Welcome, X-fans, to another incredible edition of X-Men on Monday at AIPT!
Professor Charles Xavier is being held in Graymalkin Prison (formerly Xavier’s own X-Mansion) for crimes against humanity. Love him or hate him, you better believe that prominent mutants will have an opinion about the imprisoned member of their species. But how do the cast of X-Men and Uncanny X-Men, especially their leaders Cyclops and Rogue, feel about this? Well, we’ll find out in “Raid on Graymalkin,” the first crossover of the “From the Ashes” era, which began in December’s X-Men #8 and January’s Uncanny X- Ends with Men #8.
To learn more about “Raids of Graymalkin” and how it will affect the two X-Men squads, I spoke with Uncanny X-Men screenwriter Gail Simone and X-Men screenwriter We spoke to Jed McKay. Let’s see what they say.
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AIPT: Gale and Jed, welcome to X-Men Monday! Before we dig into your X-fan questions, let’s talk about how “Raid on Graymalkin” is a hugely important moment for each of the X-Teams at this point in the “From the Ashes” era. I was wondering if you could share your reasons.
Jed McKay: At the beginning of the From the Ashes era, our mutants were scattered across the world, and different groups were finding new homes among them. Louisiana, Alaska, Chicago, New York — we look at a world of mutants divided, and “Raid on Graymalkin” sees two important parts come together in a big way for the first time. Masu.
Gail Simone: Yes, this is the first real connective tissue of any of our titles, and we felt strongly that this was an opportunity to show a sharp contrast between our book and the teams it features. . I love that kind of thing. There’s also not a lot of contrast between Xavier and Magneto in the mix at this point, so it would be compelling to see where the book goes without that central concept.
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AIPT: Let’s talk about the collaborative process for this crossover. First, X-Fan KrakoanGrootFan asked what the writing process was like. Next, X-Fan MunchkinMarauder asked us what we enjoyed most about working together on this story.
Gail: We talked about everything and threw out a lot of ideas. I have a lot of respect for Jed, even if he mistakenly thinks Cyclops is better than Rogue. For me, it was to get a little taste of what it’s like to write Jed’s books, and to see how really great writers approach the characters in my work.
Jed: It was an interesting process of going back and forth between what the story needed and how best to approach it. It was also a completely different experience from regular screenplay writing. Bouncing ideas back and forth gave us some starting points in directions we hadn’t originally thought of. For example, the Jubilee and Calico sections of The Raid on Graymalkin. ‘ Part 1.
AIPT: Gail, when you mentioned Scott’s codename, X-fan Harry G. said that Jed does some great Cyclops stuff in his books, and now you’re finally on the side of Cyclops fans. Did you come to
Gail: No, no.
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AIPT: I had to try it! Now, X-fan Mike Trobaugh posits that the two teams will fight in a “Raid on Greymalkin.” When creating the battles, were there any combinations of character battles that surprised you based on their interactions?
Jed: I think there’s a lot of personality thrown together along with the power profile. Gale threw Psylocke and Nightcrawler together, for example, which led to some fun contrasts. Similarly, four new Outliers have been introduced that offer completely new and complex features.
Gail: Jed suggested a great moment for me to get paid. They were very cooperative. And sparks may fly between a few members of the team. Also, it would be fun to write Magick all the time.
AIPT: Gail, does X-fan Will Foote want to know which outliers he’s most excited for readers to see in “Raids of Greymalkin”?
Gail: Well, it’s fun because Deathdream literally has very little understanding of what’s going on and is only barely aware that he’s involved. But my favorite scene of the whole event is the scene with Calico in Jed’s book. It was a scene where there was a germ of an idea, and he really ignited it.
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AIPT: X-Fan Annalize knows that the conflict between Rogue and Cyclops has been brewing for a long time. There were a lot of small conflicts during their appearances in the X-books (particularly their arguments in X-Men Legacy). What was the process of fleshing out the larger, more dramatic conflict between the two characters?
Jed: These two characters are each leading what they believe to be the X-Men, so there’s going to be a clear clash of ideologies there. Each group operates as the X-Men in their own way, and we’ll see how those differences cause friction between the groups. Cyclops and Rogue both believe they are right, but therein lies the problem.
Gale: I think the most interesting conflicts between hero characters are those where both sides are rational, consistent, even ethical, but the gulf is still deep. And that’s the theme of the X-Men turning away from each other after Krakoa, and it’s almost a grieving process and a healing mechanism for them. But there are also consequences. Some of those processes leave traces.
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AIPT: Speaking of the conflict between Cyclops and Rogue, X-Fan’s Mary Lou says that when it comes to Xavier, Rogue is on “Team Believer” and Scott is on “Team Skeptic.” he said. However, among their teams, Juggernaut and Magneto have recently developed a better relationship with Charles and may not want to throw stones. Meanwhile, the beast missed out on experiencing many of Xavier’s worst revelations. Meanwhile, Kurt becomes displeased with the Professor after learning of his birth origins, and Logan attempts to kill Kurt during their last interaction. Now, with that being said, will all team members align with the leader?
