The Fall of X

[alliterator]

Last week, Marvel announced the creative teams for three Fall of X books and today, they announced the creative teams for three more. It was...not at all what was expected. So let's go through them!



Let's start with last weeks reveals:


ASTONISHING ICEMAN
Written by STEVE ORLANDO
Art by VINCENZO CARRATÙ
Cover by JESÚS SAIZ
On Sale 8/2

"Just in time for the X-Men's 60th anniversary, readers will witness one of the X-Men’s founding members embark on his most extraordinary chapter yet in a new series written by Steve Orlando (MARAUDERS, SCARLET WITCH) and drawn by Vincenzo Carratù (MARY JANE & BLACK CAT). Launching in August, ASTONISHING ICEMAN will elevate Bobby Drake to Super Hero greatness, complete with a new base of operations, never-before-seen uses of his abilities, and fierce new enemies. Iceman's newfound purpose will position him amongst Marvel's most powerful beings, but a dark side effect of his new mission could cause it all to shatter..."

"After the events of this year’s can’t-miss Hellfire Gala, Bobby Drake, AKA Iceman, sets his sights on heroic deeds like never before. But as a new situation develops that links Iceman to his Antarctic ice palace, he'll have to be slicker than ever to accomplish his mission before Orchis knows what hit them! See the Omega-level mutant as you’ve never seen him before in a new saga that'll push Iceman to the limits of his powers...and beyond!"

This will be Iceman's fifth solo book. Yes, really. In any case, Steve Orlando has been killing it with Scarlet Witch, so I'm excited for this one, too.


DARK X-MEN
Written by STEVE FOXE
Art by JONAS SCHARF
Cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
On Sale 8/16

"Written by Steve Foxe (X-MEN ANNUAL) and drawn by Jonas Scharf (AVENGERS OF THE WASTELANDS), DARK X-MEN will star a squad of X-Men unlike any other you’ve seen before: Madelyne Pryor, Havok, Archangel, Gambit, Azazel, Zero, Albert, and Emplate. This deadly group will band together to fill the void left by the X-Men, and are seemingly the perfect team to combat the harsh conditions of FALL OF X. Their hearts are in the right place but under the unpredictable leadership of the Goblin Queen and operating out of New York’s new Limbo Embassy, will this team’s dark ways turn the tide for mutantkind or make things far worse?"

"Following the explosive events of the Hellfire Gala, Madelyne Pryor realizes the world needs the X-Men now more than ever. Havok, Archangel, and Gambit have served on teams before...but never one that looks like this! And how does Gimmick, breakout star of CHILDREN OF THE ATOM and 2023’s MARVEL’S VOICES: PRIDE, fall under the Goblin Queen’s sway? Find out in the most horrific installment of the X-Men saga yet!"

Steve Foxe has been hinting that he was writing a new X-book for a bit and this looks, frankly, like a great book with an insane team including Azazel?

This is the second volume of Dark X-Men, the last one being a Dark Reign mini-series back in 2010. But also: Albert is in this, but I don't see Elsie Dee. Come on, Marvel, give us more Elsie Dee! (Also, having to explain to newer fans that "yes, there is a robot Wolverine named Albert" is extremely funny.)


REALM OF X
Written by TORUNN GRØNBEKK
Art by DIÓGENES NEVES
Cover by STEPHANIE HANS
On Sale 8/23

"Written by Torunn Grønbekk (THOR, THE MIGHTY VALKRIES) and drawn by Diógenes Neves (THE DARKHOLD: SPIDER-MAN), REALM OF X will continue the Krakoan Era’s fascinating exploration of mutant magic as a ragtag group of mutants become players in a mystical war orchestrated by a familiar adversary."

"This mysterious mastermind wants to manipulate mutantkind just as they’re at their lowest—but they’ve messed with the wrong ones! Can Magik, former Valkyrie Dani Moonstar, Marrow, Dust, Curse, and Typhoid Mary overcome their differences and rise as legendary heroes of the Ten Realms? Or will their mere presence escalate the conflict and warp mutantkind’s destiny forever?"

