Brian Wilkinson
Feb 21, 2003, 01:15 pm
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/New_Mutants.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/New_Mutantst.jpg" align=left alt="New Mutants #1 preview"></a>by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean, X-Fan Correspondent
Welcome to the latest edition of On The Boards! This week, we have tidbits from C.B. Cebulski, Chris Claremont, Chuck Austen, Gail Simone, Darick Robertson, Dave Finch, Jim Calafiore and Steve Uy talking about the comics you love!
<center><hr width=50%></center>
X-Men Unlimited editor C.B. Cebulski recently answered some concerns and enquiries in the 2ND TSUNAMI WAVE HITS IN MAY (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15753) thread.
"Thank you for all the replies and positive response to the Wave 2 titles everyone," Cebulski posted. "To answer a few of your New Mutants questions... that is Moonstar, Karma, Magma and Wolfsbane in the {cover} art. It will be these four 'old' New Mutants and a few 'new' New Mutants, but you'll just have to wait to see who. They'll be around for the long run with the new members. {And} we won't be ignoring anything {when it comes to continuity issues}. Current continuity. Current characters. New costumes. I am a huge New Mutants fan and want to keep new and old fans/readers alike happy. I am so psyched to be working on this series. It will not disappoint."
The editor also revealed that X-Men Unlimited #42 contains a previously unsolicited Moonstar story.
"For all you Dani Moonstar fans, be sure to check out X-Men Unlimited #42, which has a special four page Dani story by Nunzio and Christina, who are writing the {New Mutants} ongoing, with art by Josh Middleton!"
Cebulski addressed the question on the possibility of seeing Warlock, Rictor and other former New Mutants and
X-Force members in the series, posting, "No plans at this time, but you never know what the future holds..."
Cebulski also assured fans that Tsutomu Nihei's Wolverine: SNIKT! is worth the read, saying, "Trust me, Wolverine: SNIKT! is like nothing you have ever seen before!"
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/Xtreme_Xmen_25.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/Xtreme_Xmen_25t.jpg" align=right alt="X-Treme X-Men #25 preview"></a>Veteran X-Men writer Chris Claremont tackled some questions regarding the Storm mini-series in the Storm (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14409) thread in the Xavier Institute For Higher Learning (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=6) forum.
"{The villain is an} earth-native and a mutant. Not an alien, not Garokk. Not Sinister. Not the Silver Samurai. Not Pierce, nor anyone connected with the Hellfire Club. Not Forge. Not Loki. Not Black Tom. Not anybody created by someone other than me."
"Shadow King, been there, *so* done that, end of story," Claremont posted. "As for the story itself, I only write the thing. The actual publication is in the more than capable hands of the publisher. As for {series artist} Igor {Kordey}, he's doing some lovely work, with close to three full issues penciled. I can't wait to see it finished. And in print."
”But I must say I'm fascinated. A couple of you are warm, but none of you have even come close. So I guess I'm being extremely brilliant this time out or I'm slipping on one huge banana peel. Time will tell."
"However, on the plus side of the ledger, the story co-stars Yukio and Guido {Carosella, a.k.a. former X-Factor member Strong Guy}, and starts out with some mildly gratuitous X-cameos. It also takes place substantially in Japan."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/UNCANNY_XMEN_423.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/UNCANNY_XMEN_423t.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #423 preview"></a>Uncanny X-Men scribe Chuck Austen revealed that the many questions fans have regarding his tenure thus far do indeed have answers forthcoming. Austen painfully hinted at them in his Austen Powers (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=69) forum.
"You WILL find out who Carter's father is."
"You WILL find out who's getting married."
"You WILL find out what's wrong with Bobby."
"You WILL find out what's going on with Lorna, etc."
"{Veteran Uncanny X-Men artist John} Byrne was an enormous influence on me when I was younger. I followed him from Charlton to Marvel and Iron Fist, then followed him and Claremont back to Uncanny. Loved him in the day."
With regards to the return of Jubilee to Uncanny, the writer replied, "Just the one issue, and then she... uh... moves on. :D"
The writer is also penning an arc for Exiles, which will bring the dimension-hopping band into contact with the Uncanny X-Men team. When asked if Wolverine would be appearing in the story, Austen said, "Yeah, he will. The entire 3-issue Uncanny arc."
Austen is also contributing his talents to Captain America, and provided further explanation on his involvement with the series, currently written by John Ney Reiber.
