CAN OF WORMS #3: FIVE CORE X-TITLES? THAT'S 'ASTONISHING'!

[Eric J. Moreels]

<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/canworms_logo.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/canworms_logot.jpg" align=left border="0" alt="Can of Worms logo"></a>Welcome to another special edition of ComiX-Fan's 'Can of Worms' where we delve into the multitude of rumours surrounding Marvel's upcoming 'X-Men Reload' event, including those surrounding the supposed involvement of Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon and Captain America/Planetary artist John Cassaday...


But first, the all-important...


<center>RUMOUR WARNING</center>

Before reading on, we need to make it clear to all that the material contained within this column is presented as rumour, unless expressly stated otherwise, and is intended for entertainment purposes only. Legitimate news can be found in ComiX-Fan's News (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=2) and Features (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=3) sections. If you reprint any information from this column, please clearly label it with an appropriate warning and provide a link back.

This column is brought to you by X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/) and their X-Clusive Creator Edition signed comic books (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=346). Want a certified Alpha Flight #1 signed by artist Clayton Henry, or perhaps a certified Batman #626 signed by artist Dustin Nguyen? If you do, then look no further than X-World (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=346)!

Now, on with the show...

<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/0404/UNCX442cov.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/0404/UNCX442covt.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #442 preview"></a>Marvel's 'X-Men Reload' event is shaping up to be the event of the year... at least, if the rumours are to believed. Along with talk of another X-Men #1 by veteran X-writer Chris Claremont along with a confirmed new Excalibur series by Claremont and soon-to-end X-Treme X-Men artist Igor Kordey, the persistent rumour that Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon is set to write an X-Men title with Captain America and Planetary artist John Cassaday on art (see 'WHEDON, CASSADAY... NEW X-MEN?' (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24636)) recently received an upgrade. Oft-speculated to be taking over the New X-Men series post-Grant Morrison, the latest rumours, such as those being propagated by the Lying In The Gutters (http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=13) column, are that Whedon and Cassaday will be given a title of their own in the form of Astonishing X-Men in May.

If the rumours prove true, that will mean five core X-titles on the market come May, with Claremont and artist Alan Davis on Uncanny X-Men (see 'MARVEL'S UNCANNY X-CHANGE' (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24068)), Claremont and Kordey on "the core book" Excalibur (see 'CLAREMONT TALKS EXCALIBUR VOL. 2' (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25492)), the Wizard-solicited X-Men by Claremont (see 'CLAREMONT TO LAUNCH X-MEN #1... AGAIN?' (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25384)), the aforementioned third volume of Astonishing X-Men, and New X-Men with a new creative team yet-to-be-announced.

<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/0404/NEWX155Cov_col1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/0404/NEWX155Cov_col1t.jpg" align=right alt="New X-Men #155 preview"></a>The latter could yet prove to be X-Men movie director Bryan Singer and fan-favourite artist Salvador Larroca, who have respectively been rumoured and confirmed (see 'COMIX-FAN NEWS BRIEFS - JANUARY 11, 2004' (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24941)) to be involved in the 'Reload'. However, prior to the mystery ongoing creative team taking up their positions, outgoing Uncanny X-Men scribe Chuck Austen and Larroca are confirmed for at least a two-issue fill-in arc for the series whilst X-Statix writer Peter Milligan has been rumoured to be penning an arc of his own.

Not content with revamping their core titles, Marvel are also launching several new X-titles such as the new Cable/Deadpool ongoing by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Brooks, a third Alpha Flight series by Scott Lobdell and Clayton Henry, an X-Men: The End maxi-series by Claremont and Sean Chen (see 'COMIX-FAN NEWS BRIEFS - DECEMBER 27, 2003' (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24588)), District X by David Hine and an artist to-be-announced, a supposed Starjammers ongoing by Saga of Seven Suns writer Kevin J. Anderson (see 'COMIX-FAN NEWS BRIEFS - JANUARY 21, 2004' (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25257)), a rumoured new X-Force series by writer/artist/X-Force co-creator Rob Liefeld, and a rumoured Nightcrawler ongoing series by outgoing Uncanny X-Men scribe Chuck Austen.

<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/0404/NEWMUT013_col.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/0404/NEWMUT013_colt.jpg" align=right alt="New Mutants #13 preview"></a>Further, many of the existing satellite X-titles are also being 'reloaded'. Rumours have been flying of late that Amazing Spider-Man artist John Romita Jr will soon add Wolverine to his impressive volume of work, whilst Exiles could find its new ongoing writer in Sean McKeever who is rumoured to be taking over the series following the cancellation of Tsunami titles Sentinel and Inhumans. Weapon X and New Mutants are also set get the 'Reload' treatment, though not in terms of the creative teams who appear to remain in place for the event. Both titles are, however, scheduled to undergo changes in story direction (see 'WEAPON X RELOADED' (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24929) and 'NEW MUTANTS: CLASS 'RELOADED' (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25373)).

The 'X-Men Reload' event is scheduled to begin in May. An official announcement is expected prior to the May solicitations being released at the end of this month.

[Your Momma!]

Why don't they put McKeever on New X-men? I loved Sentinel and Inhumans. Whedon and Singer? I don't know. Are they eperienced enough to write comics? A serie about Nightcrawler sounds good but why does it have to be written by Austen. He stinks!!!

[Eric J. Moreels]

Originally posted by Your Momma!
Why don't they put McKeever on New X-men? I loved Sentinel and Inhumans. Whedon and Singer? I don't know. Are they eperienced enough to write comics?

Whedon drew a lot from the X-Men's interpersonal relationships whilst writing Buffy, and Singer wrote the screenplays for both X-movies so I'd say yes, they're definitely experienced enough.

A serie about Nightcrawler sounds good but why does it have to be written by Austen. He stinks!!!

A word to the wise, folks, and that is to not let this thread turn into an "Austen-bashing" thread like too many others have before it.

I'm very disappointed that the first reply to this article was in that vein. Honestly, I don't expect much from posters on ComiX-Fan except to have fun and stick to the rules, but I do expect more than comments like the one quoted above. :sigh:

[Marty P]

These rumors are making me dizzy... :crazy:

Can't wait to finally read the official announcement from Marvel....

[bugalugs1]

Brain..turning to goo!
Too much information! Not enough confirmation!
:D

Gonna be very interesting to see what happens, but if even half of it is true, it could be a very exciting time if handled correctly

And did anyone else notice what Logan was wearing on the cover? Looks like the black and yellow is back..

[Dylan McKay]

McKeever on Exiles? That I'd buy. He's totally earned a shot at a title big enough to not get cancelled (Not NXM big though)

Other than that, I'll probably be not buying many X-Titles post reload. Just too much to be afraid of, and I want to discourage the overextending of the line, even if half these rumours are false, they're still going too far.

Plus, the non-core titles have almost always been better.

[Marc-Oliver Frisch]

Achem...

For an earlier version of this rumor collection, click here (http://poppd.blogspot.com/) (scroll down to January 30).

I always wanted to say that.

:p

[cicada rosa]

Most of this sounds good. It's interesting that afew years ago marvel canned a bunch of X-titles, and now it looks as though we'll have more than we did then. Oh well, I guess you live and don't really learn learn.
Oh, and pleeeeeaaase let whedon be the new writer on something X. I know so many non comic freinds who would totally check that out!:D

[Wolverine]

Oh god this Reload is really really killing me. I really want some real answers!

[princej3]

too...many...rumors...
too...many...books...
Marvel, SAVE US! GIVE US ANSWERS!!

