Uncanny X-Men #700 Bids Farewell to the Krakoan Age

Marvel.com: This June, creators from the X-Men’s past, present, and future come together to bid a final farewell to the Krakoan Age in X-Men #35, the milestone 700th issue of Uncanny X-Men.

 

X-MEN #35 (LEGACY #700)

Written by GERRY DUGGAN, KIERON GILLEN, AL EWING, CHRIS CLAREMONT & GAIL SIMONE

Art by PHIL NOTO, JOSHUA CASSARA, LUCAS WERNECK, JEROME OPEÑA, STEFANO CASELLI, WALTER SIMONSON, LEINIL FRANCIS YU & MORE

Wraparound Cover by PEPE LARRAZ

On Sale 6/5

In July 2019, the world of the X-Men was shattered and reborn on Krakoa in visionary writer Jonathan Hickman’s HOUSE OF X. In the years since, fans have experienced a golden age of mutant storytelling, filled with bold ideas, astonishing character developments, and revolutionary new takes on the mutant metaphor.

Now, the next seminal shift in the history of the X-Men is on the horizon, but first, Marvel Comics proudly presents the final act of the Krakoan Age this June in X-MEN #35! X-MEN #35 will be the milestone 700th issue of UNCANNY X-MEN and will feature an epic-length story by acclaimed writers and artists who shaped the Krakoan Age, including Gerry Duggan, Kieron Gillen, Al Ewing, Lucas Werneck, Joshua Cassara, and more.

The giant-sized issue will also feature a story of family by X-Men master Chris Claremont and offer a glimpse of things to come in the new X-Men titles launching this summer. It’s a landmark issue for one of pop culture’s most beloved franchises that no comic book fan will want to miss!

All good things must come to an end, and as good of a thing as the Krakoan Era has been for mutantkind… its time has come at last. The tragedy and triumph of FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X, the madness and mystery of RISE OF THE POWERS OF X… they have all come to their end and led to this moment that will change the future of mutantkind for years to come.

On closing out this groundbreaking period of the mutant mythos, Senior Editor Jordan D. White shared, "Being a part of the Krakoan experiment has been a true thrill. Honestly—in many ways—it echoed the experience of mutantkind itself in the era. We worked differently, we tried new things, we survived incredible new experiences. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have worked with such fantastically talented creators throughout the era, and working on the glorious ending is truly bittersweet. I will miss it with my whole heart, but I do know… Krakoa will live on within us forever."

Captain Britain by Pepe Larraz

Planet Size X-Men #1 & X-Corp #2 Art

Captain Britain visits Planet Arakko (formerly known as Mars) in Planet Size X-Men #1

Captain Britain dances with Banshee in X-Corp #2

A New Team of X-Men Chart the Course for the Reign of X in ‘X-Men’ #1

Marvel.com: After months of speculation, Marvel Comics is proud to unveil the new team of X-Men! Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Sunfire, Rogue, Wolverine, Synch, and Polaris will be the lineup in X-Men (2021), the new ongoing X-series launching in July. Brought to you by a team of X-Men all-stars—writer Gerry Duggan, artist Pepe Larraz, and colorist Marte Gracia—this new flagship X-Men title will showcase the incredible adventures of the first X-Men team since the mutant nation of Krakoa was formed in Jonathan Hickman’s revolutionary House of X/Powers of X.

The current era of X-Men has evolved mutant storytelling like never before. No longer protecting a world that hates and fears them, the X-Men said goodbye to their dream of coexistence and founded a thriving mutant homeland. But in the aftermath of X of Swords, original X-Men Cyclops and Marvel Girl realized that the world needed its premiere team of mutant Super Heroes. Things might be complicated between the nation of Krakoa and the rest of the Marvel Universe, but to the X-Men, things are simple—you do what’s right, you protect those who need protecting and you save the world we all share. This new team are the chosen champions of mutantkind, and they’re up for any battle to protect their people and their home planet.

“It's my privilege and honor to be reteamed with Pepe Larraz as we throw beautiful and deadly threats at the X-Men beginning in July,” writer Duggan said. “Mutants have saved themselves, and are now going to save the world. Krakoa will grow roots in the capital of the world, New York City, and the inaugural year will star Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Rogue, Wolverine, Synch, Sunfire, and Polaris. The threats to Earth will come fast and hit hard, and every page from Pepe and Marte will blow your hair back. See you in July.”

