POLL: Your Favorite and Least Favorite Writers are...

FAVORITE WRITERS:

#1. Rick Remender (42%): Remender’s take on Betsy Braddock in his fan-favorite and critically acclaimed run on Uncanny X-Force remains iconic and revered. Uncanny X-Force gave us all: strong characterization, agency, tragedy and a well-rounded arc that pushed Betsy so far out of her comfort zone and into top-tier status, leading to a new renaissance for the character.

#2. Chris Claremont (14%): While Claremont’s third run on Uncanny X-Men was not as well received as his first (and not as bad as his second), there were some qualities to his carefree take on Betsy. Despite some issues with pacing and dialogue, one can’t deny that Claremont knows who Betsy Braddock is at her core. The least said about New Exiles, the better.

#3. Cullen Bunn (11%): An underappreciated gem, Bunn’s portrayal of Betsy Braddock in Uncanny X-Men feels in many ways the spiritual successor to Remender’s. Bunn’s complex and conflicting interpretation revealed a deep respect for the character and one of the few standouts during a hard time for the X-Men publishing line.

LEAST FAVORITE WRITERS:

#1. Tini Howard (48%): Wasted potential is what best defines Tini Howard’s Betsy Braddock. Fans hoped that Betsy adopting the Captain Britain mantle would take the character to the next level. Instead, Betsy was portrayed as a self-doubting, ineffective leader who barely used her powers other than swinging her sword around. Everything we loved about Betsy is gone. Her personality, her charm, her creative use of powers, her attitude, her edginess. All we have left is a shadow of her former self. Betsy is a far cry from what she used to be. And for the worse. The fact that Tini’s Otherworld epic is taking too long to conclude – 3 years and counting – while keeping Betsy irrelevant and isolated from the main Krakoan/X-Men action also left a sour taste in fans’ mouths.

#2. Leah Williams (16%): While Age of X-Man: X-Tremists was pretty much inoffensive and forgettable, Wlliams’ take on Betsy Braddock comes from her utter misunderstanding of the character. Williams views Betsy as a self-loathing woman obsessed with body modification who hated her own body. This was enough for fans to hope she never writes Betsy again.

#3. Sam Humphries (12%): After Remender’s run, the bar was set too high. While Humphries was given a hard task, his take on Betsy failed to impress fans to say the least. An adult woman living through her teen angst phase – with burglary, drinking and polyamorous relationships – was not what fans were expecting.

AXIS #1 Art & Spoilers

Spoilers: Psylocke joins the Avengers and X-Men in Genosha to fight the Red Onslaught.

Uncanny Avengers #22 Art

Magistrate Braddock dies at the hands of Mar-vell.

Psylocke To Play a Role in "AXIS"

CBR: To bring some more clarity to the upcoming 9-issue event series, "AXIS", Rick Remender and Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort are on hand for a special press conference call, ready to tease details for the crossover that spans "Uncanny Avengers," "Magneto," "Loki: Agent of Asgard" and more.

It's Remender's first real go at writing Tony Stark, and the writer noted that crafting dialogue for both Iron Man and Deadpool was very satisfying. Continuing on the Iron Man thread, Remender revealed there were big changes in store for Tony Stark and that events between the Iron Avenger and the Red Skull were percolating in the background. The writer called out Genesis, Deadpool, Psylocke, Rogue, Cyclops and many more as playing a role in the series. "Nightcrawler has a very big role in this," he said.

Written by Rick Remender,AXIS runs nine issues over three months starting in October and crosses over into several Marvel titles including Iron Man, Magneto, Loki: Agent of Asgard and Remender's own Captain America and Uncanny Avengers comics.

Uncanny Avengers #20 Art

Uncanny Avengers #19 Preview

Uncanny Avengers #19

Writer: Rick Remender

Art & Cover by: Daniel Acuña

The Story:

• AVENGE THE EARTH Continues!

• Kang’s Chronos Corps arrives on Planet X with a terrible offer!