[Robb Welch]

Originally posted by Your Momma!
Whedon and Singer? I don't know. Are they eperienced enough to write comics?

With Whedon's back-issue burning-even-after-all-these-years "Fray" from darkhorse still very popular despite the fact that the issues take delays in the form of YEARS.... I would say yes.

[Eric J. Moreels]

Originally posted by Marc-Oliver Frisch
Achem...

For an earlier version of this rumor collection, click here (http://poppd.blogspot.com/) (scroll down to January 30).

I always wanted to say that.

:p

Heh ;)

A little more in-depth than your collection, I think Marc. Plus the main thrust of this column was the Whedon/Cassaday/Astonishing X-Men rumour which came to light after your blog entry.

But still, credit where it's due - as I said in an earlier thread, that was good work mate! :yes:

[Elder Raven]

Something to consider in regards to the X-Men #1 being solicited in the Wizard Magazine is that they have used a marketing ploy to grab attention before. The solicit on the cover of one issue stated that there was a preview of a new X-Men series inside.
Hook, line and sinker, baby. . . I purchased the copy, tore it open and to my surprise found the preview was NYX. Do I enjoy NYX? Yes. Do I appreciate the tactic used by Wizard to sell a copy of their Magazine? No. IMO, this will be the same thing.

Whedon has done a couple of different works for Dark Horse. I believe it was Fray and Tales of the Vampire (Not sure about the name of that title). However, in other creative areas, he has done fantastic work in the serial format. If you get a chance, try Firefly.

Thanks for reading.

[Marc-Oliver Frisch]

Originally posted by Eric J. Moreels

A little more in-depth than your collection, I think Marc.

Thanks!

No, wait...

[Eric J. Moreels]

Originally posted by Elder Raven
Something to consider in regards to the X-Men #1 being solicited in the Wizard Magazine is that they have used a marketing ploy to grab attention before. The solicit on the cover of one issue stated that there was a preview of a new X-Men series inside.

Yes, but that was fairly generic. This latest solicitation is more specific in that it's a new X-Men #1 written by Claremont. Most likely it will be X-Men: The End #1, as many are guessing, but until the issue arrives we can't know for sure!

[Roberto da Costa]

Also, the Antonishing X-Men rumour received a green light in LITG, so is probably thrue. Yay!

[DeadXman]

any word on AXM team
I'm kinda hoping they will use marrow as a mole in one of the teams or in deadpool/cable

[Vector]

Why not just rename New X-Men as Astonishing X-Men?

[Prince Of Monkeys]

It's all so exciting, isn't it??? The number one priority for me after the last relaunch is talented writers and artists who can produce great stories In One Piece And In A Timely Manner. Lengthy delays and artist merry-go-rounds took some of the joy out of it last time and led me to drop both Uncanny and New.

Hats off to the amazing Salvador LaRocca whose work was stylish, proportional and who never missed a deadline, to my knowledge. I even picked Uncanny back up for this man! Wish he were teamed with Chris but I'll give anything he pencils a lot.

I think Whedon [Is he related to Evangeline?] and Singer are interesting choices and could bring new readers and new ideas to our favourite characters, provided they don't maul years of backstory and continuity. Characterisation wasn't key in the X-Films but then, they were Hollywood films so that is to be expected. Buffy of course was chock-full of interesting character-driven arcs.

I myself am curious to know more about this mysterious District X, which sounds like the XSE that was brewing in X-Treme [Isn't it great we don't have to say that title for much longer!]. Is it cop-driven a la Gotham Central? It sounds right up Sage and Bishop's alley, tho I know they are lead characters in Uncanny, according to the Man Himself. I hope the opening line is: 'I'm a cop.'
Whoo-hoo..........

[Alex Guillen]

I had heard about Mckeever on Exiles last week and he seems a good fit especially after Austen's fill in for the new story featuring the return of Blink.
I'm not sure about CC's X-Men #1 as rumoured on Wizard, it could eb a joke but FIV Core x-books? that's crazy.

Relaly looking forward to exaclibur and the possible return of a certain prurple haired ninja also having Xavier and Archangel being the core of the new book.
the much rumoured District X (my new thread about this book was shut down because of "lack of information" but I hope they open it up again really soon)

Also Astonishing X-Men by Whedon and Cassaday? sounds good but why start it up with New X-Men also available

[LoganBane]

My wallet is already screaming in horror. I know I won't be getting Cable/Deapool, but other than that I will pretty much be gettin them all. Damn, I better get a third job if I'm gonna be able to afford all of these.

[hexx]

Wow, that's a lot to take in! i'm ready! How about they start now! lets go hurry up hurry up! chop chop time :open:open: one thought though...hehe..okay now another one, it almost sounds like they're setting up to be like when they did Tsunami... and that turned out like..." Throw it on the wall and see what sticks." i hope this go around it works much better... also The wolverine title is gonna be Marvel Knights when they do their reload yeah? good news or not so good news? you make the call.
:bite:

[NateYoshida]

I guess I'm getting too cynical to take any of this seriously until we have something concrete (and I bet the solicits will probably be delayed till the latest possible date in Feb again :p )

But as rumors go, these are interesting nonetheless. If there's any truth to it, it should settle the concerns of many people that their favorite characters might end up in limbo. There'd be no shortage of titles for them to populate now :)

At this point, it wouldn't surprise me that they really would do all this mainly because the sentiment among editors lately (including Tom Brevoort over in his forum here) have expressed the view that X titles in general have been great money-makers while many others have failed to live up to their marketing expectations.

[dredweezul]

Well, colour me a happy biscuit!
Having 3 somethings a month from CC would make me deliriously happy. Perhaps this rumoured X-Men #1 is for that new younger audience devision from Marvel? we shall see. I'm not sure about adding an entirely new title to the core pot, but if Marvel thinks they have an angle on it, more power to them. I'm of a mixed mind about the Nightcrawler series that has been floating around the rumour circuits...have to wait and see on that one.

Dredweezul

[NateYoshida]

Originally posted by dredweezul
Well, colour me a happy biscuit!
Having 3 somethings a month from CC would make me deliriously happy. Perhaps this rumoured X-Men #1 is for that new younger audience devision from Marvel? we shall see. I'm not sure about adding an entirely new title to the core pot, but if Marvel thinks they have an angle on it, more power to them. I'm of a mixed mind about the Nightcrawler series that has been floating around the rumour circuits...have to wait and see on that one.

Dredweezul

Actually, I'd expect one of them to join the Knights line more than the new kids one. Just my guess though.

But with the new rumor on Astonishing, I'm beginning to think it's probably just NXM being relaunched as "X-Men #1" by CC.

[DeadXman]

I say good we need the canukle head in there.
MK is the "R" of marvel lines
thought I want to see him in a max line
even if it is a mini.

[BJR]

My thoughts are as follows.

Uncanny will stay w/ CC and Davis

Excalibur w/ CC and Kordey

New X-Men will become Astonishing X-Men and start with a new #1 w/ Whedon and Cassaday

This other X-Men #1 probably means Astonishing or Excalibur or X-Men: The End.

I just want to know where Sal is going to be?!

[Patrick James]

Good to see that everything for this mega-event has been gathered in one place and appears to be up to date, as far as that can be said of the rumor-mill.

Thanks for pulling it all together for lazy chumps like me, Eric.:D:yes:

[Cabbit]

Every time I hear "reload" I think of the Matrix... and that's not a good thing.

[Ryan Day]

I'll say first that John Romita Jr. is an amazing artist, and was the artist on the first X-Men I ever read.