Don’t miss the team’s official debut during June’s Hellfire Gala, the highly anticipated event that will tie in to all your favorite X-Men titles. And be there for mutant history in the making when X-Men #1 hits stands on July 7.

Note: With Rogue out of the picture, it remains to be seen whether Excalibur will be reshuffled or gain a new team member.

The Future of Mutantkind Is Revealed in 'Planet-Size X-Men' #1

Marvel.com: The Hellfire Gala is in full swing as Gerry Duggan and Pepe Larraz reveal the X-Men’s planet-size plans this June.

This June, the Hellfire Trading Company invites readers everywhere to the inaugural Hellfire Gala as they announce the first team of Krakoan X-Men to the world—and reveal the startling plans that mutantkind has in store for the Marvel Universe. This highly anticipated comics event will unfold in issues of your favorite ongoing X-Men series as well as Planet-Size X-Men, a special double-sized one-shot from two of mutantkind’s most masterful creators: writer Gerry Duggan (Marauders, Savage Avengers) and artist Pepe Larraz (House of X). The HELLFIRE GALA rages on in one of the most pivotal chapters yet in Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men era. But even bigger things are afoot a world away…

“Make no mistake—this is an X-Men book drawn by superstar artist Pepe Larraz. It is absolutely the most important issue of the month,” editor Jordan D. White promises. "Pepe is absolutely the star of the X-line and he is doing the most amazing work of his career. You cannot miss this."

Twelve titles, twelve stories, all focused on a single night that will go down in Marvel Comics history. Stay tuned for more HELLFIRE GALA cover reveals, costume designs, variants covers, and more as the buildup to this major turning point in the saga of the X-Men begins!

PLANET-SIZE X-MEN #1

Written by GERRY DUGGAN

Art and Cover by PEPE LARRAZ

On Sale 6/16

Excalibur #15 & X of Swords: Destruction #1 Art

X-Men Monday #85 – Jordan D. White Answers Your X of Swords Week 10 Questions

AiPT!: Here’s X-Men Senior Editor Jordan D. White with answers to your X-Force #14, Hellions #6 and Cable #6 questions. 

AIPT: Why can’t Jamie Braddock just resurrect characters like Betsy and Gorgon who died in Otherworld for the X-Men? He’s been shown to resurrect characters before. 

Jordan: Great question. I mean, I guess he could. Jamie has been shown to definitely be able to bring people back from the dead. I mean, I think he did it in Excalibur when Brian died for a moment there. Although that was more of a resuscitating–a death of someone who just died through reality warping means rather than fully bringing back a person who’s been dead. First of all, that might be splitting hairs. But second of all, he’s also been shown, if I’m remembering correctly, to literally create people from scratch. Just be like, “Hm, there’s a person now. Aha. I’m crazy.” I don’t know that that’s the same thing for the people of Krakoa in the sense that–well, it all gets into the question of why they come back differently and what it is that has changed and affected them. I think even among the writers of the X-Office it’s been a discussion. 

You have slightly different theories and they all add up to the same thing because, you know, what happens happens. But the why is a bit of a mystery at this point, and I’m not sure that we’re going to fully define it. That said, something happens, right? So if we’re saying that if a mutant dies in Otherworld and they get brought back through resurrection, which is a means that Krakoa is fully on board with and believes in. I’m sure there are people who have their doubts. I’m not saying that every person is 100% onboard. But generally speaking, Krakoa is fully on board with and believes that this resurrection process brings back the person down to their essence and what makes them them. Right? 

But Otherworld interferes with that. Then I think that that would open up questions about the process that we all are subscribing to brings them back differently and this other process would bring them back normally, is it the same thing? Like would that Betsy that Jamie makes from scratch be the real Betsy if bringing back the real Betsy through the means that we have said would bring back the real Betsy doesn’t bring back the real Betsy, do you know what I’m saying? Is whatever that thing is that got messed up by her dying in Otherworld, is that essence in the version that Jamie makes or not? Definitely I know I can’t say the answer in an interview because the best place to answer that is in the comics. And at least to some extent, that conversation will come up. 

AIPT: I was listening to your recent appearance on the Cerebro podcast and it reminded me how much you love the original Excalibur run, which X of Swords has been compared to. As an editor and a fan, how does it feel to have brought a little of that magic you loved so much growing up to modern comics? 

