Zub, Silas & Cebulski On Hunt for Wolverine’s Madripoor Mystery

CBR spoke with Jim Zub, Thony Silas, and Marvel Editor-in-chief, C.B. Cebulski, about Hunt for Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor, which sends Rogue, Storm, Psylocke, Domino and Jubilee to Madripoor to investigate rumors that Wolverine has returned from the dead. It’s a story that will bring them face to face with new and old villains, and force them to confront and reevaluate their memories of their beloved teammate.

CBR: It looks like Mystery in Madripoor, along with the other one-shots and miniseries that make up the Hunt For Wolverine event, are designed to appeal to longtime fans of Logan and the X-Men.

C.B. Cebulski: Uncanny X-Men was the first comic I ever read and I’ve been a fan for life. These stories really being back the adventure, intrigue and emotional connections that longtime X-heads like me all know and love. And I can assure you, there will be surprises… both new and old. All the Hunt For Wolverine series each contain shocking moments that are sure to leave readers’ heads spinning.

Jim, Mystery in Madripoor is part of the overall Hunt for Wolverine storyline, so will it give you a chance to really dive into and explore Logan’s psyche? Or is this more of a tale about the legacy of Wolverine and what he means to your cast?

Jim Zub: Each Hunt For Wolverine miniseries has a different approach. Mystery In Madripoor is definitely about the relationships Logan has had with many of the X-Women over the years. Kitty Pryde leads a team to the infamous Island of Ill-Repute to follow up on clues they have for the whereabouts of Logan’s body, but it ends up being a trip into unexpected parts of their own pasts as well.

Storm and Domino are two very different types of heroes who have been comrades of Wolverine, and in romantic relationships with him. What does this mission mean for them? What’s it like bouncing these characters off of each other?

Zub: Deep-diving into the emotional content and memories these characters have of Logan and the connection they’ve had with him is a big part of this story, absolutely. Storm has seen Logan grow from a hair-trigger animalistic killer to an honorable warrior and teacher. Domino first met Logan in his wild days, but they’ve both changed and that’s one of the things we dig into here. Accumulated scars. Tough memories and lessons learned.

Every character in Mystery In Madripoor has such a strong personality. Playing them off each other, especially during such a tense mission full of twists and turns, is an absolute blast.

You’re pretty familiar with Rogue in her role as an Avenger, having written her in Uncanny Avengers and the current “No Surrender” event, but what’s it like writing her in the world of the X-Men? And have you written Psylocke before? What do you find most interesting about Betsy Braddock?

Zub: I loved writing Rogue as an Avenger, but having her back in her X-element has been wonderful. There’s a reason why she’s kept that “X” on her costume. It’s her home. That said, being home with the people who know you best isn’t always a pleasant experience. In issue #1 Rogue’s going to discover something Logan kept from her, something from her past. That little unspoken nugget is something she never wanted confirmed and she’ll need to deal with it.

Psylocke has the most to lose in Mystery In Madripoor and this story is going to leave its mark upon her. Betsy’s inner thoughts open our first issue and, through her, we’ll gain insight into the other team members on this mission.

Jubilee went through a lot in the recent Generation X series where she regained her humanity. So what’s your sense of the character? How’s she dealing with the return of Logan when you pick up with her?

Zub: Jubilee very much wants to get things back to “normal”, whatever normal is for an X-Man, and this mission, searching for an old friend and causing trouble along the way, is very much what she needs. She’s all sass, but that attitude is a defensive mechanism and she’s going to be put in a tough spot.

Thony, Which of the cast have you especially enjoyed drawing?

Thony Silas: I think Psylocke is one the most important characters of the book, so I’m taking a more careful look at her, but Rogue has always been my favorite X-Woman. I can say that it has been very enjoyable to draw them both.

I imagine the cast is part of the big fun of this series, but another enjoyable element has got to be the setting you’re sending them to. What do you enjoy most about Madripoor?

Zub: Madripoor is a classic “city of sin,” with exotic visuals, larger than life characters, and shadowy corners. It’s the perfect place to take chances, be bold, get sexy, change your identity, or hide a body, and we’ll be doing all of those things in this miniseries.

Silas: I see Madripoor as a darker city than has been shown, but that still keeps its many colored lights. If have a place that hides so many secrets, it needs more shadows. I’m putting more contrast into some night scenes.

Thony, what else can you tell us about the style and tone of your art for Mystery in Madripoor? How does it compare to your recent work on the X-Men Blue and X-Men Gold books?

Silas: I’d say there’s something new on the way. My work on X-Men Blue and X-Men Gold was a road and evolution for that moment. I was doing short fill-in jobs and in this project I was able to think bigger and produce a visual concept. It’s been an exciting experience to say the least.

Another big difference is having great characters in the game, a good context for the series and brilliant writer. In short we have the beginning of one of the main miniseries about one of the most iconic characters in the Marvel Universe, so, all this tells me to do more and be better.

There’s a lot of mystery in this book, but when I read Jim Zub’s fantastic scripts they took me on a real and exciting trip to the ’90s. It wasn’t just to review things though. I thought about Wolverine through each character and the experiences each of them have with him. So there is a strong touch of deep, violent and beautiful nostalgia. I think these words are sort of the defining characteristics of this miniseries, or at least the first issue.

Zub: Thony understands how important this miniseries is, and the mixture of big emotion/big action at the center of it. The artwork he’s been sending in so far is career-making stuff, a sweet mix of elegant and bad ass I think X-fans are going to eat up.

In addition, Thony has been sketching up redesigns of some unexpected villains who haven’t been around for quite a while and I think these new outfits will become their standard look going forward. They’re sleek and modern-looking without getting too far away from their super villainous roots.

Can you leave us with some more hints about some of the supporting players and antagonists your cast will interact with as Mystery in Madripoor unfolds?

Zub: With six powerful X-Men on the hunt and a mixture of new and old villains with big secrets and bigger plans close by, it doesn’t take long for things to explode in Madripoor. Logan provides constant inspiration and nostalgia for our team, but at each stage their memories of Wolverine are confronted by new information or unexpected turns.

The X-Men on this mission are intent on finding Magneto and he seems to be keeping something big from them. At the same time, Viper will appear for the first time since Secret Empire and she’s been busy recruiting some new allies…

I’m hoping Mystery In Madripoor will keep people guessing right up until the end. Once it’s all over I want readers to look back and wonder how they made it through the whirlwind because it is going to be a wild ride.

Silas: I’ve been dreaming of this day since I was playing around with the X-Men books, and this is definitely the project of my dreams. I’m doing my best to put all my energy, strength and beauty here. I hope you guys enjoy the miniseries.