X-MEN: PRIME Ushers in a New Era for Marvel’s Mutants

We’ve got a ton of Marvel Comics news in this, your weekend edition of Comics Relief! Aside from all the Marvel news, we also have the scoop on a major indie publisher getting in on the superhero shared universe, plus more comics announcements. Read on for all the details!

With the titles and creative teams announced now for the >X-Men RessurXion run (see our item down below for the final one), Marvel has announced thatâ€"in order to get the entire Mutant Renaissance goingâ€"they are releasing a one-shot special called X-Men: Prime. The name itself calls back to the team’s heyday, as X-Men: Prime was also the special that relaunched the team after >Age of Apocalypse in 1995.

X-Editor Daniel Ketchum said, “ResurrXion is all about embracing the [X-Men’s] original dream of coexisting with humans and fighting together to make a better world. All the books in some way, shape, or form, embrace that idea. We’re going to get back to flights, and tights, and capes, and all the classic X-Men tropes. We very much want to harken back to that era where it’s the most classic iteration of the X-Men.”

One tidbit Ketchum dropped in the X-Men: Prime announcement was that the >X-Men: Blue teamâ€"which features the original five membersâ€"would add another female to the team. Considering that former X-23 and current Wolverine Laura Kinney is on the cover, I’d say she is a good bet to join the gang. For more from Ketchum on X-Men: Prime, plus sketches of the team’s new/old costumes, click on the following link: [Entertainment Weekly]

The last X-Men: ResurrXion title to get their creative team announced was the new >Cable series, but this week Marvel finally gave us the details. The new book will be coming from writer James Robinson, who wrote Cable for a stint in the ’90s, along with artist Carlos Pacheco. The new ongoing series will focus on Cable as a time jumping warrior. You can see preview artwork for the new series above.

According to Robinson, “Time travel is part of his make-up in almost every aspect of his history â€" no pun intended. This series will be Cable on a race against time to fix time. The reason Cable must take on this quest will reveal itself as the story and mystery unfolds, but he’s doing it for the sake of the Marvel Universe, which will fall apart if he doesn’t take action.” For more on the new Cable book, click on the following link: [Marvel]

For decades, publisher Fantagraphics was the ultimate anti-mainstream comics publisher. Home of such notable works as >Love and Rockets and >Eightball, you couldn’t find a cape and tights anywhere near a Fantagraphics logo. That changes in 2017 though, as the indie publisher has announced plans to launch a line of superhero books under the banner All Time Comics.

The new line was started by alternative cartoonist and writer Josh Bayer, created with his brother Samuel Bayer (director behind music videos like Nirvana classic “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and the not-so-classic remake of >A Nightmare on Elm. St).

The All Time line will have six individual but interconnected superhero stories featuring both veteran mainstream artists and some lesser known, indie cartoonists. The series launches this spring with Crime Destroyer #1, (for which you can see a teaser image for above), featuring the last art of longtime >Incredible Hulk artist Herb Trimpe who passed away last year. All Time Comics begins in March from Fantagraphics. For more info on the new line, be sure to click here: [CBR]

In anticipation of Danny Rand’s upcoming Netflix debut, Marvel has announced plans for a new >Iron Fist ongoing series, from writer Ed Brisson and artist Mike Perkins. The new series will debut in March and pick up where the Kaare Andrews 2015 Iron Fist: The Living Weapon series left off.

Brisson said in a statement, “Danny’s in a weird place. He’s questioning who he is and he’s pushing himself. He’s a person filled with self-doubt, but he’s always going to have his sense of humor about him â€" even if he’s using it to cover his own pain. He’s an outsider who’s always trying to fit in, trying to find a place where he belongs.”

Iron Fist will continue to star in the >Power Man and Iron Fist series, and will also take center stage in another title, Iron Fists, by Kaare Andrews and Afu Chan. The new Iron First hits in March, and you can see a teaser for issue #1 above. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Maybe as a way of cosmically balancing out the dark and sexy version of Archie, Jughead, and friends heading to the CW next year in >Riverdale, publisher Archie Comics is now teasing an even more wholesome version of their flagship characters. Archie Comics has posted a teaser image to their Facebook page featuring the outline of what looks like a tiny Archie Andrews and the words “Baltazar. Franco. LITTLE.”

