#xmen from the ashes

[thefandomentals]

New X-Men: From The Ashes details have emerged out of SXSW, including flagship titles by @gailsimone , @jedmackay and @eveewing as well as new art and a trailer teasing the next mutant era!

[alfietalksaboutcomics]

The End Of Krakoa

So Krakoa is ending for sure, and I want to share some thoughts about it. All we know for sure at the moment is that the books are relaunching sometime in July 2024 under new X editor Tom Brevoort. Right before Fall Of X started last year I wrote a little piece for Graphic Policy titled Let’s talk about the Fall Of X and the “End of Krakoa”, I think something I wrote in that piece remains pretty relevant for my feelings on this upcoming relaunch and the end of Krakoa so I'm going to quote from it here.

"I’ve seen a lot of chatter online about the Fall Of X and what it means for the Krakoa era of the X-Men line. A lot of those discussions have been pretty doom saying. A lot of fear that this means the end of the Krakoa era ushered in by Jonathan Hickman in House Of X/Powers Of X that has been ongoing since 2019, which united the Mutants on the living island nation of Krakoa. It revolutionized the franchise and breathed fresh new life into the long stagnating X-Men line. "I’m excited for the Fall Of X. One of my favorite things in comics is being able to put brackets around a run. A run is a consecutively told story usually headed by the same creative team the entire way through. One example of a run is Tini Howard’s Captain Britain comprising Excalibur, X Of Swords, Knights Of X, and Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain. Together these books tell a complete overarching story by a single writer. "The thing about the X-Men line since Hickman soft rebooted it, is the collaborative nature of the office. Story lines ebb and flow from one title to the next. It’s harder to put brackets around individual runs because they all contribute to an overarching narrative. If this is the end of the Krakoan era then I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. Stories have endings, and this has been an exceptionally well told story. If the ending is satisfying, I’m happy to see the whole era tied together with a nice little bow."

I stand by most of what I said in that piece but I don't think it outlines the entirety of my present feelings. While I welcome the chance to put brackets on this era I think if they go back to the mansion as the default setting for the X-Men that would be a mistake and ultimately feel like a regression for the line. But on that only time will tell and speculating is mostly pointless.

I do think depending on where the line goes I'll take this as a chance to hop off the weekly releases and stick to reading on Marvel Unlimited. Keeping up with a entire line of comics for a extended period of time is costly and the chance to dismount isn't one I'm going to not consider.

My only wish is that they don't ignore Krakoa, I don't think the genie can successfully be put back into the bottle so to speak, furthermore I want Arrako to stick around, I was so happy when X-Men Red ended not to see the mutant planet and all it's characters go away, it's one of the amazing gifts of the Krakoa era that's ripe for storytelling.

Either way no matter where the line goes post Krakoa it will never erase what this era meant and still means, we'll forever have this amazing stretch of comics to go back to.

[padawan-carol]

🐦‍🔥

[ffverr]

ISSUE THREE OF STORM FEATURING THE UNCANNY X-MEN!!!

Rogue and Ororo together again omg🥹🥹🥹

[merry-mutants]

Kwannon AKA Psylocke by Sam Johnstone

http://instagram.com/nightshift_sam/

[scottcyclopssummers]

Can we talk about Scott's outfit here?

[rei-ismyname]

Exceptional X-Men #4 REVIEW

I've been singing the praises of Eve L Ewing and Carmen Carnero's Exceptional X-Men, so let's see what they manage to do now that the premise is established and they've got 5 main characters we're invested in. A benefit of establishing your characters early is that you get to focus on introducing plot elements, special guests, and complications - like serialised storytelling does. Uncanny is a good example of how a lack of focus early on weakens everything you try to do. It's hard to care about The Outliers or Nightcrawler when they feel like wallpaper, and now they're running around an event without knowing who they are. The stakes lay primarily with Rogue. Trista/Bronze is a fantastic example of this done right, and as you'll see we can explore plot developments that wouldn't make sense elsewhere. Spoilers ahoy, caveat emptor.

Trista gets a lot of focus which works because we know who she is and what she wants.

