X-Position: Victor Gischler

CBR: Victor Gischler joins X-Position today to answer all the questions about his new X-Men book and its initial "vampire-iffic" tale.

As a Nate Grey fan, I'm thrilled to see that Nate will be showing up in the opening arc of your new "X-Men" book. Back in his solo book days, Nate fought Morbius and was bitten by him. Luckily, Nate's TK fought off the vampire "infection." With this in mind, I was wondering – are mutants with telekinesis (like Psylocke, Exodus, and Hellion) immune to vampirism? Or do you need to have "super-TK" like Nate to fight off the vampire infection?

Victor Gischler: Whoa, Malcolm! You're venturing into spoiler territory, so I apologize for the lame answer you're about to get. As far as Nate goes, I'll refer you to the answer above. The roster wars continue to rage in my brain and the brains of the editors, and, again, we have some good ideas, but nothing etched in stone yet. Nate presents some interesting possibilities. We'll just have to see how it all plays out. (And as far as the vampire "infection" goes, everyone knows a double-dose of Vitamin C and a good night's sleep will clear that right up.)

I don't think the "We Are The X-Men" teasers for your new "X-Men" book have been thoroughly explained yet. Will Magneto, Psylocke, Gambit, Hope and Nate Grey play a bigger role in your series? Or were they just randomly chosen? And what about Spider-Man, She Hulk, Elektra? When and how will they show up?

Victor Gischler: I understand wanting some clearer info, Giselle. I really do. But as previously discussed, we are knocking our heads together to make sure we get the roster just right. (Yes, I know that's a lame answer and I am ashamed.)

X-Men: Legacy #236 Spoilers

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Spoilers: The X-Club realize they've been fooled by Bastion and that his plan included them being away from Utopia and San Francisco. With all the teleporters gone and the Blackbird jets destroyed, Bastion begins to surround all of San Francisco, including Utopia, with a impenetrable red dome. Scott orders Iceman, Angel and Psylocke to keep the dome from closing, but it's useless. Namor then finds out that the dome carries on right down to the ocean floor and into it - it's really a sphere. Meanhwile, the X-Club inform the Avengers about Bastion's dome, however not even Thor's hammer works against it. In Utopia, Cable tells Hope that they still have one last time-jump if she wants to give up and return to the future. Despite Hope's doubts, she decides to stay and fight. Cyclops gathers a team of mutants to hit the mainland so as to keep the order and recon. While doing so, they notice a glowing sphere near the Golde Gate bridge. Psylocke realizes this smaller sphere is a portal as she picks up readings through it, not human minds per se. Suddenly, Nimrods sentinels begin to emerge from it with orders to kill them all.

Solicits for August 2010

X-Men #2
Written by: Victor Gischler
Penciled by: Paco Medina
Cover by: Adi Granov
“Curse of the Mutants,” Part 2
Upon discovering that San Francisco has been invaded by Dracula and his vampire army, the X-Men set out to find the evil and destroy it. But when Blade the Vampire Slayer shows up and drops a bombshell, the X-Men realize all of their assumptions have been wrong. Their only chance to survive hinges on a desperate plan which might prove their undoing.


Uncanny X-Men #527
Written by: Matt Fraction
Penciled by: Whilce Portacio
Cover by: Terry Dodson
“The Five Lights”
The fallout of Second Coming is still taking its toll on the X-Men. We can’t tell you anything else until the end of Second Coming! Part 2 (of 5)

X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back #4 Preview

Cover by: Stuart Immonen
Writer: Kathryn Immonen
Pencils: Sara Pichelli
Colored by: Christina Strain
Lettered by: Dave Sharpe

The Story: You can’t pick your parents. And if you could, Pixie certainly wouldn’t have picked Mastermind, the man who turned Jean Grey into the Dark Phoenix. But right now, that’s the least of her problems. A giant demon named Saturnine has been using her Pixie dust to lull her fellow X-Men into submission and it’s worked. Now he’s one step away from all the power he needs to take control of the world. Can the fast-talking Welsh girl with wings possibly stop him?