Looks like the creators of Tiny Titans and Itty Bitty Hellboy Art Baltazar and Franco are coming out with a cute kid version of Archie and friends. The image features the heading “March, 2017”, so it looks like we won’t have to wait long for this one. You can see the new teaser image above. [CBR]

If you guessed that >Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine‘s upcoming work for Marvel was going to be centered around a monster type character, then you get a cookie and a gold star, as the publisher has announced R.L. Stine as the new writer behind their upcoming >Man-Thing series, a five-issue miniseries featuring the fearsome swamp beast.

Artist German Peralta will partner on the miniseries, and Stine will write the backup stories, which will have a new artist for each issue. The main story of the series will revolve around Ted’s attempt to escape his fate as the Man-Thing for good. For the full scoop on this new series, check out our full story right here: [Nerdist]

And finally, this week saw the release of >Wonder Woman ’77 Meets the Bionic Woman from Dynamite Entertainment and DC Comics. (You can read our review of issue #1 right here). The series had no shortage of artists who wanted to contribute art for the historic meeting of these feminist icons, and several produced covers for various retailer exclusives, including ’90s >Catwoman artist Jim Balent, Ben Caldwell, Mike McKone, Dan Parent, Andrew Pepoy, and J Bone. You can see each of the covers down below in our gallery. [Bleeding Cool]

Images: Marvel Comics / DC Comics / Dynamite Entertainment / Archie Comics / Fantagraphics

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Marvel's X-Men ResurrXion: Everything You Need to Know

The X-Men have had a hard couple of years in the comics, having had to continuously fight for mutantkind’s survival.

However all of that’s going to change come spring, when, following the conclusion of its big event series Inhumans Vs. X-Men, Marvel will be launching a whole slew of new titles under the banner of ResurrXion. Instead, the focus will be on what the X-Men are going to do with future they’d spent all this time fighting for.

“ResurrXion is all about embracing the [X-Men’s] original dream of coexisting with humans and fighting together to make a better world. All the books in some way, shape, or form, embrace that idea,” explains Daniel Ketchum, one of the editors overseeing the entire X-Men line up. “We’re going to get back to flights, and tights, and capes, and all the classic X-Men tropes. We very much want to harken back to that era where it’s the most classic iteration of the X-Men.”

One way in which the launch will do this is by leaning into the nostalgia of older series, with titles like X-Men Gold, X-Men Blue, and Generation X.

The other is by featuring new costumes. For Blue, artist Jamie McKelvie is in charge of the designs. For Gold, series artist Ardian Syaf will take the helm. And to welcome the new change, EW has an exclusive first look below at Syaf’s rough sketches as he worked out the final looks of each character’s costume.

“[Syaf] designed all of the costumes to specifically harken back to that classic golden age flavor,” says Ketchum. “They should in some way, feel familiar.

With Marvel launching so many series, EW asked Ketchum and X-Men line editor Mark Paniccia to break down what readers can expect from the rest of the series, as well as X-Men: Prime, a special standalone comic that’s meant to serve as a primer for the X-Men universe going forward. You can look at the exclusive cover reveal below. 

X-Men: PRIME

Ketchum says that this will be a perfect jumping in point for fans looking to get into the X-Men when ResurreXion starts since the single, standalone issue is meant to serve as a primer. With that in mind, Ketchum and Paniccia called on most of the writers who’ll be helming one of the new X-Men series to contribute. “It’s a book that represents the X-Men line going forward, as everyone plants their seeds,” explains Ketchum, of the comic, which will pickup directly after Inhumans Vs. X-Men ends. “We’re just at the tail end of the war. They’re literally picking up the pieces.”

Ken Lashley will be the artist drawing a bulk of the art for the issue. “He’s currently involved in the X-Men, and will be involved moving forward as well, so he was the right guy to pivot us from Inhumans Vs. X-Men to ResurrXion,” says Ketchum. 

