X-Men Monday #76 – Jordan D. White Answers Your X of Swords Week 1 Questions

AiPT!: The latest, greatest X-Men epic, X of Swords, has finally begun! And while most comics can be devoured in 10-15 minutes, it’s likely you read last week’s Excalibur #12 and X-Men #12, and then immediately reread them again… and again… and you’ll probably read them one more time ahead of this Wednesday’s X of Swords: Creation #1. There was A LOT to absorb in those two issues, and many X-Fans had questions. Fortunately, X-Men Senior Editor Jordan D. White has answers!

AIPT: Could you clarify the role Otherworld plays in the Krakoa/Arakko/Okkara situation. Lilith asked if Arakko is lost on the same pocket dimension as Otherworld, or if Arakko is only accessible through Otherworld, which works more like an intermediate point. 

Jordan: I think you will know the answer to this a lot more clearly two days from now. X of Swords: Creation #1 should hopefully answer any questions you have about what Otherworld has to do with it and where Arakko is relative to everything else. 

AIPT: Saturnyne has made it clear that being a Captain Britain is more than picking up the Amulet of Right and swearing to serve the British nation. After 12 issues, Betsy still comes off very unsure and lost in the role, even less edgy than she naturally is, which is a direct contrast to her role as Psylocke, where she seemed more comfortable and sure of herself. Is this something Betsy truly wants? 

Jordan: That’s a good question. And I think that’s a question that will be put to Betsy, right? She didn’t choose it at all. It was thrust on her and she reluctantly took it on. Is it something that she’s going to want to stick with permanently or will she eventually see the opportunity to say, great, let me go back to being myself and–well, I mean, she’s still herself, but you know what I mean–to going a different direction and give being Captain Britain back to someone more apt to it or somebody who wants it. And I think that’s very fertile ground for a story as well. And maybe we’ll see some of that in X of Swords.

X of Swords: Creation #1 Preview

X of Swords: Creation #1
Jonathan Hickman & Tini Howard (W) • Pepe Larraz (A)
Cover by: Pepe Larraz
Variant Cover by: Miguel Mercado
Design Variant Cover by: Pepe Larraz
Launch Variant Cover by: Russell Dauterman
Premiere Variant Cover by: Pepe Larraz
Wraparound Variant Cover by: Mark Brooks
Black and White Wraparound Variant Cover by: Mark Brooks

The Story:
X of Swords – Chapter 1
A tower. A mission. A gathering of armies.

In Stores: September 23, 2020

X-Solicits for December 2020

	Excalibur #16 Tini Howard (W) • Marcus To (A) Cover by: Mahmud Asrar The Sword Is Sheathed! The team is left changed in the aftermath of X of Swords… and some things lost cannot be replaced.
	X-Men #16 Jonathan Hickman (W) • Phil Noto (A) Cover by: Leinil Francis Yu Knullified Variant Cover by: Iban Coello X of Swords Fall Out! The Captain Commander of Krakoa made a fateful decision. There’s no going back.
	Marauders #16 Gerry Duggan (W) • Stefano Caselli (A) Cover by: Russell Dauterman Red Revenge! The Black King did wrong. Now he must pay.
	New Mutants #14 Vita Ayala (W) • Rod Reis (A/C) Lost in The Shuffle! On the edge of Krakoan society, the NEW MUTANTS are loose in the Wild Hunt! Going big, blowing things up, and combining powers to see who gets crowned king of the mountain. But something lurks in the trees -- something old… and HUNGRY… and its favorite prey is young mutants…
	X-Force #15 Benjamin Percy (W) • Joshua Cassara (A/C) Shattered Trust! Omega Red’s harboring a deadly secret, and X-Force may have to cross a line to keep Krakoa safe. But nothing compares to the trust broken by the interrogation of one of their own.
	Hellions #7 Zeb Wells (W) • Stephen Segovia (A/C) Mutant Massacre! Mr. Sinister’s team of Hellions are dead. Oh, the pain! Oh, the injustice! Oh, the--wait a minute…what’s Sinister really up to? The fallout from X of Swords!
	X-Factor #5 Leah Williams (W) • David Baldeon (A) Cover by: Ivan Shavrin Can Resurrection Survive? The events of X of Swords have put the resurrection protocols in jeopardy! As the Five deals with the fallout, X-Factor investigates those affected by the tragedy…

Excalibur #12 Art

Excalibur #12 Spoilers

Spoilers: At Krakoa, Apocalypse summons the High Lords, also known as the Externals. Apocalypse explains that all of mutantkind has conquered death, much like the Externals themselves, but that doesn’t mean they’re obsolete as they have one final purpose. Apocalypse asks them to sacrifice themselves and give their ancient bones to empower the gateway to Otherworld. Rictor emerges from the earth and Apocalypse says he is the future just as much the Externals are the past. Selene and Gideon side with Apocalypse while the other Externals fight them to avoid certain death as those who die to empower the gate won’t be able to be resurrected. Rictor is hesitant but agrees to perform the ritual with Apocalypse, Selene and Gideon. Rictor unleashes his powers and defeats Crule, Nicodemus, Candra, Saul and Absolom. All of them perish, except for Absolom. Apocalypse requests Absolom’s help as he needs four Externals to perform the ritual. Apocalypse realizes Candra has played him as her bones have been empty for a while.