Gail: I don’t think so. I think there are people on every team who have doubts. Now, in Uncanny X-Men, Rogue is the glue, and she’s the one trying to build sand castles without a shovel. And everyone on her team loves and respects her. However, they are adults and have been through everything, and they are not going to blindly accept orders they don’t agree with forever.
Jed: The raid raises those questions, and its effects will reverberate forward through the X-Line (and perhaps in a bigger way than anyone expected). So the question of “what to do about a problem like Xavier” came up a lot during the raid, but it’s not a question that can be answered clearly right away.
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AIPT: Jed, X-Fan Revolution pointed out that Cyclops and Beast were raised by Charles at school. See how they react to the place where they were educated becoming a mutant prison?
Jed: You’ll see some of that as we go through it. But the transformation of their old home into a prison is the unspoken backdrop to the upcoming conflict. It’s like you can literally never go home again.
AIPT: Speaking of Hank, X-Fan Mungho pointed out that on the cover of Uncanny X-Men #7, Beast and Wolverine look like they’re glaring at each other. Is Wolverine still hurt by what the evil beast did to him? Other than Cyclops and his team, I don’t have any impression of how the rest of the X-Men feel about the Beast now (save for Rogue, who tells Cyclops to say “hello” to the Beast). Will this event tell us anything about how others feel about the Beast?
Jed: As we’ll see, the Beast and his past/future deeds will feature heavily in the early stages of “Raid on Greymalkin,” so stay tuned!
Gail: The details are in Jed’s book, but it’s great to see his beast in action.
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AIPT: I was curious if X-Fan GambitsBoyfriend would say that Cyclops is the most challenged during this event.
Jed: I think he and Rogue are being challenged as well through our little crossover. We see two people coming to the realization that their irreconcilable differences will cause major problems in their lives going forward.
AIPT: Gail, X fan Marcel says your lines in Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine, and Jubilee are very spot-on and remind you of 90s groups. I did. How did you research or prepare to develop the characters within your team in such a dynamic way?
Gail: Quite the opposite. I’ve thought about this a lot, and I also know that a lot of writers leave out things like accents completely. But that’s not how we fell in love with these characters. What makes manga interesting is its eccentricity. I think if Rogue said something heartbreaking in her distinctive, familiar voice, it would be ten times more emotional than if she sounded like everyone else. But thank you, Marcel, getting my voice right is very important to me. More than anything, I want the conversation to be surprising.
AIPT: Last but not least…this secret weapon that Director Eris believes will protect Graymalkin from all attacks…Is he the one who appears on the cover of Uncanny X-Men #8?What do you think about this new X-antagonist? Are you teasing me?
Gail: Oh, my apologies, it’s a dark day when that vault door opens.
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AIPT: Finally, Marvel’s “Raid on Graymalkin” announcement promised to “establish a post-Krakoa X-Men universe!” What can you tease about how the two teams of X-Men are chasing this crossover?
Jed: Well, breaking into a mutant prison will bring heat. In X-MEN #10 we see how heat manifests itself. Agent Lundqvist and O*N*E return to Alaska. And they want to applaud the X-Men for their actions with irons.
Gail: This is literally a bit of a game-changer for a lot of the books in our series. Some mutants are trying to choose sides, even though Cyclops and Rogue don’t want it. It’s not a Civil War, but more like a family being torn apart because of current politics. For example, two mutants can eat Thanksgiving dinner together, but when the topic comes up, someone will end up taking the leftovers home.
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AIPT: Discuss Wolverine, Psylocke, Magic and Politics? Definitely an experience you won’t be able to survive. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Gail: It was a lot of fun. I’ve said many times that this might be the most fun job in comics. It’s an incredible amount of work, but you know, we’re writing damn X-Men right now, so it’s a lot of fun.
AIPT: It was fun to read too! Gail and Jed, thanks for stopping by on Monday.
Remember, X-fans. “The Raid on Greymalkin” begins in X-Men #8 on December 4, 2024. As an exclusive to this week’s X-Men Monday, we’re sharing four pages from this issue with Ryan Stegman.
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Provided by Marvel Comics
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Provided by Marvel Comics
And two pages of David Marquez from “Raid on Graymalkin” Part 2 in Uncanny X-Men #7…
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Provided by Marvel Comics
There won’t be any new X-Men issues next Monday, as everyone involved in comics will be attending New York Comic Con (except for me, unfortunately). I was there at the beginning of the First Age of Krakoa in 2019 and had a lot of fun. In case you missed it, here’s X-Men Monday #31, featuring many interviews with past X creators by Artist Alley. If you are going, I hope you have a great time!
Until next time, have a special time, X-fans!