In Stores: May 19, 2010

X-Men: Legacy #236 Preview

Cover by: Adi Granov
Writer: Mike Carey
Pencils: Greg Land
Inks: Jay Leisten
Colored by: Justin Ponsor
Lettered by: VC's Cory Petit
Variant Cover by: David Finch

The Story: SECOND COMING, Chapter 8
Bastion's plan comes to fruition as an impenetrable dome makes the Bay Area a prison. It's bad enough for the millions of humans, but it's even worse for the 98% of the world's mutants who live there.

In Stores: May 19, 2010

Psylocke Comiquette by Mark Brooks

The Priority Pre-Order event for the Exclusive Psylocke Comiquette will be on Friday, May 14th, at 10:00 AM (Pacific Time). For those of you who can’t wait to see the full reveal of this Marvel collectible, Sideshow Collectible is posting the product gallery and info a bit early. Click here for more information.

New Mutants #13 Spoilers

Spoilers: Vanisher overhears Cyclops and Domino talking about Bastion targeting teleporters. He runs off to his brothel in Portugal, only to end up ambushed by Steven Lang, where he seemingly dies. Bastions tells Donald Pierce that they have taken the final teleporter off the board and orders him to proceed as planned. The X-Club arrive in San Francisco, where they track one of Bastion's towers in a oil rig. In Utopia, Cyclops thanks Beast for staying, however Hank doesn't seem that happy. At the mess hall, Moonstar tells Cable that her team took it rough covering for him and wonders if his new 'hobby' is worth it. Hope takes it personally, and both end up brawling. Cyclops orders them to break it up, however Cable thinks Scott should stop keeping Hope in a bubble, as she makes her own way now. Suddenly, Donald Pierce attacks. He suceeds in destroying the X-Men's jets. Cyclops kills him. Later, Hope tells Cable that she lied when she said she was ready to come back to the present.

Notes: No Psylocke this issue!

X-Position: Matt Fraction

CBR: Matt Fraction was happy to jump into the fray to answer questions from fans in today's X-Position.

Mr. Fraction, I believe you stated in an interview that you kept Psylocke Asian to retain ethnic diversity in the cast. I assume you do know that Betsy Braddock is basically an upper class British white woman wearing an Asian body, right? That quote from you has bothered me, and I was hoping you could make me see how a white woman made to look Asian represents any kind of ethnic representation at all...

Matt Fraction: Gosh, what could possibly sound too negative there...? The entire point of this "resurrected" (that's not quite the right word, but I'm going with it) Psylocke is that she's a synthesis, a true synthesis, of both aspects - both individuals - that made up the character in the past. Far from being "an upper class British white woman wearing an Asian flesh suit," as you say, this Psylocke, as seen in "Sisterhood," is something else entirely. Something new. What started in "Sisterhood" continues too; she'll be wrestling with her identity, on numerous levels, in "Uncanny" and elsewhere in the X-Universe soon.

Curse Of The Mutants

The X-Men Must Survive The Curse Of The Mutants
(Notice the Pencils version: more Psylocke and no Nate Grey)

As the X-Men recover from the stunning conclusion of Second Coming and prepare to enter the Heroic Age, they’ll first have to survive The Curse of The Mutants! Beginning in July’s X-Men #1, from the fan favorite creative team of Victor Gischler and Paco Medina, the X-Men welcome new faces into the fold as a deadly new threat emerges to consume mutantkind...and then the world! With top secret specials and new series tie-ins to this red-hot storyline, The Curse of The Mutants leaves the X-Men forever scarred!

It’s mutants versus vampires — and the stakes have never been bigger for X-Men than in The Curse of The Mutants!

New Mutants #13 Preview

Cover by: Adi Granov
Writer: Zeb Wells
Pencils: Ibraim Roberson
Inks: Lan Medina
Colored by: Brian Reber
Lettered by: VC's Joe Caramagna
Variant Cover by: David Finch

The Story: SECOND COMING, Chapter 7 Nothing is going right for Cyclops, as he tries to prepare his army for war. The X-Men are falling apart at the seams. Schisms are forming regarding Hope and her importance while Bastion’s spy continues to terrorize them from inside their own home.

In Stores: May 12, 2010