With all of Marvel’s mutant titles getting a fresh coat of paint it seems like a fourth is in the works as Marvel has tapped the always amazing Charles Soule to pen the ‘Astonishing X-Men.’ With the ‘Inhumans vs. X-Men‘ event coming to a close we know that ‘X-Men Prime‘ was set to kick off three new titles with ‘X-Men Gold‘, X-Men Blue, and Weapon X. Now, it seems like the publisher is putting a fourth into play which is a return to the ‘Astonishing X-Men.’
In the book we’ll be getting quite an exciting roster of X-Men as the team will consist of: “Old Man Logan, Archangel, Mystique, Rogue, Gambit, Psylocke, and Fantomex.” You’ll note that the team consists of much of Wolverine’s old ‘X-Force’ unit with a few other mutants who are willing to go the extra mile to try and get things done. It should also be noted that Bishop, while not listed, is on the cover. I suspect that he’ll be included as either the one captured or a last minute member of the team. With his past actions, it could be kind of interesting to see how well everyone is willing to agree to his help.
We don’t know what has brought them together quite yet, but we’re teased that “a familiar menace has once again reared its ugly head – reborn, renewed and resurrected. To defeat one of their greatest foes and rescue one of their own, the X-Men’s greatest will assemble for a mission that will take them places you never thought they’d go!”
The enemy sounds exciting. With the lineup listed, I almost feel like we’ll be seeing a resurgence of Apocalypse.
According to Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso:
“If you’re going to relaunch a book called ASTONISHING X-MEN, it had better live up to the title. Charles and his soon-to-be-revealed collaborators are about to unveil a story that touches every corner of the X-Men mythology, and the first issue alone will have massive ramifications for the Children of the Atom. We can’t wait to tell you more about this book.”
Soule added that:
“Other than the occasional line here and there, I haven’t written most of the characters in the Astonishing X-Men lineup before – for me, that’s a fantastic challenge. It’s been fun to get into their heads and think about what they all might have going on at this point in their lives. That said, the series is designed as a fresh starting point, so anyone jumping in with [ASTONISHING X-MEN #1] will get everything they need there to follow the story – even if it’s your first X-story.
The book is designed to tell a very focused, specific story, with a few cool main villains, prior toI’m writing it like a puzzle box, with new layers and reveals opening up every issue. So, you’ll never know exactly where it’s going to go next – but the structure is built in such a way that almost anything from the long, incredible history of the X-Men can pop up. If you think about these characters, they’ve been present or involved for virtually every major era of X history, all the big events. That’ll play a role in a big way.”
Back before the ‘Death of Wolverine’ we could all feel that Logan was in far too many titles. I should point out that ‘Old Man Logan’ now has his own title, is a member of ‘X-Men Gold’ and now the ‘Astonishing X-Men’ as well. I’m sure he’ll be popping up in Spider-Man books and another Avengers title at this rate to give us a fresh reminder of what Wolverine Fatigue feels like. As Soule wrote the ‘Death of Wolverine,’ I’m hoping that this is something he’ll keep in mind.
Snark aside, I am excited that it looks as if we’re getting a new golden age of mutant titles. If the quality is there, this could be a very good time for X-Fans, but we’ll have to see how they all play out first.
Are you looking forward to ‘Astonishing X-Men’ #1 or are you astonished that Old Man Logan has the time to join yet another team? Who do you think the main villain that will rear their head in this story will end up being? Share your thoughts below True Believers!
‘Astonishing X-Men’ #1 will make its way to comic shops everywhere this July!
Source: Marvel
Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!
