'Astonishing X-Men' To Have New Artist Each Issue, Beginning with Jim Cheung

Newsamara: The artists drawing the previously-announced Astonishing X-Men relaunch have been revealed. The July-debuting title written by Charles Soule will be illustrated by a new artist in each issue, beginning with Jim Cheung and going on to include Ron Garney, ACO, Phil Noto, Greg Land, and Ramon Rosanas.

"The threat facing our heroes touches on all corners of the X-Men mythology," said Axel Alonso, Marvel's Editor-In-Chief. "So each issue - illustrated by a superstar artist - will dig deep into one of your favorite pieces of X-Men lore, with some eye-popping surprises along the way. The last page of issue one definitely qualifies as one of those, and it's bound to make X-Men fans very happy.”

Astonishing X-Men was originally advertised to begin in June, but it is now scheduled to debut in July according to Marvel.

Charles Soule Headlines 'Astonishing X-Men', Bishop and Fantomex Join

Marvel.com: You asked for it! You got it! The hardest hitting mutants. The biggest villains. The best creators. Marvel is pleased to announce that chart-topping writer Charles Soule (DEATH OF WOLVERINE, INHUMANS VS. X-MEN) will headline the all-new ASTONISHING X-MEN. A new prestigious ongoing series from top-tier creators set to unite some of the most popular, fan-demanded characters in the X-Men mythology for an epic story that will redefine the mutant landscape in the Marvel Universe!

“If you’re going to relaunch a book called ASTONISHING X-MEN, it had better live up to the title,” says Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso. “Charles and his soon-to-be-revealed collaborators are about to unveil a story that touches every corner of the X-Men mythology, and the first issue alone will have massive ramifications for the Children of the Atom. We can’t wait to tell you more about this book.”

Old Man Logan, Archangel, Mystique, Rogue, Gambit, Psylocke and Fantomex. Together, they are the Astonishing X-Men. But what brings this eclectic collection of heroes together? A familiar menace has once again reared its ugly head – reborn, renewed and resurrected. To defeat one of their greatest foes and rescue one of their own, the X-Men’s greatest will assemble for a mission that will take them places you never thought they’d go!

“Other than the occasional line here and there, I haven’t written most of the characters in the Astonishing X-Men lineup before – for me, that’s a fantastic challenge,” shares Soule. “It’s been fun to get into their heads and think about what they all might have going on at this point in their lives. That said, the series is designed as a fresh starting point, so anyone jumping in with [ASTONISHING X-MEN #1] will get everything they need there to follow the story – even if it’s your first X-story.

“The book is designed to tell a very focused, specific story, with a few cool main villains,I’m writing it like a puzzle box, with new layers and reveals opening up every issue. So, you’ll never know exactly where it’s going to go next – but the structure is built in such a way that almost anything from the long, incredible history of the X-Men can pop up. If you think about these characters, they’ve been present or involved for virtually every major era of X history, all the big events. That’ll play a role in a big way.”

As deadly forces await, will the Astonishing X-Men’s first mission also be their last? Find out this July, in the blockbuster ASTONISHING X-MEN #1!

Cullen Bunn's "Uncanny X-Men" To Be Launched in December

According to Axel Alonso, Cullen Bunn's "Uncanny X-Men" featuring a cast of Psylocke, Magneto, Mystique, Sabretooth and Fantomex will only hit the stores in December.

"The big X-Men relaunch kicks off in October with "Extraordinary X-Men" #1 and #2 by Jeff Lemire and Humberto Ramos. It's followed in November by Dennis Hopeless and Mark Bagley's "All-New X-Men" and Tom Taylor and David Lopez's "All-New Wolverine." December will bring Cullen Bunn and Greg Land's "Uncanny X-Men," and then we'll get Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino's "Old Man Logan" in January."

SDCC: Inhumans & Mutants Collide in All-New, All-Different Marvel

CBR: When "All-New, All-Different Marvel" arrives this October, the fates of the Inhumans and the X-Men will be intertwined more than ever before. Paralleling the upcoming plot development, the characters also shared a panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego, taking place towards the end of the day on Thursday.

"That's a mean looking team of X-Men," pointed out Cullen Bunn when the cover for his series, "Uncanny X-Men," popped up on the presentation. "I've been living in the head of Magneto for twenty issues and I couldn't escape. I wanted to put together a team that, really, is upholding Xavier's dream but don't have any business doing so."