"My first full scripts are issues #10 and 11, finishing off the 'Extremists' arc. Then Reiber's second arc, 'Ice' begins. He wrote the plot for the first two issues of that, and I do the scripts, and I finish with full plot and script on the remaining three in the arc."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
Former Agent X writer Gail Simone cleared some dangling questions on the title in her Simone Says (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=70) forum.
"Without giving EVERYTHING away, Alex {Hayden, a.k.a. Agent X} has a unique mental condition he's not even aware of," revealed Simone. "Psi-powers and heightened mental perception abilities don't work on him whatsoever. Xavier couldn't read his mind, and Taskmaster (whose powers aren't strictly mental) can't 'read' Alex. Neither does Mary Zero's pro-active mental invisibility work on him. There's a reason he has those abilities but for now I think it's best if I leave that open to speculation."
"And Outlaw's full name is Inez Temple. She CLAIMS to be the descendant of a famous (hetero) Marvel western hero."
"It was always in the cards for Outlaw to have to go... things just weren't meant to go that well for Alex this early on, and a story was planned where Alex goes to Texas to get her back. And Tasky and Alex aren't meant to be good friends, either, I don't think. Too similar and too different both."
In the AGENT X #7 REVIEW (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15834) thread, it was clear that Simone still loves the characters.
"As for that last scene... I don't think it's QUITE as abrupt as some have implied. The whole William story reminds Alex that being isolated isn't the way he wants to live his life. But of course, I did feel some need to clear the slate a little for the next team. Unfortunately, the dialogue in the last scene was revised without my knowledge. Bleah. And even more unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, Alvin Lee wasn't able to do the last few pages of our final issue together."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/WOLVERINE_1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/WOLVERINE_1t.jpg" align=right alt="Wolverine #1 preview"></a>Meanwhile, over in his Hey Bub! (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=152) discussion forum, inbound Wolverine artist Darick Robertson has been tackling more questions regarding his and writer Greg Rucka’s run and how it relates to the Wolverine: SNIKT! mini-series in which the the feral X-Man will face the threat of "devolving into his savage, berserker state forever".
"Yeah, forever got pretty short, because he is quietly having coffee at the beginning of our first issue," posted the artist. "Greg paces Logan's berserking to really build up in him. When he snaps, it happens for a really good reason and it's frightening. So to answer your question, no, our series has nothing to do with the continuity of that mini-series, and I think that's smart. We don't tie into the Hulk/Wolverine: 6 Hours story either."
"You know, mini-series are just that. It may be a story in an alternate reality, or may be resovled at the end; who knows? The thing with comics is that they're fiction and you should allow room for different creators to have their own personal take on the characters, rather than trying to fit all the stories together like a puzzle, or a train track, as long as the characters remain intact."
As for a connection to the core X-titles, namely New, Uncanny and X-Treme X-Men, Robertson revealed that the titles are not connected to each other.
"It's going to have it's own continuity, but it's more classic
Wolverine than it is Ultimate. It isn't Ultimate Wolverine at all. Our book is about what Logan does when he's not with the X-Men, so X-Men continuity should rarely affect what we're doing."
The artist posted that he is "drawing Logan based on what I think he looks like. I draw him a bit older and more rugged than{X-Men movie star Hugh} Jackman, and less handsome. They have a desire to keep Logan 'on Model' a bit, but no one's really made an issue about it at Marvel."
"Greg has the script structured in a way that Logan does so much without even popping the claws that it hasn't become a point of contention. I'm finishing #3 and I know that issues #4 & 5 are where it's going to get sticky."
"One thing is certain: Greg and I both see Logan as a dangerous and somewhat frightening guy. I would like to draw him that way if possible, but we'll see."
"I can wholeheartedly say, having read Greg's first five scripts and knowing where the first arc ends up, man, any Wolverine fan would be doing themselves a disservice to pass up giving this title a chance just because of an issue number. This is going to be a sweet ride. The first arc is a very cool story. It's very Logan."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/Ultimate_XMEN_33.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/Ultimate_XMEN_33t.jpg" align=right alt="Ultimate X-Men #33 preview"></a>As for Ultimate X-Men artist David Finch’s favourite character to draw, he recently mentioned that the list has changed a few times in only the few issues that he has drawn.
"It's too early for me to really say which character is my favorite to draw... It's changed a few times just in the {three} issues{that} I've done so far. Right now though, I'd say that Nightcrawler is my favorite. Then Wolverine, Beast, Storm, Cyclops, Kitty Pryde, Colossus, Iceman and finally, Jean Grey. In that order."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
Over in his Calafiore’s Corner (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=83) discussion forum, Exiles artist Jim Calafiore explained more about upcoming storylines in the dimension-jumping series.
