Welcome, X-fans, to another incredible edition of X-Men on Monday at AIPT!
She’s deadly, determined, and stars in the all-new “From the Ashes” miniseries. She’s Mystique’s Mystique — on sale October 16, 2024, written and illustrated by Declan Shalvey. But what can we expect from this five-issue story? To find out the answer to this question and more, I spoke to Declan about everyone’s favorite shapeshifter (sorry, Morph!) . Let’s see what he has to say.
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AIPT: Declan, welcome to X-Men Monday!
Declan Shalvey: Thanks for having me!
AIPT: Mystique is a 46-year-old character who has served as the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants, a federal agent, a member of the X-Men, and a member of the Silent Council of Krakoa. What do you think makes Raven such an interesting and versatile character? (Aside from her powers, of course!)
Declan: I think it’s really in the name: Mystique. She’s worked all corners of the Marvel Universe in a variety of roles, but at the core of it all, she’s a character we never know where she stands. And it’s always convincing.
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AIPT: What is your elevator pitch for the five-issue Mystique mini-series?
Declan: Krakoa has fallen, and from its ashes the most dangerous mutants on Earth have risen. She is on the run from Nick Fury Jr. Nick Fury Jr. is the only SHIELD agent aware of the threat she poses. As he tries to piece together the motives behind her recent actions, will he be able to figure out her plan before it’s too late…
AIPT: X fan MaTasse2T wanted to know how Mystique’s mental state affects your story. Tactics, revenge? Or something else?
Declan: For now, I’ll just say “tactics” without saying anything else. There’s definitely a more personal motive going on, and it’s revealed at the end of the miniseries.
AIPT: I have two questions about your family. Because X-fans love their families. First, X-Fans Liam, MaTasse2T, and Mike Jones asked if Destiny would play a role in this miniseries.
Declan: This series primarily focuses on Mystique as a solo character, but there are obvious references to Destiny.
AIPT: And then X-fans Emily and Gray asked if any of Mystique’s family would be in it.
Declan: Other characters from Mystique’s past also appear in some capacity, including her family, who reappear. This is an action/spy novel that goes from mission to mission, so Mystique acts very much alone in this story.
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AIPT: X fan Jon Hamm wanted to know how many characters Mystique transforms into in each issue. If we’re spoiling a bit too much, what can we tease about Mystique’s shape-shifting antics throughout the story?
Declan: That’s definitely the most enjoyable part of the book as a writer/artist. You need Mystique to perform a certain action, but she can do it as another X character and not have to worry about continuity or anything. I basically tried to stick to early/core X-Men characters. That’s the person I really wanted to portray. I can tell you that we’ll see her appear as Wolverine in one scene, Sabretooth in another, Gambit, and even Beast.
AIPT: I mentioned Mystique’s long publishing history, and you also mentioned Brian K. Vaughn’s Mystique series from the 2000s quite a bit in a recent interview. Do you have a favorite Mystique story?
Declan: Oh, that’s a good question. It’s probably X-Factor #130, where Mystique attempts to assassinate Graydon Creed, only for someone else to do it when X-Factor stops her. At the time, I was reading all the works related to X, so I was really into it. And it has the amazing/iconic Jeff Matsuda cover.
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AIPT: I was also reading that series when it was published. I loved Matsuda’s art. Now, I’m curious to know about your creative process as the writer and artist of Mystique. Do you approach explaining your ideas differently because you don’t have to worry about other artists interpreting your script?
Declan: To be honest, not really. There’s a lot of shorthand when writing and drawing things that creators own, but at Mystique, we work with editor Darren Shan to review the content, so it all shows up on the page. When I’m writing for others, like Andrea Brocardo in last year’s Marvel movie Alien or Eder Mesias in recent Phases of the Moonnight, I write for people like myself. I work with artists who have similar sensibilities, so we get along well with each other. In such cases, the similarities are huge and when they offer their own interpretations, it’s exciting to watch. But there’s certainly a purity to the creative action that is uniquely satisfying when it comes to translating an idea in your head directly onto the page.
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AIPT: Speaking of art, I had a chance to read an advance copy of Mystique #1 and loved the subtle depiction of Raven’s shape-shifting powers. These tiny ripples are very simple, but they bring a visual element to the force that isn’t as dynamic as an explosion of light or a glowing playing card. Is there anything you would like to share about how you tried to portray Mystique throughout this miniseries?
Declan: Oh, thank you. This changing element was actually suggested by the editor, who felt it could be disorienting for the reader if different characters suddenly appeared in the panels, so it was a good thing. This small shifting effect is a nice and subtle way for readers to connect the dots. I didn’t want to copy the film and add a “scale” effect, but I did try to use a textured effect that flows along the figure’s body. Matt Hollingsworth uses this cool textural effect and the unique mystique blue that enhances it.
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AIPT: Lastly, you seem to be very busy outside of X-Office. Which of the other characters you’re currently writing, from Aliens to Thundercats to Terminators, would you like Mystique to transform into?
Declan: Yeah, it’s good to be busy. If I were really smart, I could have her turn into Daredevil, Wolverine (again), or Spider-Man, and secretly get Marvel to approve my involvement in stories with those characters in the future. This is espionage, Marvel style!
AIPT: I love you! That said, thanks for stopping by Monday’s X-Men, Declan! (For more on Declan’s Mystique, listen to his recent appearance on the AIPT Comics Podcast.)
Remember, X-fans. Mystique #1 will be released on October 16, 2024. For this week’s X-Men Monday eXclusive, we’re sharing some preview pages from the first issue.
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Next time on X-Men Monday, screenwriters Gail Simone (Uncanny Let’s discuss. Click here to submit your question to Gail and Jed by 5pm ET today (October 7, 2024).
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Until next time, have a special time, X-fans!
