Marvel Unveils The Next Chapter for the X-Men
New York, NY — Krakoa is gone…but the X-Men remain, always.
Just now at the Future of Marvel Comics’ X-Men and Digital Comics panel at South by Southwest (SXSW), Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski and VP, Executive Editor Tom Brevoort were joined by writers Jed MacKay and Gail Simone to announce what’s coming next for Marvel’s line of X-Men comics. In the wake of their acclaimed Krakoan Age, witness the X-Men’s latest evolution this summer in X-MEN: FROM THE ASHES!
This new era of X-Men will be centered around three flagship titles written and drawn by some of today’s most influential and acclaimed creators: Jed Mackay and Ryan Stegman’s X-MEN, Gail Simone and David Marquez’s UNCANNY X-MEN, and Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero’s EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN. Each series will offer different explorations of the mutant mythos as they take Marvel’s Merry Mutants into bold and untrodden territory.
Over their 60-year history, the X-Men have been many things. Outcasts. Teachers. Revolutionaries. Heroes. Above all, they’re a species, and the future is still theirs for the taking! Krakoa showed the world what homo superior is truly capable of, and now, the X-Men have to fight harder than ever to keep Professor X’s dream alive. These three core series will approach the X-Men’s vital mission with distinct and relevant perspectives while remaining faithful to the storytelling power of the mutant metaphor!
Read on to discover what awaits!
X-MEN
Written by Jed MacKay
Art by Ryan Stegman
KRAKOA IS NO MORE…BUT THE X-MEN FIGHT ON!
From their new base in Alaska, the X-Men raise a flag of defiance! Join CYCLOPS, BEAST, MAGNETO, PSYLOCKE, KID OMEGA, TEMPER (formerly OYA), MAGIK and JUGGERNAUT as they assemble against new forces, battling for the destiny and philosophy of the mutant species. Mutant business is their business.
“It’s not just those three titles in this relaunch, there’s a lot!” MacKay shared at the panel. “[My X-Men title] is where we’ll see the first inklings of what the X-Men will look like in 2024. I’m very excited for you guys to see it when it comes out. If you look at that line-up, they’re a group of people who are not well suited to integrating into the world. And in these books, we’ll see what that means and what it looks like going forward.”
UNCANNY X-MEN
Written by Gail Simone
Art by David Marquez
OUTLAW HEROES ONCE AGAIN, THE X-MEN EMBARK ON A NEW MISSION!
Making themselves at home in the Big Easy, the X-Men protect a world that hates and fears them! Join ROGUE, GAMBIT, NIGHTCRAWLER, JUBILEE and WOLVERINE on explosive super hero adventures. Uncanny as ever, the X-Men are back to saving the day mutant-style!
“I think X-Fans are special in that we identify with having something different about us…and you’re going to feel that in this book, and what it means to have that thing about you that’s different, or exceptional. We go deep into the emotional part of that,” Simone told the crowd.
“David Marquez is the perfect artist for this book,” she continued. “He does amazing action, amazing character work, and he’s really excited about getting into the characters appearing in this book. I knew from the very first panel that this book was going to be super exciting and gorgeous. He just knows how to knock it out of the park!”
EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN
Written by Eve L. Ewing
Art by Carmen Carnero
MUTANTKIND’S TWO GREATEST TEACHERS MOLD THE NEXT GENERATION OF X-MEN!
KATE PRYDE has returned home to Chicago following the war with ORCHIS. Having stepped away from the world of mutantdom, she is nevertheless called back into action as she crosses paths with a trio of new young mutants, BRONZE, AXO and MELEE, who clearly need training and guidance. Unfortunately for Kate, EMMA FROST thinks so as well!
“Long-time fans of Kitty Pryde can count on the kinds of adventures you expect from her as a classic favorite, while I hope new and old readers alike will get to love this all-new team of young mutants,” Ewing shared. “Kitty, the one-time kid sister figure of the X-Men, has to reckon with her own memories—good and bad—of being a child of Xavier as she navigates a role as leader and mentor for a new generation of mutants who are trying to make their way in a time of crisis. I always try to strike a chord between appealing to veteran comics fans and new readers, but since so many people fell in love with the X-Men as teens and this book is about a team of young folks, that feels especially important to me here. I hope that for some 13- or 14-year-old readers, this might be the first comic book they pick up. Working on this series has been a ton of fun already, as Carmen Carnero’s art is bringing so much dynamism to these pages and the entire X-team of writers is in a flurry sharing scripts and feedback and ideas.”
“The X-Men are fractured in the aftermath of the end of Krakoa, scattered across the globe without a central base of operation,” Marvel Comics VP Executive Editor Tom Brevoort explained. “What that means in practice is that all three titles carrying the name X-MEN are core X-MEN series—they all center around one of the major aspects of what the team has been about at different points. This is very much by design. We want to field a wide assortment of X-titles with different styles and tones and approaches, an X-MEN book for virtually any taste.”
This is only the beginning, and fans shouldn’t fret if they don’t see their favorite mutant icons just yet! In the coming weeks, get ready for more X-Men title announcements including new ongoing team books, solo series, and more. Catch a glimpse at some of the future titles and stay tuned for full announcements plus the main cover reveals and first looks for X-MEN #1, UNCANNY X-MEN #1, and EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN #1. Check out all three cast lineups on Ryan Stegman and Marte Gracia’s X-MEN: FROM THE ASHES promotional image and get a sneak peek at what’s to come in the X-MEN: FROM THE ASHES trailer, featuring never-before-seen artwork that teases new villains AND the mystery of INMATE X! And don’t forget to take your first steps into the new era on May 4 with a special prelude tale by Gail Simone in FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2024: BLOOD HUNT/X-MEN #1 AND in June’s X-MEN #35, the 700th issue of Uncanny X-Men, which will feature stories by both Simone and MacKay.