"Leaping straight from the astonishing events of this year's Hellfire Gala, an unlikely group of mutants find themselves stranded in...Vanaheim? And what's even more confusing, the locals seem to believe that they hold the key to fulfilling a prophecy that can either raise the realm to riches—or cause it to fall to ruin. With Magik's powers malfunctioning and a mysterious figure amassing power on the outskirts of the realm, these X-Men are going to going to have to band together if they want to stay alive long enough to find their way home!"

Torunn Grønbekk has never written an X-book before, but is a rising star, having co-written Jane Foster: Valkyrie, The Mighty Valkyries, and, recently, Thor. She is awesome. Go listen to her episode of Off Panel, it's hilarious.

So two announcements that were expected, but interesting, and one very fascinating one that I don't think many expected.

And then there were today's announcements.


CHILDREN OF THE VAULT
Written by DENIZ CAMP
Art by LUCA MARESCA
Cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
On Sale 8/9

"A four-issue limited series, CHILDREN OF THE VAULT will be written by Deniz Camp (20th Century Men) in his exciting Marvel Comics debut and drawn by Luca Maresca, following his hit work on PHOTON: MONICA RAMBEAU. These two rising stars will explore one of the most significant obstacles to mutantkind's survival, the mega-evolved superbeings known as THE CHILDREN OF THE VAULT."

"This post-human species is seen as the next stage of evolution, superior to mutants in every way. Their motives and the existential threat they represent has been brewing in the pages of both Jonathan Hickman and Gerry Duggan's X-MEN runs, and after the dramatic events at this year's Hellfire Gala, they're unleashed from their virtual prison with a new mission. Former enemies become brother-in-arms as Cable and Bishop team-up to fight this crucial war against the Children of the Vault all on their own!"

"The Children of the Vault are back, and they are determined to be humanity's salvation! But not everything is as it seems, and every utopia has its costs. What is the motivation behind these highly evolved beings gifting the world with their advanced technology? And how do Bishop and a now-Orchis-captured Cable figure into their plans?"

Like the solicitation text stated, this is Deniz Camp's Marvel Comics debut, having previously written the highly acclaimed 20th Century Men. Which is great, you should read it. Also, Cable and Bishop having to team up is exciting -- I guess they finally have to deal with that whole "tried to kill your daughter a bunch as I chased you through time."


ALPHA FLIGHT
Written by ED BRISSON
Art by SCOTT GODLEWSKI
Cover by LEONARD KIRK
On Sale 8/16

"Alpha Flight's new chapter will be written by Ed Brisson, known for his current work on PREDATOR and as one of the creators who helped launch the Krakoan era to incredible success with NEW MUTANTS. Brisson returns to the world of mutantkind alongside Marvel Comics newcomer, artist Scott Godlewski. Together, they’ll introduce two conflicting Alpha Flight squads that are formed in response to the shocking events of this year’s Hellfire Gala."

"Mutantkind's actions have put Canada on the offense and in addition to crafting a new line of sentinels, they'll assign a government-sponsored team with de-escalating the mutant conflict by any means necessary! But a second Alpha Flight team joins the fight, striking from the shadow. More secrets and conspiracies are revealed as classic Alpha Flight members and new faces alike become major players on both sides of the war that will define mutantkind!"

"SAVING CANADA...FROM THE MUTANT MENACE?! Guardian, Puck, Snowbird, and Shaman return, as a terrestrial ALPHA FLIGHT bursts onto the scene! But what schism will pit these heroes against their former teammates Aurora, Northstar, and Nemesis, as well as Aurora’s beau, Fang? The FALL OF X has changed the game. Will Alpha Flight soar to new heights...or be crushed under the weight of an impossible mission?"

Ed Brisson returns to the X-Office to take the reins of Canada's premier superteam. But the real question: will Heather Hudson finally get out of that basement she's been trapped in?

And finally...