Due to Kate pushing back against taking these kids somewhere isolated for training, we get to see them try to live normal lives. Trista has friends outside the tiny mutant peer group, a crush, and an interest in theatre. She declared last issue that her goal is to not hurt anyone, and she's struggling with what people tell her to be and what she wants. She's a sweet kid, and I'd say there's a racial component to this dichotomy - how black kids are perceived and how they need to act to get by in a white supremacist world. That's outside my experience but I'm invested in how Trista deals navigates the issue. After all, being strong, kind, gentle and lovely aren't mutually exclusive

I hesitate to compare to Uncanny again, but they both have high school scenes and the difference is stark. Westinghouse College Prep is a real life school in Chicago (that Biggie, Jay Z, Busta Rhymes and DMX all went to) and it is ranked pretty highly nationally. According to its website it has 98% minority enrollment. Importantly, it feels like a real school in 2024 with real people attending it, and not just because it actually is one IRL. There's no need to reach for played out generic high school tropes when the characters feel like real people with real problems already - verisimilitude.

After a smash cut to Trista with a sentinel looming over her, we learn that Emma does a pretty damn good Danger Room analogue. Trista seems determined and in control at first, using her different powers in concert effectively. She does manage to Empire Strikes Back trip the Sentinel up, but wigs out when it falls on top of her, understandably. Emma calls it, and we see more proof of why she's considered good at training young mutants.

Bobby's entrance at the end of last issue felt like a cliffhanger by virtue of being on the final page, but I'm glad his presence doesn't derail the plot entirely. It's implied that some time has passed, maybe a week - enough time for Bobby and Trista to get to know each other and enough time for Bobby to feel Kitty is avoiding him. Trista picks up on his odd behaviour and asks Emma about psychic ethics, heh. Her answer is funny and sardonic while still getting the point across. Emma and Trista having one on one time tells us a lot about Emma's sincerity and the trust she's earned through good works.

The subtext of Trista's distraction is made text - she's preoccupied with the audition, her crush, and the fear of exposure/social rejection. While we know this already, or could guess, it's effective to have newer characters tell their story. What they say is as important as what they don't say or how they say it. She responds well to being listened to and positive reinforcement, accepting the reframing of the audition as an opportunity.

Bobby is definitely up to something and acting weird. His persona feels performative. He's explicitly faking bathroom usage to text privately, and while his texting is worded vaguely enough to not give much away, it does seem sinister. At minimum he is lying about why he's there. Kitty picks up on the same weirdness Trista did and she's really not having it. He doesn't have the vibes of a friend seeking or offering support, though Kitty isn't interested in either and tells him to leave. Idk if Bobby even has a home right now - he was living in Antarctica because ORCHIS poisoned him and he couldn't hold a solid form for long. He was back with Romeo last time we saw him but also didn't have a physical body. I can't blame the creators for not explaining that, I have to assume they're under the same editorial direction everyone else is.

Trista's warmup scene has excellent layout, with the other kids' faces in circles next to their supportive texts. It's a clever way of showing their faces in an issue they're mostly absent from, and it's a solid method of variety in an issue with more texting than most. Showtime!

Trista meekly introduces herself to the casting guy/director and he suggests that the lead might not be right for her. He's polite, though she's about to disagree when her mutant life and school life clash in an unexpected way. One of those yellow beasts from X-Force appears from a portal and grabs her crush. You don't need to have been reading X-Force, it's a big monster (that were confirmed to be appearing globally in that book) and it's here. Trista rallies and uses her training to bronze up and get her head in the game.

It's a dangerous situation but has a simple solution suited to Trista's skillset. She grabs it with her tentacle things, ties it up and yeets it through the portal. Her overcoming it with pure force or martial skill would be a bit silly, but by linking her training and the progress she's made with Emma to a simple solution, it feels like an appropriate and believable triumph. Strong yet gentle. Neutralizing the beast and protecting herself and others without using overwhelming violence. It's a very effective character beat and the support/adulation from the theatre people is earned. She nailed the audition, and gets offered her choice of parts, though interestingly she turns it down in favour of her training. The theatre folks show solidarity and swear to keep her mutanthood a secret.

Trista shows up to training and seems more confident, her posture showing strength and positivity. It looks like Bronze, Axo and Melee are all benefiting and even Kate manages a smile. Then she overhears Bobby on the phone while grabbing some equipment. It's not a good look.