However, Darick Roberston draws one of the best Wolverines ever, and should be appointed Wolverine-artist-eternal. It'll be a shame if he leaves the book, for whatever reason.

[Jordan T. Maxwell]

hmm...five core books. With amazingly brilliant creative teams. Sigh...good bye paycheck...

on the plus side, i can easily avoid a Liefeld X-Force...and Cable/Deadpool holds little appeal to me (despite my enjoyment of Cable...i get the feeling that with Liefeld even peripherally involved and Nicieza writing we're probably going to see a return to the early 90s one dimensional character...sigh)

[dizfactor]

X-Men #1 is supposedly a relaunch of either UXM or NXM. i wouldn't count it as an extra title in addition to the ones we have. my guess is that Astonishing X-Men (AXM) is probably the other of the continuing core titles and i certainly wouldn't expect to see five core books.

in other words, i think what we'll see is this:

pre-Reload
core books:

NXM
UXM
XXM

post-Reload
core books:

AXM
XM
Excalibur

the satellite books aren't really all that different from what they are now, except that they'd probably be drawn a bit closer into the core book continuity, Weapon X and New Mutants especially.

[Nunzio DeFilippis]

Originally posted by Your Momma!
Why don't they put McKeever on New X-men? I loved Sentinel and Inhumans. Whedon and Singer? I don't know. Are they eperienced enough to write comics?

Wait, are you asking if the man who created a TV franchise with tens of millions of viewers that has lasted 8 years and the man who has directed two 300 million dollar movies (that's 50 million tickets for each, in the states alone) about the X-Men, one of which he helped create the story for, are experienced enough to take on a job with a maximum audience of 150,000 people?

Is that supposed to be a joke?

If people from fields like that (where the pay is better and the exposure is much, much, wider) come to write comics, then it is out of a love for the medium. And that is an extremely good thing. And if those people are experienced storytellers (as Whedon and Singer are), then it's just a question of adapting to a medium.

If the rumors are true, and they are coming to write comics, then they'll do fine. Trust me.

[Dragon]

Just when my wallet was safe now i have more X-titles to get, of well as long as Claremont is doing them, i'll buy

[Kevin Sutton]

Wow, Marvel sure does seem intent on saturating the market with multiple versions of the same title. Ultimate/Knights/Marvel Age/ and multpile core universe version of most major franchises. Cripes!

[Lobster Johnson]

I would like to see a relaunch of X-factor written by Peter David. He worked wonders on that title .

As for all the rumours, I'm just gonna wait and see. With all the shufling in the x books I just don't know what to expect anymore :help:.

[omegastorm]

Originally posted by Nunzio DeFilippis


Wait, are you asking if the man who created a TV franchise with tens of millions of viewers that has lasted 8 years and the man who has directed two 300 million dollar movies (that's 50 million tickets for each, in the states alone) about the X-Men, one of which he helped create the story for, are experienced enough to take on a job with a maximum audience of 150,000 people?

Is that supposed to be a joke?

If people from fields like that (where the pay is better and the exposure is much, much, wider) come to write comics, then it is out of a love for the medium. And that is an extremely good thing. And if those people are experienced storytellers (as Whedon and Singer are), then it's just a question of adapting to a medium.

If the rumors are true, and they are coming to write comics, then they'll do fine. Trust me.

You go Nunzio, I couldn't agree more. I look forward to everything being revealed soon though. I am tired of waiting to be honest.

o

[Kavalier]

Eric,

I'm not seeing the origin of the Singer rumor. I hadn't heard that one yet, and aside from this Can Of Worms, I can't find it anywhere, not even the link to the Jan 11 news. Where did this come from?

k

[magiklover]

If these rumors are true... my pull list is gonna get huge... why o why marvel are you doing this to mee.. first 2 new Fantastic Four books now more x-titles:O

But to be honest i haven't been this positive about the x-titles in many monthes... and i think the reload is the best thing to happen in the x-men in a long time... just look at this thread to see how any people are excited about it.

[Marty P]

Originally posted by Lobster Johnson
I would like to see a relaunch of X-force written by Peter David. He worked wonders on that title .

You mean X-FACTOR. And indeed, it would be great to see that title written by him again, he wrote that really well, and his stint on that title was way too short IMO, but I gave up hope on that actually happening some time ago.....:(

[Captain America]

Originally posted by bugalugs1
And did anyone else notice what Logan was wearing on the cover? Looks like the black and yellow is back..

:excited::excited::excited:

Bout time, too! :p

5 core books? Meh, I will get something in place of X-Treme. If that was Astonishing X-Men by Whedon and Cassidy, that would be cool. And if I had to pick between that and Excalibur...I would probably pick Astonishing. I just hope if there are 5 core titles that they limit Wolverine to one. Well...maybe two. I want Claremont to write him (in Uncanny please).

A Nightcrawler solo series? Not for me, I'm afraid.
X-Force? Cool. By Leifield? Nah, won't bother with that. I hope Cannonball doesn't end up in there!

[nickolie666]

They already know that a core book a week is viable(bi-weeklies)
So i believe that 4 core titles is not much of a stretch.

[Tom 2TUM Toner]

5 core books? thank god work just gave me 2 extra days a week. i've got some saving to do when this comes out :sigh

[NateYoshida]

Personally, I think it's more likely to mean lots of name changes than 5 different titles.

I'd actually prefer Astonishing be a separate newly-launched book though, since it seems like Whedon's run won't last long. It can rotate any big name writers they may get...

[Sage4ever]

I'm really excited about this news because I love the X-verse but I a bit worried about the effect that so many titles in the same universe will have on creator freedom and creativity (i.e the sharing of villains, supporting characters, etc...). The quality of the people announced is really staggering though!

[NateYoshida]

Originally posted by Sage4ever
I'm really excited about this news because I love the X-verse but I a bit worried about the effect that so many titles in the same universe will have on creator freedom and creativity (i.e the sharing of villains, supporting characters, etc...). The quality of the people announced is really staggering though!


Writer variety would be an advantage in the sense that I prefer some distinction between the different titles. The main issue will be communication between them though; I hope things get better in that department this time around.

There shouldn't be any worse problems than the ones we had during the Morrison/Austen/Claremont-XXM period though. And as for villains, I'd bet on different ones being focused on in each title like the past few years.

[dizfactor]

I'm really excited about this news because I love the X-verse but I a bit worried about the effect that so many titles in the same universe will have on creator freedom and creativity (i.e the sharing of villains, supporting characters, etc...).

i'm with you on this, Sage4ever. i've really liked this era of GM doing his thing over on one side with NXM, and CC doing his thing on the other with XXM, where people could follow both and get a broader perspective, or they could just follow the one they were interested in, and ignore the rest. it allowed both creators a chance to work in their own distinct voice and it meant readers didn't get saddled down with reading lists of comics they don't care about. i like my titles self-contained, personally...

[NicholasRogue]

As long as :rogue: :kitty: :nstar: and :gambit: are in any of those 5 books I don't care! :p

[Martin Dudek]

God, all my money is going to be gone... O well I'll be poor, but I'll be happy ;)

[Steven Paul]

If true...wow.


My pull list is already huge...oh well, who needs spending money.

[mrhelm]

I'm just ready for Marvel to get it over with and let us know. The rumor milling is beginning to get old.

And I'm personally leaning towards both Joss Whedon and Bryan Singer taking turns on a single title, as I doubt either can keep their book on a monthly schedule.

[citizenx]

I'm definetly up for a Whedon/Cassaday X-Men comic, but I'm worried about keeping it on scheduel. If they are given "Astonishing X-Men" maybe it will be bi-monthly. Hopefully Marvel will be making some announcements soon because this is getting ridiculous. Well, if Astonishing is meant for May I guess we won't have to wait more than a few weeks to find out........