UNCANNY SPIDER-MAN
Written by SI SPURRIER
Art by LEE GARBETT
Cover by TONY DANIEL
On Sale 9/6

"UNCANNY SPIDER-MAN will be a five-issue limited series written by mutant mastermind Si Spurrier, continuing his thought-provoking work in the Krakoan era after LEGION OF X and NIGHTCRAWLERS, and drawn by Lee Garbett, known for his breathtaking art on DEATH OF DOCTOR STRANGE. The heart of the X-Men, Kurt has always shined as one of the most heroic and daring mutants in the franchise. Now, as the darkness of FALL OF X overwhelms his fellow mutants, Nightcrawler will embrace a new role as a classic New York City-bamfing hero!"

"Escaping the turmoil of FALL OF X in a flash of smoke and brimstone, it's time for Nightcrawler to play the swashbuckling, devil-may-care hero he was always destined to be! A potential new lover, battling some of the most iconic members of Spidey’s rogues gallery, and saving civilians, mutant and human alike—Kurt is having the time of his life! But it's not all fun and games... Nightcrawler will also be a lone soldier on the frontlines of mutantkind's upcoming war with Orchis. Throughout the saga, he’ll also confront a long-simmering mystery surrounding his mother, Mystique, as Spurrier's bold transformation of the character approaches a startling climax!"

Yes, that's right: Si Spurrier is continuing his Nightcrawler saga by having Kurt impersonate Peter in a, frankly, awesome version of the Spider-Man costume. I can't freakin' wait.

The only other new book was Uncanny Avengers, which had already been announced:

UNCANNY AVENGERS #1
Written by GERRY DUGGAN
Art and Cover by JAVIER GARRÓN
On Sale 8/16

"Announced last month at Marvel Unlimited's X-Men: 60 Uncanny Years Live Virtual Event, the devastating events of the Hellfire Gala and the tragic circumstances of FALL OF X calls for the return of the Avengers’ Unity Squad in a new run of UNCANNY AVENGERS written by Gerry Duggan and drawn by Javier Garrón!

The new lineup will include Captain America, Rogue, Deadpool, Quicksilver, Psylocke, and Penance. This powerhouse new team must solve the mystery of who the new, murderous Captain Krakoa is—and stop his army of killers from igniting the fires of a new world war."

This is Duggan's second Uncanny Avengers run and the fourth volume overall. Honestly, I'm excited to see Monet St Croix as an Avenger. Who would ever have thought?

And then the already in progress books:


X-MEN #25
Written by GERRY DUGGAN
Art by STEFANO CASELLI
Cover by JOSHUA CASSARA
Design Variant Cover by PEACH MOMOKO
On Sale 8/2

"Duggan will also continue to write X-MEN throughout FALL OF X. Following the Hellfire Gala, the title will see a cast shakeup with new additions such as the winner of this year’s X-Men fan vote and Kate Pryde. She’s been known as Kitty, Sprite, Ariel, Red Queen and Captain Kate. Now, as the X-Men find their way through their darkest hour… SHADOWKAT emerges!"

Yes, that's Shadowkat, with a K. Magik must have been the one to give her the name.


X-FORCE #43
Written by BENJAMIN PERCY
Penciled by ROBERT GILL
Cover by DANIEL ACUÑA
On Sale 8/23

"Benjamin Percy's run on X-FORCE has been delivering pulse-pounding action and thought-provoking drama since the DAWN OF X, and now the stakes are higher than ever! Daniel Acuña joins as cover artist for this bold new era, and his X-FORCE #43 piece unveils new team leader Colossus on the frontlines with the squad...but where he leads them, you will never expect!"

Looks like we're picking up on the Colossus-as-sleeper-agent plot again!


WOLVERINE #36
Written by BENJAMIN PERCY
Penciled by GEOFF SHAW
Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
On Sale 8/30

"Percy's astounding work on WOLVERINE will also be kicked into high gear as the dire circumstances of FALL OF X send Logan on the run and into a collison course with Ghost Rider! Alongside acclaimed artist Geoff Shaw, Percy will bring both his WOLVERINE and GHOST RIDER runs together in a four-part epic: GHOST RIDER/WOLVERINE: WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE!"

