Dawn of X Vol. 1 TPB Cover by Pepe Larraz

X-Men Monday #25 - X-Tra-Sized Anniversary X-Travaganza

AiPT!: Welcome to the all-new, all-different X-Men Monday at AiPT!–just in time for the column’s 25th edition! Hey, comics love to celebrate those milestone issues, so you better believe a column about comics on a comic book website’s going to do the same. It’s our milestone 25th X-Men Monday, with special guests Gerry Duggan, Benjamin Percy, Bryan Edward Hill and Tini Howard!

AiPT!: Such eclectic picks–love it! Now, who is your favorite X-Men character and why?

Tini: Half of my brain is like ‘how dare you choose’ and the other half is like ‘Rictor.’ Part of why I love him is because he’s spent an extended period of time without his powers, where he became sort of the audience-viewpoint of what it was like to be a de-powered mutant during that time. I love that his powers are simple, but vague and fun to play with–his connection to the Earth can be very scientific or very mystical. I like that Rictor is someone we’ve seen as super vulnerable–on the page we’ve seen him go through breakups, a coming out, a passionate reunion or two, possible fatherhood, losing his powers, depression, a crisis of faith… Maybe it’s ’cause I was raised Catholic and also had a coming-out story, but he’s always been my #1.

AiPT!: What X-Character are you currently having the most fun writing?

Tini: I’m not regularly writing Kitty Pryde, but I wrote her for a few sentences, and maybe it’s the amazing work Gerry is doing in Marauders, but she just sings right now. It’s hard to not have a blast writing Kitty. Currently, at this very moment, I am writing a very fun Rogue scene. Betsy is my favorite to write but I wouldn’t describe her as fun right now. We’re working through some stuff. She’ll be OK.

AiPT!: Why should X-Fans and non-X-Fans give your new Dawn of X series a shot?

Tini: It’s hard to read House of X and Powers of X and look at the Excalibur cover and mission statement and wonder how it’s gonna fit in. But it does–pretty beautifully if I say so myself. We’re merging the spirit of Excalibur with the Dawn of X. There are swords and kissing and a lighthouse and the legacy of the Braddocks–who are, person for person, one of Marvel’s most powerful families, I said one of, settle down, Summers fans–carries on.

AiPT!: Working on an X-Men comic is something many of comics’ greatest writers and artists have done. What does working in the X-Men universe–with these iconic characters–mean to you?

Tini: We’re getting to establish a new status quo for the X-Men. We’re building a nation, a culture and an entirely non-human way of life. That’s honestly my favorite stuff–when we’re all together brainstorming: what is human and what is mutant? What can the superior shed and leave behind, and how can they improve, not just genetically, but culturally, spiritually. That’s what I’m about.

Hickman's X-Men Overhaul Introduces a New Psylocke and Captain Britain

CBR: During Marvel's Next Big Thing panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego, C.B. Cebulski and Johnathan Hickman had quite a bit to reveal about the publisher's new line of X-Men comics.

Among the biggest reveals was the news that Betsy Braddock will trade in her Psylocke mantle to become the new Captain Britain. Meanwhile, Kwannon will be taking on the role of Psylocke.

Cebulski compared Betsy's transition to Carol Danvers taking on the mantle of Captain Marvel in Kelly Sue DeConnick's 2012 Captain Marvel run. Betsy's brother, Brian Braddock has long been the name associated with the Captain Britain moniker but once the new Excalibur series drops, it's Betsy who will take the name.

The Excalibur series has strong ties to the Captain Britain title as it was Brian who was on the team in earlier years. Just recently, Braddock and his wife, Meggan (also an Excalibur alum) were a part of an Excalibur reunion of sorts in Leah Williams and Alitha Martinez's X-Men Gold Annual #1.

It's worth noting that Betsy briefly held the Captain Britain mantle before, but there is no indication regarding how the transition occurs this time.

Kwannon, on the other hand, is the Japanese woman with whom Betsy swapped minds with back in Uncanny X-Men #256. The character reemerged to the scene when Betsy got her old body back and most recently, she's been seen in writer Matthew Rosenberg's Uncanny X-Men run.

Written by Tini Howard and drawn by Marcus To, Excalibur #1 hits shelves on October 2019. Kwannon, on the other hand, will appear as Psylocke in Fallen Angels #1. Written by Bryan Edward Hill and drawn by Szymon Kudranski, Fallen Angels #1 hits stores in November 2019.

SDCC 2019: Beginning this October... The Dawn of X

Marvel.com: Straight from the magnificent Marvel Next Big Thing panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, a blinding light heralds a new day... Starting this October, six brand-new series by the most captivating creators in the universe signal the DAWN OF X!