Jordan: It feels great. Although, first thing I want to say is I don’t want to take all the credit. In the same way that I don’t stop people from using characters I don’t like, I also don’t force them to use characters. Obviously, if we’re putting together an ops team and there’s a question of who should be on it, I can go, “You know who’d be good? Sage.” Like, yeah, that’s because I think about Sage and I like Sage, but I didn’t say to Ben, “You have to use Sage.” He went, “Oh, that’s a good idea.” And then he used Sage. And the same is true for this. It’s not like I was like, “Well, guys–the clock’s ticking, when are we getting to Saturnyne?” 

But with Tini and Jonathan, these are characters that they’re into as well. Like I’m not the only person in the X-Office who loves classic Excalibur, not by a long shot. So I’m thrilled that the folks that I’m collaborating with love it as much as I do and want to bring it into things in the same ways that I do. But it feels terrific. Because it’s definitely something I thought about a lot–what makes Excalibur Excalibur, and is it possible to preserve that while still being part of the X-Men line? Because, you know, the most Excalibur Excalibur things that existed were very separate from X-Men. They took place in a time when the entire team of Excalibur thought the X-Men were dead for most of it. And then even when they found out, for another 20 something issues, they still didn’t really incorporate into ongoing X-Men continuity that much. 

And I mentioned on the Cerebro podcast that when they’re fully integrated into X-Men continuity, I thought, “Oh, this is going to be great.” But I ended up being real disappointed because it ended up robbing Excalibur of so much of what made it special. So how to keep Excalibur feeling Excalibur is something we’ve definitely thought about. So far, I think it’s going well and I’m thrilled to be able to bring in so much Excalibur and Captain Britain-related stuff because I do really love that stuff, but again, I’m not the only one. Tini does, Jonathan does.

X of Swords: Stasis #1, Chapter 11 Art

X-Men Monday #81 – Jordan D. White Answers Your X of Swords Weeks 5 & 6 Questions

AiPT!: Welcome, X-Fans, to another uncanny edition of X-Men Monday at AIPT! Jordan D. White discusses not one, not two but five chapters of X of Swords! So without further ado, here’s Jordan talking–deep breathe—Hellions #5, New Mutants #13, Cable #5, Excalibur #13 and X-Men #13. Phew. 

AIPT: Welcome back, Jordan! Marvel’s been teasing the sword battles to come: Captain Britain vs. Isca the Unbeaten, Magik vs. Pogg Ur-Pogg, and most recently, Cable vs. Bei the Blood Moon. X-Fan Michael Que was curious how you all decided which Swordbearers would face off against one another? 

Jordan: How did we decide? Hm… I don’t know. That’s kind of like asking where do ideas come from. We just thought about what would be a good story and then the writers wrote it. There are cool things that happen in each of those battles. 

AIPT: Well, obviously with characters like Solem and Wolverine, they’re kind of matched up from the get-go. Would you say that applies to other Swordbearers of Arakko? Were they all kind of designed to be opposites to the Swordbearers of Krakoa? 

Jordan: No. I mean, even Solem and Wolverine, I wouldn’t say they’re designed to be opposites. Now, obviously, we’ve said he’s a foil for Wolverine and that thing about him being kind of like a Loki to Wolverine’s Thor in a certain way–they’re not brothers–spoiler. 

But I think the characters came about in different ways. I mean, I think we’ve said Pogg Ur-Pogg came about in going, “We’ll have a monster. Pepe, draw someone.” And he drew someone awesome. And so then we developed a character around that awesome drawing. So some of the characters came from story ideas. Some of them came from visual things. Some of them came from things we wanted them to do in fights. Some of them came from things we wanted them to do a post-X of Swords and they were kind of back-engineered, I suppose. 

So each of those, in particular, I’m trying to think if they all were the same. Yeah. Those all kind of came about for different reasons. The Betsy and Isca one has a very specific goal for what that battle is about. I mean, basically, all of them have very specific reasons why those two fight, but they’re very different outcomes as to what we get from each of them. Because I think there’s still a lot of surprises to come in this and I don’t think anybody really knows what’s going to happen–by which, I mean, I’ve seen a lot of speculation and well, certainly nobody has been right about what’s going to happen. But I think some of it, people are not even thinking in the right direction, which is good because that means we’ve misdirected them well. 

AIPT: The first portion of X Of Swords has largely been character profiles. How did you all decide on this approach to the beginning of the event? And will the next portion follow its own theme? 