• The former members of the Uncanny Avengers must reunite to save the Earth! 

• Magneto’s all-new X-Force are out for the blood of a Summers!

In Stores: April 23, 2014

Remender's "Uncanny Avengers" Rise from the Ashes of "Ragnarok Now"

CBR: By the end of Uncanny Avengers #17, the concluding chapter of "Ragnarok Now", the villainous Apocalypse Twins Eimin and Uriel exploited the strife between the members newly formed Avengers Unity Squad to accomplish a two fold plan: doom the Earth to destruction and transport the planet's mutant population into an interstellar "ark."

What happens now that the Earth is gone? What kind of world will the surviving mutant population build for themselves? And what role will the time traveling conqueror Kang and his newly forged Chronos Corps play in these events? For the answers to these questions and more, CBR News spoke with Rick Remender about the apocalyptic conclusion of "Ragnarok Now" and exploring the consequences in upcoming arc "Avenge the Earth."

CBR: Does the Planet X setting of "Avenge the Earth" mean that we'll get some new characters front and center and perhaps some fun cameos from various mutants?

Rick Remender: Yeah, but I don't want to bog the story down too much with getting into that. We're going to have a big Havok and Cyclops confrontation here, or possibly several. There's a lot of that coming. We're going to get a lot of contextual stuff based around the mutants on Planet X and some of our cast. Then when the action picks up I had to of course throw Psylocke in there. So she's around, a couple versions of her actually. If you read "Uncanny X-Force" this will be a nice continuation of the "Kill the Future" arc. There's a lot of Easter eggs, but as always, I try to make sure that the story is accessible to new readers.

Uncanny X-Force #14 Preview

Uncanny X-Force #14

Writer: Sam Humphries

Art by: Phil Briones

Cover by: Kris Anka

The Story:

- The Revenant War kicks into high gear as the Uncanny X-Force must battle their fiercest enemies yet!

- The truth about the revenant Owl Queen is revealed – and she’s even more dangerous than any of our heroes expected!

- Meanwhile, Storm has been keeping her cards close to her chest – but the one she finally plays is out of this world!

Also in stores next week, Uncanny Avengers #14. Rick Remender and Steve McNiven bring Magistrate Braddock back to the fold.

X-Position: Rick Remender

CBR: In this week's X-Position, Rick Remender tackles all the issues from more reactions to Charles Xavier's death, the powers of Emin and Uriel -- the Apocalypse Twins, plans for the upcoming "Infinity" event and more.

I feel like at its core, "The Dark Angel Saga" was Psylocke's journey to take. Between Archangel's twins running around and the Avengers finding out about X-Force's involvement with it, will we see the lovely miss Braddock giving her input anytime soon?

Rick Remender: The Twins' focus is on hating Wolverine, the person who led X-Force to kill the child Apocalypse as well as Archangel, their father. They see him as the number 1 target and the man who has to pay for these crimes. So at this stage there will be no Betsy in the story. But that could change moving forward, who knows?

Remembering Psylocke with Remender

CBR: After Psylocke made the decision not to kill the villainous Shadow King in "Final Execution," fate rewarded her by reuniting her with her lover Fantomex, who had been murdered early on in the storyline. That reunion came in "Uncanny X-Force" #35, where Fantomex's three brains were transplanted into three different clone bodies; the murderous Jean Philippe, the roguish Fantomex and the nurturing female clone known as Cluster.

Rick Remender: "It felt good to give Betsy and Fantomex that ending, but it was also hard to drop the mic and walk away from them because I love both of those characters," Remender said. "Betsy made the decision to not kill the Shadow King, and I think that's the end of her arc. She had plenty of reasons to want to kill the Shadow King, but she didn't. She found a way to capture him and deal with him. She really came full circle and in my mind, she's done with murder. That's the end of that arc for her. She's learned that lesson."

