Giant-Size X-Men HeroClix Preview

WizKids will release its Giant-Size X-Men set of HeroClixes in the Spring.

Uncanny X-Force Teaser: The Dark Angel Saga

Marvel released this teaser today. More info to be released next Friday at this year's C2E2 convention.

Psylocke by Adriana Melo

Thanks to MrPsyGuy!

Uncanny X-Force #5.1 Preview

Uncanny X-Force #5.1
Cover by: Simone Bianchi
Writer: Rick Remender
Pencils: Rafael Albuquerque

The Story: Special Point One issue. Start reading with this Point One issue. When a situation calls for hard choices, the X-Force is there to step in. Lady Deathstrike, with the deadly Reavers at her side, set out to destroy the X-Men in their home! Deathstrike will obliterate the X-Men or die trying, and this new Uncanny X-Force is more than happy to oblige. As the line between right and wrong become more and more blurred, will the Uncanny X-Force be heralded as heroes… or villains?

In Stores: March 16, 2011

            

X-Position: Rick Remender

CBR: We have Rick Remender, the writer of Marvel Comics' "Uncanny X-Force," here to answer some queries and many others in today’s X-Position. Let’s jump right in…

        
Uncanny X-Force #7 Preview

While Wolverine has established himself as X-Force's leader, his ideals don't seem to be in line with the others. In "Uncanny X-Force" #5, he was quick to brush off what Fantomex did to the kid Apocalypse. That didn't sit well with Angel, Psylocke and even Deadpool. How can Wolverine keep the team together if his teammates question the lines he's willing to cross?

Rick Remender: Let’s not overstate what happened. The team went to assassinate one of the worst monsters in the Marvel Universe, and ended up face to face with a young boy. If you don’t have a problem with that particular scenario, you’re no longer hero -- you’re a villain. The ethical questions that it brings are obviously something that I wanted these characters to be haunted by. How these characters deal with what Fantomex did -- how Apocalypse was dealt with -- is how you get into the gooey core of the characters. So, while you saw Wolverine in the room agreeing that they should not kill the boy, it is up to the reader to decide why he has suddenly changed his song now that they’re done, back at base, having done it anyway. Isn’t it nice to not have me spell every single thing out? The answer is there, but I try not to cram it down your throat (Axel taught me that).

Perhaps it is simply that the milk is spilt and Wolverine is mired in a rationalization. Based on the conversation, what do you think?

For the record, the team sees eye to eye. Nobody on the team has any question about whether or not they will kill a scumbag super-villain or somebody who’s going to put innocent lives in harm’s way. When killing said villain is the only way to stop them, that’s what this team is for. We don’t take killing lightly, we don’t treat it as if it’s trivial, we don’t relish in it as a thing that makes us "edgy," and we will very definitely be dealing with the ramifications of what happens to the people who do it and the hits will always have a twist they didn’t see coming.

Will Psylocke's time as a member of the Exiles be mentioned (or will the existence of the team even be acknowledged) when the Uncanny X-Force team travels to the world of Age of Apocalypse?

Rick Remender: Yes.

Given that Wolverine and Psylocke exist in the Age of Apocalypse, is there any chance the Uncanny X-Force members will meet their AoA counterparts during the upcoming story?

Rick Remender: What a huge part of the story that might be, right? If I were to say yes or no, it would spoil your enjoyment of what will be a nice, surprising reveal in the story. Or maybe by not telling you, I’ve already told you. I will say there are many surprising events to look forward to while we journey to the Age of Apocalypse.

Do you plan to explain how Sabretooth from the Age of Apocalypse escaped from the wall he was trapped in during the latest Exiles book? Also, will you address the relationship he had with our 616-Psylocke in "New Exiles?"

Rick Remender: I am going to make sure that Elizabeth’s relationship with AoA Sabretooth is acknowledged and plays an important role in the story -- wouldn’t want to overlook such a big piece of history.

The Shadow King and Psylocke have a rivalry dating back to the Psi-War. Can we expect some kind of rematch between them?

Rick Remender: Yes, you can, and this fight is a direct result of the Psi-War. Somebody wants some revenge.

Will you delve into what Psylocke is exactly? Is she an Otherworld-ly character, is she a construct of Jamie Braddock, or something else entirely?

Rick Remender: Betsy is a fledgling Omega telepath who could one day become the most powerful telepath in the Marvel Universe. That’s my take on her; I imagine there will be those who see it other ways. I have plans to take us to Other World and explore her past, how it links to her future, and her powers origins.