Jordan: Yeah. X of Swords: Stasis is definitely a turning point where things will be going slightly differently. I mean, and again, generally speaking, I think people can tell what direction that is, but it has a different feel and different pacing and a different, I don’t want to say a different style, it’s all the same story, but you know what I mean. It’s got different goals than the first half does. And I think that that was the case all the way back to our original conception of X of Swords, even when it was two-thirds the size it is now, it was always going to be the first half is about finding the swords or training. And then the middle point happens and everything after that is the second half. So it’s going to read differently and, I will be honest with you, it will read much more as one thing. 

The first half of it has been a lot of, I don’t want to say side stories because they’re not, but parts that seem a little bit like, well, OK, here’s a story about Storm getting ready. Here’s the story about Doug getting ready. But I wouldn’t think of those as separate stories. I would think of those more as when you read a good novel where there is, let’s say, more than one perspective to it that isn’t just one character you’re following the whole time. You will read a lot of times the first half of the novel–there will be characters doing things in chapters that you’re like, well, these aren’t even connected yet. And then everything starts coming together more in the end. The second half of this is going to be much more “this issue follows directly after that issue.” And again, I think in a way that will bring together all of the threads from the first half. So it is one big story and is intended to be one big story for sure. 

AIPT: In Excalibur #13, Saturnyne refers to the Amulet as a relic. Does Saturnyne completely reject Merlin and Roma now and, will we ever discover more about Merlin and Roma’s current status? 

Jordan: Well, you’ve heard a bit about it in the data pages about their realms or their provinces, I suppose, of Otherworld. But yes, the balance of power has reversed. She is now the ruler of all of Otherworld. And each of them are, I wouldn’t say subservient to her, but at the very least lower on the power ranking than her. So yeah, she’s higher up in the tree of Otherworld power than they are. As a result, she does not need to bow to their ways of doing things anymore. That is, as she said, a system that Merlin set up–she doesn’t care what Merlin set up anymore. It’s now hers to set up so she can do it however she wants to. 

AIPT: We’ve been learning about Otherworld’s status post-Secret Wars. Originally, Otherworld consisted of two islands, Avalon and Tír na nÓg, so where do all these realms come into the picture? Was the whole island of Avalon divided into 10 kingdoms or are the other nine kingdoms located outside of Avalon? 

Jordan: So they’re talking about the fact that maps of Otherworld pre-Secret Wars were the British Isles, right? Otherworld has changed in a big way, though. I would say it is not that Otherworld is now the British Isles divided in 10. I would say now Otherworld is 10 times bigger than it used to be, or infinitely more than that even. Everything that we have ever known as Otherworld pre-Secret Wars is reflected in what we are calling Avalon now. And the rest of Otherworld is completely never seen before. 

AIPT: We know changes were made to “The Hanged Man” page in the Free Comic Book Day X-Men comic. Is the same true of the page with the 10 Swordbearers of Krakoa? Also, X-Fan Anonseed246 asked if there’s a chance we’ll be surprised by the identity of the 10th swordbearer of Krakoa? 

Jordan: As I’ve said before, we produced those pages very early in the process because Free Comic Book Day comes early. But let me put it this way: there are definitely folks out there who know the answer to this one who have sussed it out because all the information is right there. So they definitely have 10 magic swords that they are going to be wielding in this tournament. And the question of the 10th swordbearer, I suppose, is still lingering, but there are folks who have spotted the answer. 

AIPT: What can you tease about this week’s lone X of Swords chapter: Stasis? 

Jordan: So, two days from now, Stasis comes out and it’s the only one. And like I said, it’s a big turning point. There’s a lot of really cool stuff in it. If you’ve been curious about these Swordbearers, there’s going to be a lot of fun stuff to learn in there and we’ll be moving into the next phase. 

I actually also have another thing I can tease, which is fans who have been fans of X-Men for a long time, or just fans who are fans of the long history of X-Men–there is actually a big announcement coming up tomorrow, Tuesday, that I think a lot of you will be excited about. So keep an eye open for that as well. So Tuesday, a big, big, big thing that I think people will like, and Wednesday, Stasis–a turning point in the series. And then from there into the back half of X of Swords, which is going to be bananas.

X of Swords: Stasis #1, Chapter 11 Preview

X of Swords: Stasis #1

Writer: Jonathan Hickman & Tini Howard

Art by: Pepe Larraz, Mahmud Asrar

Cover by: Pepe Larraz

Design Variant Cover by: Pepe Larraz

Variant Cover by: Coax

Variant Cover by: Mike Del Mundo

Variant Cover by: Humberto Ramos

Variant Cover by: Jesus Saiz

The Story:

X of Swords – Chapter 11

A ritual. A parliament. A game begins.