"This book invites comparisons to 'Uncanny X-Force,'" said Alonso. "These are a bunch of bad guys. The reformed Sabretooth has a moral compass but he has a problem there."

"Sabretooth is sort of the good guy on the team," said Bunn with a laugh. He said that the roster -- which includes Magneto, Psylocke, Fantomex, Mystique and Sabretooth -- will expand some.

"I feel like when I went into this, I made a list of characters I want to have in 'X-Men,'" said Bunn. "Jeff took Magik and Nightcrawler. He's sort of a miser and a jerk. [laughs] You have to look at the characters that give us the most emotional impact. Certain characters work best with the story I'm trying to tell. You'll see new characters and new takes on existing characters."

A longtime X-Men reader asked how these new ongoings will honor the history of the franchise. "The X-Men mean a lot to me," said Bunn. "The thing me and my dad did together was collect 'Uncanny X-Men.' I love those comics. My dad passed away a few years ago so he didn't get to see this happen. The team in my book is very different from a team you've seen before, but the stories I'm wriitng will reflect that legacy. These characters reflect the things I love about 'Uncanny X-Men.' Characters in a role you haven't seen before, but they will live up to Xavier's dream in a different way."

"Jeff took Nightcrawler and wouldn't give him up," said Bunn. "I knew Jeff's team and the book I was putting together and roster kept changing. One of my rosters at one time had Rachel Grey and Nate Grey on it because I love both those characters. But I really wanted to do a book that could easily be differentiated from what Jeff's doing. This was the team, where we landed with Magneto and this group, these are two different X-books that show different sides of the world."

"There's nothing redundant about these two books," said Alonso. "There's also nothing redundant about the two Wolverine books, which hasn't always been the case."

Axel Alonso and Cullen Bunn on 'Uncanny X-Men'

Axel Alonso shared his thoughts on Uncanny X-Men at his weekly Axel-In-Charge column. Check it out:

Also on the X-Men subject -- Cullen Bunn and Greg Land are on "Uncanny X-Men," but it's a very different Uncanny X-Men than readers are used to, led by Magneto and with other characters primarily known as villains, including Sabretooth and Mystique. What inspired this change in direction in the return of one of Marvel's longest-running titles?

Alonso: The X-Men find themselves in a unique situation after "Secret Wars." They live in a world that not only hates and fears them, but -- thanks to the Terrigen Mists -- is a lot more dangerous. The new Uncanny team is resolved to protect mutants by all means necessary, whatever the cost. What lines are each of these characters willing to cross to save their kind? Well, look at that roster. I mean, they're even more hardcore than the X-Force.

Cullen Bunn, the writer of the upcoming Uncanny X-Men also remarked:

Bunn: Just jumping in real quick. There's not much I can say about the book's direction. I will say this, though. Marvel didn't shove any characters at me. There was no push to make it more like the movies. These characters (and you haven't seen the full roster yet) were my choices. Did I pick some because they were "cool"--yep. I think they will be cool. I think it will be cool to give them some of the direction and continuity they might have lacked. I think it will be cool to explore some of the inter-character dynamics and history of these characters. Anyone who thinks I've forgotten any history of these characters (like Sabretooth trying to gut Psylocke) is fairly far afield. And... yeah... a team like this could very easily tear itself apart. Maybe they will. Is it a strange lineup... you bet! I approached this as a group of characters who (mostly) have no business trying to uphold Xavier's dream... trying to do just that.

When asked about the characters' classic costumes, Bunn replied:

Bunn: Yep.... most recognizable versions on the promo image. That's all.

On Twitter, he said:

Bunn: Greg just went for the most easily recognized costumes in the promo image.

Alonso & Lowe Divorce Marvel's Mutants in X-Men: Regenesis

Rick Remender just tweeted: "None of the changes in other X-books will affect Uncanny X-Force. The stories interconnect but the book and purpose remain." So it looks like X-Force is safe, and it still remains the black ops undercover group book!

With plenty of details still under wraps, Newsarama consulted Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso and X-Men group editor Nick Lowe to get some answers to these questions, and try to get a little bit of a clearer picture of what's in store for the X-Men in the near future.

Nrama: With the announcement today came the "Who Will You Follow?" teaser image. How literal should we be taking it? Is this at all an accurate representation of who is going to end up on which side, or more just a red herring/metaphorical illustration? Then there's the curious matter of Professor X back in a wheelchair, which seems like it must be there for a reason.

