The speculation was correct and the teaser image Marvel released featuring the letters “XX” sure enough indicated that there was a new all-female X-Team headed to comic stands.  I took a guess at which characters should probably be included… well, at least I got two correct!

Beginning in April, Marvel will relaunch the adjective-free X-Men starring Jubilee, Kitty Pryde, Psylocke, Rachel Grey, Rogue and Storm, scripted by Brian Wood and drawn by Olivier Coipel.  Wood informed USA Today that Jubilee was the true star of the book, although he clarified “I don’t want to make it the ‘Jubilee and friends book.’ They’re all A-list characters — I’ve got to make them all shine.”

Possibly the least well-known member of the roster is Rachel Grey.  In regard to her, Wood said, “She’s not as distinctive as others are. There’s different learning curves for each one, but I want to get them all down.”

He admitted requesting Emma Frost for the book, but being denied.  “I did ask her for her, though, but she’s busy.”

The X-Men franchise has been known for decades as the home of some of the most dynamic and well-rounded female characters in the medium, starting with Chris Claremont’s 70’s-80’s revamp of the team featuring Storm, Jean Grey (reinvented as Phoenix) and Kitty Pryde.  Wood remarked, “Taken as a whole, the women kind of rule the franchise.”

Artist Olivier Coipel’s earlier take on X-Man Storm, battle Thor in AvX.

In the interview, Wood stated he wants to “challenge the double standards that have been in superhero books for years, where Wolverine can sleep with anybody but if a female character does it twice, she’s promiscuous.”

“To everybody’s credit, these people are often shot down immediately for being sexist and unfair, but that is a very common thing,” Wood says.

“We’re just going to do it. We’re not going to worry about that. If Kitty or Rogue has basic human bodily urges, tough luck (to those opposed). To me, that’s as much of the X-Men as anything else.”

(Um, Rogue can’t do that, can she?  Isn’t that part of her whole “deal?”)  So, while this isn’t called “X-Women,” that’s basically what this series is.  I’m a big fan of most of these characters, including Jubilee who has maintained a low profile in recent years, so I am really looking forward to this series.

Are you?  What do you think of the roster?  Would you add or subtract any female X-Men?  Please leave a comment below with your thoughts!