In Stores: October 28, 2020

X of Swords: Stasis#1 Advanced Preview

X-Men Monday #76 – Jordan D. White Answers Your X of Swords Week 1 Questions

AiPT!: The latest, greatest X-Men epic, X of Swords, has finally begun! And while most comics can be devoured in 10-15 minutes, it’s likely you read last week’s Excalibur #12 and X-Men #12, and then immediately reread them again… and again… and you’ll probably read them one more time ahead of this Wednesday’s X of Swords: Creation #1. There was A LOT to absorb in those two issues, and many X-Fans had questions. Fortunately, X-Men Senior Editor Jordan D. White has answers!

AIPT: Could you clarify the role Otherworld plays in the Krakoa/Arakko/Okkara situation. Lilith asked if Arakko is lost on the same pocket dimension as Otherworld, or if Arakko is only accessible through Otherworld, which works more like an intermediate point. 

Jordan: I think you will know the answer to this a lot more clearly two days from now. X of Swords: Creation #1 should hopefully answer any questions you have about what Otherworld has to do with it and where Arakko is relative to everything else. 

AIPT: Saturnyne has made it clear that being a Captain Britain is more than picking up the Amulet of Right and swearing to serve the British nation. After 12 issues, Betsy still comes off very unsure and lost in the role, even less edgy than she naturally is, which is a direct contrast to her role as Psylocke, where she seemed more comfortable and sure of herself. Is this something Betsy truly wants? 

Jordan: That’s a good question. And I think that’s a question that will be put to Betsy, right? She didn’t choose it at all. It was thrust on her and she reluctantly took it on. Is it something that she’s going to want to stick with permanently or will she eventually see the opportunity to say, great, let me go back to being myself and–well, I mean, she’s still herself, but you know what I mean–to going a different direction and give being Captain Britain back to someone more apt to it or somebody who wants it. And I think that’s very fertile ground for a story as well. And maybe we’ll see some of that in X of Swords.

X of Swords: Creation #1 Preview

X of Swords: Creation #1
Jonathan Hickman & Tini Howard (W) • Pepe Larraz (A)
Cover by: Pepe Larraz
Variant Cover by: Miguel Mercado
Design Variant Cover by: Pepe Larraz
Launch Variant Cover by: Russell Dauterman
Premiere Variant Cover by: Pepe Larraz
Wraparound Variant Cover by: Mark Brooks
Black and White Wraparound Variant Cover by: Mark Brooks

The Story:
X of Swords – Chapter 1
A tower. A mission. A gathering of armies.

In Stores: September 23, 2020

The X-Men and Swordbearers of Arakko Clash in 'X of Swords' Key Art

X of Swords: Creation Trailer

X of Swords: Creation kicks off "the biggest X-Men story since House of X/Powers of X"

Newsarama: The X-Men line's first crossover of the 'Dawn of X' era is about to kick off in X of Swords: Creation #1 by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Pepe Larraz, which provides some backstory and lead-up for the Tarot-themed, sword-wielding X-Men event.

Before Creation hits on September 23, Newsarama spoke with X-Men group editor Jordan D. White to discover what's ahead for mutantkind as they grapple with the ominous events of 'X of Swords,' how Tarot informs even the story of the event itself, and a few cryptic secrets about what to expect.

Along the way, we've also got a brand new page from X of Swords: Stasis #1 by Pepe Larraz debuting right here.

Newsarama: Jordan, 'X of Swords' is finally about to kick off, and in the time since it was first announced, the crossover has grown in scope significantly. What led to the expansion?

Jordan D. White: There were a lot of factors. The first and foremost reason is that when we were digging into the story, there was a lot more we wanted to do than we thought we could fit in one month of comics. We were pretty committed to a schedule though, at that point, so we would have made it work... except the publishing schedule being blown up gave us more time to develop things that we wouldn't have had otherwise.

Plus, I think we were looking at the world around us and things were really looking down - I don't need to tell you about all the strife and problems the world was facing, you were there, you know it as well as we do - but we saw all this and said 'Let's do something bigger and make a bigger splash! The world is bad right now. Let's give people somewhere else to be for a while.'

And believe me - we used all the extra time. We've had regular video conferences, gone through drafts and drafts of plots and scripts, worked to make sure everything fits together as seamlessly as humanly possible in one giant 22-part story, not nine connected stories. It was way more work than we were anticipating... but we're so happy with the results so far.