[Alex G.]

If half of this rumours are true,then I would really enjoy that.
Most of all an Nightcrawler Solo Series :bamf:

I also wanna see more about UXM,NXM,Exiles and X-Men:The End
Excalibur sounds great,but I'm waiting until I knew more about it.

I'm out :)

[Omar A. Safi]

Well, this is absolutely crazy. It seems like Marvel's going to be flooding the market with X-Men books again.

Well, I thought I'd be out of X-Men with 'Reload' but I guess not as now this sounds like some good stuff. Astonishing sounds good as Cassaday will bring me in and I'm willing to try Whedon. Claremont's ideas for Excalibur sound good besides bringing Betsy back but I do admit that would be interesting. It seems like they're making New or at least one book like Batman with rotations, which can be good or bad. Milligan might be good. District X might be good with a few others.

[Kevin_Sidney]

I'm a bit suspicious how long all these books will last (X3... 'there are waay too many x-books that might confuse new readers...'), but I think it's a clever move.
With all these books out, there would be a greater number of active X-Men as well as different voices / creators. Who knows, fans might actually be pleased! Their favorite character might appear in one of the new books, few are cast to limbo, fans can ignore books they don't like due to writer / artist / cast and still get X-Men.

I'm really looking forward to this event!

[X-Ternal]

I'm growing weary of the rumors. I wish Marvel would surprize us all and make the announcement long before the May solicitations.

Hopefully Marvel is intelligent enough not to over flood the X-universe with too many new books. The X Universe has enough now as it is.

Looking over the list on confirmed books we are going to have:
Uncanny
New
Excalibur
District X
X-men: the end
Ultimate X-men
New Mutants
Exiles
NYX
Mystique
Emma Frost
Wolverine
Weapon X
Cable and Deadpool
Alpha Flight
X-Statix
X-men Unlimited
That's 16 books not mentioning the rumored books we have been hearing about. How many is too many? I love my mutants, but too many more books means, no Spiderman, no Avengers or any other non X-book. I am beginning to think, less is more. I would rather see fewer quality stories, than several poor ones.

Lets hope the Reload gets it right.

[Inferno256]

Eh.....way to many books if you ask me.

[A.W. Pemberton]

I feel a bit jerked around by Marvel. I only budget for 1 x-title, and id like to know whats going on before i decide which one to get. (Although, im sure Marvel is doing this so it will be more likely that i try them all, which im not doing) :no:.

[Mike-O]

Look forward to Wolverine being in ALL of these books.... OH YEAH!! :P

[Justice Daye]

They are flooding the market, but before every book had the same voice and served the same purpose. I think they believe that if the books have different visions and directions, it's okay. But, we all know this is still no guarantee of quality. I was all buzzed about it at first, but they given away so little, I have more of a wait & see attitude coupled with a slight curiosity. My excitement and eagerness has seriously died down, though.

[Niels van Eekelen]

Um, yeah, but... Astonishing X-Men?

I mean, that's almost as bad as X-Treme, and it took CC quite a while to get over that title and get to the high quality material he is turning out now.


--I agree with the thoughts that there are probably a few double books among these five, taking name-changes in consideration.
--And Excalibur a core title? To the creators, I reckon each book is a core title, but if it doesn't have X-Men in the title...
--Regarding those slightly insulting reactions to the question whether Whedon and Singer are experienced enough to write X-book--writing screenplays is not the same as writing comics.
Whedon, I can assure you, has taken to comics like a fish to water, but since Singer has never written comics at all, this is a valid question whether you have faith in the man (like I do) or not.

[Ryan Day]

Originally posted by X-Ternal

That's 16 books not mentioning the rumored books we have been hearing about. How many is too many?

If they're good, there's no such thing as too many books. And when the names involved are Whedon, Milligan, Singer, Cassady, Davis and Claremont, the odds are pretty good.

I am beginning to think, less is more. I would rather see fewer quality stories, than several poor ones.

That doesn't have to be the tradeoff, though. There's no shortage of talented creators in the medium, so there's no reason why you can't have a dozen good books. At the very least, more books means more diversity, and that's never a bad thing.

[Eric J. Moreels]

Originally posted by Kavalier
I'm not seeing the origin of the Singer rumor. I hadn't heard that one yet, and aside from this Can Of Worms, I can't find it anywhere, not even the link to the Jan 11 news. Where did this come from?

Various sources, including All The Rage (http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/rage/index1.htm).

[Jackraow21]

Gah! This is getting ridiculous! When is Marvel gonna put all these rumors to bed and just make the freakin' announcement?

And personally I'm hoping this rumor about 5 core books turns out to be false.

Cancel New X-men, restart it as Astonishing X-men with Whedon and Cassaday (perhaps w/ Trevor Hairsine doing fill-ins?).

Claremont and Davis on Uncanny (w/ Larocca doing fill-ins).

Claremont and Igor Kordey on Excalibur.

Make Astonishing and Uncanny 18 issues per year.

That would be perfect IMO.

[Namor 1111a]

Alright the X-Men #1 by CC reported by Wizard was just a gimmic, joke. God I can't believe anyone fell for it. Alright CC and Alan Davis will be doing UXM, JW and JC will be doing Astonishing X-Men, CC and IK will be doing Excaliber, alright the only thing left up in the air is New X-Men, will it be canned, will it get a new creative crew? Also if Davis is the artist on Uncanny, Cassady is the artist on Astonishing, and Kordy is the artist on Excaliber, where is Salvador Larroca going? Hopefully not to the horridly sounding District-X, which would be a nightmare to Larroca fans who'd want to see him on a decent core X-Book.

[Captain Peroxide]

I was thinking Sal will be on District X. It's the only solid sounding rumoured title that doesn't have an artist yet.

CC/Davis - Uncanny
CC/Kordey - Excalibur
Whedon/Cassady - Astonishing Takes up from where New left off.
Hine/Larroca - District X

Four "core" books is doable.

[Ryan Day]

Originally posted by Telltale
Regarding those slightly insulting reactions to the question whether Whedon and Singer are experienced enough to write X-book--writing screenplays is not the same as writing comics.
Whedon, I can assure you, has taken to comics like a fish to water, but since Singer has never written comics at all, this is a valid question whether you have faith in the man (like I do) or not.

It's not the same, no, but the principle is very similar: Combine words with visuals. So you think in panels instead of shots, and static images instead of moving ones. This is the reason why you pair up the writer with

a) an editor, and
b) a veteran artist, who can say things like "I can't draw that; but this is what I can do instead..."

Frankly, if you take somebody who's displayed skill at plotting and characterization, I'll leave it to somebody else to worry about the intricasies of comic book scripting.

[Elder Raven]

:D

Thank you, DeFilippis.

I'll just let you do the talking.

[david r]

Why would Marvel cancel "Uncanny X-Men" and relaunch it as "X-Men"?? Its a wasted opportunity on their part. Everybody will buy it anyway because it has Alan Davis and Claremont.

They should wait and relaunch it with a less exciting team. "Uncanny" has never been renumbered, even when it was just reprints during the early 70s. This is the original, TRUE CORE BOOK!! I hope Marvel doesn't end its run.

I can't believe that Chris Claremont, who wrote "Uncanny" for 17 years straight, would go along with cancelling it after all this time!!

[Elder Raven]

I would love to see Coipel :cap: :bp: :wanda: :shehulk: work on an X title for a story arc. The exposure would be wonderful for him. His style is purposefully rough and abfab at the same time. He does forelorn and desilate quite well (Legion Lost) which fits often with the x-men's plight.