What Bobby is saying is so weird that she's not even sure it's him. Kate phases her hand next to his heart and straight up threatens him. He explains that everyone is worried about her and she says she's choosing this life. He tries to bring up ORCHIS and she shuts it down, saying out loud that she killed people. A little too loud, it turns out.

The kids overhear and are horrified, understandably. They're really young and don't have the kind of life experiences that come with being an X-Man - of course they are! Tom Brevoort has made a lot of noise about the X-Men killing people in Fall of X, an argument that has ignored the nuance of being at war with genocidal fascists. The issue hasn't made it to the page in a meaningful way until now, and I couldn't be more impressed. Rooting the issue in Kate's trauma and shame - as something that terrifies the students she's trying to help and likely damaging the trust she's built - approaches it on a believable character level.

This is a big part of what caused Kate to hang up her Spandex and it's something she's going to have to reckon with. Add the kids' emotional and ethical reaction and you've got a fantastic cliffhanger with the promise of explosive drama.

Kate grabs Bobby's phone and it's Rogue on the other end. She doesn't look like she's at Haven or in uniform, so who knows what's going on there? They're clearly ahead of Raid on Graymalkin as Iceman is in league with them, as if that book needs more characters. Kate doesn't care and hangs up on her. I wasn't going to compare to Uncanny a third time, but if the two are crossing over it invites comparison. Kurt's glib comment about thinking he was a murderer felt trite and silly, next to the dramatic execution of Shadowkat's actions being confronted it looks downright amateur. Kate is clearly having a PTSD flashback or intrusive thought during this conversation - whereas it wouldn't work for Bobby or Emma to announce that she has PTSD, for example.

I do enough shitting on Uncanny's writing in my reviews of that book, my point is how well similar beats are executed in this book. Eve L Ewing and Carmen Carnero's Exceptional X-Men is aptly named and frankly, if you're not reading it you're missing out. We know all these characters well enough that we care about their reaction to this revelation. Kate looks like she's about to break down, and Bronze and Axo's body language is heartbreaking. Emma knows shit is about to hit the fan and she's surely aware she killed people in Fall of X too. That's how you do a cliffhanger. Issue #4 managed to do a Trista focus issue, some slice of life, excellent character work, and lit a fuse to explode next issue all in 20 pages.

Exceptional X-Men is fantastic and you should be reading it.

[vertigoartgore]

Cyclops (with his brand new look) by artist Tom Reilly (June 2024).

[fionapplespiano]

Tom Brevoort's whole "Scott and Jean having kids will age them" thing is kinda unfounded. (an analysis)

First of all, Tom Brevoort has stated that he believes that Scott and Jean are 28 years old, the same age as Peter Parker.

However, using the rule that four years our time is one year in the marvel universe, that claim simply isn't true. Scott and Jean debuted a little over 60 years ago, when they were 15-16 years old. 60 divided by 4 equals 15, so 16 + 15 means they are 31 years old as of right now.

But it should be noted that it was said that Jean was 24 years old when she died during the Dark Phoenix Saga, which was 44 years ago. 44 divided by 4 equals 11, so by that metric, Scott and Jean are 35.

So, Scott and Jean are NOT 28 years old, they're most likely somewhere between 31 and 35 years old in the current cannon.

Regardless of where you stand with their ages, one thing we can all agree on is that they are canonically older than Cannonball and Jubilee. And yet, they both have kids...

I mean, yeah, having a kid ages them a bit. But that's because they aren't in their 20s anymore? They were the first X-Men, so they're older than most of the other X-Men.

Also, they already kinda have a kid? In Cable? I mean, he wasn't born to Jean, he was born to her clone Madelyne Pryor. But she still raised him after Madelyne tried sacrificing him to demons.

But the problem is that Cable had to be raised in the future due to some techno-organic virus bullshit (I've never been a fan of the storyline), and they could only raise him until he turned 13.

Cable is 100% Scott and Jean's baby boy. But us Jott fans want them to have a baby they can raise in present day from start to finish.

I don't Rachel really counts, because I think she was around 18 years old when she came to the 616 universe. And I don't think they even remember Nate Grey...the writers certainly don't!

So, since they're already parents, are the first members of the X-Men, and X-Men that are canonically younger than them have kids themselves, how would them having another child be detrimental?

