X-Men Red #14 - Preview

[Arachne]

Nova is off his game it shouldn't have taken him more than week to kick Genesis's ass.

He always did have trouble with anything named Annihilation.

I wasn't sure because Cinar was attributed to the preview, but then there was another book with different credits. I recall Cinar's work from his Legion of Super Heroes days -- over a decade ago. It was good work, but if this is his current work -- he's really evolved into something special.

I knew that name sounded familiar. He's really upped his game!

I'm surprised no one mentioned the CBR's Al Ewing interview, yet.

No new art that saw, but a good interview. I think. I purposely didn't look at the preview until now, and now everything else has been wiped from my mind...

[OG Storm]

*gaspshockhorror!

I will be reporting this atrocious blasphemy to the High Conclave where your excommunication will be decided.

You rang? As a member is said enclave we are always paying attention

[OWL45]

Is the guy flying in pic with Nova that’s glowing purple with black spots Sunspot? Is he getting a power up?

[Arachne]

Don't know, but it almost looks like Proteus.

[JB]

He always did have trouble with anything named Annihilation.



I knew that name sounded familiar. He's really upped his game!

I'm surprised no one mentioned the CBR's Al Ewing interview, yet.

No new art that saw, but a good interview. I think. I purposely didn't look at the preview until now, and now everything else has been wiped from my mind...

Oooh thank you! Some nuggets.

What are some of the things that most excite you about this new status quo?

Al Ewing: I think the thing that excites me most about what's coming is finally watching some of these long-term threads and plans come to fruition -- domino trails that have been set up for months and years, some stretching all the way back to Jonathan Hickman's time as Head of X. The Fall of X begins the fall of all those dominoes, and having been in the room all this time while they were intricately set up, it's going to be a pleasure to see all those chain reactions go off.

Orchis and Mars:
Al: So the end goal is definitely taking Mars, but Arakko can be very useful to them before that stage. It gives them a place to dump any Earth mutants who weren't in reach of a Krakoa Gate when Xavier sent everyone through, and if Genesis is in charge, it gives them an enemy mutant right on their doorstep to use for propaganda purposes. Obviously, that's playing with fire -- but rightly or wrongly, they think they can take Genesis if it comes to it. Ororo would rather it didn't come to it.

What's it like pitting Storm against Genesis? What are some of the things you find especially interesting about the way they bounce off of each other?

I'll admit, I'm saving it up. I wanted to build to that confrontation rather than have the Genesis War take the form of a wrestling feud, where Storm and Genesis have a series of one-on-one fights culminating in a cage match at Summerslam. When they do meet face to face... I have to be very careful because there are big plot points I don't want to spoil, but they're both potentially planetary forces. And there are ways that could play out that don't destroy the entire planet that we spent so much time on but do bring something major into the mix on Arakko. I can promise spectacle. That's already been written. Now I just have to land that final emotional beat.

What teases can you offer up about the action, scope, and scale of the Genesis War?

Speaking of massive spectacle and emotional beats... those are the two ends of the balance beam that gets us over the narrative tightrope, if I can thoroughly mangle a metaphor. There's big action, big character beats, payoffs for stories that have been alluded to or prophesied for the length of the run, and it culminates in a moment of pure magic that builds on both this book and the books that came before. The Horsemen are coming back. Apocalypse is coming back. These are not small things and will not lead to small things. The Arakko that comes out of this is going to be different from the Arakko that went in.

[Arachne]

I went back and reread it. I'm worried about Rich, now. Yay for the Peepers hint, though.

Finally, what sort of hints and teases can you leave us with about your plans for X-Men Red moving into fall and winter?

I've been writing a little of what comes right after the Genesis War. It's a change of tone, a change of scenery, [and] a change of maybe more than that. Beyond that, I have to be very, very careful of spoilers, so I'm going to err on the side of saying nothing. Trust me, you'd rather read it on the page.

This intrigues me...

[Uncanny X-Man]

I went back and reread it. I'm worried about Rich, now. Yay for the Peepers hint, though.



This intrigues me...

Very intriguing indeed... it sounds like a pivot on the level of SWORD-to-X-Men-Red might be coming up? "A change of scenery" makes me wonder if Arakko will still be the focus going forward.

[ARkadelphia]

*gaspshockhorror!

I will be reporting this atrocious blasphemy to the High Conclave where your excommunication will be decided.

Gillenister
Gillenister
Gillenister

[Arachne]

Very intriguing indeed... it sounds like a pivot on the level of SWORD-to-X-Men-Red might be coming up? "A change of scenery" makes me wonder if Arakko will still be the focus going forward.

Yeah, that's what I'm wondering, too. I hope the story is still set in space. Maybe focusing back on SWORD?

[BroHomo]

Ok Serious question how in the world are you supposed to tell who's on your side and who's not?

No one is wearing uniforms or a flag nothing. I'd be scared of hitting allies

Smell

The cast really drag this book down, Storm and Sunspot plus some random forgettable aliens. They need to add some x-men to the roster.

Errr exactly who do you consider X-Men if those two don't make the cut

[Jackraow21]

Yeah, that's what I'm wondering, too. I hope the story is still set in space. Maybe focusing back on SWORD?

That would be cool IMO. Wonder if Cable will still be an Agent of S.W.O.R.D. after FOX?

Also, looking forward to Ewing writing Solem. I find him to be an interesting villain with lots of potential. Especially interested in how he even has adamantium mesh skin when adamantium was allegedly a more recently discovered alloy... or was it? There have been hints that Apocalypse was involved in Weapon X back in the day, and in fact that was the original intent I believe (for him to be the voice on the phone with Professor Thornton, aka Truett Hudson, in the original Barry Windsor-Smith 'Weapon X' series). I'd love to see Ewing run with something like this, or just continue to drop hints that A) adamantium is more ancient than we initially thought (perhaps it comes from the Celestials as is rumored to be happening in the MCU?) and B) he was indeed the power behind the Weapon X program, which was part of his campaign to make mutantkind stronger to prepare them for the return of Annihilation and the Amenthi hordes. That could be a really cool way of tying this all together IMO.

[Devaishwarya]

And That interview is how you keep me interested and anxiously waiting with breath bated.

[Fokken]

Literal goosebumps reading this. Nova calling battlefield shots, yes! The art is serving.

omg SAME baby. "FOR ARAKKO!" I'm all prickly haha

[Master of Sound]

Reading the interview, gives us two names to guess;

1 - The Arakkii who only appeared once in another book will get fleshed out more. Who could that be?
2 - An old friend of Magneto will become Storm's 'eyes in the sky'. Who could that be?

Let the speculation begin!

And let's see if we can spot any known characters from that splash page, besides Nova and Khora.

[Arachne]

Well, the "eyes in the sky" has to be Peepers.