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X-News

More on Team X 2000 Marvel editor Ruben Diaz has revealed more details on the Team X 2000 one-shot. Written by Sean Ruffner, and pencilled by Kevin Lau, the 48-page bookshelf title will see Bishop return to earth but finding a very different world than he left in its place. "Trying to find a way back home, Bishop and Deathbird wind up jumping through a wormhole." explained Diaz. "While they find their way to earth, it's a future earth that has been taken over by the Shi'ar Empire, and is ruled by a teenage empress who was raised on the teachings of Deathbird, and who's also the daughter of Professor Xavier and Lilandra. So Deathbird actually gets to see what the world would be like if she ruled the empire. As for Bishop, he gets to see his world become this familiar post-apocalyptic landscape yet again. He feels responsible because he wasn't there at the moment this all transpired. This was the very thing he was sent to the present to prevent, and now he finds himself again trying to come to terms with his failure to stop it." When Deathbird finds herself aligned with the empire and separated from Bishop, it's up to him to gather a team (Team X 2000) to save and deprogram Deathbird, and help the resistance force overthrow the empire. Making appearances on the team are alternate versions of Wolverine, Cable, Longshot, and Dazzler, and there are also appearances by other "winged" Marvel characters like the Angel, the Falcon, the Vulture, and Sauron. "Anyone with some sort of bird motif finds themselves in favor with the Shi'ar, who descended from bird-like creatures." said Diaz. "Everyone else is relegated to Morlock status." The title promises to focus on the relationship of Deathbird and Bishop and on their future, and by the end of the story Bishop will be returned to the mainstream Marvel Universe ready to be used by the main X-Men office, though Diaz does not know if there are any current plans for him.

TOY BIZ DOES ALPHA FLIGHT

Toy Biz's next line will feature Alpha Flight in its' classic 80's lineup. A prototype has been completed for Sasquatch, and preliminary work has begun on Snowbird, Puck, Northstar, and Aurora. Look for this line of action figures in 1999.

EARTH X UPDATE
Alex Ross has spoken about the upcoming maxi-series, Earth X, by declaring "We've got the full team ready to roll. Marvel's been very consistent that they want it. It's just the contracts are taking so damn long." Those contracts are for Ross and Jim Krueger, who co-write the project, and penciller John Paul Leon, inker Bill Reinhold, and colourist Matt Hollingsworth. Even without a contract, Ross and company are working on Earth X, which deals with what happens to the Marvel Universe after Plague X hits, giving everyone superpowers. Ross has planned Earth X as a 14-issue series, with an issue #0 hitting December 1998, issues #1-12 coming monthly through 1998, and the big finale issue #13 coming in the new millennium. Ross will paint the covers to all 14 issues, and when combined the covers will form one giant-sized poster. Ross is also designing and refining characters as they might look when projected into the Earth X future. "We'll see some of the nations come together," Ross promised. Russia has Ross' versions of the Black Widow, Crimson Dynamo, Red Guardian, and Colossus, "but Colossus has kind of been promoted," Ross said. "He's now Czar Piotr." Ross' British group consists of Union Jack, Dragon Man, the Black Knight, and Captain Britain, who's now King Britain. Ross also promises an African alliance that will include King Panther (formerly the Black Panther) and Queen Ororo (formerly Storm). But what of the rest of the Marvel Universe? "I've already done the preview book and said too much already," Ross said, "You'll just have to wait and see."

CLAREMONT TO REMIX DARKPHOENIX SAGA
Marvel Remix is a new title debuting in November that will take a look back at classic Marvel moments in what editor Ruben Diaz describes as "not so much 'What If?', but 'What Else?'. We take one to four issues to zoom in on a classic Marvel story to get a close-up, or maybe pull the camera way back to explain circumstances around it." Diaz is lining up classic Uncanny X-Men writer Chris Claremont to remix his Dark Phoenix Saga.

MARVEL UNIVERSE SHATTERED!
Earth-shattering events spinning out of the X-Men books may have the entire Marvel Universe in a panic this winter. Details are sparse, but if this story comes to fruition, the entire Marvel Universe would tilt in a new direction thanks to Magneto.

KA-ZAR GETS THE CHOP
Ka-Zar editor Matt Idelson has officially confirmed that issue #20 of that series will be its' last.

GENERATION X CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
Soon-to-be ex-X-Force penciller Adam Pollina and upcoming Slingers writer Joseph Harris have a new Generation X Christmas Special in the works. Tentatively entitled Yes, Jubilee... There Is A Santa Claus, the special finds Nanny and the Orphan-Maker fulfilling a Christmas tradition, to orphan a mutant on Christmas Eve. Coming to the sleepy town of Snow Valley to "liberate" a young boy whose powers are just beginning to emerge, they're met with opposition by the Gen X kids, as well as a new threat, and "surprising" new addition to mutant-dom.

X-MAN GETS NEW PENCILLER
Editor Glenn Greenberg has announced artist Luke Ross will join the X-Man creative team as regular series penciller with issue #48.

QUICKSILVER LOSES THE RACE
In the September previews posted online at Mania, Quicksilver's #13th issue is stated to be that title's last.

GAMBIT MONTHLY?
A long-rumoured and oft-mentioned X-Men project is closer to becoming a reality. Penciller Steve Skroce has said that following work on an upcoming issue of Uncanny X-Men, and a cover for X-Men, he is tentatively scheduled to begin work on a Gambit ongoing series. No writer is attached to the project at the moment, but Skroce expects Marvel to set a December or early 1999 launch for the title. And although Marvel editorial has not confirmed the series, though the current issue of the Marvel retailer catalog/fan magazine tells readers to "look out for a new Gambit series in the near future", it has been speculated that this Gambit monthly is the "new X-Men series".