Alonso: The “Who Will You Follow?” teaser image is just that: a teaser image. It should not to be taken literally. Professor X’s wheelchair is meant to give the image a classic feel — we’re not putting him back in it. And who’s to say that everyone in that picture will still be alive this September?

Nrama: On the conference call last week, there was talk of how the philosophical split between Cyclops and Wolverine had to be played in a way that both sides had a reasonable argument, without either being clearly "right." Was the same kind of doctrine applied to establishing the direction characters would go in the split? Making sure that both teams were balanced, and not one was too stacked — either in terms of popularity of power sets?

Lowe: As a group we wrestled with this a lot. We had a mini-X-Retreat back in January. We had X-Writers and X-Editorial there working through Schism and its aftermath and a big part of that meeting was who goes where and why. It mainly came down to individual characters and belief systems. Once you know what the philosophical issue is it’ll make a lot more sense. It wasn’t like an NFL general manager or coach decided who to draft or trade to build the strongest team. It’s up to the individual X-Men, not the leaders of each side.

Nrama: And on that note, are there going to be any mutants who either reject the idea of the split entirely, or choose to stay neutral?

Alonso: Given the nature of the split, that would be hard to do.

Nrama: It's natural to hear this news and wonder how the other X-books will be affected. X-Men: Legacy has just started to establish its own team with Rogue, Magneto, Xavier, etc., a dynamic that would seem to be untenable post-Schism. Adjectiveless X-Men and Astonishing have a bit more of a fluid format, but would also seem to be affected greatly. Are we headed for another shift in direction for Legacy? Will all these titles be sticking around?

Lowe: All the X-Books are going to have to react and deal with the status quo coming out of Schism. Mike Carey, who is the bees knees, has some amazing plans all throughout Schism and has really cool ideas on what Legacy is going to be after that. Adjectiveless X-Men will also feel the effects of Schism but will keep its identity as the most Marvel U-ingrained X-Book with lots of ties to the greater universe. Astonishing, well that’s going to be an announcement all to itself. And you didn’t even mention Uncanny X-Force or New Mutants or X-Factor or Generation Hope. They are all going to feel the effects and be changed by Schism.

Nrama: Let's look at Uncanny X-Force, then — we can't imagine that book is going anywhere, but given Wolverine's leadership status on that team, can we intuit from today's news that there will likely be a significant impact on the book?

Lowe: Yep! You’ll see effects there, too. You’ll have to wait a month or two after the rest of the books because Rick and Jerome are still in the middle of the “Dark Angel Saga” saga as well. But both Schism and “Dark Angel Saga” will change that book in big ways.

X-Men Schism Teaser

 CBR: Marvel releases a new Schism teaser drawn by Alan Davis with a message from EIC Axel Alonso. 

Axel Alonso Named Marvel Editor-in-Chief

CBR: In an unexpected change to start the new year, Marvel Comics today announced that longtime editor Axel Alonso has been promoted to the position of Editor-in-Chief, replacing Joe Quesada in the job. After an over ten-year run at the helm of the company's publishing, Quesada will continue in his role as Chief Creative Officer for Marvel Entertainment.

Why is this important to us? Because Axel Alonso's favorite character is Psylocke!

John Barber: "Axel is a big Psylocke fan. He’s been wanting to get her into the book for a long time."
(X-Position: X-Editors, December 2008)

Nick Lowe: "[Psylocke popping up in a lot of places] It's definitely intentional and you have one man to thank for it - Axel Alonso. He loves Psylocke even more than Warren Worthington and CB Cebulski do… and that's saying a lot!"
(X-Position: Nick Lowe, November 2009)

Nick Lowe: "Axel loves Psylocke – plain and simple. He just loves her. So that's pretty much why she's there [in Uncanny X-Force]."
(X-Position: Nick Lowe, October 2010)

Axel Alonso: "At the X-Men summits, Gambit, Hellion and my personal favorite Psylocke always come up in discussion. I mean, I love Psylocke and I love Mystique – I would love to do a substantial series featuring them as leads, but before I do, I've got to know I can really deliver the goods."
(Cup 'O Joe: Marvel T&A, November 2010)

Axel Alonso is also the man behind 5 Ronin -- Out of all Marvel female characters, Psylocke was the one chosen to be part of it. Let's hope this unexpected change means more good things for Betsy Braddock.

Marvel T&A: All Axel Alonso

CBR News is back again to present an open and honest Q&A with Marvel Comics Vice President Executive Editor Axel Alonso while his partner in comics Tom Brevoort has off – the feature we like to call MARVEL T&A! A comic industry veteran with a style his own and a record for rule-breaking, Alonso has plenty to share on his own including details on the ins and outs of the X-Men line!