"A demonic serial killer is murdering innocent mutants. But what is it about this deadly new villain that forces our two heroes to team up? And what buried secret does he share with Wolverine and Ghost Rider's never-before-seen very first meeting in the past? The crossover kicks off in August’s GHOST RIDER/WOLVERINE: WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE ALPHA, before unfolding in the pages of GHOST RIDER #17 and WOLVERINE #36 and coming to a fiery conclusion in GHOST RIDER/WOLVERINE: WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE OMEGA."

Ghost Rider and Wolverine: two great tastes that taste great together. But also, this appears to be SUPER METAL FUCK YEAH.


INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #9
Written by GERRY DUGGAN
Art by JUAN FRIGERI
Cover by KAEL NGU
On Sale 8/23

"Fans also got a peek at Tony Stark's new stealth armor on the cover of Gerry Duggan and Juan Frigeri's INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #9. With Feilong in control of Stark Unlimited and using its resources to build Stark Sentinels, Tony Stark has proposed a new alliance with Emma Frost. Tony will play a key role during FALL OF X, and his latest solo title impacts mutantkind's new status quo in surprising ways."

I know, I know: why is Iron Man here, he doesn't even go here! But Gerry Duggan is doing a great job writing him and he's teaming up with Emma Frost, so it's fine. As long as they don't get married.


X-MEN RED #14
Written by AL EWING
Art by YILDIRAY ÇINAR
Cover by STEFANO CASELLI
On Sale 8/16

"In X-MEN RED #14, Ewing is joined by new series artist Yildiray Çinar. As the Brotherhood reels from the cataclysmic events of the Hellfire Gala, Genesis takes advantage of the chaos — and declares war! Two vast mutant armies clash, and Arakko’s idols fall...but this is only the beginning of a conflict that will remake the Red Planet. And whatever happened to Isca the Unbeaten?"

More X-Men Red is always great. I want this book to go on for a hundred issues.

And now for my favorite solicit text:

IMMORTAL X-MEN #14
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Art by LUCAS WERNECK
Cover by MARK BROOKS
On Sale 8/9

"TO ME, MY NO ONE. In IMMORTAL X-MEN #14, witness the X-Men’s founder at his lowest. Xavier had a dream. Now he has nothing. He fell. He fell furthest."

Look, I think we can all agree that "To me, my no one" is just great copy.

Comments

[iamrman]

Interested to see Alpha Flight. Always happy for more Fuzzy Elf and Avengers Unity Squad.

[laughing_tree]

You know, we've had our disagreements, but I appreciate how you're so positive about current comics instead of just rushing to negative pre-judgment. It's a nice change of pace in these parts.

[alliterator]

I mean, these all look awesome, so I don't really have anything negative to say. And I also try not to judge a book before it's out and I have at least read the first issue.

[laughing_tree]

Ah, but then you deprive yourself of the opportunity to be tediously snarky. There are some posters who so clearly want to be, if you can contemplate such an unholy abomination, the comic reader version of CinemaSins. A concept that's only not as terrible as it sounds because it's somehow actually worse.

Mod Note!

[icon_uk]

There is no call to make speculative comments like that about other posters.

If you have evidence that you think needs to be addressed raise it with the Mods, otherwise, Thumper's Law applies.

Re: Mod Note!

[laughing_tree]

Is there some controversy around CinemaSins I wasn’t aware of? I used it as an example of a writing style I find very annoying, which is certainly not the nicest comparison to make but doesn’t seem particularly out of bounds as criticism. Like if someone said about a comic here “Writer A is trying to be comic book Dan Brown or Stephenie Meyer.” Except even less than that because I don’t even specify who Writer A is.

Re: Mod Note!

[icon_uk]

It's not the fact you used CinemaSins as a comparison (Though I am not aware of them being held aloft as a high standard of anything), it's the fact you view fellow posters in that light.

[deh_tommy]

Si Spurrier’s fun Nightcrawler is a lot more appealing to me than his introspective deconstructionist Nightcrawler, so I hope his new book is good. Though I am a little morbidly amused by how the X-Men recently have been going on about how much better they are than the Avengers and how they bully Firestar for spending most of her life as an Avenger over being an X-man, and now not only do they restart the Unity Squad but Nightcrawler’s decided to pick up the Spider-mantle.

