Brian Wilkinson
Mar 3, 2003, 04:32 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
Before we start this week's column, X-Fan would like to officially welcome New Mutants writers Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir to the boards with their own discussion forum, The Grind Stone (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=156), as well as inbound Exiles artist Clayton Henry with his own The Art of Time Jumping (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=157) forum!
In this week's edition of the column, we've got comments from Chris Claremont, Chuck Austen, DeFilippis, David Finch, Henry and Jim Krueger.
<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-writer Chris Claremont clarified some questions regarding X-Treme X-Men's covers in the Xavier Institute For Higher Learning (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=6) forum, especially those that are meant to connect up to form one large image featuring the entire cast of the book.
"The original design for the covers contained *six* elements and was originally intended to run consecutively from #20-25. Now, of course, that flow will be interrupted by the 'Emma' cover for #23 and for the four covers for 'God Loves, Man Kills 2', from #25-28. So you'll have to be patient and wait 'til mid-summer for Rogue and Gambit, who of course by then will likely have different uniforms. Sigh!"
"It's not comics anymore, it's an adventure! :) "
Claremont provided some much needed information regarding the events in the latest issue.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0303/XXM023.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0303/XXM023t.jpg" align=right alt="X-Treme X-Men #23 preview"></a>"The victims at the glacier... Oliver Ryland, advisor and Chief Counsel to reclusive mega-billionaire Elias Bogan. Will & Sable Talent, Hollywood HotBods. Xander, another guest. Donatella Andres, housekeeper. Rosario Milan, chef. Mary Holland, maid (temporary hire due to illness, very bad timing)."
"And as far as Sage's eyes' bleeding at the end of #21, you might also want to consider the possibility of resonances. Too much energy leaching out of Bogan for her glasses to totally compensate for."
"Also, why can't her glasses track the unique energy signatures of telepaths, that might indicate they're making psychic contact, without being able to decrypt the data stream? Just a thought."
He also explained the reason for creating new students and not using the ones that are already appearing in New X-Men.
"As for why we created a whole new group of students for the school, {it was} purely for convenience. For reasons which the current {'Riot At Xavier's'} arc in New makes abundantly clear, using some of {New X-Men writer} Grant {Morrison}'s characters was not practicable. {The} same applies for Uncanny. We don't all produce books at the same pace, we're not always current on the appropriate reference, we occasionally get blind-sided by events beyond our control (for example, {the current X-Treme arc} 'Schism' was originally meant to run from October {2002} to January {2003}; my original chronology had us beginning 'Intifada' right about now, which given the current world situation would have been a little too timely for comfort.) Given those parameters, the far easier course is to create some students of our own, to play with whenever the book returned to the Mansion, so we don't step on any other books' toes. Given Salva's artistic brilliance, he came up with some great-looking kids. Would I like to use them again, you bet! But in point of fact, I can say that about {the} scores of characters I've created or shaped in this X-canon over the years."
The writer also provided an update on his Storm project with upcoming X-Treme X-Men artists Igor Kordey and Scott Hanna.
"Storm is once again a mini-series. Four issues, at 36 pages of art and story each, for a total of 144. Pencils by Igor Kordey, inks by Scott Hanna. Igor is currently working on #4 and I have to say this ranks among the loveliest material I've seen from him."
"At present, no release date has been set for the project but that's never the writer's call anyway (and we're invariably the last to know)."
"And at present none of you have even come close to picking her adversary in the story. :) "
<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>Over in his Austen Powers (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=69) forum, Uncanny X-Men scribe Chuck Austen explained the term 'secondary mutation'.
"Mutations work thusly: Those born with mutations are generally children of one or more mutants," explained Austen. "Those who develop mutations at adolescence are the children of normal humans. Often at around the age of 28-ish, sometimes considered to be the 'adult adolescence', mutants can begin a secondary mutation. That mutation is determined entirely by what the writer wants to do, as near as I can tell. The two I'm using in my book were previously developed elsewhere, and I'm pushing them around a little."
Austen also revealed that "a couple of Avengers will show up" in the wedding issue currently scheduled for Uncanny X-Men #425, but he isn't saying which ones.
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/nm_wizard.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/nm_wizardt.jpg" align=right alt="New Mutants #1 preview from Wizard #139"></a>New Mutants co-writer Nunzio DeFilippis clarified the appearance of Sam Guthrie, a.k.a. Cannonball, in preview art for the upcoming series shown in the latest issue of Wizard magazine.
