X-Men: Outback #5 Art

X-Men: Outback #5 Preview

X-Men: Outback #5
Writer: Steve Orlando
Art by: Stephen Segovia
Cover by: Russell Dauterman

The Story:
The world believes the X-Men are dead, but all Mojo knows is that he’s lost his meal ticket!
Desperate, Mojo debuts a new ratings smash… the Murder Video Channel!
Can the X-Men stop the murderous mayhem without revealing themselves?
And how can Longshot explain that Cliffhanger, Mojo’s Murder Video star… is his ex?!

In Stores: October 21, 2026

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 Art

X-Men: Outback #3 Teaser

Find out what really happened between Psylocke and Colossus in the Australian Outback in tomorrow’s X-Men: Outback #3—and what the issue reveals about the complicated bond that had been quietly developing between Betsy Braddock and Piotr Rasputin.

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 Art

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: Outback #1 Art

 

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

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.

Marvel Returns the X-Men and Psylocke to Australia With 'X-Men Outback' in June

BleedingCool: Announced at ComicsPRO by Marvel's David Gabriel is the news that the next Marvel retro series will be X-Men: Outback, returning to the time after the Fall Of The Mutants when the X-Men hid in the Australian outback and discovered the teleporting Aboriginal mutant, Gateway. And Steve Orlando and Stephen Segovia will be returning the mutants down under.

David Gabriel says, "Steve gave me some notes this morning to tell you what's happening in this book. You are going to see the first time that Sabertooth appeared in the Australian outback. You're gonna discover a secret branch of the Rasputin family bloodline. You're gonna meet the new character, the God Of The Rivers. And he's going to be introducing the all-new Australian version of the Morlocks, and he's also bringing the first appearance of a new character, Cliffhanger."

The X-Men Outback period ran from 1988 to 1990 in Uncanny X-Men during Chris Claremont's long run as writer. The X-Men had appeared to sacrifice themselves and die while battling the demonic entity known as the Adversary in Dallas. The world believed the team was gone forever. In reality, the goddess Roma resurrected them and magically transported the survivors to a remote, abandoned mining town in the Australian Outback. This gave the team a fresh start: they were presumed dead, allowing them to operate in secrecy without the constant scrutiny or attacks that came with their old Westchester mansion base. The X-Men took over the high-tech headquarters of the Reavers, a gang of vicious, cybernetically enhanced mercenaries and thieves who were originally tied to the Hellfire Club. The town, called Cooterman's Creek, looked like a dusty ghost town on the surface but hid advanced computer systems and defenses. Roma's magic made the base invisible to machines, spells, and detection, giving the team true anonymity. The team included Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, Psyclocke, Colossus, Havok, Dazzler, Longshot, and saw Gateway and Jubillee join the team. It lasted only about 20-plus issues, but it introduced lasting concepts like Genosha and showcased a more mature, world-weary X-Men.

Art of the Day – Psylocke by Stephen Segovia

Original sketch by Stephen Segovia – Digitally colored.

In the meantime, feel free to email officex@marvel.com and kindly ask for more appearances of Betsy Braddock in the comics! 💜