[Ryan Day]

Originally posted by david r
&quot;Uncanny&quot; has never been renumbered, even when it was just reprints during the early 70s. This is the original, TRUE CORE BOOK!! I hope Marvel doesn't end its run.


When you put it that way, it really points out how silly it is to get upset about numbering. After all, if you've got a complete collection of every single issue of Uncanny X-Men, you've got a bunch of stories twice.

So if you can accept that #91 has exactly the same content as #43, what difference does it make that #1 (vol. 2) has the same story that you would have seen in #450 (vol. 1)?

If the story is good, who cares what's on the cover?

[KingStalin]

Despite all the rumors and smoke and mirror games you can not deny that Marvel has succeded in getting everyone uber excited about all the X-titles. I'll prob hate myself for it but I'll prob buy them all in may and try everything.

[KingStalin]

Originally posted by Ryan Day


When you put it that way, it really points out how silly it is to get upset about numbering. After all, if you've got a complete collection of every single issue of Uncanny X-Men, you've got a bunch of stories twice.

So if you can accept that #91 has exactly the same content as #43, what difference does it make that #1 (vol. 2) has the same story that you would have seen in #450 (vol. 1)?

If the story is good, who cares what's on the cover?

I care because I have every issue form 120-current and I like saying that instead of volume 1 120-449 and volume 2 1-current. It's nice to have a complete run that keeps growing, one day my goal is to have every issue of uncanny. So renumbering is stupid to me.

[david r]

Originally posted by KingStalin


I care because I have every issue form 120-current and I like saying that instead of volume 1 120-449 and volume 2 1-current. It's nice to have a complete run that keeps growing, one day my goal is to have every issue of uncanny. So renumbering is stupid to me.

EXACTLY!! Wouldn't everyone love to see "Uncanny X-Men" #500??Written by Chris Claremont hopefully

DC has their long-running series (Detective Comics, Action Comics, Batman,etc.) Why can't Marvel keep a few of them too??

[barthufo]

Originally posted by Ryan Day


It's not the same, no, but the principle is very similar: Combine words with visuals. So you think in panels instead of shots, and static images instead of moving ones. This is the reason why you pair up the writer with

a) an editor, and
b) a veteran artist, who can say things like &quot;I can't draw that; but this is what I can do instead...&quot;

Frankly, if you take somebody who's displayed skill at plotting and characterization, I'll leave it to somebody else to worry about the intricasies of comic book scripting.

I agree with you. I think that the main difference between writing screenplays and comic books is the mindset of the writer. And not really the fact that screenwriters have to start thinking in the terms of panels, but more that they have to compress some stories a little more if they're used to some larger scale of visuals and I've been reading comics for almost 10 years now and I go to a film school in Florida where I've already taken a Screenplay class, I've tried to write both a screenplay and during the infamous EPIC line, I started writing a story I didn't finish, and the difference was my approach and mindset when trying to write these stories. But I guess for each person it could be different.

[Choos]

Originally posted by TITAN80
My thoughts are as follows.

Uncanny will stay w/ CC and Davis

Excalibur w/ CC and Kordey

New X-Men will become Astonishing X-Men and start with a new #1 w/ Whedon and Cassaday

This other X-Men #1 probably means Astonishing or Excalibur or X-Men: The End....

Sounds plausible.

After all the retro renumbering Marvel has done to Fantastic Four etc I can't believe they would go and start Uncanny or New back at an issue #1.

[cannonlocke]

Originally posted by Elder Raven
I would love to see Coipel :cap: :bp: :wanda: :shehulk: work on an X title for a story arc. The exposure would be wonderful for him. His style is purposefully rough and abfab at the same time. He does forelorn and desilate quite well (Legion Lost) which fits often with the x-men's plight.

i'd love to see that too. however, i have some problems with coipel's men. hey tend to have too broad shoulders and very short heights. the women though are ok.

[Thrillhouse]

Something tells me that Chuck Austen and Sal Larocca are going to be staying on New X-Men after Reload and that makes me happy. :banana: :excited: :banana:

I've heard a rumour (at nightscrawlers) that editors are limiting each team to 6 characters and Wolverine is only going to be on one of them. Personally I think if it's true it will be great for the quality and the continuity of the books. So given that and the number of X-Men characters that are floating around, three 'core' books and Excalibur seems a resonable assumption to make, with these creators and I hope these characters:

Uncanny X-Men - Chris Claremont & Alan Davis

Storm
Bishop
Sage
Nightcrawler
Wolverine
Jubilee

New X-Men - Chuck Austen & Salvador Larocca

Cyclops
Havok
Emma Frost
Polaris
Juggernaut


Astonishing X-Men - Joss Whedon & John Cassaday

Rogue
Beast
Gambit
Iceman
Shadowcat

Excalibur - Chris Claremont & Igor Kordey

Professor Xavier
Archangel
Psylocke
Husk
Cannonball

Of course that's just what I'd kinda like to see and there are still a couple of slots (for a character or two like M, Lifeguard, Slipstream, Thunderbird III or some other such character) open but I think these teams would work pretty well. ;)

[Mitch Brown]

I do hope you're right at least about the Wolverine limit. All Marvel's suceeded in doing with their Wolverine over-saturation is dilute the appeal of the character IMO. When Wolverine's in every title, but only for a few token pages, what's the point? I'm not even so sure that sticking Wolverine in a book has that much of a sales effect these days.

I'm still really thinking that Wizard's "X-Men #1" is Excalibur #1.

[Jordan T. Maxwell]

Originally posted by Nunzio DeFilippis


Wait, are you asking if the man who created a TV franchise with tens of millions of viewers that has lasted 8 years and the man who has directed two 300 million dollar movies (that's 50 million tickets for each, in the states alone) about the X-Men, one of which he helped create the story for, are experienced enough to take on a job with a maximum audience of 150,000 people?

Is that supposed to be a joke?

If people from fields like that (where the pay is better and the exposure is much, much, wider) come to write comics, then it is out of a love for the medium. And that is an extremely good thing. And if those people are experienced storytellers (as Whedon and Singer are), then it's just a question of adapting to a medium.

If the rumors are true, and they are coming to write comics, then they'll do fine. Trust me.

he said he knowingly...;)

Nunzio knows more than he's telling! Dogpile on Nunzio!

::steps back to watch the gorgeous chaos he has orchestrated::

Excellent...

[Namor 1111a]

This is how I see it

Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis
*Storm, Bishop, Sage, Cannonball, Ceceilla Reyes, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, and Lockhead.

New X-Men by Chuck Austen and Salvador Larroca
*Havok, Polaris, Juggernaut, Jubilee, Husk, and Chamber.

Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon and John Cassady
*Cyclops, Emma Frost, Beast, Iceman, Gambit, Rouge, and Wolverine.

Excaliber by Chris Claremont and Igor Kordy
*Xavier, Archangel, Psylocke, Rachel Summers, Guido, Lifeguard, and Thunderbird.

[jonnynyc]

what about jean grey
we're not really thinking she is going to die?
are we???

[DCUnited]

There are so many rumors flying around that I don't really even care any more. Whoever ends up writing New X-Men is going to have a lot to live up to since it's being kept so secret. I think that Marvel is slipping back into the problem that they had a few years ago and tried to resolve, and that is that they have too many X-books. Three core books is too much, let alone a possible five!