"That's an early version of the art," posted DeFilippis in the C.B. Unlimited (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=87) discussion forum. "Sam was edited out later. Don't know why that made it to Wizard. Actually, Sam was never really part of the plans. Josh {Middleton, New Mutants cover artist} did the art before there were real plans. Once the plans started, the art was changed."
With regards to the identity of an identified female member in the preview art, co-writer Christina Weir explained:
"Okay, since there has been much speculation here and elsewhere... {new New Mutants member} Kevin has not become Karen, nor did he secondarily mutate into having breasts. Kevin wasn't in the first story arc originally when {New Mutants artist} Keron {Grant} was doing that artwork. We did some juggling and Kevin is introduced much earlier now. Conversely, the mysterious extra female WAS originally in the first arc and has now been moved to the second arc. So, there you go."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/ultxmen28.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/ultxmen28t.jpg" align=right alt="Ultimate X-Men #28"></a>Over in his Finch Files (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=79) forum, Ultimate X-Men artist David Finch talked about his new gig on the title, and the reaction to his Jean Grey cover to #28.
"The cover… You guys aren't the only ones that thought that her chest was a bit large! I got a request from {editor} Ralph Macchio to tone it down a bit. See? That's why Marvel is what it is. They're on top of this stuff! Hehe. Aside from that though, it was kind of a cruddy drawing by me. I was stiff, I think. I drew it before I had started drawing any issues, and I think I just got a bit worked up. Also it's not {regular series colorist} Richard {Isanove} that colored it, and since it goes from pencils to color, with the pencils being completely drowned out, we have very little control over the final product. Personally it's an approach that I'm not nuts about, but I think that's just because I feel like I don't have as much control. When it's done well it can be very striking."
"But I'll work on it! Actually I just got another one back colored, and I'm very, very happy with it. So hopefully it'll go over a bit better. I'm sure I'll have a few other weird/mis-proportioned people running around for a little while to come. Rest assured though that like the Jean Grey boob thing, I'm working on it!"
The artist also gave an assurance that the six issues that he's drawing for writer Brian Michael Bendis would not be plagued by the lateness bug.
"Oh, and someone mentioned fill-ins over the course of {writer Brian Michael Bendis’} 6 issue arc. There won't be any at all. I'm pretty on top of the schedule, and I've always been a very fast artist. When I used to be terrible with deadlines it was pretty much entirely as a result of laziness and preoccupation with other things. Those days are done. I'm on the job!"
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/EXILES_26.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/EXILES_26t.jpg" align=right alt="Exiles #26 preview"></a>Prior to having his own discussion forum, inbound Exiles artist Clayton Henry feasted his eyes on the cover to issue #26 by artist Randy Green and was overjoyed to see his own design being used on new Exiles member Illyana Rasputin.
"Wow!!! That cover looks great! This is the first time I'm seeing it! I especially get a kick out of it because I designed Illyana. She's my baby. Randy did an awesome rendition of her. I can tell this was designed after the very first sketch of Illyana, because I later decided to give her a battle-torn cape."
He also posted that he "redesigned all of the team members. Marvel approved my designs right away."
With regards to the preview art which appeared in issue #22, Henry reported that "the colors on the preview art are wrong for Mimic, Sunfire, and Morph. They're being corrected as we speak. I was told Marvel will release the revised pic soon."
Later, in his own The Art of Time Jumping (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=157) forum, Henry provided an update on his current workload.
"I finished drawing the two-issue story arc (Magik's first mission) a couple of weeks ago. I have since been working on the Uncanny X-Men crossover, which is coming along quite nicely. Trust me, you can't wait to see it."
"{Anyway} I didn't think it should be called a crossover either, but there is a part of the plot (the first issue) that deals with Uncanny plotlines. Since I don't read Uncanny I don't know what the heck they're talking about. So in that way it is a crossover. I'm told more things will happen that will solidify it as a crossover."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/RPG_cover.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/RPG_covert.jpg" align=right alt="Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game Guide hardcover preview"></a>Earth X trilogy co-creator Jim Krueger posted that he is currently working on the upcoming new Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game being designed by Q.E.D. Games (see 'INSIDE THE MARVEL UNIVERSE ROLEPLAYING GAME' (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16029)).
"For those that are interested in this sort of thing, I've sort of become a big part of the new Marvel Role-Playing Game stuff. I'm writing all the bios and background information for the X-Men game and have become part of even the strategy and story creation part in the upcoming Avengers one."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
What a week it's been, huh? Be sure to continue to check out the various Creator Discussion forums (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=22) and chat with over two dozen creators on these boards. Till then, happy posting!
