Sigh. We never did get that break from Xavier, did we?
After being taken into custody at the end of the Krakoan age/beginning of From the Ashes last summer and being locked up in his old house, aka Graymalkin Prison, one couldn’t be blamed for thinking we might get a nice respite from the would-be patriarch of mutantkind, who fell so utterly far from grace just a few short months ago (it feels longer than that because of the sheer volume of X-comics that have come out since then).
But nay, much like in the late 1990s when Charles went into lockdown after “Onslaught,” he will once again slip his bonds, sending the many X-teams scrambling to once again reckon with his legacy.
Marvel on Monday announced “X-Manhunt,” an eight-part crossover (that’s like two “Raids on Graymalkin“!) coming in March that will rope in Uncanny X-Men, NYX, Storm, X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force, Exceptional X-Men and conclude in a double-sized Omega issue, co-written by Uncanny’s Gail Simone and Storm’s Murewa Ayodele. Xavier’s world tour will reconnect him with many of his most prominent former students, as they wrestle with what that bald [redacted] did this time.
Oh, and Maggott’s coming back. (Insert hooting, hollering.)
Check out covers below, and keep scrolling for Marvel’s press release.
And for our official From the Ashes ranking, click here.
Press release
X-MANHUNT, the next milestone X-Men crossover, arrives in March! Bringing the current ongoing X-titles together for the first time this era, X-MANHUNT will have chapters in UNCANNY X-MEN, NYX, STORM, X-MEN, X-FACTOR, and X-FORCE along with a tie-in issue of EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN, before concluding in X-MANHUNT OMEGA, a double-sized finale one-shot. The saga kicks off when Professor X breaks out of Graymalkin Prison, sowing division and discord among the different mutant factions.
For his crimes against humanity at the end of the Krakoan Age, Charles Xavier remains a heavily-guarded inmate at a mutant detention center built at his former school, a cruel punishment he was willing to accept—until now! Driven by mysterious new purpose, Professor X frees himself from captivity to undertake a mission of personal significance. He has no time to lose as a telepathic virus wreaks havoc on his mind—and those around him! The hunt for the most dangerous mutant in the world begins, and Professor X desperately calls on his X-Men. Some are ready to forgive. Others are not. And while his once loyal followers clash to decide his fate, the X-Men’s founder will be forced to reckon with his tarnished legacy once and for all!
“We’ve mostly been keeping the various groups of X-characters separated from one another as we set up the post-Krakoa landscape,” Executive Editor Tom Brevoort explained. “But it feels like now is the right time to send them crashing into one another. And who better to instigate this situation than the disgraced Professor X, who has intimate connections with almost all of our key players?”
Read on to learn more about all eight X-MANHUNT issues!
UNCANNY X-MEN #11
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Javier Garrón
“X-MANHUNT” PART ONE!
At the end of the Orchis War, Charles Xavier surrendered himself to the authorities and allowed himself to be imprisoned in Graymalkin Prison! But now something has spurred him into action, into escaping his incarceration and embarking on a mad scramble across the nation! What has caused Professor X to go on the run? And will his assorted pupils move to protect him, recapture him or kill him? The answer, of course, is all of the above. In this opening chapter, Rogue and her team of X-Men are forced to ally with their worst enemy in order to betray their most trusted friend!
NYX #9
Written by Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing
Art by Francesco Mortarino
“X-MANHUNT” PART TWO!
Charles Xavier is on the run, and his first stop is New York – but there are plenty of mutants in the city who want nothing to do with the most recent master plan of the disgraced Professor X! Will the return of their dearly departed mentor bolster the burgeoning community that calls itself NYX or tear everything they’ve built apart? What does Xavier want from the city? What is he willing to do to get what he wants? And – perhaps most alarmingly of all – who else is waiting in the wings to strike?!
STORM #6
Written by Murewa Ayodele
Art by Lucas Werneck
“X-MANHUNT” PART THREE!
Fugitive Charles Xavier seeks refuge in Storm Sanctuary, Storm’s floating home in Atlanta City, and the (Alaskan) X-Men take notice. Will Storm and the X-Men join forces with Professor X to prevent his return to prison by any means necessary, or will they fall victim to opposing views that will send X-Men against X-Men in a bloody brawl to the death? And making his From the Ashes debut is the unstoppable devourer – the blue-skinned titan…Maggott!
X-MEN #13
Written by Jed MacKay
Art by Netho Diaz
“X-MANHUNT” PART FOUR!
The X-Men have caught up with their erstwhile mentor Charles Xavier on his mad scramble across the country. But they aren’t the only ones who’ve found him!
X-FACTOR #8
Written by Mark Russell
Art by Bob Quinn
“X-MANHUNT” PART FIVE!
Charles Xavier has escaped from prison, and X-Factor must track him down! But how will the X-Men react to X-Factor hunting their founder? And what will happen when Havok and Cyclops collide?!
X-FORCE #9
Written by Geoffrey Thorne
Art by Marcus To
“X-MANHUNT” PART SIX!
Sage and Professor X go way back, to another war and another time. But now, in his hour of most desperate need, will Sage use her talents to aid Professor X’s quest…or put a stop to his manic mission? The penultimate chapter of X-MANHUNT brings X-Force into the fray!
EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN #7
Written by Eve L. Ewing
Art by Carmen Carnero
X-MANHUNT – COLLATERAL DAMAGE!
With Charles Xavier on the run, Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde reckon with their own dreams and fears for the future of mutantkind. Axo feels pushed away from the team and pulled closer and closer to charismatic technologist Sheldon Xenos. But is Xenos who he claims to be? (Spoiler: He is not!)
X-MANHUNT OMEGA #1
Written by Gail Simone & Murewa Ayodele
Art by Gleb Melnikov
X-MANHUNT FINALE!
X-MANHUNT concludes as Professor X reaches his destination, and his assorted pursuers, friend and foe alike, catch up with him! Alliances will be battle-tested, the blades of betrayals will cut deep with poisoned tips, and when the dust finally settles, Charles Xavier will have to make a tectonic-shifting choice with the fate of all mutantkind in the balance. The world is about to change. This time around, everyone is wide awake.
Check out the covers and preorder X-MANHUNT 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.