Also all of these satellite books that have very little to do with anything. Cable/Deadpool? Is it just me or is that just a series to please the creator and fans of the characters? I don't think Nightcrawler is popular enough to warrant his own series, a mini perhaps, but they don't do those any more. It seems there's new news everyday of some new book with an X in it.

[Thrillhouse]

Originally posted by jonnynyc
what about jean grey
we're not really thinking she is going to die?
are we???

Well, Marvel's solicitations for April seem to suggest that Jean does not come back to life before the end of Morrison's run. Austen's two issues that month dealing (at least partially) with Emma and Scotts relationship which they probably wouldn't have much of if Jean comes back. The other important thing to remember is that Jean being dead for right now matches the movie and this way they can bring her back 6-8 months before the release of X3 and then have a bunch of Trades dealing with her return that can come out with the movie. Not unlike what they are doing with all the Doc Ock mini's and Spider-man 2. So yeah she'll be back but not for a few years, I think.

[f4faith]

Originally posted by Ryan Day
It's not the same, no, but the principle is very similar: Combine words with visuals. So you think in panels instead of shots, and static images instead of moving ones.

Agreed but that was not really the point. Telltale's point was and I was going to post the same thing , is that though there are similarities, they indeed are not the same thing and just because you can do one (and for that matter Singer was the director of X-Men not the writer - a lot of his ideas but that does not make him the script writer) does not necessarily mean you can do the other and that includes doing it on time for a serial concept (which Whedon has shown problems with). Therefore, the rather snippy remark implying that anyone questioning this is just stupid was uncalled for because it is a valid concern.

[Jackraow21]

This is how I see it

Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis
*Storm, Bishop, Sage, Cannonball, Ceceilla Reyes, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, and Lockhead.

New X-Men by Chuck Austen and Salvador Larroca
*Havok, Polaris, Juggernaut, Jubilee, Husk, and Chamber.

Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon and John Cassady
*Cyclops, Emma Frost, Beast, Iceman, Gambit, Rouge, and Wolverine.

Excaliber by Chris Claremont and Igor Kordy
*Xavier, Archangel, Psylocke, Rachel Summers, Guido, Lifeguard, and Thunderbird.

Hey, that would be perfect IMO. I could buy Uncanny and Astonishing and not have to mess with the other two.

[Alex Guillen]

well Jean right now is dead and who says she will stay after "here comes tomorrow" and "planet X"? The solicits only tell part of the story,t he whole details are left secret until the issue comes out (wellt o the fans at least).
i could see her staying dead until X3 though.

i would like for 3 core x-teams, no more satellite teams or teams with no exact purpouse.

[Elder Raven]

Mitch Brown - or X-Men: The End #1 if it is supposed to come out with the Reload.

I also agree with the oversaturation and misuse of Wolverine. Not to knock the writers but over the last 2-3 years it seemed that Wolverine was just supposed to be used as a back up character. It seemed as if there was no heart in him. If the author wanted to point out how tough some enemy was, they would throw James at them just to get his behind kicked. It came to the point where he looked like a wimp. That's a far cry from where he was prior to this. It is, however, nice to see Wolvie not used as a Deus Machina (i.e. the fight with the Neo leader).

Maybe in his series the authors can have Wolvie reflect on this. See where he's fallen off and do something about it.

Cannonlocke - I'll have to take a look at that. Do you think it might be a more recent development for the Avengers? I was also talking to a friend of mine who is studying the art of comics and he informed me that one of the things they do is add an extra head in height so they can exagerate the super hero's (TM owned by Marvel/DC) build. That might explain the broad shoulders but not the squat height.

[xman4life]

I love reading the X-MEN, I've enjoyed them for years! But, 5 core titles plus all the spins offs, that's a tad bit overkill. Hmmm..then again, it may workout to having an X-MEN title every week, that may not be too bad after all!;) I just wish they'd let the cat out the bag, this slow leak crap is killing me!:mad:

[Danja]

Isn't it possible that Astonishing is gonan be a return to the AOA group of X-men, perhaps fulfilling the rumour from last year the Blink would be joining the X-Men again?

Who says that the Blink that's returned to Exiles is the AOA Blink?


Danja ~ 10 points to whomever says the writer did.

[perceval]

I think if the Whedon rumor is true, he'd want Jean. Plus, there's the whole matter of fixing the broken universe that's a mess if Jean ISN'T around (HCT is THE future if Jean doesn't fix things). Add to that, Scott would be REALLY pond scum to not even PRETEND to mourn Jean, and immediately hop in the sack with Emma, so I'd hope she'd be alive before he did that. Let's let the boy have SOME redeeming qualities, even if his beloved Emma lacks them.

So, what I'd like to see is Jean back to fix things, but she leaves the School, takes over the LA X-Corporation office, and takes some folks more loyal to her than Emma (such as Logan, Lorna, Hank, Kurt, and the Cuckoos) with her (And I think Logan can get her over Scott). Ororo and her group wouldn't take orders from Emma, either, so Claremont could shift his people to LA, as well (since he set up the LA X-Corp in X-Treme), and Jean and Ororo could divide their teams for AXM and UXM. UXM would be Ororo doing her mutant police force thing, while Jean and AXM would take over NXM's role as the social, philosphical, political, and cultural issues book. This would allow Claremont to use characters he especially likes (like Jean and Logan) who aren't on his team. The Cuckoos could follow their new mentor and study philosophy and Kaballah, and annoy Sage by constantly being inquisitive and playing with her tech. Come to think of it, Sage would probably welcome the opportunity to help Jean teach these kids, to stick it to Emma if for no other reason.

Meanwhile, XM (formerly NXM) could have the rest of Austen's team staying in the School with Scott and Emma. I know a lot of readers hate Austen's UXM, thinking it trashy soap opera, but there are plenty who love it, and plenty who love Scott&Emma. Build on that, as I can't think of a better writer for the Scott & Emma relationship than Austen. He's the PERFECT writer for Emma.

E

[NateYoshida]

Originally posted by perceval
Meanwhile, XM (formerly NXM) could have the rest of Austen's team staying in the School with Scott and Emma. I know a lot of readers hate Austen's UXM, thinking it trashy soap opera, but there are plenty who love it, and plenty who love Scott&amp;Emma. Build on that, as I can't think of a better writer for the Scott &amp; Emma relationship than Austen. He's the PERFECT writer for Emma.



Actually, I'd consider the Scott/Emma plot to be the worst of everything Grant did with Emma in his NXM run (which pretty much encompassed the latter half or so of his run).

Personally, I'd prefer Emma to be out of this relationship with Scott asap so she can shine on the basis of her own qualities rather than being reduced to nothing more than Scott's post-Jean relationship.

Through GenX and even GM's NXM tenure, her character's best presence has been as a morally ambiguous ally of Xavier's; the X-title equivalent of protagonists in heist movies and mobster fiction to an extent. The way Claremont wrote her in Schism was imo among the best in recent memory. He effectively conveyed her multi-faceted "cold ice queen exterior with a soft spot for her students", showing maturity and class (occasionally lacking in some of her NXM appearances recently).

With the reload looking as Claremont-driven as it seems, I'd much prefer her in one of his casts, as unlikely as I currently consider it. But while I'm relatively neutral on Chuck Austen's abilities as a writer, I personally disagree with the sentiment that Emma would be best suited to participate in a soap plot with Scott. Even GM's Emma was at her best when she was delivering some of his most entertaining dialogue circa Imperial, not as Scott's seductress.

As a huge fan of Y: The Last Man, I only wish there were still much hope of Vaughan writing Emma's dialogue on a regular basis...

