The X-Men Assemble in Maximum X-Men #1 Advance Preview

GamesRadar+: The X-Men have their work cut out for them in the wake of Avengers: Armageddon. As announced by Marvel Comics back at SDCC 2026, writer Christopher Yost and artist Tony S. Daniel will be getting the team back together, so to speak, while the Avengers pick up the pieces in Maximum X-Men this December – and we've got an exclusive preview of the interior art as well as some answers from Yost about what to expect from the new ongoing series.

"In the wake of the events of AVENGERS: ARMAGEDDON, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are no more," the official announcement of the Maximum X-Men series reads in part. "So who will stand in defense of the Earth? The X-Men will! Storm gathers an elite team for just that task, including Wolverine, Colossus, Bishop, Iceman, Psylocke, Firestar, and Justice! Mutants by birth, heroes by choice! And their first challenge is a full-on invasion from the Negative Zone! Is this Annihilus again—or something far, far worse?"

One might argue this is answering the question of what the X-Men would be like if they were Avengers, but it's not exactly like it's the first time we've seen mutants step up in this way. As Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios continue to become more aligned, it's also worth noting that Avengers: Doomsday releases later the same month, though it doesn't seem like there will be much in the way of overlap.

Read on to see what Yost has to say about the X-Men, the new ongoing series, and more. You can also see the exclusive interior art, as well as previously revealed covers, for Maximum X-Men #1 below:

GamesRadar+: You previously described this run as having "a classic Claremont vibe." Can you explain what you mean? What is that to you, and what about Maximum X-Men has it?

Christopher Yost: I grew up on Claremont/Romita Jr. X-Men, then went back and discovered the classic Claremont/Byrne era. The Claremont vibe was big adventure, intrigue, real people with character put into positions where they had to be heroes… and soap opera. It was a lot of relationship drama amidst all the super-heroing. And there was fun!

This isn't me reinventing the wheel, this is just classic X-Men… and Maximum X-Men is all that, but probably leaning a little more into the action because it's me.

GamesRadar+: Talk me through the lineup here. There are some obvious picks, and some less-than-obvious ones. What excites you about this team?

Christopher Yost: There are some characters that just scream 'classic X-Men,' when you see a lineup that's got Wolverine, Storm, Colossus… that's X-Men. Psylocke was a newcomer when I was reading, as was Bishop… but they've cemented their places as classic members. Then you've got Firestar who's come in and out of the X-Men world, and Justice who's always leaned 'Avenger.'

But for this story we're looking at people who are all looking for HOPE most of all. They're all heroes, and this is the X-Men standing up and fighting the good fight.

Also, I love Firestar.

GamesRadar+: There have been plenty of X-Men team leaders over the years. What do you think it is about Storm (no stranger to the job herself) that's fundamentally different from the likes of other X-Men team leaders?

Christopher Yost: Compared to Professor X, Cyclops or Rogue, she's just seeing the situation from a different viewpoint. Storm has the confidence and belief in her abilities that comes with being the goddess she is. She has a benevolence to her that she'll never let be mistaken for weakness. There is nothing she won't dare, no power she won't stand up to as she protects the people she cares for. She's also got better style than all of them put together.

GamesRadar+: Everyone has their own take on this, and I'd love to hear yours: what's the purpose of the X-Men?

Christopher Yost: To protect a world that hates and fears them. The X-Men will always do the right thing, they're fighting ignorance as much as supervillains. But in this moment in time for the team, humanity seems to be coming around a little bit. In a world without Avengers… who will save us?

GamesRadar+: What does Tony S. Daniel bring to the table in Maximum X-Men, in your own words? What is it about Daniel's work here that speaks to you most?

Christopher Yost: Not only does Tony love drawing the X-Men, he's killing it on the sheer amount of action we're delivering here. There's a dynamic quality to his art that's just perfect for this kind of book, and the scale of it is something I'm excited for everyone to see. But in the end, it's love. You can tell he just loves the X-Men. And Spider-Man, which I'm gonna get in there. Probably in issue 6.

Maximum X-Men #1 is set to release on December 2, 2026. The upcoming X-Men movie is set to release on May 5, 2028, while Avengers: Doomsday releases December 18, 2026. While you wait, you can always check out our ranking of the best X-Men comics.

Captain Britain 50th Anniversary Special First Look

ComicBook.com: First debuting in Captain Britain #1 in 1976, Brian Braddock and his twin sister Betsy have grown to be beloved characters over the decades with deep ties to plenty of major Marvel teams, including the X-Men, the Avengers, and even a literal league of their own, the Captain Britain Corps. To celebrate this major milestone moment for the characters, an all-new special, Captain Britain 50th Anniversary Special #1, hits shelves on October 14th, featuring stories by Dan Abnett, Chris Claremont, and Alan Davis celebrating the past, present, and future of the heroes, and ComicBook had a chance to chat with Davis, looking back on his place in Captain Britain history — and a little tease of his new story in the upcoming special.