"The single issue featuring Spider-Woman is the same one from the 'Legacy' arc, so it's not a new/third one. So the story is a 'flashback' sort of thing to go into some detail on Sunfire at that time."
"I'm not sure which issue that is number-wise, (might be #34), but I just got the plots for #31 & #32 (vampires!), so those're my next issues."
"And yes, looks like anyone who likes my stuff will have to be satisfied with my 'regular filler artist' role. Thanx for the sympathy."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
Eden’s Trail creator Steve Uy hinted at a connection between the mini-series and the X-world with the appearance of a certain giant robot in the original series plot.
"Yune, originally was supposed to be able to teleport because she grew up on earth, believing herself to be a mutant. One day, she was being chased by a 'big purple and red robot' and her powers kicked in for the first time, and she ended up here in the TriLands where she met Unit for the first time. She has thus kept to herself as a hermit, though I don't know if in this version of the story she even makes a reference to her hermit life. Her powers of teleportation are done in the realist fashion, which means she was born with teleportation powers, not her clothes or the things she touches, so when she teleports, she can only teleport herself and nothing else. That explains why she never uses her powers, cuz after all, if you can teleport anywhere you want, but you get there without any clothes or money, would you? This was originally explained in depth in the Cliffrider scene where she has a heart to heart with Tila near the end of the issue."
"Tila got her clothes wet early in the issue and thus took one of Yune's clothes for the time being. That's why it had the NY logo on it, which was something Yune had Unit stitch for her to remind her of home. It was supposed to lend credence to Yune's words later in the issue."
"Mag originally was trying to hawk the pendant to the old guy, but the old guy claims it's stolen and thus worthless except to the one it was stolen from. He then leads Mag on a guilt trip for stealing such a sentimentally valuable item from someone, which is Mag's motivation for appearing in issue #5, so he could clear his conscience and give it back to Tila. The necklace itself is worthless."
"I haven't read the script for issue #5, so I can't comment on how the story will end."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
And that's another wrap! Be sure to check out the various Creator Discussion forums (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=22) here @ X-Fan for your chance to chat with over two dozen industry professionals! See ya next week!
Welcome to the latest edition of On The Boards! This week, we have tidbits from C.B. Cebulski, Chris Claremont, Chuck Austen, Gail Simone, Darick Robertson, Dave Finch, Jim Calafiore and Steve Uy talking about the comics you love!
<center><hr width=50%></center>
X-Men Unlimited editor C.B. Cebulski recently answered some concerns and enquiries in the 2ND TSUNAMI WAVE HITS IN MAY (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15753) thread.
"Thank you for all the replies and positive response to the Wave 2 titles everyone," Cebulski posted. "To answer a few of your New Mutants questions... that is Moonstar, Karma, Magma and Wolfsbane in the {cover} art. It will be these four 'old' New Mutants and a few 'new' New Mutants, but you'll just have to wait to see who. They'll be around for the long run with the new members. {And} we won't be ignoring anything {when it comes to continuity issues}. Current continuity. Current characters. New costumes. I am a huge New Mutants fan and want to keep new and old fans/readers alike happy. I am so psyched to be working on this series. It will not disappoint."
The editor also revealed that X-Men Unlimited #42 contains a previously unsolicited Moonstar story.
"For all you Dani Moonstar fans, be sure to check out X-Men Unlimited #42, which has a special four page Dani story by Nunzio and Christina, who are writing the {New Mutants} ongoing, with art by Josh Middleton!"
Cebulski addressed the question on the possibility of seeing Warlock, Rictor and other former New Mutants and
X-Force members in the series, posting, "No plans at this time, but you never know what the future holds..."
Cebulski also assured fans that Tsutomu Nihei's Wolverine: SNIKT! is worth the read, saying, "Trust me, Wolverine: SNIKT! is like nothing you have ever seen before!"
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/Xtreme_Xmen_25.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/Xtreme_Xmen_25t.jpg" align=right alt="X-Treme X-Men #25 preview"></a>Veteran X-Men writer Chris Claremont tackled some questions regarding the Storm mini-series in the Storm (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14409) thread in the Xavier Institute For Higher Learning (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=6) forum.