Uncanny X-Force #35 Spoilers

Spoilers: Psylocke visits Brian at Otherworld, asking for forgiveness. Brian says that he discovered in Sr. Bradock’s journals that Fantomex had three brains and the fact that he was able to fight the conflicting voices in his head was a testament to his character. Brian assures that nothing will ever come between him and Betsy again. Psylocke asks him to store the Shadow King and the Apocalypse Armor in Otherworld. At the Jean Grey School, Deadpool meets Evan and says he’ll always be there for him when he needs. Wolverine and E.V.A. visit Psylocke at her apartment in Manhattan, saying they have left something unresolved. Betsy asks what the Old Logan from the future whispered to him; Logan recalls he said that if he didn’t kill Daken, Daken would murder his students. Wolverine, Psylocke and E.V.A. head to the Sky Facility where they meet Deadpool. E.V.A. reprehends Deadpool for starting the mimicking sequence without the proper adjustments. E.V.A. explains that the three Fantomex brains were intact. The mimicker ended up cloning bodies for each of them. Two male (the mostly Fantomex one and a mutant-hating one), and one female (the nice one, Cluster). Jean-Philipe and Cluster take Betsy to visit their “Mother”. Betsy kisses Jean-Philipe, saying that just for once she’d like to imagine a happy ending.

Uncanny X-Force #35 Preview

Uncanny X-Force #35

Writer: Rick Remender

Art: Phil Noto

Cover by: Julian Totino Tedesco

Final Issue!

• Final Extinction concludes and so does Uncanny X-Force!

• Rick Remender’s landmark run comes to a conclusion with one of the most shocking moments in X-Force history.

• What will become of what’s left of X-Force?

Uncanny X-Force #34 Spoilers

Spoilers: Daken reveals to Wolverine that he wants the Shadow King to control Evan’s mind so he can annihilate Logan’s school and expose him as the villain. Psylocke wakes up in the physical plane and recovers her memories. EVA tries to kill Nightcrawler, but Kurt teleports away. The Skinless Man begs Evan for forgiveness, but Deadpool kills him with a sword through his throat. Evan sees the corpse of Fantomex hung up on the wall, leading to a breakdown. Psylocke uses Omega White's ability to eat psychic energy to imprison the Shadow King in his mind, stating that he’ll be alive inside a spectral vegetable forever. While Deadpool comes to Wolverine’s rescue, Nightcrawler teleports Mystique away from Evan, before he can kill her. Wolverine meets Daken and after a brutal fight, he kills his son by drowning him. Evan comforts Logan, and Sabretooth appears revealing that he manipulated Daken all along so that Wolverine would kill his own son. Evan wants to kill Sabretooth, but ultimately decides to let him go. X-Force gathers in EVA, and Psylocke orders her to get them out of that place.

Uncanny X-Force #34 Preview

Uncanny X-Force #34
Writer: Rick Remender

Art: Phil Noto

Covers by: Julian Totino Tedesco

Final Execution races to its thrilling conclusion!

• X-Force brings the attack to the Brotherhood, but there is dissension in the ranks.

• Genesis faces the truth about Apocalypse and his destiny!

 

Uncanny X-Force #33 Spoilers

Spoilers: Daken has Wolverine all tied up, and tells him his father hates him because he’s true to what he is – a killer. Logan says he wishes things could’ve been different for him and that he’s sorry. Meanwhile, Omega Black keeps beating up Deadpool until Daken orders her to bring Evan to him. At the Astral Plane, the Shadow King shows no sign of tiring, but Psylocke manages to overwhelm him. Betsy rather imprisons him in her mind than killing him, and this hesitation gives the Shadow King the opportunity to shatter her psyche. Psylocke wakes up in the physical plane asking who she is. Elsewhere, Mystique and Nightcrawler set up Blob for a trap. Kurt teleports a shark within Blob’s stomach and watches as Blob slowly dies. EVA arrives and tells him he’s gonna pay for his betrayal. Back to Wolerine, Daken dumps him into a drowning chamber, as the only way to kill Wolverine is to deprive the brain of oxygen. Daken forces Evan to watch Wolverine drowning at the same time he punches Evan. Omega Black brings the injured Evan to where Deadpool is. Evan decides to wear the Apocalypse suit to stop the Brotherhood.