Before we start this week's column, X-Fan would like to officially welcome New Mutants writers Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir to the boards with their own discussion forum, The Grind Stone (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=156), as well as inbound Exiles artist Clayton Henry with his own The Art of Time Jumping (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=157) forum!
In this week's edition of the column, we've got comments from Chris Claremont, Chuck Austen, DeFilippis, David Finch, Henry and Jim Krueger.
<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-writer Chris Claremont clarified some questions regarding X-Treme X-Men's covers in the Xavier Institute For Higher Learning (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=6) forum, especially those that are meant to connect up to form one large image featuring the entire cast of the book.
"The original design for the covers contained *six* elements and was originally intended to run consecutively from #20-25. Now, of course, that flow will be interrupted by the 'Emma' cover for #23 and for the four covers for 'God Loves, Man Kills 2', from #25-28. So you'll have to be patient and wait 'til mid-summer for Rogue and Gambit, who of course by then will likely have different uniforms. Sigh!"
"It's not comics anymore, it's an adventure! :) "
Claremont provided some much needed information regarding the events in the latest issue.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0303/XXM023.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0303/XXM023t.jpg" align=right alt="X-Treme X-Men #23 preview"></a>"The victims at the glacier... Oliver Ryland, advisor and Chief Counsel to reclusive mega-billionaire Elias Bogan. Will & Sable Talent, Hollywood HotBods. Xander, another guest. Donatella Andres, housekeeper. Rosario Milan, chef. Mary Holland, maid (temporary hire due to illness, very bad timing)."
"And as far as Sage's eyes' bleeding at the end of #21, you might also want to consider the possibility of resonances. Too much energy leaching out of Bogan for her glasses to totally compensate for."
"Also, why can't her glasses track the unique energy signatures of telepaths, that might indicate they're making psychic contact, without being able to decrypt the data stream? Just a thought."
He also explained the reason for creating new students and not using the ones that are already appearing in New X-Men.
"As for why we created a whole new group of students for the school, {it was} purely for convenience. For reasons which the current {'Riot At Xavier's'} arc in New makes abundantly clear, using some of {New X-Men writer} Grant {Morrison}'s characters was not practicable. {The} same applies for Uncanny. We don't all produce books at the same pace, we're not always current on the appropriate reference, we occasionally get blind-sided by events beyond our control (for example, {the current X-Treme arc} 'Schism' was originally meant to run from October {2002} to January {2003}; my original chronology had us beginning 'Intifada' right about now, which given the current world situation would have been a little too timely for comfort.) Given those parameters, the far easier course is to create some students of our own, to play with whenever the book returned to the Mansion, so we don't step on any other books' toes. Given Salva's artistic brilliance, he came up with some great-looking kids. Would I like to use them again, you bet! But in point of fact, I can say that about {the} scores of characters I've created or shaped in this X-canon over the years."
The writer also provided an update on his Storm project with upcoming X-Treme X-Men artists Igor Kordey and Scott Hanna.
"Storm is once again a mini-series. Four issues, at 36 pages of art and story each, for a total of 144. Pencils by Igor Kordey, inks by Scott Hanna. Igor is currently working on #4 and I have to say this ranks among the loveliest material I've seen from him."
"At present, no release date has been set for the project but that's never the writer's call anyway (and we're invariably the last to know)."
"And at present none of you have even come close to picking her adversary in the story. :) "
<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>Over in his Austen Powers (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=69) forum, Uncanny X-Men scribe Chuck Austen explained the term 'secondary mutation'.
"Mutations work thusly: Those born with mutations are generally children of one or more mutants," explained Austen. "Those who develop mutations at adolescence are the children of normal humans. Often at around the age of 28-ish, sometimes considered to be the 'adult adolescence', mutants can begin a secondary mutation. That mutation is determined entirely by what the writer wants to do, as near as I can tell. The two I'm using in my book were previously developed elsewhere, and I'm pushing them around a little."
Austen also revealed that "a couple of Avengers will show up" in the wedding issue currently scheduled for Uncanny X-Men #425, but he isn't saying which ones.
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/nm_wizard.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/nm_wizardt.jpg" align=right alt="New Mutants #1 preview from Wizard #139"></a>New Mutants co-writer Nunzio DeFilippis clarified the appearance of Sam Guthrie, a.k.a. Cannonball, in preview art for the upcoming series shown in the latest issue of Wizard magazine.