Listen, I get that we all have preferences, and not every couple needs to have a kid. But in the same breath, not every superhero needs to be a bachelor in their 20s, it's okay to let them evolve and let them get married or have kids.

If there's any X-Men couple that should have a child (that they don't have to send to the future) and be the Reed and Sue of the X-Men, it should be Jean and Scott.

Plus, Jean promised Rachel all the way back in the 90s that they would have the 616 version of her. It's rude to keep her waiting!

That's one way of saying you're gonna raw dog it tonight

So yeah, that's my rant for tonight. Scott and Jean are my favorite couple, and I know that I speak for a lot of Jott fans when I say that they should have a kid.

I think it would allow their relationship to evolve in a beautiful way ❤️❤️❤️

(p.s While we're at it, can we give Peter his marriage back? He's allowed to evolve too)

[cyavillaarts]

X-Men ‘97 version 3

Cyclops - Jean Grey - Storm - Wolverine - Rogue - Beast - Jubilee - Nightcrawler - Sunspot - Magneto - Cable - Forge - Morph - Professor X

[the-trouser-man]

Dark phoenix!

[heckcareoxytwit]

Cyclops tries to invite past-Beast clone to the basketball game but the latter (Beast) turns him down, claiming that he needs to do more work. As Cyclops starts to worry over his teammate's reclusive behavior, he advises past-Beast clone to see a therapist. Thus, past-Beast clone talks to Doctor Andrea Sterman, the therapist of Moon Knight. Since he is a clone of the original Beast, he is going through the identity crisis and he is worried about turning evil like his original self and Dark Beast.

X-Men: From the Ashes Infinity Comic #15, 2024

[ffverr]

[farsight-the-char]

Adjective-less X-men variant by Mahmud Asrar, colours by Matt Wilson.

[jewishcissiekj]

Yukio & Kitty in Exceptional X-Men #5 | Written by Eve L. Ewing, art by Carmen Carnero

[rei-ismyname]

Charles Xavier - Poor Little Meow Meow?

I've been ripping on Count Chuckula pretty mercilessly of late. I don't feel bad, per se (because it's funny) but he does have his moments. A full examination of his actions and legacy is a much larger project, one I've been working on for months. You'll have to wait for that. Here's a couple of recent Professor X moments I think were cool, or at least interesting. Such as his twinkish babygirlification meets beast mode Godkiller.

Totally wholesome kidnapping

JK, he's holding Mother Righteous accountable here. She's the wooooorst, trust me on that. Very mean and just betrays everyone, but not in a fun way.

Who hasn't wanted to kill God? They definitely deserve it. Especially the Old Testament God 🪓💣that dude sucks. Chuck is super relatable here.

Took the L for all of mutantkind. Martyred himself, rather. It's hard to criticise people when their actions have such high stakes, you know? 'The Butcher of Krakoa' is a wild epithet for Xavier - I wonder how long it'll stick. Not especially relatable to my life experience but I have to respect the difficult position he's in here. Also, despite all that stress he managed to achieve some high quality murders. Credit where credit is due.

Gives Sally Floyd a new personality for a while at her request. It's not quite so cut and dry, but his RotPox actions are recontextualised as scamming ORCHIS (which saved all of existence.) MF just needs to learn how to communicate.

Has a complicated chat with his old boyfriend. There's definitely some bitterness here but he does genuinely wish him well. They should have fucked, but that's not really his fault. Sure, he could have propositioned Mags here but he doesn't look very comfortable and Wolverine just tried to kill him. We all know the Master of Magnetism could crumple his confinement like paper and move dick to mouth in seconds, but maybe they're not into public/dangerous/conjugal sex. *AHEM* I'm sure I had a point here.

I love their conversation so much. Krakoa wasn't doomed to fail - mistakes can be fixed and people grow. It's huge for Magneto especially, and therefore Charles as well. This is the synthesis of both their misguided ideologies. Solidarity, intersectionality, nobody is free until we all are. The oppressors are everyone's enemy. Strength in numbers. It's not an easy fight but it's been won many times before. I'll definitely come back to this dialogue, though I need to see how From The Ashes follows it up. It's a writer's dream, frankly, but fumbles are common and even intentional. Joy is fleeting and the struggle never ends.

I've reached Tumblr's image limit. What are your favourite Chuck moments?