Image Credit: Marvel

X-Men Gold

Writer: Marc Guggenheim Artist: Ardian Syaf

Fan favorite and long time X-Man Kitty Pryde will finally be leading her own team of X-Men, consisting of Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Old Man Logan and Rachel Grey. With the X-Men line focusing on more hopeful storylinesâ€"and tapping into some of the nostalgia of older titlesâ€"Ketchum says it makes sense to see Kitty in a leadership position. “She really was the Xavier student,” says Ketchum. “So in a lot of ways, the dream has come full circle. Kitty is now the person picking up the mantle and leading the team forward in the name of Xavier’s dream.” 

X-Men Blue

Writer: Cullen Bunn Artist: Jorge Molina

With their mentor Charles Xavier gone, the original five X-Menâ€"Jean Grey, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, and Angelâ€"will not only be dealing with being stranded in the present day, but they’ll also be aligning themselves with Magneto, one of their greatest former foes. A large part of this has to do with humankind not considering mutants to be as much of a threat anymore. “Magneto sees that as an opportunity he wants to seize,” explains Paniccia of the unexpected partnership. “He makes a deal with them to take down anyone who’s going to pose a threat and disrupt the chance to have a peaceful, if not, neutral relationship with humanity.”

And this is just one of the big changes in the series. Another one is that Jean Grey will lead the team instead of Scott. “[Writer Cullen Bunn] and I just really felt that this is the perfect place for us to see her rise to the occasion and take control of the team. There’s no reason she couldn’t lead the team.” What’s more, Paniccia says that there will be new members joining the team, with the first one being hinted at in the series’ first issue. “As far as Jean goes, she’s the only woman on the team right now. This is a reflection of the fact that these are the original five. But the membership’s not going to stay at five.”

Image Credit: Marvel

Jean Grey

Writer: Dennis Hopeless Artist: Victor Ibanez

Not only will Jean Grey be leading a team of X-Men this spring, but she’ll also be helming her first ever solo series, which sees her taking her future into her own hands in an even more direct way. “Jean’ll get a premonition that the future she feared is actually a lot closer than she thought. The Phoenix is a very real threat,” says Ketchum of the premise for the series. “She realizes she is not where she needs to be to fight that thing.”

Ketchum says that writer Dennis Hopeless’ pitch for the series was that in between her adventures with the team Jean Grey will also be traveling the Marvel Universe in preparation for this encounter. “She’s going to study with Doctor Strange and maybe have an adventure alongside Ghost Rider,” says Ketchum. “Anyone who knows something about other forces or being possessed, or speaks to the mission she’s undergoing she’s going to have an adventure with.” 

Iceman

Writer: Sina Grace Artist: Alessandro Vitti

“The book is primarily focused on older Iceman, because it’s really his journey, informed by the younger Iceman’s journey,” explains Ketchum of the aim of Bobby Drake’s first solo series. “Younger Iceman is a hero who knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be as a hero. He’s completely well adjusted in many ways that adult Bobby is not.” It’s recognizing this that inspires the older (and now, openly gay) X-Man to reconsider his legacy beyond being known as “The X-Man who tells jokes” while also fully exploring his Omega-level powers. Ketchum says that the series will see the character “focus on him getting his act together both in his superhero life and also as a human being.” 

Cable

Writer: James Robinson Artist: Carlos Pacheco

The third and final character getting his own solo book as part of ResurrXion is none other than Cable. “With Xavier, Scott Summers, and Logan fallen, Cable is now the patriarchal figure of the X-Men line,” explains Paniccia. “The big man gets the big solo series.” The seriesâ€"which Paniccia says is one of the darker of the ResurrXion line upâ€"will see the X-Man traveling back and forth through different time periods in order to fix time itself. “It’s one of the best things about Cable in one book,” says Ketchum. “Cable jumping through time, and kicking ass, with preposterously huge guns and even bigger shoulder pads.” 

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

Generation X

Writer: Christina Strain Artist: Amilcar Pinna

“Not all mutants are created equal,” says Ketchum of series writer Christina Strain’s pitch for the series. “When you look at the line of X-Men, not every mutant is destined to be a world-saving X-Man. Some are just kids with a bunch of extra eyeballs.” And it’s exactly these young mutants that the series will focus onâ€"a group of “lovable losers” led by none other than Jubilee, and includes Nature Girl, Eye Boy, Bling, and Quentin Quire just to name a few.