"{The villain is an} earth-native and a mutant. Not an alien, not Garokk. Not Sinister. Not the Silver Samurai. Not Pierce, nor anyone connected with the Hellfire Club. Not Forge. Not Loki. Not Black Tom. Not anybody created by someone other than me."
"Shadow King, been there, *so* done that, end of story," Claremont posted. "As for the story itself, I only write the thing. The actual publication is in the more than capable hands of the publisher. As for {series artist} Igor {Kordey}, he's doing some lovely work, with close to three full issues penciled. I can't wait to see it finished. And in print."
”But I must say I'm fascinated. A couple of you are warm, but none of you have even come close. So I guess I'm being extremely brilliant this time out or I'm slipping on one huge banana peel. Time will tell."
"However, on the plus side of the ledger, the story co-stars Yukio and Guido {Carosella, a.k.a. former X-Factor member Strong Guy}, and starts out with some mildly gratuitous X-cameos. It also takes place substantially in Japan."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/UNCANNY_XMEN_423.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/UNCANNY_XMEN_423t.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #423 preview"></a>Uncanny X-Men scribe Chuck Austen revealed that the many questions fans have regarding his tenure thus far do indeed have answers forthcoming. Austen painfully hinted at them in his Austen Powers (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=69) forum.
"You WILL find out who Carter's father is."
"You WILL find out who's getting married."
"You WILL find out what's wrong with Bobby."
"You WILL find out what's going on with Lorna, etc."
"{Veteran Uncanny X-Men artist John} Byrne was an enormous influence on me when I was younger. I followed him from Charlton to Marvel and Iron Fist, then followed him and Claremont back to Uncanny. Loved him in the day."
With regards to the return of Jubilee to Uncanny, the writer replied, "Just the one issue, and then she... uh... moves on. :D"
The writer is also penning an arc for Exiles, which will bring the dimension-hopping band into contact with the Uncanny X-Men team. When asked if Wolverine would be appearing in the story, Austen said, "Yeah, he will. The entire 3-issue Uncanny arc."
Austen is also contributing his talents to Captain America, and provided further explanation on his involvement with the series, currently written by John Ney Reiber.
"My first full scripts are issues #10 and 11, finishing off the 'Extremists' arc. Then Reiber's second arc, 'Ice' begins. He wrote the plot for the first two issues of that, and I do the scripts, and I finish with full plot and script on the remaining three in the arc."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
Former Agent X writer Gail Simone cleared some dangling questions on the title in her Simone Says (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=70) forum.
"Without giving EVERYTHING away, Alex {Hayden, a.k.a. Agent X} has a unique mental condition he's not even aware of," revealed Simone. "Psi-powers and heightened mental perception abilities don't work on him whatsoever. Xavier couldn't read his mind, and Taskmaster (whose powers aren't strictly mental) can't 'read' Alex. Neither does Mary Zero's pro-active mental invisibility work on him. There's a reason he has those abilities but for now I think it's best if I leave that open to speculation."
"And Outlaw's full name is Inez Temple. She CLAIMS to be the descendant of a famous (hetero) Marvel western hero."
"It was always in the cards for Outlaw to have to go... things just weren't meant to go that well for Alex this early on, and a story was planned where Alex goes to Texas to get her back. And Tasky and Alex aren't meant to be good friends, either, I don't think. Too similar and too different both."
In the AGENT X #7 REVIEW (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15834) thread, it was clear that Simone still loves the characters.
"As for that last scene... I don't think it's QUITE as abrupt as some have implied. The whole William story reminds Alex that being isolated isn't the way he wants to live his life. But of course, I did feel some need to clear the slate a little for the next team. Unfortunately, the dialogue in the last scene was revised without my knowledge. Bleah. And even more unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, Alvin Lee wasn't able to do the last few pages of our final issue together."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/WOLVERINE_1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/WOLVERINE_1t.jpg" align=right alt="Wolverine #1 preview"></a>Meanwhile, over in his Hey Bub! (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=152) discussion forum, inbound Wolverine artist Darick Robertson has been tackling more questions regarding his and writer Greg Rucka’s run and how it relates to the Wolverine: SNIKT! mini-series in which the the feral X-Man will face the threat of "devolving into his savage, berserker state forever".
"Yeah, forever got pretty short, because he is quietly having coffee at the beginning of our first issue," posted the artist. "Greg paces Logan's berserking to really build up in him. When he snaps, it happens for a really good reason and it's frightening. So to answer your question, no, our series has nothing to do with the continuity of that mini-series, and I think that's smart. We don't tie into the Hulk/Wolverine: 6 Hours story either."
