What If… Hickman Leaves the X-Men?! (Replacement Suggestions)

[Mercury]

List some writers you feel have the skills necessary to replace him.

[Steroid]

Al Ewing is the one and only choice in my mind to take over the line.

[Wiccan]

I don't know about the main writer, but have the editors actually be responsable for keeping the line consistent instead of putting that responsability on a writer. The flagship writer setting the tone/direction is fine, but it seems like Hickman is/was doing more than that.

[Kingdom X]

Like I said in the other thread, definitely think Ewing should be the next Head of X. I would really only trust him or him+ a collective of 1-2 of the other best X-writers (kind of like what they're doing with Amazing Spider-Man) to keep the momentum going.

In terms of who those other X-writers could be, Duggan is definitely making a good case for himself with X-Men and Ayala is doing a good job with New Mutants. Wells is obviously great, but I'm fine with him sticking to niche characters.

[nx01a]

Al Ewing is the one and only choice in my mind to take over the line.

I second this.
Now add Jim Zub and Mark Waid to the writers room.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

There's only one Hickman, I can't see anyone else stepping in. Whoever follows will have to do things differently from him and go their own way with their own ideas.

Before the Fox purchase and Hickman's arrival, the X-Men titles had editorial restrictions in the kinds of stories and ways to approach the title. So writers like Cullen Bunn among others felt restricted in what they could do with the title. Not that I am saying that Bunn should return but it would be interesting to wonder what Kieron Gillen and Matt Fraction could have done with X-Men without having the cloud of Decimation hanging over them.

[Triniking1234]

By "leaving", do you mean his eventual leave after having told his story or like he jumps ship?

[davetvs]

1.) Al Ewing
2.) Kieron Gillen
3.) Zeb Wells

[Agatha's Ghost]

Kieron Gillen

[Cyke]

I second this.
Now add Jim Zub and Mark Waid to the writers room.

I still feel salty about how the X-offices treated Waid back in the 90s. They lobbied hard to get him to work for them, then forced their convoluted crossover structure onto the guy, and he quit after a few issues. I'd love to see Waid in the writers room, but he'd likely have to insist that he get the same kind of freedom (if not more) that he had working for non-X-books at Marvel. It's different management these days, obviously, but get that shit in writing.

[Jackraow21]

Al Ewing is the one and only choice in my mind to take over the line.

Yep. Give him the line. Let’s get nuts.

[Lucyinthesky]

If Hickman moves on I would like to see Duggan keep the X-men title and give Ewing the Uncanny X-men title to keep telling the bigger Krakoa story. If we can bring other writers I would like to see Mike Carey and Peter David back with their own title.

[Mercury]

Al Ewing is the one and only choice in my mind to take over the line.

Like I said in the other thread, definitely think Ewing should be the next Head of X. I would really only trust him or him+ a collective of 1-2 of the other best X-writers (kind of like what they're doing with Amazing Spider-Man) to keep the momentum going.

1.) Al Ewing
2.) Kieron Gillen
3.) Zeb Wells

Yep. Give [Al Ewing] the line. Let’s get nuts.

If Hickman moves on I would like to see Duggan keep the X-men title and give Ewing the Uncanny X-men title to keep telling the bigger Krakoa story...

Okay, I just returned to reading comics not too long ago and am already overwhelmed by the reading list I have developed since, so forgive my naivete and ignorance, but who is Al Ewing, what has he written of note, and what do you think he can bring to the X-Men. It's obvious that many of you are in agreement about having him take over.

[Captain Buttocks]

Al Ewing is just finishing up on Immortal Hulk, which has been a huge success, and also writes Guardians of the Galaxy. He is also re-launching Defenders this week for Marvel.

His Immortal Hulk had him juggle a cast of characters and do some very solid character work and exploration within the confines of a "horror" sort of atmosphere, as well as tying in a lot of Hulk backstory.

I'm picking up his Defenders this week, but his Guardians never really grabbed me despite some interesting story-telling choices.

[Lucyinthesky]

He´s also currently writting SWORD for the X-books I just really like his capacity to tell differet kind of stories in the same title as well as his attention to continuity.