Sorry, just had to vent my Emma-centric views on the matter :)

[X-Ternal]

[
Meanwhile, XM (formerly NXM) could have the rest of Austen's team staying in the School with Scott and Emma. I know a lot of readers hate Austen's UXM, thinking it trashy soap opera, but there are plenty who love it, and plenty who love Scott&amp;Emma. Build on that, as I can't think of a better writer for the Scott &amp; Emma relationship than Austen. He's the PERFECT writer for Emma.

E [/B]


Could you imagine if Scott hooked up with Emma, and they ended up having a baby? Talk about the Uber mutant for years to come........

Oh wait...thats been done already....wasn't his name Cable or something ......;)

[perceval]

Originally posted by NateYoshida



Actually, I'd consider the Scott/Emma plot to be the worst of everything Grant did with Emma in his NXM run (which pretty much encompassed the latter half or so of his run).

Personally, I'd prefer Emma to be out of this relationship with Scott asap so she can shine on the basis of her own qualities rather than being reduced to nothing more than Scott's post-Jean relationship.

Through GenX and even GM's NXM tenure, her character's best presence has been as a morally ambiguous ally of Xavier's; the X-title equivalent of protagonists in heist movies and mobster fiction to an extent. The way Claremont wrote her in Schism was imo among the best in recent memory. He effectively conveyed her multi-faceted &quot;cold ice queen exterior with a soft spot for her students&quot;, showing maturity and class (occasionally lacking in some of her NXM appearances recently).

With the reload looking as Claremont-driven as it seems, I'd much prefer her in one of his casts, as unlikely as I currently consider it. But while I'm relatively neutral on Chuck Austen's abilities as a writer, I personally disagree with the sentiment that Emma would be best suited to participate in a soap plot with Scott. Even GM's Emma was at her best when she was delivering some of his most entertaining dialogue circa Imperial, not as Scott's seductress.

As a huge fan of Y: The Last Man, I only wish there were still much hope of Vaughan writing Emma's dialogue on a regular basis...

Sorry, just had to vent my Emma-centric views on the matter :)

In NXM 151, Emma proved to be everything the Cuckoos said she was: "All shiny surface with nothing underneath", "just nasty jokes and cleverness". I doubt CC would want her on one of his teams, nor could I picture Ororo or Sage treating Emma as the boss. There needs to be a definate split, here, just to keep people in character. Taking a shot at a woman who just recently saved your life twice at her GRAVE while humping her widower's leg is, you've got to admit, about as classless as you can get. And, if that's what Scott wants, well, that says a lot about him.

Scott&Emma are a trashy soap opera couple, and a lot of folks like the trashy soap opera that has been Austen's UXM. So, we've got a relationship tailor made for Austen, and the audience that has enjoyed his UXM run. Meanwhile, logically, a lot of the other characters (like Ororo and Logan) would want to be as far away from this as possible. And, if Whedon IS writing this AXM book, he'd more than likely want Jean as a part of it, given how much he's used aspects of the character on Buffy. So, everyone would get what they want. The Scott&Emma fans wouldn't have to deal with Jean, and would have their soap opera book, while the folks who don't care for that would have AXM and UXM.

E

[cannonlocke]

Originally posted by Elder Raven

Cannonlocke - I'll have to take a look at that. Do you think it might be a more recent development for the Avengers? I was also talking to a friend of mine who is studying the art of comics and he informed me that one of the things they do is add an extra head in height so they can exagerate the super hero's (TM owned by Marvel/DC) build. That might explain the broad shoulders but not the squat height.

it might be. im no expert on comic book art so i cant say much about ur friend's observation. have a look for urself. to me it just doen't seem to fit well, but that's my opinion.

[Elder Raven]

Originally posted by cannonlocke


it might be. im no expert on comic book art so i cant say much about ur friend's observation. have a look for urself. to me it just doen't seem to fit well, but that's my opinion.

And it's respected. Thanks for the feedback.

[NateYoshida]

Originally posted by perceval


In NXM 151, Emma proved to be everything the Cuckoos said she was: &quot;All shiny surface with nothing underneath&quot;, &quot;just nasty jokes and cleverness&quot;. I doubt CC would want her on one of his teams, nor could I picture Ororo or Sage treating Emma as the boss. There needs to be a definate split, here, just to keep people in character. Taking a shot at a woman who just recently saved your life twice at her GRAVE while humping her widower's leg is, you've got to admit, about as classless as you can get. And, if that's what Scott wants, well, that says a lot about him.



As much as I enjoyed the beginning of Morrison's run, there are a few glaring undeniable mistakes he's made over the course of it, character-wise. The Polaris/Magneto relationship; Sage as a literal computer sending emails with her brain (which CC has gracefully ignored in XXM); etc. So while his stories are technically canon, I don't see any mandate to hold all of his characterizations as gospel, especially since CC has explicitly practiced the idea of returning characters to his own (in many ways better) conceptions of them whenever he gets the opportunity, and having seen what he did with Emma in Schism, I'd just like to see him do something similar post-reload.

I don't expect everyone to agree, and I have no intention of starting arguments over the merits of GM's ideas of characters. But while he did produce some great material in NXM, his strengths were definitely not in character consistency (or consistency within his own stories, with contradictions to his own plot points like Emma's diamond skin abruptly becoming a solid diamond form). There are likely to be quite a few things that will be "conveniently ignored" after his run, as I doubt CC's Sage will be emailing with her brain any time soon, nor will Polaris be mourning her "father". Likewise, Morrison's portrayal of Emma ends with his run and I don't feel it's a mandate to focus on the worst parts of it for years to come just because he ended it that way.

I just disagree that the best way to handle it is to see this story as an opportunity to lock Emma into a long-term role in a soap with Scott. In fact, I'd even prefer Scott to be taken in a different direction after this, especially if Jean were to return so soon as you suggest.


Originally posted by perceval


Scott&amp;Emma are a trashy soap opera couple, and a lot of folks like the trashy soap opera that has been Austen's UXM. So, we've got a relationship tailor made for Austen, and the audience that has enjoyed his UXM run. Meanwhile, logically, a lot of the other characters (like Ororo and Logan) would want to be as far away from this as possible. And, if Whedon IS writing this AXM book, he'd more than likely want Jean as a part of it, given how much he's used aspects of the character on Buffy. So, everyone would get what they want. The Scott&amp;Emma fans wouldn't have to deal with Jean, and would have their soap opera book, while the folks who don't care for that would have AXM and UXM.

E


I don't think Austen's been confirmed to write regularly post-reload at the moment.

Either way, I just happen to feel differently about this but I guess I'm obviously not a "Scott & Emma fan", especially if we're to assume Jean were returning now. Even if what GM did at the end of his run is to be fully acknowledged, then I'd prefer at least a focus on Emma's other established priority which even GM emphasized: teaching, also mentioned in said "classless" scene. Using the "Scott not wanting to continue and Emma wanting to restart the school" would be a much better route to go imo.

I just think there's still a better use for Emma's character post-reload than to just turn Morrison's ending into some on-going soap opera indulgence.


Originally posted by cannonlocke


it might be. im no expert on comic book art so i cant say much about ur friend's observation. have a look for urself. to me it just doen't seem to fit well, but that's my opinion.


I haven't seen the aforementioned Avengers art personally, but the proportional model often used for humans is "between 6 to 8 heads high".

His friend's observation seems pretty accurate in that the 8 heads model is quite often used in comics for a slightly exaggerated effect... Not completely sure I'm on the right wavelength about this particular discussion though :)

[perceval]

Originally posted by NateYoshida


I don't think Austen's been confirmed to write regularly post-reload at the moment.