Chris Claremont and Paul Davidson: “Braddock Business”

Alan Davis: “Chains of Command”

Dan Abnett and Kelsey Ramsay: “Another Day, An Otherworld”

One of the things that is interesting about any major comics milestone is looking back at where things were at any given point in the character’s timeline. For Davis, Captain Britain’s story is a big part of his own story as a creator, as Davis wasn’t a full-time comics creator at the time. Davis explained that when he started, the work was just for fun — and uncertain.

“When I started working on Captain Britain, it was just for fun,” Davis said. “I had a full-time job and Marvel UK could only afford to produce five or six pages a month so it never felt like Captain Britain would survive for too long. Paul Neary was the mastermind behind the relaunch and he chose myself and Dave Thorpe because of our enthusiasm — and the fact that we would work for cheap.”

Being a good bargain aside, however, Davis did say that he feels lucky that he got to be such an important part of Captain Britain’s history with his work on the character’s major redesign in 1981.

“I feel lucky to have been in the right place at the right time to be offered the chance to work on and redesign Captain Britain,” Davis said, though he also noted that he isn’t one to guess where the future goes, having been surprised by the character’s continued longevity.

“As for the future, who knows,” he added. “I figured Captain Britain would have fizzled out over forty years ago.”

Of course, Captain Britain isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The upcoming anniversary special is offering up three stories for Brian and Betsy. Davis’s story has been described as showing readers what happens when you try to rein in a Braddock, and Davis offered up a bit of insight as to what fans can expect from Brian Braddock.

“Brian Braddock is an old-fashioned patriot.” he said. “He respects tradition and the values of his forbears but he hates the bureaucrats who use their positions within the ‘System’ for personal gain. Brain doesn’t challenge the system head on but he does score points whenever the opportunity presents itself.”

The three stories will offer up that past, present, future approach to celebrating the iconic characters. Chris Claremont and Paul Davidson bring “Braddock Business” to the book, while Davis’s story is “Chains of Command.” Rounding out the trio is “Another Day, An Otherworld” by Dan Abnett and Kelsey Ramsay. You can check out pages from each story for yourself above. The book itself will go on sale October 14th.

X-Men: Outback #4 Preview

X-Men: Outback #4
Writer: Steve Orlando
Art by: Roi Mercado
Cover by: Russell Dauterman

The Story:

The Morlocks of the Outback are in trouble — and only the X-Men can help! Havok and Madelyne Pryor must help the Morlocks of Australia escape from the Lava Men! Can even Havok withstand the heat? Will these X-Men be able to establish a truce between the Lava Men and the Morlocks before Maddie’s fiery visions of the future come true?

In Stores: September 16, 2026

X-Men: Outback #3 Preview

X-Men: Outback #3
Writer: Steve Orlando
Art by: Stephen Segovia & Roi Mercado
Cover by: Russell Dauterman

The Story:
Lying low in the Australian Outback, the X-Men have seemed to find peace — that is until the ancient necromancer YAGA DYARA arrives from the Quantum Realm seeking to end Colossus’ Rasputin bloodline for good.
How can Piotr and his comrades succeed against this sorcerer’s cosmic threat?
Will Yaga’s undead magic stamp out the Rasputin line for good?

In Stores: August 26, 2026

X-Men: Outback #2 Preview

X-Men: Outback #2

Writer: Steve Orlando

Art by: Stephen Segovia

Cover by: Russell Dauterman

The Story:

CHAOS IN THE OUTBACK! With the world believing them dead, the X-Men have relocated to the Reavers’ abandoned headquarters. But when an old Reavers security system is set off, the team must protect themselves from their own home! With the X-Men down, can Wolverine save them? Or will the team be torn apart by the most dangerous Reaver ever?

In Stores: July 29, 2026

X-Men: The Hellfire Murder #1 Preview

X-Men: The Hellfire Murder (2026) #1

Writers: Saladin Ahmed, Eve Ewing, Jed Mackay, Erica Schultz, ail Simone

Pencillers: Tony Daniel, Aaron Kuder, Federica Mancin, Cory Smith, Luciano Vecchio

Cover Artist: Luciano Vecchio

The Story:

HOMICIDE AT THE HELLFIRE GALA! When an iconic mutant power player is murdered at an exclusive masquerade hosted by SEBASTIAN SHAW, it falls to WOLVERINE and JUBILEE to solve a locked-room mystery that has dire consequences for all mutantkind. Everyone is a suspect. And the party isn’t over yet…

Release Date: July 22, 2026.