“House of X and Powers of X lay the groundwork for a whole new world of X-Men stories for years to come, and the Dawn of X books are the promise of that new world come to life,” said X-Men Senior Editor Jordan D. White. “They are the start of the new era that will change how we think of the X-Men and the kinds of stories we tell with them. It all begins here.”

Beaming out of the pages of HOUSE OF X and POWERS OF X, the Children of the Atom seize the future.

	X-MEN #1 Written by Jonathan Hickman Penciled by Leinil Francis Yu Cover by Leinil Francis Yu A New Era Dawns for The X-Men! The X-Men find themselves in a whole new world of possibility… and things have never been better! Jonathan Hickman (House of X, Powers of X, Secret Wars) and superstar artist Leinil Yu (New Avengers, Captain America) reveal the saga of Cyclops and his hand-picked squad of mutant powerhouses!
	EXCALIBUR #1 Written by Tini Howard Penciled by Marcus To Cover by Mahmud Asrar On sale October 2019 A New Day is Forged! Mutantkind has always been special…as has their relationship with the world—or WORLDS—around them. As this new era dawns, a new connection forms between mutants and the magic of the world… and that of Otherworld! Can the new Captain Britain forge a new way through the chaos with her companions Rogue, Gambit, Jubilee, Rictor…and Apocalypse?!?
	MARAUDERS #1 Written by Gerry Duggan Penciled by Matteo Lolli Cover by Russel Dauterman On sale October 2019 The X-Men Sail at Dawn! Even in this glorious new dawn, Mutantkind faces hardships and oppression from their human counterparts. Led by Captain Kate Pryde and funded by Emma Frost and the Hellfire Trading Company, Marauders Storm, Pyro, Bishop and Iceman sail the seas of the world to protect those hated and feared!
	NEW MUTANTS #1 #1 Written by Jonathan Hickman & Ed Brisson #2 Written by Jonathan Hickman Penciled by Rod Reis Cover by Rod Reis On sale November 2019 The Next Generation Claims the Future! The classic New Mutants (Sunspot, Wolfsbane, Mirage, Karma, Magik, and Cypher) get together with a few new friends (Chamber, Mondo) to seek out their missing member and share the good news… a mission that takes them into space alongside the Starjammers!
	FALLEN ANGELS #1 Written by Bryan Edward Hill Penciled by Szymon Kudranski Cover by Ashley Witter On sale November 2019 Not All Belong in Paradise! Psylocke finds herself in this new world of Mutantkind unsure of her place in it… but when a face from her past returns only to be killed, she seeks help from others who feel similar to get vengeance. Cable and X-23 join Kwannon for a personal mission that could jeopardize all Mutantkind.
	X-FORCE #1 Written by Benjamin Percy Penciled by Joshua Cassara Cover by Dustin Weaver On sale November 2019 The Cost of The Future isn’t Cheap. X-Force is the CIA of the mutant world—one half intelligence branch, one half special ops. Beast, Jean Grey and Sage on one side, Wolverine, Kid Omega and Domino on the other. In a perfect world, there would be no need for an X-Force. We’re not there… yet.

Psylocke is Captain Britain, Leads Excalibur in the 'Dawn of X'

EXCALIBUR #1

Written by Tini Howard

Penciled by Marcus To

Cover by Mahmud Asrar

On sale October 2019

A NEW DAY IS FORGED!

Mutantkind has always been special…as has their relationship with the world—or WORLDS—around them. As this new era dawns, a new connection forms between mutants and the magic of the world… and that of Otherworld! Can the new Captain Britain forge a new way through the chaos with her companions Rogue, Gambit, Jubilee, Rictor…and Apocalypse?!?

Captain Britain - Betsy Braddock

Rogue

Gambit

Jubilee

Rictor

Apocalypse

House of X #1 Preview, Jonathan Hickman Reinvents Marvel's X-Men

House of X #1 (of 6)

Written by: Jonathan Hickman

Art by: Pepe Larraz

Colors by: Marte Gracia

Cover by: Pepe Larraz

The Story:

Face The Future

Superstar writer Jonathan Hickman (Secret Wars, Avengers, Fantastic Four) takes the reins of the X-Men universe! Since the release of Uncanny X-Men #1, there have been four seminal moments in the history of the X-Men. Giant-Sized X-Men. X-Men. Age of Apocalypse. New X-Men. Four iconic series that introduced a new era for Marvel’s mutants and revolutionized the X-Men. In House of X, Charles Xavier reveals his master plan for mutantkind…one that will bring mutants out of the shadow of mankind and into the light once more.