Nrama: With Pepe Larraz stepping back in for X of Swords: Creation #1, I can't help but feel some significance in bringing back one of the artists who helped launch 'Dawn of X' to also kick off its first crossover. What's it like bringing Pepe back together with Jonathan for this one-shot?

White: It was great! Pepe is amazing! If it were up to us, he would never draw anything but X-Books for the rest of recorded history. Seriously - we knew it would be a big deal bringing him back onto this book, and that is on purpose. He, along with RB Silva, defined this new era visually.

He and Jonathan teaming back up is something special, and this is the biggest story Jonathan has done since House of X and Powers of X ended. We all know how amazing Pepe is - if you see him down as the artist of an X-Book, you know it's going to be an important one.

Nrama: The solicitation for X of Swords: Creation #1 reads, ominously, "A tower. A mission. A gathering of armies." What can you tell us about what all that means?

White: The name of 'X of Swords' comes from the Tarot. Tini Howard is our resident Tarot expert, and she came up with the name for the story. As soon as I heard it, I knew it was what we were going with. It is perfect.

When it came time to write the solicits for the series, we decided to lean into the Tarot theme. Tini wrote the solicits as little prophetic fortunes based on what happens in each issue. So, what does it mean? It's up to you to interpret the prophecy... but you'll only know how right you were after the fact.

Nrama: The Tower from the traditional Tarot deck can symbolize a great ruin that can lead to a rebirth. Given the glimpses we've seen of 'X of Swords' so far, and what you just told us, how much should we read into that potential symbolism?

White: Like I said, Tini knows her stuff.

Nrama: Storm has been going through some stuff leading up to 'X of Swords,' and you recently said there would be big things ahead for her. What can you tell us about that? How does all this connect to the techno-organic virus Storm has been suffering in her Giant-Size X-Men one-shot?

White: There is a lot going on with Storm! First off, I don't want to spoil anything from the Giant-Size X-Men: Storm #1 issue! So that'll be the first place you should check out.

She does also have some great moments in 'X of Swords,' especially in Vita Ayala's Marauders #13. But, I think you might be referring to a really amazing Storm development that I cryptically mentioned recently.

That is in the very early stages, but... it's amazing. Unfortunately, it's something that won't be happening until next year. But I think you will know it when you see it - it's pretty huge.

Nrama: Obviously you can't reveal the identity of the 'classified' Swordbearer of Arakko (unless you really want to surprise us!). But what goes into deciding how to put a character fans may already know in a new role like that?

White: There's really no way to answer this without spoiling things! You'll just have to wait until Skids reveals herself as – Damn it, you got me!

Nrama: Huh. We'll take that as a joke... for now.

Mutants have switched sides many times – especially when Apocalypse is involved. Will that come into play here?

White: Apocalypse does seem to always have his secret goals, doesn't he? That said, I don't know if any Krakoans would be willing to change sides, given the stakes that are established in 'X of Swords.' Generally speaking, no one is confused as to what needs to be done, they only disagree on how to do it.

Nrama: There's a criticism that death has become meaningless in superhero comic books, and the X-Men are known for breaking that barrier. But 'Dawn of X' has turned that on its head with the mutant Resurrection Protocols. How do you ensure that death has story weight in a world where you can come back to life? What goes into deciding who dies when?

White: You hit the nail on the head - a lot of the weight of comic character death has dissipated. At this point I think the list of characters who have not died and been brought back can probably be counted on one hand... and I don't even mean that as an exaggeration, as Jonathan literally killed everyone in the universe but one ship's worth of characters in Secret Wars, and the bulk of those have died and returned at other times.

The Resurrection Protocols are an attempt to battle that very thing, by shaking up and changing the game. If a character dies as a part of the normal sequence of events, readers expect they will come back, and now yeah, they will, that's how Krakoan Resurrection works. But we're very early in the life of this idea. There are lots of story possibilities that come from this that bring all new stakes in ways no one is expecting.

And at least one of those will factor into 'X of Swords' in a big way.

Nrama: How did everyone decide which swords to use, and who would wield each blade?

White: Meetings and spitballing!

Honestly, we really have something special going on in the X-Office right now in that all the writers are in much more of a collaborative relationship than I have ever seen across a line before.

We've had our X-Slack in place for a long time, and that has opened everyone up to one another in a big way... but honestly, I think the one good thing to come out of this terrible situation we're all in is that with everyone on Earth doing more video calls, we started up these X-Office group calls and it's been awesome.

