Lady Deathstrike, and his plans to continue with the all-female lineup.

CBR News: "X-Men" and "Star Wars" fans are among some of the hardest to please, and you've taken on both. Did you intentionally set out to take on some of the most critical fans in comics? Have you been pleased with the reception for "X-Men" thus far?

Brian Wood: As it turns out, "Conan" fans are the most troublesome to please! I think "X-Men" fans get the worst rep, but in my experience, it's been fine. Wonderful at times, really. But no, when I took on these jobs it wasn't anticipating the worst, just felt they were jobs too good to pass up. Relaunching marquee titles like "X-Men," "Star Wars" and "Conan" and all in the same year -- it's been a writer's dream.

Lady Deathstrike is slated to be the new villain in your next arc, along with the New Sisterhood, and the current "X-Men" team is primarily female. Do you intend to keep the all-female lineup into the next arc?

Yes, there's no plans or even any intentions to add a male character to the lineup. As you can see already from the issues that have come out, men are present in the book, and in pivotal roles. I don't expect anything to change as far as that goes. And just because the next set of villains is the Sisterhood, that's not to say the next one after won't be male. It might be.

In the Ultimate Universe, Lady Deathstrike had a big grudge against Storm. Will that characterization carry over to this incarnation?

I don't plan on using anything from the Ultimate universe, but if there's any one thing that Lady Deathstrike is all about, it's holding a grudge. And exacting revenge. I think as far as that goes, Lady Deathstrike would look at the X-Men and see a target-rich environment, as the saying goes.

Your "X-Men" seems to have this timeless feel that is neither adhering to nor blatantly rewriting the character's continuity. It feels classic and modern at the same time, and I haven't seen any direct tie-ins to the other X-books yet. Is there any crossover planned beyond the big event in Bendis' X-books? Do you feel any editorial pressure to work within the other X-stories?

Yeah, "X-Men" is a part of the "Battle Of The Atom" event storyline. Issues #5 and 6 will be a part of that. I was flattered, actually, to be incl

uded in the event since it's only a few titles participating and I think it sends a strong message that "X-Men" is a book that 'matters' (in the comic book sense of the word), and is worth following.

And I'm glad you said the timeless thing -- when we were developing the series, my goal was to create an "X-Men" book that felt classic and timeless but without feeling retro, or too heavily keying into past events. Based on the reaction, I think we're achieving that.

David Lopez & Terry Dodson Rejoin the X-Men

Marvel: Debuting on May 29, Brian Wood's X-MEN has already gotten fans talking and readers ready for the team's next stage of evolution.

The team consists of heavy-hitters Storm, Psylocke, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Rachel Grey and Jubilee, a roster that's being brought to life in the opening arc by artist Olivier Coipel.

X-MEN #4 adds artist David Lopez to the title's creative team. Last year he provided pulse-pounding pencils to Wood's dynamic run on X-MEN and he’s also contributed to NEW MUTANTS as well as WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN. Following Lopez in the rotation will be UNCANNY X-MEN stalwart Terry Dodson.

We spoke with Wood about the action-packed artistic future of X-MEN.

Marvel.com: Brian, David Lopez previously collaborated with you on last year's X-MEN series. Was he a shoe-in for inclusion from the get go?

Brian Wood: I think it was always the plan and everyone's intention to bring David in as soon as possible. Certainly for me it was. I love David's work and it clicks just right with my words.

Marvel.com: Both Olivier and David are phenomenal artists who excel at drawing character emotion and action. But what makes them different? Is David's arc a story best suited for David Lopez, and how so?

Brian Wood: I always try and tailor the script to the strengths of the artist, so yeah, I'll have that in mind when I come up with ideas and write the actual scripts for David, just like I did for Olivier, and everyone else I work with. As far as what makes them different—I mean, I generally dislike comparing artists like that, but they are both proven, solid, amazing X-Men artists.

Marvel.com: Your previous run on X-MEN contained equal parts personal drama and high action. Will a similar balance be played out in David's new issues, or will it be heavier on one side?

Brian Wood: Well, ideally, we'll find the right mix. Action and drama is basically what the X-Men is as a concept. But this new series, this is designed to be a very action-heavy book, so what you'll probably see, comparing it to last year's X-MEN, is bigger, badder, and seriously amped up action alongside the drama and the interpersonal stuff. David's up to the task, I know he is!

Marvel.com: When picking artists for X-MEN, what has to be considered? Is there a unifying trait that Olivier, Terry and David all have?

Brian Wood: Being great? [Laughs] That's the most honest answer. Put together like that, this is a dream team. I missed working with Terry way back in 1999 when I came onto GENERATION X just as he was moving off it, and so I'm happy to finally get the chance to work with him.

Marvel.com: Is there one character in particular that each artist seems to have gravitated towards? Does one of their takes on one of the X-Men stand out as particularly exciting?

Brian Wood: It's hard for me to say since it all looks solid to me. I know from talking to Olivier at C2E2 recently that he feels pretty strongly about Storm, and I know David draws a killer Storm from working with him last year. Personally, I'm a big Jubilee fan so she's who I'm looking out for the most. Oh, also, Rogue! In my stories, I'm amping her up a bit, making her a total brawler, and I love how Olivier's drawn her in all these action scenes.

X-Men #1 Variant by Terry Dodson

Uncanny X-Men #538 Art

Psylocke by Terry Dodson, Philip Tan and Whilce Portacio

Sketches from San Diego Comic Con 2010 :]