“You’re going to see these kids go through all the growing pains of finding their way, finding out who you love, trust, or don’t,” says Ketchm of what you can expect from the series “[They’ll be] learning those hard lessons and fighting for their lives all along.” Ketchum adds that part of the fun of the book is watching these inexperienced teens encounter villains they’re not really equipped to go up against. “What does a girl who talks to squirrels do against a sentinel?”

And just like Blue and Gold, the series will pay homage to the series from which its name comesâ€"and not just be continuing to be a book about Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Teases Ketchum, “One of the villains is actually from the original series because we wanted to make sure we paid homage to the predecessors.” 

Weapon X

Writer: Greg Pak Artist: Greg Land

“Weapon X is back as a reaction to [mutants’] resilience to extinction. It’s like bringing out a can of industrial Raid,” explains Paniccia of the titular program. “They’re going to wipe [mutants] out for good this time.” And as part of the program’s bid to extinguish mutants forever, they’ll primarily be going after the mutants they know are going to “fight dirty,” including Old Man Logan, Sabretooth, Warpath, Lady Deathstrike, and Domino.

And with the series’ core group being a mix of heroes and villains, the team’s dynamic is going to definitely be interesting. “Logan and Sabretooth have no love for each other, so it speaks volumes for how effective and dangerous the Weapon X program is for him to end up seeking out Sabretooth and forming an alliance with him,” says Paniccia. “It’s going to be a dark book. It’s arguably our darkest book out of the line, and is going to have some really shocking moments in it.” 

X-Men: PRIME will be released Spring 2017. You can look at the rest of the series’ covers below.

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

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inexperienced | teens | villains | they’re | equipped | against | “What | does | girl | talks | squirrels | sentinel< | homage | comesâ€"and | continuing | School | Gifted | Youngsters | Teases | “One | wanted | sure | paid | predecessors | p> Weapon | Greg | Land< | p> “Weapon | reaction | [mutants’] | resilience | extinction | bringing | industrial | Raid | titular | program | “They’re | wipe | [mutants] | good | program’s | extinguish | forever | they | know | “fight | dirty | including | Sabretooth | Warpath | Lady | Deathstrike | Domino | core | heroes | team’s | dynamic | definitely | interesting | “Logan | volumes | effective | dangerous | Weapon | seeking | forming | alliance | dark | arguably | darkest | shocking | moments | em> will | released Spring | 2017 | covers | div> |

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Hasbro’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 Marvel Legends Hit Stores This Spring (Exclusive Reveal)

>Guardians of the Galaxy toys are set to be a little easier to find this time around.

It may seem hard to recall now, but there was a time when people weren’t so certain the first Guardians would be awesome. The film was a big leap for Marvel Studios, taking the journey away from the MCU’s Earth-based stories with characters the public weren’t familiar with, and all by way of director James Gunn, who at the time was more known for slightly twisted comedies like Slither and Tromeo and Juliet. As a result, retailers ordered conservatively, rendering it none too easy for fans to collect toys of the team.

Now that we all know and love the Guardians, stores feel a little better about loading up on the merch. For toy collectors, the first big wave of it kicks off in Spring with a release of Hasbro Marvel Legends that combines movie and comic-based characters. From Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, we get updated versions of Star-Lord (in a shorter coat and with an alternate helmeted head) and Drax the Destroyer (in rage mode). Don’t sweat that they haven’t revealed the whole team just yet. While Hasbro isn’t announcing anything else at this time, I think we all understand the marketing potential of Baby Groot.

Perhaps most excitingly, this batch includes movie Yondu, and they went whole hog by giving him two different, distinctly Michael Rooker facial expressions. Rooker has been rendered in plastic before as The Walking Dead‘s Merle Dixon, but it’s about time he was a Legend.

If you’re a fan of Guardians of the Galaxy comics, the rest of the wave is pretty cool. The Marvel superhero Angela, who first appeared in toy form way back in series two of McFarlane Toys’ Spawn line, gets her first toy since moving to the Marvel universe. Major Victory (billed on the package by his real name, Vance Astro) is ready to psychically toss around Captain America’s shield, android armor-wearing Darkhawk can hash things out with the nearest Venom figure, comic-style Nova gets a re-do, and when you collect the whole wave you can build the former Supernova and weapon-armed space tiger-guy Titus.