Uncanny X-Force #32 Spoilers

Spoilers: We learn that Daken’s reason for setting in this whole Brotherhood scheme in is to earn his father’s respect. Wolverine and Psylocke head to the Brotherhood’s underwater base and wonders if Deadpool is going to kill Evan. Turns out Wade wants to rescue Evan. Daken, Blob and Lady Omega Red stop him, and Lady Omega Red give Deadpool cancer through her tentacles. Evans blasts Wade from behind and tells him that the Brotherhood were the only one who told the truth to him. Meanwhile, Mystique talks to Nightcrawler and convinces him to let her go because she can give to him the man he wants to murder: the Blod. Deadpool is further tortured by Lady Omega Red, while Evan watches it. Suddenly, Wolverine enters the base and face Sabretooth, the Skinless Man and the other two Omegas Red. Elsewhere, Psylocke reaches Deadpool telepathically. Shadow King senses her and takes her to the astral plane. Nightcrawler and EVA show up in the middle of Wolverine's fight when suddenly EVA poisons him and turns into Mystique. Kurt apologizes but tells him that he needs to get his revenge at any cost.

Uncanny X-Force #31 Spoilers

Spoilers: Three hours from now: Wolverine holds somebody’s dead body. Kid Apocalypse tells him this was the only way it could have ended.

Now: X-Force returns to the present. Deathlok warns them about the Brotherhood taking Evan to Genosha. Beast contacts Logan and blames X-Force if anything happens to Evan. Meanwhile, Mystique and Sabretooth talk about their next move. After Evan cracks and kills Logan, Mystique wants to use the boy to kill the Shadow King for what he did to Destiny in the past. Daken and the Skinless Man try to induce Evan to wear an Apocalypse suit and get revenge against everyone who manipulated him. Sabretooth also manipulates Daken into hating Wolverine even further. Psylocke mentally tricks Mystique and finds out the Brotherhood’s plans for Evan. Logan is convinced Evan won’t crack, while Nightcrawler thinks they should kill the boy. Psylocke doesn’t want to kill Evan either. She also calls Wolverine out on his hypocrisy as he doesn’t want to kill Daken because he is his son, while she had to kill her own brother and lover. In the midst of it all, Deadpool goes by himself after Evan and is ready to kill him.

Uncanny X-Force #35 Preview

Uncanny X-Force #35

Written by: Rick Remender

Art by: Phil Noto

Cover by: Jerome Opena

The Story:

• The Final Execution kicks into high gear

• What is left of X-Force go up against the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants for the last time.

Uncanny X-Force #30 Spoilers

Spoilers from cloneX: Shadow King telepathically manipulates Genesis throughout the issue. Daken, Sabretooth and Farouk drive to Kansas and try to lure Genesis to the dark side. Mystique and the rest of the Brotherhood are playing pool billiards with Fantomex's corpse hung up on the wall as a display. Sabretooth terrorizes a convience store and tells Evan the only way to stop him from killing people is by killing him. Back in Farouk's illusions, Evan sees that Sabretooth and Daken have killed his "parents" and he unleashes his powers much to their delight, but Evan backs off saying he won't be like them. Evan learns that Daken and Sabretooth did not kill his parents because they were never real. X-Force does not appear in this issue at all.

 

Uncanny X-Force #30 Preview

Uncanny X-Force #30

Written by: Rick Remender

Art by: Dave Williams

Cover by: Jerome Opeña

The Story:

• It’s all built to this: “Final Execution” enters its last act!

• The new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants makes their move!

• Fantomex’s deceptions come back to haunt the team!

In Stores: August 29, 2012