"That's an early version of the art," posted DeFilippis in the C.B. Unlimited (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=87) discussion forum. "Sam was edited out later. Don't know why that made it to Wizard. Actually, Sam was never really part of the plans. Josh {Middleton, New Mutants cover artist} did the art before there were real plans. Once the plans started, the art was changed."
With regards to the identity of an identified female member in the preview art, co-writer Christina Weir explained:
"Okay, since there has been much speculation here and elsewhere... {new New Mutants member} Kevin has not become Karen, nor did he secondarily mutate into having breasts. Kevin wasn't in the first story arc originally when {New Mutants artist} Keron {Grant} was doing that artwork. We did some juggling and Kevin is introduced much earlier now. Conversely, the mysterious extra female WAS originally in the first arc and has now been moved to the second arc. So, there you go."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/ultxmen28.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/ultxmen28t.jpg" align=right alt="Ultimate X-Men #28"></a>Over in his Finch Files (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=79) forum, Ultimate X-Men artist David Finch talked about his new gig on the title, and the reaction to his Jean Grey cover to #28.
"The cover… You guys aren't the only ones that thought that her chest was a bit large! I got a request from {editor} Ralph Macchio to tone it down a bit. See? That's why Marvel is what it is. They're on top of this stuff! Hehe. Aside from that though, it was kind of a cruddy drawing by me. I was stiff, I think. I drew it before I had started drawing any issues, and I think I just got a bit worked up. Also it's not {regular series colorist} Richard {Isanove} that colored it, and since it goes from pencils to color, with the pencils being completely drowned out, we have very little control over the final product. Personally it's an approach that I'm not nuts about, but I think that's just because I feel like I don't have as much control. When it's done well it can be very striking."
"But I'll work on it! Actually I just got another one back colored, and I'm very, very happy with it. So hopefully it'll go over a bit better. I'm sure I'll have a few other weird/mis-proportioned people running around for a little while to come. Rest assured though that like the Jean Grey boob thing, I'm working on it!"
The artist also gave an assurance that the six issues that he's drawing for writer Brian Michael Bendis would not be plagued by the lateness bug.
"Oh, and someone mentioned fill-ins over the course of {writer Brian Michael Bendis’} 6 issue arc. There won't be any at all. I'm pretty on top of the schedule, and I've always been a very fast artist. When I used to be terrible with deadlines it was pretty much entirely as a result of laziness and preoccupation with other things. Those days are done. I'm on the job!"
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/EXILES_26.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/EXILES_26t.jpg" align=right alt="Exiles #26 preview"></a>Prior to having his own discussion forum, inbound Exiles artist Clayton Henry feasted his eyes on the cover to issue #26 by artist Randy Green and was overjoyed to see his own design being used on new Exiles member Illyana Rasputin.
"Wow!!! That cover looks great! This is the first time I'm seeing it! I especially get a kick out of it because I designed Illyana. She's my baby. Randy did an awesome rendition of her. I can tell this was designed after the very first sketch of Illyana, because I later decided to give her a battle-torn cape."
He also posted that he "redesigned all of the team members. Marvel approved my designs right away."
With regards to the preview art which appeared in issue #22, Henry reported that "the colors on the preview art are wrong for Mimic, Sunfire, and Morph. They're being corrected as we speak. I was told Marvel will release the revised pic soon."
Later, in his own The Art of Time Jumping (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=157) forum, Henry provided an update on his current workload.
"I finished drawing the two-issue story arc (Magik's first mission) a couple of weeks ago. I have since been working on the Uncanny X-Men crossover, which is coming along quite nicely. Trust me, you can't wait to see it."
"{Anyway} I didn't think it should be called a crossover either, but there is a part of the plot (the first issue) that deals with Uncanny plotlines. Since I don't read Uncanny I don't know what the heck they're talking about. So in that way it is a crossover. I'm told more things will happen that will solidify it as a crossover."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/RPG_cover.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/RPG_covert.jpg" align=right alt="Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game Guide hardcover preview"></a>Earth X trilogy co-creator Jim Krueger posted that he is currently working on the upcoming new Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game being designed by Q.E.D. Games (see 'INSIDE THE MARVEL UNIVERSE ROLEPLAYING GAME' (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16029)).
"For those that are interested in this sort of thing, I've sort of become a big part of the new Marvel Role-Playing Game stuff. I'm writing all the bios and background information for the X-Men game and have become part of even the strategy and story creation part in the upcoming Avengers one."
<center><hr width=50%></center>
What a week it's been, huh? Be sure to continue to check out the various Creator Discussion forums (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=22) and chat with over two dozen creators on these boards. Till then, happy posting!