In Stores: July 24, 2019 

EW.com: The X-Men movie franchise reached its end earlier this year with Dark Phoenix, but a new era for X-Men comics is about to begin. Jonathan Hickman, the renowned writer who reinvigorated the Fantastic Four and the Avengers before bringing the entire Marvel Universe to the brink of collapse in 2015’s Secret Wars event series (while introducing characters who would go on to populate Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame), has a “multiyear plan” to restore the X-Men to their place of prominence at Marvel.

“You don’t want to do archaeology or nostalgia tropes,” Hickman tells EW ahead of his three programs at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend. “My job is to do new stuff with it, and launch us into a newer age of X-Men.”

It all starts this month, with two six-issue miniseries: House of X (illustrated by Pepe Larraz) and Powers of X (illustrated by R.B. Silva). According to Hickman, the former is set in the present, “inside the most pivotal period of time in the Marvel Universe,” while Powers of X looks at “mutants throughout the history of the Marvel Universe.” Big things are coming, but Hickman’s lifelong X-fandom has prepared him for the task.

“This is something I’ve been writing and rewriting in my head since I was a kid,” he says. “I’ve been in the kitchen for a long time with it. I get the ingredients, I get what makes a good meal.”

Longtime Hickman readers know that he loves to tell a single story across multiple comics at once, as he did with Avengers and Secret Avengers in the lead-up to Secret Wars. House of X and Powers of X will function similarly, with one issue a week from either series until they wrap up in the fall. That’s when the next stage of the plan begins, because the House of X/Powers of X conclusion will result in a massive relaunch of Marvel’s entire line of X-comics.

Fans can expect more information about what that will look like to be unveiled at Comic-Con. But in true Hickman style, it will involve massive plot machinations. As Hickman tells it, the massive, multiyear mega-stories he’s become famous for are all about playing to Marvel’s strengths.

“I have some general philosophies on what kind of work you should do at Marvel, that I try and adhere to. I think the stories should be big,” Hickman says. “Any time you can mine your continuity and the existing continuity of the company in a way that evokes a response from audience and not confusion, that’s powerful, and you’re crazy not to utilize it when you’re writing these books. The cardinal rule beyond that is at the end of the day, after you’ve torn up the playroom and scattered all the toys, you put everything all back on the shelf. Don’t be an a—hole and leave a mess.”

He adds, “You want to tell stories that matter, but the way you write things that matter in Marvel is that you’re not destructive, you’re additive. Yes, I may do things where I destroy the entire Marvel Universe, but I always put it back together, and in putting it together you add to it in a way that puts the characters in an interesting place and you haven’t ruined anybody else’s job.”

Though Hickman has only been writing comics for about a decade now, some of his concepts have already appeared on the big screen. The Black Order, originally introduced in his 2013 Infinity miniseries, changed their names to the Children of Thanos for the Infinity War film but arrived on the screen mostly intact. Internet rumors abound that Black Panther 2 might introduce Namor the Sub-Mariner as an antagonist; if true, such a development will owe a lot to the ways Hickman built up the relationship with those two characters over the course of his Secret Avengers comic.

Now that the Disney-Fox deal has officially cleared, it’s only a matter of time until Marvel Studios introduces the X-Men to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Might Hickman have as much of an impact on those as he’s had on recent Avengers movies? It’s not something he thinks about.

“I think one of the big mistakes that some people make at Marvel Comics is that we are reactive to what they’re doing in the Marvel films,” Hickman says. “We should not be taking our creative cues from the direction they’re taking things in the movies. That kind of defeats the point. They have a billion dollars to play with, and we don’t. You can’t compete in that matter, and you shouldn’t. My argument has been [that] I should always be way out in front of that stuff. All of that stuff is being drawn from source material. It goes back to, are you being destructive or are you being additive? If you’re being additive and you’re on the big books, it’s inevitable that some of that stuff is going to get used. When Marvel films gets around to the X-Men and we’ve done interesting stuff and they want to use it, that’s awesome. If they don’t, then they don’t. One makes your job expendable, the other one makes you priceless. I like having value to my work.”

House of X #1 hits stores July 24, with Powers of X #1 following on July 31.

Marvel’s Next Big Thing Panel
San Diego Comic -on - Room 6A
Saturday, July 20th, 1:45pm PST
DAWN OF X

X-MEN

MARAUDERS

EXCALIBUR

X-FORCE

NEW MUTANTS

FALLEN ANGELS