There are 13 X-books coming out in October. Two of them are issues of the same book. That’s a lot. We’ve only gotten two published From the Ashes comics so far: X-Men #1 and Phoenix #1, so it’s way too early for predictions, but we can make plenty of observations based on the covers and solicit text we’re given. With that in mind, here are 10 (X) observations about October’s just-announced X-books:
1. There seems to be a greater emphasis on done-in-one stories. October will be the fourth month of From the Ashes, but we’re not seeing a ton of “NAME OF STORY Pt. 2/3/4/etc.” If anything, teams and solo characters are fighting one-off villains, OR the book is rotating through solo spotlights on individual or paired characters. That’s probably not a bad idea in an era where you’re trying to lure lapsed or skeptical readers, or maybe even some norm-bos wandering in from Deadpool & Wolverine or X-Men ’97.
2. Fill-in artists already at the plate. You put a comic out on an 18-issues-a-year schedule, you get fill-in artists. Ryan Stegman is only doing the cover for X-Men #6, with Heir of Apocalypse artist Netho Diaz filling in for him on a Magik and Temper story. Likewise, Enid Balam is filling in for Francesco Mortarino on that month’s issue of NYX. Those are the only two examples … for now.
3. In her Samantha Fox era? On the cover of Dazzler #2, drawn by Terry Dodson, Alison Blaire sports a Union Jack-inspired outfit, giving less Taylor Swift as she has so often recently been compared to and more Samantha Fox, a British pop star from the late 1980s best known for the song “Naughty Girls (Need Love Too).” I like that song.
4. Really? Him? Phoenix #4 features Gorr the God Butcher, star of Jason Aaron’s first Thor arc and, more recently, played by Christian Bale in Thor: Love and Thunder. As Phoenix, Jean Grey has been going up against some of the Marvel Universe’s biggest cosmic baddies these past few months, with a decidedly MCU flair. First the Black Order, now this? What next, Ego but a dude?
5. I’m still hype for Sentinels. That is all.
6. I’m like 90% sure that’s Pete Wisdom on that Mystique cover. Right under the lower right corner of the “E” in the logo. Different hair than normal, but who else could that dude in a suit be? Maybe Nick Fury needs a British friend to help chase Raven, that’s all I’m saying. We don’t know what happened to him during Fall of X.
7. We don’t get tired of seeing mutants’ names on tombstones, apparently. The cover to Uncanny X-Men #4 features a Southern Gothic-looking Rogue hiding from a big-clawed monster in the shadows, while tombstones engraved with the names of her current teammates sit crumbling in the foreground. We get it, “Days of Future Past” is a very popular X-Men story with some motifs that have become tropes. What’s next, Mystique in front of a wall of mutant headshots? Wait …
8. All-New All-Different Wendigo? What Wolverine greatest hits tour is complete without a visit from the first bad guy he ever fought, the magical Canadian cannibal that is the Wendigo, a monster perhaps best known for saying his own name in an arcade game 30+ years ago? Really, apart from Sabretooth, Omega Red, Lady Deathstryke, Solem, Maverick, that guy with the glasses from the Weapon X program, Bloodscream, Roughhouse, Jeff Bannister, Tyger Tiger, Albert, Elsie-Dee, Archie Corrigan’s brother who thought he was Indiana Jones and the sentient pile of cocaine, who else would you expect to show up in a Wolverine relaunch?
9. Those aren’t Omega Red’s carbonadium tendrils on the X-Factor cover. I know, I thought so, too! They’re something else. You want Sentinels for Omega Red.
10. We’re doing Psychic Rescue again?! The blurb for X-Men #5 teases “Silence: Psychic Rescue in Progress,” a nod to the silent issue of Grant Morrison’s New X-Men, revisited during Krakoa in Russell Dauterman and Jonathan Hickman’s Giant-Size X-Men. Am I dying to revisit that concept yet again with, of all people, Quentin Quire? No. No, I am not.
Anyway, for more on Marvel’s October mutant offerings, keep scrolling for the press release and covers.
***
The mutant landscape of the Marvel Universe has changed dramatically! With the fall of Krakoa, the new From the Ashes era is on the horizon—home to new team books and solo series, each embracing different missions and methods to survive a world that fears them now more than ever. Harkening back to classic X-Men storytelling while embracing the franchise’s modern evolution, From the Ashes is an exciting fresh start for longtime fans and newcomers alike!
October will be a thrilling month for X-Men readers as the From the Ashes era’s most prominent threats make their entrance, two mutant icons begin new solo adventures in STORM and MYSTIQUE, a team of mutant hunting cyborgs make their debut in SENTINELS, and much more. Here’s what fans can look forward to:
DAZZLER #2
Written by JASON LOO
Art by RAFAEL LOUREIRO
Cover by TERRY & RACHEL DODSON
LONDON CALLING!
Dazzler and her entourage travel across the pond for the next stop on her world tour. But when a live studio session goes dangerously awry, it’s time for Domino and Strong Guy to shine! But who is the mystery villain out to cancel Dazzler’s performances – permanently?! Featuring action, heartbreak and another original set of song lyrics!
EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN #2
Written by EVE L. EWING
Art and cover by CARMEN CARNERO
THE WHITE QUEEN MAKES HER MOVE!
Kate Pryde’s continued attempts at living a normal, non-mutant life go laughably wrong as she finds herself in the middle of a brawl started by a couple of headstrong teens with remarkable abilities – which, of course, they’re terrible at controlling. She’s sworn off being anybody’s teacher, mentor, professor, sensei or anything that reminds her of her old life. But will the White Queen force her hand?