Marvel Swimsuit Special: Brand New Beach Day #1 Preview

Marvel Swimsuit Special: Brand New Beach Day #1

Written by: Anthony Oliveira, Cody Ziglar, Daniel Kibblesmith, Rainbow Rowell

Art by: Alessandro Miracolo, Phil Noto, Pablo Collar, Rachelle Rosenberg, David Baldeón

Cover by: J. Scott Campbell, Sabine Rich

Release Date: Jul 1, 2026

X-Men Monday #342 – Steve Orlando Talks ‘X-Men: Outback’

AIPT!: If you’re looking to get away this summer but don’t want to spend on airfare, consider the more affordable trip to Australia that Marvel Comics is offering in the form of X-Men: Outback. Written by Steve Orlando and illustrated by Stephen Segovia (with covers by Russell Dauterman), this retro limited series will present five issues of all-new adventures set during the X-Men’s fan-favorite Outback era. And to help you decide whether a trip to the Outback is in order, Steve returned to X-Men Monday to discuss his cast of X-Men and what you can expect. Let’s see what he has to say.

AIPT: Which character on the Outback team you were most excited to be writing a new bit of history for.

Orlando: As for who I’m excited to write a new bit of history for… I DO really like our Colossus and Psylocke-focused issue, our third. We get to build out some of Colossus’s backstory as well as allude to stories we know are still to come. But that being said, I think our fifth issue, where we meet Longshot’s ex from his time as a revolutionary in Mojoworld, has probably been the one I’m most excited for as far as new history for characters. 

AIPT: You have a big team to juggle, but what excites you about writing Betsy in the Outback era, and was there anything you wanted to explore or delve into that you think will be supplemental?

Orlando: With Psylocke, in this era, she has just begun to wear her armor—she believes she could be a liability, even if others don’t. So we’ll see her find the confidence we know she has waiting—and she will, of course, be a force. Betsy plays into the resolution of our first issue and gets a spotlight along with Colossus in our third—though, of course, everyone appears in each issue. But much like in the original run, some folks will step into the spotlight more than others depending on the issue. This is an era where Betsy is questioning herself, but everyone can see the strength she has—watching her discover, or rediscover it, I think, is one of the heights of the era.

X-Men: Outback #4 (of 5)

Written by: Steve Orlando

Art by: Stephen Segovia

Cover by: Russell Dauterman

The Morlocks Of The Outback Are In Trouble – And Only The X-Men Can Help!

Havok and Madelyne Pryor must help the Morlocks of Australia escape from the Lava Men! Can even Havok withstand the heat? Will these X-Men be able to establish a truce between the Lava Men and the Morlocks before Maddie’s fiery visions of the future come true?

On Sale 9/16

Psylocke: Ninja #5 Preview

Psylocke: Ninja #5

Writer: Tim Seeley

Art by: Nico Leon

Cover by: Derrick Chew

The Story:

AN ALLIANCE AGAINST THE HAND! Psylocke and Elektra must put aside their differences to save Jubilee from the Snakeroot Clan! But can these two murderous assassins overcome their bloodlust and fulfill their heroic destinies? And will Psylocke’s past with the Hand come back to bite her…or to help her?

In Stores: May 27, 2026

              

Send an Email to the X-Office

Share this campaign:
https://tinyurl.com/betsybraddock

Share on X Share on Bluesky Share on Facebook

Instagram: copy the link above and paste it in your bio or Stories.

How X-Men: Outback Revives a Fan-Favorite '80s Mutant Era

IGN was able to speak with X-Men: Outback writer Steve Orlando via email to learn more about the series and how it builds on the foundation of the original comics. Check out an exclusive new preview of X-Men: Outback #1 below, and then read on to learn more:

As you might expect, Orlando is a self-professed super-fan of the original Outback era. As he explains, that was the status quo when he first began reading Uncanny X-Men as a young fan in 1987, and it's one that has continued to resonate with him over the decades.

"So, I got into comics in 1987--before I could even fully read, I was there grabbing back issues and getting to know the characters," Orlando tells IGN. "By the time the Outback Era began, I knew what was going on, I knew the deal. The Outback team was one of the first X-Men rosters I met! And then, as it went on, I soon knew the X-Men even more, not just from the arcade cabinet game but also the Pryde of the X-Men pilot. I wore that VHS out, again and again, to the extent that by the time X-Men '92 started, I was salty that the roster wasn't the one I expected."

Orlando continues, "So again, this team, out in Australia, it was one of the first rosters I encountered--and that's probably why they all went on to be some of my favorite mutants. Back in the ‘80s I didn't know all the context—that would come a few years later. But I knew the look, I knew the defiance, I knew what we'd come to call the vibe. And it's what first defined X-Men for me. As you can imagine, then, I was beyond thrilled to be asked to not just revisit that era--but to celebrate it!"

The X-Men have always been outcasts from polite society, but the Outback era was notable for making them into true outlaws. They were cast out of their familiar home and forced to survive in a strange and unforgiving new environment against new enemies like the Reavers. For Orlando, that's a big part of the appeal with these stories, old and new.