Also, regarding Children of the Vault… yikes with that phrasing. They’re evil because they’re plotting to genocide everyone that is not them, but out of context the wording just makes it sound like the same kind of rhetoric used to justify the bigotry against mutants.

[alliterator]

"Though I am a little morbidly amused by how the X-Men recently have been going on about how much better they are than the Avengers and how they bully Firestar for spending most of her life as an Avenger over being an X-man, and now not only do they restart the Unity Squad but Nightcrawler’s decided to pick up the Spider-mantle."

I don't remember the X-Men crowing about being better the Avengers, unless you are using "X-Men" to mean mutants in a general sense? The ones who bullied Firestar were the Hellions, actually, and they are all assholes except for Catseye. And it looks like the person restarting the Unity Squad is Captain America.

[dan_ingram]

Not to bash Alpha Flight, but why do they keep returning to the original cast when the team has so many other additional members?

[laughing_tree]

Byrne giving them striking, memorable looks plays at least some part, I think.

[alliterator]

Brisson recently released a newsletter talking about the book and has stated that he's going to bring in more members. Since Brisson seems to love Alpha Flight, I'm willing to bet he's going to bring in as many as he can.

[cainofdreaming]

Wade's back with the Avengers? Hopefully he'll finally get his freaking memory back.

[deh_tommy]

I’m thought he already did back in in the Skottie Young run?

[cainofdreaming]

The condition for him to become Mephy's soul collector was for him to forget again, so, yes, he got it back. And then lost it.

[werehawk]

Nightcrawler as Spider-Man looks awesome and fun. I’ve been pitching (in my head) a Venomized Bightcrawler and this costume looks very close.

[werehawk]

I accidentally typed Bightcrawler but you know what? It is exactly what Nightcrawler with a symbiote should be called and I never thought of it before! (But should be spelled Bitecrawler I think).

[alliterator]

Blightcrawler

[dr_archeville]

And when he switches to a luminous white symbiote suit, he can become Brightcrawler!

[scorntx]

Either that or Lightcrawler.

[mastermahan]

All of these are better than Daycrawler or Nighty-Nightcrawler.

[werehawk]

Nighty-nightcrawler sounds like an X-men children's book

[cainofdreaming]

And if he gets nommed by a Toxin he'll become Wightcrawler.

[mazway_75]

Nightcrawler as Spider-Man is something I never knew I needed.

[scorntx]

The Children of the Vault getting their own miniseries?
Unusual choice.


Confession: Despite having seen the image before reading the synopsis, I still got confused when it said Genesis and thought it was one of the other Genesises.
Bit worried for a second Evan was back and evil, but nope, it's all good.

Serious Sal Buscema energy on that Sentinel on that cover.
You can almost hear it going "FOOL!"

Hmm. Was thinking Charles would be killed in Hellfire Gala or something, but it doesn't look like it.
Though that synopsis doesn't exactly preclude being dead.

[blues32]

Same. Whatever happened to Evan? I liked Evan. He was a good kid. I mean, during the whole Axis thing, Evan was able to be talked back to being a good guy while everyone else scoffed at the idea. Or maybe that was just because of Zenpool's talk-fu.

[scorntx]

He got killed during Age of X-Man, and hasn't come back yet.

[blues32]

No. Just no. Kurt is not Spider-Man. Is he strong? Not quite, bud. He doesn't have radioactive blood. He can't spin webs of any size, making it hard to catch thieves just like flies. The teleporting will make getting to the scene of a crime just in time pretty simple, I'll admit. Faster than a streak of light, in fact. And he's a pretty friendly guy. Wealth and fame? He does ignore. Action will be his reward. To him, life is one big bang up. Wherever there's a hang up. But Kurt is not Spider-Man.

[tcampbell1000]

"Whatever happened to Isca the Unbeaten?"

Well, the way things were trending with her, probably someone told her, "Loss is a part of life. To live is to lose," and then she replied "Oh, YEAH?" and died instantly.