With Mike Carey's plan for "Age of X," how removed will the book be from the rest of the line. With an alternate future, it can always stand on its own, but are there ways in which "Uncanny" will affect that story or maybe that story will kick back and affect what's coming in "Uncanny?"

Alonso: "Age of X" started as an idea Mike Carey had for an arc of "X-Men: Legacy" that would feature the various generations of X-Men: the Second Genesis, the New Mutants, Generation X and so on. But as the story developed, we knew we had something bigger and even more exciting on our hands than just an X-Men team-up. We had an event. "Age of X" brings you the full cast of the X-Universe in a sci-fi/mystery/thriller story that makes full use of the best parts of their mythology. It's widescreen action, intrigue, and your favorite bits of X-Men continuity rolled into one against a backdrop the likes of which you've never seen.

Without giving anything way, I'll just say: the "Age of X" isn't an alternate future, it's an alternate present, and one that isn't necessarily far removed from our regular continuity. While the storyline is very tight and can't reflect events transpiring concurrently in the other X-titles, you will definitely see effects spilling over from "Age of X" into other titles in the future.

What was the piece of the hook that brought your attention to "Age of X?" Just this core idea of "The X-Men if they'd never been the X-Men?"

Alonso: Yeah. As simple as that.

One book that's really gotten a strong response of late has been "Uncanny X-Force," and I understand the upcoming second arc will involve Deathlok, who is a character people don't immediately connect to the X-Books although he does fit the black ops mold of that particular title. Who decided to bring him in, and what kind of role will he play as the series moves through its first year?

Alonso: Rick Remender really dug what Jason Aaron did with Deathlok over in "Wolverine: Weapon X" and saw the potential to revisit that character and his world in the pages of "Uncanny X-Force." And the hook is insane! The story starts in issue #5, out in February. Cover artist Esad Ribic is penciling it, and the pages will blow people away. Trust me when I say, Deathlok is a perfect fit for this book, this team.

Carey and Alonso Talk "Age of X"

Via Facebook, Mike Carey confirmed that Psylocke should appear in the upcoming Age of X storyline: "Psylocke is in the mix."

X-Books main editor, Axel Alonso also talks about Age of X and declares Psylocke as his favorite character:

One of the next big pieces of Marvel that has been hitting hard on this week is the teaser for "Age of X." It's a book where you're keeping some things close to the vest, but from the characters involved, it seems like Mike Carey is running the show here, breaking out some characters and threads that have been building with "Legacy" for a while. Axel, how has this story been an outgrowth of Mike's work, and how will it hook up with the rest of the X-line?

Alonso: This is an instance where a writer – Mike Carey – had an idea big enough that his editor – Daniel Ketchum – thought we should huddle up to discuss it. Upon review, David Gabriel and I realized we were looking at a tight and focused event, more along the lines of "Curse of the Mutants" than, say, "Second Coming." It's a big story, but it doesn't cut across lot of titles and it definitely won't outstay its welcome.

Another standout character from the "Age of X" cast is Hellion, whose inclusion reminded me how more often than almost any other characters, the cast of "New X-Men" get asked after on the boards. They're very popular with some fans, and I wondered, both in this case specifically and in general, how much that groundswell interest affects how you look at bringing back certain characters or ideas and how the writers decide who to play with.

Alonso: We pay close attention to the fact that there are people that want to see Hellion in his own series. It means there's passion for the character. That said, we don't want to trot something out there unless we think we can find an audience. I mean, there's a lot of folks out there that clamor for Westerns – myself, included – but that doesn't mean they burn up the sales charts. [Laughter] At the X-Men summits, Gambit, Hellion and my personal favorite Psylocke always come up in discussion. I mean, I love Psylocke and I love Mystique – I would love to do a substantial series featuring them as leads, but before I do, I've got to know I can really deliver the goods.

The Next Big Thing: Uncanny X-Force

Marvel.com: Rick Remender and Axel Alonso discuss Wolverine’s new killer squad and their plan to take down Apocalypse

• Apocalypse

Remender: "He doesn't come alone; when Apocalypse comes, you also have the Horsemen and the Akkaba Society. I think we've got something totally unique planned for the character, something that puts a unique dilemma on X-Force as well. We've got some very exciting things to be revealed."

• Apocalypse as a child?