"The X-Men and mutants in general almost always live on the fringe of society--whether they like it or not," Orlando says. "But this era, in the outback, made them just what you say--true outlaws. Their own friends and families believe them to be dead. They have nowhere to turn but to each other--and even the structures that they used to be able to look to for safety and stability can no longer be counted on. I think that feeling, of having your life whittled down to only your closest, your family--chosen or otherwise--is something that's still meaningful today. In fact, the defiance, the will to live and thrive in that situation, is perhaps even more meaningful than before."

X-Men: Outback doesn't focus on one story, but rather dances between the beats of the original run to reveal new adventures and answer lingering questions. We were curious if there were any particular loose ends from the Outback era Orlando wanted to explore here.

"There are!" Orlando reveals. "Though the sweet spot is to find ways to do it in a way that welcomes everyone--so we'll be answering some of these questions, but the delivery won't spotlight it as continuity detective work, etc. When [editor] Darren Shan and I sat down, for example, one of the questions was to address Storm's costume change from her punk look to her main Outback era costume. And we'll do so! When we do, however, it'll be clothed in whole story and a brand-new adventure. The key, above all, is to show love and passion for the era--and in this case, that means new ideas and new villains, just like in the original issues that we're inspired by. But in between, you'll see things like Storm's costume update, Psylocke's transition to her armor, Colossus's reaction to passing himself off as a ghost to his sister. We'll not just answer questions, but we'll dig into and explore the consequences of the beats that are already there."

Orlando also confirms that the series will focus on the same roster as the original comics - Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Dazzler, Longshot, Rogue, and Havok, with each issue falling between specific chapters of the original run.

"The roster is absolutely the same as folks remember!" Orlando says. "Each issue falls in its own moment in the series, between existing issues or within time jump inside a given issue--so there's no one answer where the series falls. Since each issue is a new adventure, the answer changes for each on--I'm straight up not sure if we'll run the continuity/setting notes we have, but we lay out where each issue fits in the scripts. I do think it's safe to say this whole run takes place before Inferno."

As Orlando mentions, this series takes place before Inferno and the shocking reveal of the true nature of Jean Grey's clone, Madelyne Pryor. As such, fans can expect to see Maddie in this series, as the character struggles with being abandoned by Cyclops for the original Jean and works to become a more active member of the X-Men.

"Madelyne's story is mapped in the original series," Orlando says. "We'll be digging into it here--because we're happening before Inferno, we know where her story is going. In this run, we'll see her wrestle with her place on the team as well as her tension over seeing Cyclops and Jean Grey on TV as part of X-Factor. And I feel safe saying her frustration will build to her getting in on the action in an issue that homages Ripley's epic subterranean rescue in the climax of Aliens. Maddie wants to do more and be a greater part of this chosen family--and that desire will take her out of Cooterman's Creek and onto the battlefield."

Finally, the Outback era is notable as much for its strong visual style as anything else. This is the era when future Image Comics superstar Marc Silvestri truly made his mark on the series. We were curious how Orlando and artist Stephen Segovia hope to capture the vibe of the original comics. As Orlando explains, the goal is to "celebrate, not imitate."

"Listen, when you work with a master like Stephen Segovia, you don't tell him what to do--you set him up for success with exciting visuals and you get out of the way. That said, yes--Marc Silvestri was and still is such a singular talent, and he put an indelible mark on the look of the X-Men during this era. And to me, imitating that would never be the way to go. Instead, it's giving love to the theme behind the style, as you suggest. Stephen doesn't draw like Marc, but in bringing his own style to the pages with the same blockbuster comic book energy that made the Outback Era great--his work honors the spirit of the original run. We want to celebrate, not imitate."

Orlando adds, "And Stephen backs so much energy into his pages, he has such lithe and muscular layouts, that he's delivering the perfect evolution not of the exact style of the Outback Era, but of what it represented. He's the perfect artist for this--and with Russell Dauterman and Matt Wilson on covers and Alex Sinclair on colors, we've got a murders row on deck to make X-Men: Outback one of the best looking books on the stands...in any era!"

X-Men: Outback #1 will be released on June 24, 2026. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.

Psylocke: Ninja #4 Preview

Psylocke: Ninja #4

Writer: Tim Seeley

Art by: Nico Leon

Cover by: Derrick Chew

The Story:

How will Psylocke survive when both Elektra and the Snakeroot Clan attack? And how can she protect Jubilee, when she lands in the crosshairs of Psylocke’s enemies?

In Stores: April 8, 2026

Send an Email to the X-Office

Share this campaign:
https://tinyurl.com/betsybraddock

Share on X Share on Bluesky Share on Facebook

Instagram: copy the link above and paste it in your bio or Stories.