Either way, I just happen to feel differently about this but I guess I'm obviously not a &quot;Scott &amp; Emma fan&quot;, especially if we're to assume Jean were returning now. Even if what GM did at the end of his run is to be fully acknowledged, then I'd prefer at least a focus on Emma's other established priority which even GM emphasized: teaching, also mentioned in said &quot;classless&quot; scene. Using the &quot;Scott not wanting to continue and Emma wanting to restart the school&quot; would be a much better route to go imo.

I just think there's still a better use for Emma's character post-reload than to just turn Morrison's ending into some on-going soap opera indulgence.



Emma: Isn't it wonderful? We're together.

Scott: Yes. I'm so happy...

Jean: Ahem... Nice to see you don't waste any time mourning...

Emma: AHHHH!!!! Can't you stay dead?!!

Jean: No, actually. It seems the whole Universe is doomed if I'm not around to take care of things. So, here I am.

Emma: Oh, please... We are MORE than capable of handling things...

Jean: Sorry, but I've SEEN the world you two build. Can't let that happen, so...

Scott: What are you going to do? And, um, are you naked under that fire?

Jean: Hmm? Oh, yes, but that's not important right now. Remember what the Shi'ar said I was going to do?

Scott: Um... Render your judgement?

Jean: Bingo! And it's time...

Emma: Gulp!

Jean: Oh, I'm not going to fry you two...

Scott: Oh, good...

Emma: See? I TOLD you what we were doing was right...

Jean: Killing you two would be petty. AND it would get you off too easy. No, no... You're going to have plenty of time to contemplate what you've become. You're going to get EXACTLY what you both deserve.

Emma: Isn't that up to the new writer, dear?

Scott: Yeah!!! We're getting this big name new writer that everybody's buzzing about! And our love... (holds Emma's hand) can truly blossom...

Emma: Yes. So leave! Shoo!

Jean: Oh, I am. Joss Whedon's the new writer everyone's talking about, by the way...

Scott: YES!!! That will RULE!!!

Jean: I agree. And that's where I'm heading. A whole new series! AND, I get to do Chris's book, too!

Emma: But... If YOU'RE going to be in Whedon's book... Who's writing US?

Jean: THAT'S the Judgement of the Phoenix. Toodles... (leaves)

Emma: Hmm... What did she mean by that?

Alex (with Nurse Annie): Hey, Scott! Emma! Isn't it great? We're going to be in the same book, again!

Scott: What?!!

Emma: No.... Not that. Not... HIM!

Northstar: I'm gay!

Emma: AHHHH!!!

Scott: (running after Jean) JEAN!!! I'm sorry!!! Take me back, PLEASE!!!

Jean: You've made your choice, and I've made my judgement. Have fun.

Scott: But... Um... Mr. Sinister was controlling my mind!!!

Jean: Scott, if Essex had been controlling your mind, you'd have been trying to knock me up all the time! The fact that you wouldn't touch me PROVES he wasn't doing that!

Scott: Oh, yeah... Um, I was still possessed by Apocalypse?

Jean: Hello! Remember who seperated him from you? You know, that girl who didn't give up looking for you even when everyone else was convinced you were dead? Which is aparently a lot more devotion than SOME people have?!!

Scott: Ah... I was REPOSSESSED!!!

Jean: No, I kept the payments up.

Scott: What?

Jean: Never mind... Just practicing dialog...

E

[X-Ternal]

That was great! LOL ! :D

[Namor 1111a]

Oh that's was the best peice of comedy I've read in a good long time perceval. I hope that's the way it goes. Well, actually who'd really want that guy back, but meh. As long as Jean, Remy, Anna, Logan, Bobby, Hank, and Kitty are written by Joss Whedon I'll be happy. I just hope we get decent stories, and decent rosters out of all this when the so called roload happens.

[Elder Raven]

Originally posted by NateYoshida



I haven't seen the aforementioned Avengers art personally, but the proportional model often used for humans is &quot;between 6 to 8 heads high&quot;.

His friend's observation seems pretty accurate in that the 8 heads model is quite often used in comics for a slightly exaggerated effect... Not completely sure I'm on the right wavelength about this particular discussion though :)

You're on the money.

Perceval - Your mind is on fire. That was fantastic.:LOL:

Namor 111A - I wonder if they would put Wolvie in Whedon's hands. Whedon is going to bring his own fans and Wolvie brings in fans no matter who writes him it seems. I hope they don't put him in because I would like to see some others get the spot light. I hope the rumor is correct about the limitation of Wolvie into one book. I am a big fan of Logan, but the absolute disuse and misuse of him in the last couple of years is likely to continue.

Well I will cut this short. Take it easy.:wave:

[perceval]

Thanks.

I figure either Joss or Chris would get Logan, but I can't see him as a "cop" (assuming CC's going with the XSE thing). So, I think the best solution would be for AXM and UXM having the same base of operations, with Chris having a team of folks who'd fit the "mutant police force", and Joss having folks who wouldn't fit that, but would have ties to CC's UXM cast.

For example, Jean, Hank, Logan, Kitty, and Remy aren't "cop" types. Hank's a scientist, Remy's a professional thief, and Jean, Logan, and Kitty are spiritial zen types who base their actions on what is helpful or honorable, rather than whether it's neccessarily legal or not. But, they're favorites of Claremont, and have close ties with people who are definately going to be part of UXM, like Ororo and Rogue. Having the two books based in the same locale would allow these characters to be involved in CC's stories in the personal relationships (and vice versa with Joss) without compromising their integrity. Rogue and Remy would still be involved, but not be attached at the hip, each having their own adventures. Jean and Ororo could hang out without concern of outpowering everyone else, as they'd each be the "Big Gun" of their respective book.

Of course, having Rogue and Remy on different teams while still being involved could create a problem with relationship development. They'd have to be this easygoing couple who just enjoys being together, instead of their usual angsting over this or that development... Wait, that's not a BAD thing... :)

E

[perceval]

Continuing Scott's attempts to escape Austen by convincing Jean he's been reposessed...

Scott: OK... How about that Sublime guy? I'm possessed by HIM!

Jean: No, he's possessing Hank.

Scott: Damn. Oh, got it! I'm possessed by BOGAN!!! C'mon, it fits! I've got the red eyes and everything!

Jean: Sigh... You're not a telepath, Scott.

Scott: Well, I've got a mystery telepath under my control! How's that? You know telepathic women can't resist me!

Jean: And, how would you be maintaining control?

Scott: Um...

Logan: Jeannie!

Jean: Hi, sweetie.

Sage: I've heard you called many things, Logan, but never "sweetie".

Logan: Never mind that! Jean, remember that first case we worked on together, back when you were doing work for the FBI and I was with Canadian Intelligence?

Sage: And where I first met you both.

Scott: Huh?!! How come I never knew about this?

Jean: Let me guess... Chris is retconning us, again, and is going to retroactively change the entire dynamics of our relationships.

Logan: Yep.

Jean: Well, it's about time we started getting into that mysterious backstory of mine...

Sage: Does EVERYONE I know have a mysterious past?

Jean: Look who's talking Miss "I was a spy for Xavier all along".

Sage: Touche.

Jean: And now, I'm remembering this case that none of us ever mentioned before... Where we.... Damn, Scott, Chris REALLY hates you.

Scott: CHRIS!!! Come out and face me!!! You keep screwing with MY life?!!! You will feel the WRATH of the legions of BOGAN!!!

Jean: You're not Bogan, Scott.

Scott: Am, TOO!!!

E

[Eric J. Moreels]

Okay, can we keep this on topic, please?