Marvel on Tuesday announced a new volume of X-Force, written by Geoffrey Thorne (Green Lantern) and drawn by Marcus To (Excalibur).
The latest iteration of the team is centered on Forge, so hot right now after the adaptation of “Lifedeath” on X-Men ’97, and includes mutant “it” couple Betsy Braddock and Rachel Summers (no codenames listed), Benjamin Percy-era X-Force veteran Sage, Academy X kid Surge, and Tank, a character with which I am not at all familiar.
Filling out the roster will be a rotating guest spot, to be filled first by friend-of-the-Force Deadpool.
This is the fourth series of the “From the Ashes” era to be announced, after Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone and David Marquez, X-Men by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman, and Exceptional X-Men by Eve Ewing and Carmen Carnero. Issue #1 is expected to drop July 31. Marvel teased Monday additional announcements for new series Phoenix and NYX, and further announcements are expected for Wolverine, X-Factor and Storm.
To is no stranger to recent X-comics, having drawn the Tini Howard run of Excalibur, one of the six Krakoa launch titles. Thorne is a newcomer to X-Men but a longtime Hollywood screenwriting veteran whose credits include the Infinite Frontier era of Green Lantern as well as Marvel titles like Solo and Mosaic.
Check out the cover by Stephen Segovia (Hellions), and keep scrolling for Marvel’s press release.
In the X-Men’s world, there’ll always be need for a team willing to cross the lines no others dare to—a group of mutants who call themselves X-FORCE! This July, on the edge of the From the Ashes era, the latest evolution of X-FORCE is born, specifically suited to this brash new age of mutant storytelling. Discover their impossible mission in the new X-FORCE ongoing series written by acclaimed screenwriter Geoffrey Thorne and drawn by kinetic X-Men artist Marcus To.
This time, this iconic comic book super squad will be built from the ground up by the mutant inventor—FORGE! Accessing an omega-level degree of his unique and complex mutant power to build anything, Forge will bear witness to everything broken in the world. Luckily, he knows exactly who he’ll need to repair it: RACHEL SUMMERS, BETSY BRADDOCK, SAGE, SURGE, and TANK. To save nothing short of existence itself, they’ll jump sword, gun, and fist first into deadly uncertainty, and the only thing getting in their way will be the secrets they keep!
A NEW PATH FORGED! The world is fractured. Forge uses his powers to devise the only fix: an all-new, all-different X-FORCE! Forge leads a custom-made, handpicked team of mutants in off-the-books missions so dire, so integral to the fate of the Marvel Universe, there’s no time to stop for permission! Plus, as Forge detects increasing threats across the planet, he’ll recruit specialists for each target. It’s a revolving door of Marvel guest stars and first up: that regenerating degenerate, DEADPOOL!
“I cannot believe the reaction to my pitch with, ‘That sounds like X-Force to us,’” Thorne shared. “It’s a new vibe and a different mission, but it’s still X-Force. Looking at all the books coming out under this banner, I’ll just paraphrase the prophet, Sheryl Crow, ‘All I wanna do is have some fun,’ and looking at what I’m getting to do and what the others are bringing, I’m absolutely not the only one.”
“When Marvel approached me to be the artist for X-FORCE, I was ecstatic,” To added. “I was always a big fan of the X-books growing up, and to be a part of bringing that excitement to new and old readers alike was an opportunity I could not turn down. And the chance to draw Betsy Braddock again is icing on the cake!”
Last month, fans got their first look at what awaits Marvel’s line of X-Men titles following the bold Krakoan Age with the reveal of three flagship series: Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman’s X-MEN, Gail Simone and David Marquez’s UNCANNY X-MEN, and Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero’s EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN. The expansive mythos of the X-Men has always made space for additional series that test the limits and explore the far-reaching scope of the mutant metaphor. Fresh spins on classic X-Men titles and startling directions for your favorite mutants are just ahead, starting in July with X-FORCE, PHOENIX, and NYX.
Be there for an X-Force like you’ve never seen them before, stick around to see who joins, who lives, who dies and uncover the mystery of Forge’s discovery. See the new lineup on Stephen Segovia’s X-FORCE #1 cover below and stay tuned tomorrow for another X-Men: From the Ashes series announcement! For more information, visit Marvel.com.
Dan Grote is the editor-in-chief of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts WMQ&A: The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Winston Wisdom.