Back at Otherworld, Rogue suspects Gambit knows more about the gem stone than he is letting her know. Candra’s spirit from the gem stone reaches Gambit and attempts to convince him to save her from Apocalypse’s clutches. Candra had placed her life energy into the stone and stored it at the Starlight Citadel because she knew Saturnyne would stop at nothing to protect her castle against Apocalypse. Elsewhere, Saturnyne tells Betsy she is not her only Captain Britain. Ever since the Captain Britain Corps were destroyed, Otherworld has been in chaos and Brian was her most trusted warrior. Saturnyne then leads Betsy to a room where the has kept the alternate Captain Britain versions of Rogue, Gambit, Jubilee and Rictor (from issue #10) in stasis. Saturnyne explains that as a mutant, the nation of Britain is destined to turn its back on Betsy. The duo is interrupted by Rogue and Gambit being chased by the White Priestesses for stealing Candra’s gem. Saturnyne demands to have the gem back. Candra’s spirit gives Gambit a choice: he either helps her and gives the gem back to Saturnyne or he helps Apocalypse. Gambit is conflicted, but ultimately decides to get rid of Candra once and for all as he throws her gem through the Otherworld gate at Starlight Citadel. Candra’s energy completes the ritual as a much larger, permanent gateway to Otherworld emerges from the earth beneath them leading straight to Krakoa.

X-Men Monday #75 – X of Swords

AiPT!: Anticipation for the first major event of the Dawn of X era is at an all-time high, so we at AIPT are proud to bring you this eXtra-large (and ridiculously fun) X of Swords-focused interview.

AIPT: There are a few cases where new writers are jumping onto series or co-writing chapters. How did this idea to mix it up come about and how did those who step into new roles for X of Swords find it?

Jordan D. White: This whole thing has grown out of the story we wanted to tell–it started when the track Jonathan had laid down early on dovetailed with where Tini was going in Excalibur, and when that fusion was brought to the whole group, everyone had ideas to pitch in as to where it was going. There are ideas from all sorts of folks that ended up in other people’s issues, everyone is giving notes and pitches for one another–it’s a very generous collaboration and I think everyone is into it.

AIPT: In the Dawn of X, you had to decide which mutants would sit on the Quiet Council. With X of Swords, you had to decide who the 10 sword-wielding mutants would be. What was the process behind selecting these characters like?

Jordan D. White: I am trying to think if there were a lot of people suggested that DIDN’T end up as Krakoan swordbearers, and I can’t think of many. It was at our C2E2 summit that we made the final list, taking all the ideas and locking it into the 10 swords we ended up with. I can think of one or two that I thought were going to be on there that were not… but there were good reasons, either for the people we ended up with or to NOT include some of the ones we did so we could use them otherwise.

AIPT: X-Fans love a good soap opera. Can we expect some romance in-between all the sword fighting?

Ben Percy: There’s plenty of emotional drama mixed into the mayhem. I can’t share anything too detailed, but there’s a lot of angles on… marriage in this thing.

AIPT: I’m not sure if you all know this, but Betsy Braddock has some very passionate fans who especially care about her relationships with her fellow mutants. Can we expect interactions between Captain Britain and both Storm and Cypher?

Jordan D. White: Well, they are all in this together. All three of them have big things happen to them in this series as a result of the battle they take on together, but we’re not spending that much time on their history compared to moving them forward.

Tini Howard: Betsy is on a weird personal journey right now, and those can be lonely. If it feels like Betsy spends a lot of time alone, hurting, and on missions, and precious little time allowing herself to be comforted and soothed by the people closest to her, well–that’s the Betsy we’ve always known.

AIPT: X-Fans are concerned that X of Swords cover art suggests only a small group of characters play key roles in this event. Is it safe to assume they shouldn’t judge an event by its covers?

Jordan D. White: Only X-Men fans see 20 characters fighting with swords and ask why so many characters were left out. 😛 There are a LOT of characters in this crossover, and more than just the swordbearers are important to it.

Excalibur #12 Preview

Excalibur #12

Writer: Tini Howard

Art by: Marcos To

Cover by: Mahmud Asrar

The Story:

Secrets of the Book!

With Rictor in his clutches, Apocalypse must survive long enough to begin the ritual he has waited on for eons...

In Stores: September 16, 2020

Betsy Braddock by Lucas Werneck

Captain Britain by Otto Schmidt

@OttoSchmidt72

Cerebro Podcast: Tini Howards Talks Betsy Braddock

In the inaugural episode of CEREBRO, Connor Goldsmith and Marvel writer Tini Howard talk Betsy Braddock: once Psylocke, now Captain Britain! Tune in for a deep dive on Betsy's wild 44-year publication history, and Tini's work on Excalibur and X of Swords!