"You know, mini-series are just that. It may be a story in an alternate reality, or may be resovled at the end; who knows? The thing with comics is that they're fiction and you should allow room for different creators to have their own personal take on the characters, rather than trying to fit all the stories together like a puzzle, or a train track, as long as the characters remain intact."
As for a connection to the core X-titles, namely New, Uncanny and X-Treme X-Men, Robertson revealed that the titles are not connected to each other.
"It's going to have it's own continuity, but it's more classic
Wolverine than it is Ultimate. It isn't Ultimate Wolverine at all. Our book is about what Logan does when he's not with the X-Men, so X-Men continuity should rarely affect what we're doing."
The artist posted that he is "drawing Logan based on what I think he looks like. I draw him a bit older and more rugged than{X-Men movie star Hugh} Jackman, and less handsome. They have a desire to keep Logan 'on Model' a bit, but no one's really made an issue about it at Marvel."
"Greg has the script structured in a way that Logan does so much without even popping the claws that it hasn't become a point of contention. I'm finishing #3 and I know that issues #4 & 5 are where it's going to get sticky."
"One thing is certain: Greg and I both see Logan as a dangerous and somewhat frightening guy. I would like to draw him that way if possible, but we'll see."
"I can wholeheartedly say, having read Greg's first five scripts and knowing where the first arc ends up, man, any Wolverine fan would be doing themselves a disservice to pass up giving this title a chance just because of an issue number. This is going to be a sweet ride. The first arc is a very cool story. It's very Logan."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/Ultimate_XMEN_33.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/Ultimate_XMEN_33t.jpg" align=right alt="Ultimate X-Men #33 preview"></a>As for Ultimate X-Men artist David Finch’s favourite character to draw, he recently mentioned that the list has changed a few times in only the few issues that he has drawn.
"It's too early for me to really say which character is my favorite to draw... It's changed a few times just in the {three} issues{that} I've done so far. Right now though, I'd say that Nightcrawler is my favorite. Then Wolverine, Beast, Storm, Cyclops, Kitty Pryde, Colossus, Iceman and finally, Jean Grey. In that order."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
Over in his Calafiore’s Corner (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=83) discussion forum, Exiles artist Jim Calafiore explained more about upcoming storylines in the dimension-jumping series.
"The single issue featuring Spider-Woman is the same one from the 'Legacy' arc, so it's not a new/third one. So the story is a 'flashback' sort of thing to go into some detail on Sunfire at that time."
"I'm not sure which issue that is number-wise, (might be #34), but I just got the plots for #31 & #32 (vampires!), so those're my next issues."
"And yes, looks like anyone who likes my stuff will have to be satisfied with my 'regular filler artist' role. Thanx for the sympathy."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
Eden’s Trail creator Steve Uy hinted at a connection between the mini-series and the X-world with the appearance of a certain giant robot in the original series plot.
"Yune, originally was supposed to be able to teleport because she grew up on earth, believing herself to be a mutant. One day, she was being chased by a 'big purple and red robot' and her powers kicked in for the first time, and she ended up here in the TriLands where she met Unit for the first time. She has thus kept to herself as a hermit, though I don't know if in this version of the story she even makes a reference to her hermit life. Her powers of teleportation are done in the realist fashion, which means she was born with teleportation powers, not her clothes or the things she touches, so when she teleports, she can only teleport herself and nothing else. That explains why she never uses her powers, cuz after all, if you can teleport anywhere you want, but you get there without any clothes or money, would you? This was originally explained in depth in the Cliffrider scene where she has a heart to heart with Tila near the end of the issue."
"Tila got her clothes wet early in the issue and thus took one of Yune's clothes for the time being. That's why it had the NY logo on it, which was something Yune had Unit stitch for her to remind her of home. It was supposed to lend credence to Yune's words later in the issue."
"Mag originally was trying to hawk the pendant to the old guy, but the old guy claims it's stolen and thus worthless except to the one it was stolen from. He then leads Mag on a guilt trip for stealing such a sentimentally valuable item from someone, which is Mag's motivation for appearing in issue #5, so he could clear his conscience and give it back to Tila. The necklace itself is worthless."
"I haven't read the script for issue #5, so I can't comment on how the story will end."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
And that's another wrap! Be sure to check out the various Creator Discussion forums (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=22) here @ X-Fan for your chance to chat with over two dozen industry professionals! See ya next week!