We used to get together once, maybe twice a year for an X-Summit. But now we have these calls every two weeks and everyone can share ideas, ask questions or advice, spitball... it really has been so great to see how wonderful everyone has been about it.

To answer your actual question... I think we actually locked in the choices of what characters had what swords back at C2E2. Some were in place long before that, of course, but I think we had more awesome ideas for who it could be than we had open slots.

So everyone was throwing out ideas and then knocking them around, talking about the benefits of this character instead of that one, what awesome things this one could do if they were in the story, what great story beats we would get out of that one, what thing spinning out of the story we'd get if we used the other, all of that.

I have said that the story of 'X of Swords' grew out of the combination of the stories Jonathan and Tini were planting since House of X, and it's true... but even beyond that, I think it would not be the shape it ended up without every one of our writers, because everyone really did hone it together.

It's been a little grueling, but I know all of us are proud.

Nrama: Now that we're right on the verge of X of Swords, what can you tell us that you haven't told anyone else?

White: Not everyone brings the right sword to the fight.

Tini Howard Teases Battle Ahead in Preview of 'X of Swords'

SyFy Wire: Next month, the mutant world will erupt into an epic new story as Marvel Comics launches X of Swords, a crossover event enveloping every single X-Men title across 22 chapters releasing in September, October, and November. It's a massive story in the grand tradition of past X-Men crossovers, but with a fantasy angle that aims to set it apart from anything we've seen in the X-books before. And, of course, it carries with it the promise that by the time the swords are sheathed, nothing will be the same.

We've been hearing about X of Swords (pronounced "Ten of Swords," as in a tarot card) since the event was first announced in February, but despite various teasers, the event remains shrouded in mystery. Some of that mystery will persist right up until we read the last issue of the event in November, but it all kicks off this September with the X of Swords: Creation #1 one-shot from writers Jonathan Hickman and Tini Howard and artist Pepe Larraz. Now, SYFY WIRE is pleased to reveal an exclusive preview of this opening chapter, along with commentary from Howard, whose run on Excalibur has laid the groundwork for this event for months.

X of Swords will unfold in the classic crossover style, with chapters appearing in every X-book over the course of the next few months, but the story really took root in Howard's 11 issues (and counting) of Excalibur. In that title, Howard and artist Marcus To have taken readers through the more magical elements of mutant adventures, from making Betsy Braddock into Captain Britain to a struggle with Morgan le Fay for the rule of Avalon to clashes with Majestrix Opal Luna Saturnyne in Otherworld. It's all served as a potent and gripping reminder that there is magic in the mutant world that goes beyond power sets you might see described on the back of a classic trading card, and according to Howard, that's how much of what we'll see in X of Swords began.

"It might sound silly, but a very simple desire from my earliest Excalibur concepts was that I wanted a book about fantasy and magic. And I was thrilled when we decided to do this Excalibur-heavy, sword-flavored linewide event — it felt like a canonization of the work I'd been doing on Excalibur," Howard said. "I'm very careful about my storytelling; this is a book about Krakoan magic more than it's about the fun of 'what if the X-Men played D&D,' but the 'X-Men playing D&D' part of it is really fun, and I'm consistently thrilled to see X-Men characters with swords and goblets, alongside dragons and things. It's really unexpected, but so fun. These are fantastic heroes and they do fantastic things. Yes, it is super rad to see the X-Men with swords. Thank you all for understanding that."

  

Because the story of X of Swords is so connected to Howard's work on Excalibur, she has risen to co-shepherding the event alongside Hickman, who launched the new era of X-Men last year and has been proclaimed "Head of X" by Marvel. Though she and Hickman have taken point on shaping the event, though, Howard is quick to point out just how much of X of Swords' storytelling was shaped by the other X-creators through regular conversations to determine the direction of the event and the X-line overall. In fact, it was through one of those conversations that the conceptual hook of the event, and its connection to tarot, came about.

"It's one of those magical things about us all just getting to sit in a room and brainstorm," Howard explained. "I happen to have a pretty thorough knowledge of tarot so I offered up my knowledge when it seemed like it fit an idea we were all shaping, and it was one of those moments where I realized I'd pitched a whole thing just kind of out loud — and then we all just set to working on it. The X-Room is that kind of room — we do backflips off of one another every time we're in the room together. Some of our best ideas come about there".