MYSTIQUE #1
Written by DECLAN SHALVEY
Art and cover by DECLAN SHALVEY
REMINDING THE WORLD TO HATE AND FEAR HER!
How do you track a subject with a history that contradicts itself? How do you stop a force whose motives change like quicksilver? How do you stop a target that can be anyone? That’s the question that confronts Nick Fury as he stumbles upon a web of lies and espionage leading back to Mystique. From the ashes of Krakoa, the shape-shifting mutant sifts through the dark underbelly of the Marvel Universe to tell a tale of action and espionage targeting Marvel’s most mysterious mutant.
NYX #4
Written by COLLIN KELLY & JACKSON LANZING
Art by ENID BALÁM
Cover by SARA PICHELLI
THE FUTURE OF MUTANTKIND FALLS TO PRODIGY!
Genius. Student. New Mutant. Young Avenger. X-Man. As Prodigy, David Alleyne has been all these things and more – but now he faces his most difficult challenge yet. Facing down his past and looking his present in the eye, Prodigy must fight to understand what mutant culture really means to those left behind by Krakoa… and how far he’ll go to protect the mutants of New York City from a devastating – and dangerous – conspiracy of their own. Featuring guest art by Enid Balám!
PHOENIX #4
Written by STEPHANIE PHILLIPS
Art by ALESSANDRO MIRACOLO
Cover by YASMINE PUTRI
BEWARE…THE GOD BUTCHER!
His call has gone out across the universe: He will have his retribution. He will bring his awful vengeance to bear. Gorr the God Butcher is going to kill the Phoenix. Plus: Captain Marvel comes to call…
SENTINELS #1
Written by ALEX PAKNADEL
Art and cover by JUSTIN MASON
WHO ARE THE NEW SENTINELS?
The original Sentinel Program was human supremacy and fear coded into circuitry. But now their legacy falls into the hands of mutantkind! Powered by cutting-edge nanotech, this new generation of Sentinels protects a fragile peace between mutants and humans. But when being a Sentinel is your job – your life – is it possible to stay human? Meet a brand-new team of heroes that will take on the most heinous mutants! Their first mission: Capture Omega Red!
STORM #1
Written by MUREWA AYODELE
Art by LUCAS WERNECK
Cover by MATEUS MANHANINI
EARTH’S MIGHTIEST MUTANT, NOW HEADLINING HER OWN SOLO SERIES!
Ororo Munroe has lived many lives. She’s been a thief, a goddess, an X-Man, a queen and now an Avenger! She is the most prominent, most respected and most powerful mutant on the world stage – and in that role, she intends to be a force for positive change! First up: A major meltdown at a nuclear facility in Oklahoma City draws Storm from her Sanctuary in Atlanta – and into a moral conflict that will test her iron resolve!
UNCANNY X-MEN #4
Written by GAIL SIMONE
Art and cover by DAVID MARQUEZ
ROGUE STANDS ALONE AND A MUTANT PROPHECY REVEALED!
With one X-Man down and hell coming for the rest, Rogue finds herself alone against a power of darkness she is completely unprepared for. No backup, no lifeline and NO WAY OUT. And as she fights alone, a secret of the new recruits is revealed – is one of them the Endling that will destroy all mutantkind?
WOLVERINE #2
Written by SALADIN AHMED
Art and cover by MARTÍN CÓCCOLO
WHERE GOES THE WENDIGO?!
Who stalks Wolverine in the Canadian North? And what mysterious designs does the Wendigo have on the Best There Is? Logan just wants to be left alone, but a war on two fronts will evolve with an unexpected turn! Don’t miss the debut of the all-new Wendigo, as the secret it hides will shape Wolverine’s mission…
X-FACTOR #3
Written by MARK RUSSELL
Art by BOB QUINN
Cover by GREG LAND
X-FACTOR GOES TO THE MOON!
A computer-controlled lunar base has gone out of control! How can Havok and Frenzy stop a foe that can predict the team’s every move? And does the key to victory lie with the team’s most mysterious new member: Granny Smite?!
X-FORCE #4
Written by GEOFFREY THORNE
Art by MARCUS TO
Cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
MAN-THING STRIKES AS THE NEXUS OF ALL REALITIES IS AT STAKE!
The Nexus of All Realities is in danger – meaning if X-Force can’t seal this Fracture Node, they’ve got more to worry about than just one ol’ Earth! What extradimensional forces stand ready to take down Forge’s team? And the Nexus’ guardian, the Man-Thing – is he friend or foe? The all-new X-Force series continues to turn up the heat…and wait’ll you see what we’re cooking!
X-MEN #5
Written by JED MACKAY
Art and cover by RYAN STEGMAN
TELEPATHIC TEAM-UP!
While the X-Men engage the social-media sociopath Upstarts, Kid Omega and Psylocke dive deep into the mind of a troubled mutant. Silence: Psychic Rescue in Progress! But Quentin Quire has never been good at keeping his mouth shut…
X-MEN #6
Written by JED MACKAY
Art by NETHO DIAZ
Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
SECRETS BEHIND THE X-MEN’S NEW HOME REVEALED!
While the X-Men attempt to unravel the globe-spanning conspiracy arrayed against them, Temper and Magik work to investigate one closer to home. Merle, Alaska, holds more secrets than just the ones kept within the Factory, and the two mutants must leave the safety of their headquarters and hit the streets for answers.
Check out the October covers and preorder these issues at your local comic shop today! 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 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.
