As Marvel Entertainment’s YouTube post proudly declares, “This July, a new team of X-Men chart the course for the Reign of X in X-Men #1!”, whilst showcasing the incredible artwork we can expect in X-Men #1., written by Gerry Duggan with art by Pepe Larraz. Check out the trailer, below!
Kevin Feige in X-Men #21 (2021), one of the many cameos in the issue.
Leading the relaunch’s team are two X-originals, Cyclops and Jean Grey, with Rogue, Polaris, Sunfire and Wolverine. Not Logan Wolverine, but Laura Kinney Wolverine, previously known as X-23. Synch is promoted from Generation X to the A-list X-men roster, too. This new team made their debut in the current series of X-Men #21, the final issue, written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Nick Dragotta, Russell Dauterman, Lucas Weneck and Sara Pichelli. X-Men serves as an epilogue of sorts for the Hickman X-epic, as well as a prologue for Gerry Duggan’s run starting in July.
X-Men #21 was a very fun read, with cameos from celebrities from across the entertainment spectrum. Keven Feige shows up in what we hope is a nod to the future of the X-Men within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After endless teases and even Evan Peters reprising his role of Quicksilver (sort of) in WandaVision, Marvel Studios must have something up their sleeve at this point. We’re sure Feige’s appearance in Hickman’s final X-issue is no coincidence and is yet another tease. Also appearing were George R. R. Martin, Patton Oswalt, Marc Maron and Eminem, all fans of Marvel Comics and all ‘invited’ the cameo by Marvel Comics, as shown across the celebrities’ social media profiles.
Gerry Duggan is an accomplished, popular writer, working with John McCrea on Dead Eyes (covered here), as well as lengthy runs on Marvel comics such as Deadpool, Nova, Uncanny Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and more. Pepe Larraz is a Spanish artist, known for his distinct, intricate style and special variant covers for Marvel, in addition to runs on The Mighty Thor, Wolverine and the X-Men, Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man and Star Wars: Kanan.
We at Soundsphere magazine simply cannot wait for this next stage in X-Men evolution, as Professor X would put it!
Words: Graeme Small