Remender: "If that's Apocalypse that will add some tension to the team; discovering that their target's a boy gives a different side of the Hope/Bishop dynamic. The challenge these characters face, and how they respond to it, will define and redefine them for a long time."
Alonso: "When they're covered in blood, what do they have left inside them? Uncanny X-Force will be a very emotional story, and one I think will haunt readers after they've read the first arc."

• Deadpool

Remender: "Deadpool's hired to hunt down something, and surprising everyone, he starts putting pieces together and discovers stuff. He brings a lot of comic relief in the tense, high adventure and action scenes with the crazy things he's thinking through it all. But he wants this to work, that's the core of it all in a skewed crazy sense."
Alonso: "Don't forget, Deadpool's crazy but efficient. And he has some beautiful moments with Fantomex, who's not exactly 'goody two shoes' either. They are on the team for very different reasons, but they're very similar."

• Fantomex

Remender: "Fantomex was originally created to be a mutant-hunting Sentinel, but never really did it. As a character, he's fairly complex, but he has a clearly defined relationship with Logan: he was the one to pull back the curtain to show him what really happened at the program. Fantomex and Wolverine are close friends not just because of their shared history, but because of the amount of trouble Fantomex went through to unveil Wolverine's history for him."

• New Members

Remender: "By the time I was pitching to write Uncanny X-Force, the initial team was already in place, but we have some very exciting new members coming in the next couple issues. I'll give you a million bucks if you can guess who's coming; it's going to be hugely exciting for fans, and hopefully make something that's new and unique for X-characters."

• Psylocke ♥ Archangel

Remender: "Their relationship always fascinated me. It came back for a couple very natural reasons, but their relationship becomes something unlike anything seen before. Warren needs Betsy to help him control Archangel; he needs her in a big way. That adds a lot of questions once they rekindle their affair; when there's that kind of necessity, one begins to wonder if he needs her more than he loves her.
Alonso: There's a lot of urgency in everyone's relationships beginning right in the first issue. And there's also a love triangle, and I'm not talking Deadpool and Fantomex.

• Cavern-X

Remender: "X-Force has a base called Cavern-X in the mountains of North Arizona. We get to see it in all it's splendor in Uncanny X-Force #2. Basically, Warren's been putting together a museum for mutants for some time as a sort of time capsule in the event that the mutant race ever fizzled out. So now it's a base and a museum.

• The Final Horsemen

Alonso: "Rick and Jerome have created these four new Horsemen - the Final Horsemen - and you'll get to see what they're all about; they're real keepers. They all have interesting back stories, with a lot of pathos. They're more than just cool looking characters."
Remender: "This is Apocalypse's last big push to implement an age of Apocalypse. There'll be some twists and turns in the series, and we're seeding some big stuff to happen along the way."

Uncanny X-Force: Next Big Thing

Rob Liefeld and Clayton Crain's Variants

Newsarama: Uncanny X-Force is the focus of the latest "Next Big Thing" conference call with members of the press. The call's scheduled to include Remender and Marvel Vice-President Executive Editor Axel Alonso, talking about the comic's initial story arc (and maybe how the team got those nifty silver and gray outfits). Newsarama was there — just click on the link to follow along. Here are a few excerpts concerning Psylocke:

Axel Alonso: Alonso says in that way this book is distinctly different than the previous incarnation — X-23 isn't on the team because Wolverine doesn't want her there. Alonso also says that the romance between Psylocke and Archangel will be rekindled.

Rick Remender: "It's a re-ignited love affair, but there's a lot more to it," Remender says. "Warren needs Betsy to help him control Archangel," Remender added, suggesting that this will be a dangerous dynamic to their romance, with Archangel wondering where love and and dependency begins.

Axel Alonso: "There's an urgency to their romance," Alonso added.

Cup O' Joe: Marvel T&A

CBR: There were honestly too many folks asking after Psylocke's costume, so I went with psycwave's specific wording with "Hey Axel, are the covers for Uncanny X-Force temporary as most seem to be just recolored outfits, namely Psylocke's? It just seems like the character is cursed to wear the thong outfit for all eternity never to be updated or the like, especially when many of the X-men go through costume revamps on a regular basis."

Alonso: They are not temporary. Psylocke is sporting her regulation X-Force silver-and-black tho - I mean, uniform. With it's streamlined aerodynamic design, and splatterproof material, it's the perfect outfit for bringing the fight to the doorstep of anyone who'd mess with mutants.