Uncanny X-Force by Phil Noto

From Phil Noto's Tumblr: “I don’t get a chance to read many comics ‘cause I’m usually too busy makin’ them, but one that I never miss is Remender’s Uncanny X-Force. Love the characters, story and the art. There’s nothing better than that black and grey look. So here’s my fan art” :)

Rick Remender On X-Force's Cast

PrettyFakes is proud to present Tim Jones’ interview with celebrated comics scribe Rick Remender, writer of Fear Agent, Uncanny X-Force, and an acclaimed recent run on Punisher, among other titles. Click on the link to read the rest of the interview!

Tim: Did you get to pick the team?

Rick Remender: No, I didn’t. They had already put the team together when I was in talks to do the book. The team was obviously why I wanted to do the book, more than anything because of my connection to Fantomex and my love for Betsy/Psylocke. Obviously Wolverine and Deadpool are a ton of fun to write and great characters. But the big juice came from what I saw in the potential for these other characters and how they would interact with the popular ones like Deadpool and Wolverine. I had some ideas that I’m getting to now to develop Deadpool into a three dimensional person where we see his motives a little more, and you start to see more of what’s going on behind the curtains. He’s the guy whose schizophrenic, he’s always wacky and making jokes, but there’s always some kind of personality issue at the core of that. For him, I imagined that he’s this guy who is refuse. He’s a failed product of Weapon X and he’s never been accepted anywhere and always sort of been the pariah. So the humor is a protective wall to shield himself and I like trying to tear that down and show the gooey human core in the middle. So there’s a lot of great character stuff with those five together. Someone told me that those were the five they were thinking, I got to work on connecting them with interpersonal dynamics.

Fraction Talks X-Books Future

CBR: On Saturday at the 2011 Emerald City Comicon, Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker and Jonathan Hickman appeared at a packed panel to discuss their plans for the Marvel U. A fan wanted to know more about the X-Men's future plans. As the team has been through so much over the past year, he was wondering what new direction the X-books could possibly take.

Fraction smiled at this and replied, "Boy, 2012 is a great year to answer that question. We have a really big idea that ate up two and a half days of our lives recently. It's the whole murder-marriage-death-birth cycle/saga, yet bigger and better and onwards and upwards."

"With all the [X-Men] storylines in the next twelve months, you'll start to see that they're all converging towards a single point. You'll see… we're getting there. Almost all the pieces are on the board."

X-Men Legacy #246 Preview

X-Men Legacy #246
Cover by: Leinil Yu
Writer: Mike Carey
Pencils: Clay Mann

The Story: “Age of X” Chapter Three! Rogue has stumbled upon the secret hidden deep within the bowels of Fortress X. And now she's public enemy number one. A fugitive amongst her own kind, Rogue goes on the run... but when your entire world is surrounded by an unbreakable forcefield wall, there's not far to go. Especially when a team of mutantkind's most ruthless killers is hot on your trail!

In Stores: March 9, 2011

        
    

X-Men MMXI: Year of the X-Men

Year of the X-Men: MMXI - Liveblog!

• As for the incoming "X-Men Prelude" series, writer Paul Jenkins will bring his own voice to the lead in to the next X-event. He's digging into the four main X-Dudes: Xavier, Magneto, Cyclops and Wolverine and each of their point of views. It really focuses on Cyclops and how everyone sees him.

• The books will dig into why Cyclops is the leader of mutants while also revealing new details about the past of each of the other characters.

• "X-Men Prelude" will have the full title "X-Men: Prelude to Schism" – news that came with a new teaser by Greg Land. It appears likely that "Schism" is the title of the incoming event.

• Classic villains return soon in the pages of "X-Men" as well as other places, and to keep fans interested, the editor said "Hellfire" will be a major key in 2011.

• Hellion continues to appear in "Age of X" and "X-Men Legacy".

• Sage won't be showing up in X-Men for a while. She's still dancing out in the multiverse.

• Domino is in "Age of X" in a minor role, but not too many plans lie ahead for her in the future.

• Elixir is still out in Genosha/Necrosha, and he won't be returning to Utopia in the future.

• Lockheed will play a large role in the Storm/Kitty/Beast thread of "Astonishing X-Men".

• Pixie will remain in the X-books but not in a major way for the next six months.

• Mystique continues her core role in Jason Aaron's "Wolverine" series.

• Prodigy has nothing major coming up, but he will appear in the "Uncanny X-Men" Annual.