"Anyway, I do love tarot, I think it's one of those things that gets often flattened as 'fortune telling' or whatever, but I think it's a really special narrative tool. There's something to tarot and superhero comic — sequences of archetypal images that tell a story, how we interpret them and apply them to ourselves as guidance — that's been in the back of my mind the whole time I've been crunching on this event."

So, that's the groundwork for X of Swords, but what about the actual plot? Marvel has been careful to divulge few details about the story itself, but here's what we do know: Ten mutants will arm themselves with "legendary blades" to face the biggest threat to the nation of Krakoa yet, brand-new characters will emerge as enemies, and key to the story are the arcs of Apocalpse and the realm of Otherworld in general. Though Howard couldn't divulge much, she did note that the Otherworld story in Excalibur will be a cornerstone of what's to come.

"We've been building toward Saturnyne's power in the Otherworld since the very first issue of my and Marcus' Excalibur run. We'll start to see more clearly what's been going on, and the roots of the strife in Otherworld that allowed people like Morgan le Fay to come to power in the first place," she said. "It's all connected. It's connected and it's bigger in ways you haven't even considered. It's going to be like that moment in Wizard of Oz where it all turns to color: stuff is about to change."

But what of these new villains? Marvel has revealed already that they're called the "Swordbearers of Arrako," Arrako being the still-mysterious "sister" to Krakoa first introduced in Hickman's Powers of X miniseries. In the preview pages in the gallery above, we can see some of these Swordbearers preparing for battle, and some of them adorn the cover of X of Swords: Creation. Teaser art for X of Swords: Stasis -- a middle chapter of the event arriving in late October -- has even revealed some of their names. Beyond that, Howard couldn't tell us much, but she did tease that thanks to the collaborative nature of the event, each of them is going to emerge fully formed.

"I'll talk more about the wonders of the X-Room here because it's so relevant to these characters without being a spoiler — so many of us work on these books together that big casts like these feel really real, because we all fill in bits of each character here and there. Or someone 'adopts' a favorite and tells the rest of the room a concept about them, like 'hey, I don't know if anyone had a plan for Crocodile Guy, but I have this idea-' and it gets canonized," Howard explained. "So it's more than just getting an artist to turn in a bunch of sick designs, or one-line concepts, it's that we live with them in our heads. We give them names and histories and pasts, we crack jokes, and we get to know these big casts. So by the time you meet them, they've been loved by a whole roomful of creative weirdos for months. They're full of that energy and they feel real. You're going to meet a lot of new characters like that in X of Swords."

The rest of what's in store in X of Swords will have to wait until the event is upon us, as Howard and the rest of the X-team are still keen on keeping much of the story secret. What's especially clear as we near the event's debut, though, is that this is more than just a pair of lead writers and a few other creators doing tie-in books. This is, as Howard emphasized to us over and over again, a story that comes from the strength and imagination of the entire X-line.

"We've known from the beginning that this was how the event was going to be done, and had every book team willing to join in. So it absolutely affects the structure in that we designed the event we all wanted to write, and if that hadn't been the case, we would have done it differently," Howard said. "Almost nothing that happens in that room is a prescription or an order, and I know fans don't always believe that, but it's true - we write what we want to write, not because Jonathan or [X-books editor Jordan D. White] or anyone had some sort of mandate. If that sounds like magic to you maybe it is, but it's the truth. We do what we do because we love doing it, and we make great comics together."

X of Swords: Creation #1 arrives September 23.

Ten of Swords by Pepe Larraz

Free Comic Book Day Vol 2020 X-Men #1 Spoilers & Art

Spoilers: Another time and another place, four mysterious beings use portals to transport mutants around the world – or indeed the galaxy. They resemble Egyptian gods and Greek myth and conjure their own sigils. They say that the death of a star is a small price to pay for the favor of Saturnyne.

Meanwhile in Otherworld, Saturyne draws the tarot. Her predecessors Merlin and Roma preferred to play chess. She deals the cards:

• Judgment – Apocalypse staring into the abyss together with the High Summoner.
• Four of Wands – The original four Horsemen of Apocalypse.
• The Hanged Man  – Apocalypse, Beast, Havok, Rictor, Glob, Trinary, Banshee, Archangel and Polaris.
• Eight of Cups – A mysterious woman.
• Ten of Swords – Apocalypse, Cable, Wolverine, Magik and Captain Britain (Betsy Braddock). The shadowy figures might be Gorgon, Storm, Cypher, Magneto and Scalphunter.