Check out the galaxy below for our exclusive first-looks at all eight figures. Who do you want to see made next? Let Hasbro and the world know your choices in comments below.

Images: Hasbro

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Everything you may have missed in the latest Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 trailer

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| Hasbro’s | GUARDIANS | GALAXY | VOL. | Marvel | Legends | Stores | This | Spring | (Exclusive | Reveal) | Guardians | Galaxy< | em>< | toys | little | easier | find | this | time | around | p> It | seem | hard | recall | there | when | people | weren’t | certain | first | Guardians< | would | awesome | film | a big | leap | Studios< | taking | journey | away | from | MCU’s | Earth | based | stories | with | characters | public | familiar | director James | Gunn< | more | known | slightly | twisted | comedies | like | Slither< | Tromeo | Juliet< | result | retailers | ordered | conservatively | rendering it | none | too easy | fans | collect | team | p> Now | that | know | love | stores | feel | better | about | loading | merch |  For | collectors | wave | kicks | release | of Hasbro< | combines | movie | comic | From | Galaxy |  we | updated | versions | Star | Lord | shorter | coat | alternate | helmeted | head) | Drax | Destroyer | rage | mode) | Don’t | sweat | they | haven’t | revealed | whole | just | While | Hasbro | isn’t | announcing | anything | else | think | understand | marketing | potential | Baby | Groot | p> Perhaps | most | excitingly | batch includes movie | Yondu | went | giving | different | distinctly | Michael | Rooker | facial | expressions | been | rendered | plastic | before | Walking | Dead< | em>‘s | Merle | Dixon | it’s | Legend | p> If | you’re | comics | rest | pretty | cool | superhero | Angela | appeared | form | back | series | McFarlane | Toys’ | Spawn | line | gets | since | moving | universe | Major | Victory | (billed | package | real | name | Vance | Astro) | ready | psychically | toss | Captain | America’s | shield | android | armor | wearing | Darkhawk | hash | things | nearest | Venom | figure | style | Nova | build | former | Supernova | weapon | armed | space | tiger | Titus | p> Check | galaxy | below | exclusive | looks | eight | figures | want | made | next | world | your | choices | comments | p> Images: | Hasbro< | p> Everything | have | missed | latest Guardians | 2 < | em>trailer< | strong>< | p> |

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Marvel pulls no punches in 2017 with new Iron Fist comic

Don’t let your guard down next year, because there’s a brand new hard-hitting solo series coming for Danny Rand, also known as the immortal Iron Fist. As announced this morning by The Hollywood Reporter, the new series â€" simply titled Iron Fist â€" will be helmed by Ed Brisson, writer of The Violent and the upcoming Bullseye, and veteran artist Mike Perkins, best known recently for his work on Captain America and The Stand.

The first issue will drop in March, and will take heavy inspiration from 2006’s Immortal Iron Fist and from the character’s most recent series, Iron Fist: The Living Weapon, which left Danny and the mystical city of K’un Lun in very tenuous positions. Writer Ed Brisson talked to THR about where readers will find them as the new series begins:

“As for where K’un-Lun is and how that affects Danny … That’s going to be a large part of what this first arc is about. K’un-Lun is the source of his powers and now that the city lays in ruins, Danny’s connection is severed. This affects his ability to actually be Iron Fist. His whole identity seems to be slipping away from him and he doesn’t know how to hold onto it.”

This will run concurrently with the current Power Man and Iron Fist buddy book, and is obviously meant to pick up readers that come into shops after their interest is piqued by Marvel and Netflix’s live action Iron Fist series, which is set to release on March 17. But this announcement left many fans wondering what this news meant for Iron Fists, a series by Kaare Andrews and Afu Chan announced back in July. The series was to feature Danny training the next Iron Fist, a young girl named Pei, but there has been no news since. Luckily, Andrews confirmed on Twitter this morning that the series is still coming.

I’m a huge Iron Fist fan, so I will take all the Danny Rand Marvel wants to dish out, and Iron Fist has a top-notch creative team that looks set to build upon the wonderful mythology that has already been established for the character. Does the new series have you ready to punch a dragon in the heart? Check out the awesome first issue cover by Jeff Dekal, then let us know in the comments below.

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