NEW OHOTMU SET FOR 1999

An updated version of the Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe is in development for a 1999 debut. Current plans call for the project to be released in bound volumes, similar to the first two versions of the original guides.

JIMENEZ'S X-MEN LIMITED SERIES
Plans for the long-rumoured Phil Jimenez X-Men limited series are beginning to take shape. Entitled X-Men: Liberators, the 4-issue limited series will be penciled by Jimenez, written by Joseph Harris, and stars Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine (not Shadowcat as has been rumoured elsewhere). "The series takes the 3 reunited X-Men to Russia and finds them in the middle of a Cold War secret that can no longer be contained," explained Harris. "Ever wonder why 3 children in the Rasputin family were born mutants? Could it be Siberia, the vast wilderness used by the government for nuclear tests for the better part of 20 years? Could be. The bigger question we ask is, could there have been more mutant children born out there beneath the Ural Mountains and what would the secretive communist government do with them if discovered. And what the heck do Colossus, Wolverine, and Nightcrawler have to do with everything." The limited series will debut in September.

HALLOWEEN UNLIMITED
Writer Todd Dezago has revealed that he and penciler Andy Smith, who collaborated on last year's Strong Guy Reborn Summer special, have a special Halloween edition of X-Men Unlimited in the works. "It'll be Strong Guy, Multiple Man, and probably some other X-Men member (maybe Iceman!) involved in some wacky farcical spooky superhero fun (think Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein or Hold That Ghost!) I really want it to 'feel' like Halloween, so it should be very atmospheric; haunted houses, Halloween parties, fall time, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, etc," said DeZago.

MORE MC2 LINE NEWS
Writer Tom DeFalco continues to drop info about his new line of Marvel Comics, MC2 (inaccurately referred to as Excelsior previously) in small doses. According to the line's architect, one of the first two title's released will be called A-Next and will premiere in August. A-Next #1, with pencils by Ron Frenz, will feature Jubilee, Speedball, Jolt, a new Thunderstrike, Mainframe, Stinger, and J2 (the son of the Juggernaut) joining together for the first time. According to DeFalco, "Many years after the original Avengers have disbanded, Kevin Masterson, the son of the deceased Eric (Thunderstrike) Masterson, returns to New York to attend art college, and learn more about his father's all-too-brief stint as a super hero. Arriving at Avengers Headquarters, which has been transformed into a tourist attraction, Kevin unleashes an chain of events which ultimately force the next generation of Earth's Mightiest Heroes to band together."

YU ON X-MEN

Leinil Francis Yu will be continuing with Wolverine for the time being (sharing that title for a few months with Jeff Mastuda), and will then be moving over to X-Men sometime after Adam Kubert and Alan Davis complete their limited runs.

DEZAGO TO FOLLOW CLAREMONT ON WOLVERINE Writer Todd Dezago is slated to write a three- or four-issue story arc for Wolverine following the completion of Chris Claremont's interim run, beginning with issue #130.

MARVEL COMICS - THE NEXT GENERATION
Current Amazing Spider-Man & What If? writer Tom DeFalco has revealed some information on a recent hotly-rumoured project. Marvel is preparing to launch of series of titles in August through September of this year, each starring versions of Marvel heroes in a future much closer to the present than the former 2099 line. Each of the initial titles in the line (that has been referred to in recent Marvel Comics' advertisements as Excelsior but has NOT been officially named) will be written by DeFalco and will include a title called J2. Pencilled by Ron Lim, J2 will feature the son of one of the X-Men's greatest foes - the Juggernaut.

CASEY TAKES ON WOLVERINE
Current Cable writer Joe Casey has also recently accepted an assignment to write an October-scheduled Wolverine bookshelf one-shot, to be illustrated by ex-Stormwatch artist Oscar Jimenez.

ALPHA FLIGHT SET TO MEET THE INHUMANS
Current Cable writer Joe Casey is set to join Alpha Flight writer Steve Seagle for an Alpha Flight/Inhumans '98 annual, with upcoming X-Factor artist Tom Raney to pencil. Tentatively scheduled for September, Casey says this about the storyline: "Searching for a lost teammate, Alpha Flight is forced to make its first visit to Attilan. The rest is a surprise..." Casey is doing the scripting whilst Seagle is handling the plotting.

EARTH X IS GO!
Superstar artist/painter Alex Ross has confirmed that Earth X, a new maxi-series based on the 16-page giveaway comic included in last year's Wizard #77, is currently in the works at Marvel. That free portrait gallery special by Ross, which included text by writer Jim Krueger, examined a future version of the Marvel Universe, a reality set after a mysterious "Plague X" has swept across the earth, effectively turning every human being into a superhero. While many current Marvel Universe heroes were killed by the plague, a few old-timers, like Captain America, survive. But largely, strange new heroes populate Earth X, some based on familiar concepts like a female Thor, the Iron Avengers, a demonic Daredevil, an overweight & retired Spider-Man and his daughter Venom, and an all-new team of X-Men led by Cyclops. Who unleashed Plague X on the unsuspecting populace, and why? That's the question the series will answer. The 14-issue maxi-series will be written by Krueger and pencilled by John Paul Leon while Ross will provide a guiding hand. "I'll be designing further characters and working hand in hand with John," Ross said. "While I won't be pencilling the book, I will be co-plotting the issues with Jim, and providing the covers for the entire series." Earth X is planned to debut in late 1998, and run through 1999, ending just at the turn of the century.

KUBERT LEAVES HULK FOR X-MEN
Since the recent announcement of Peter David's resignation as writer of Incredible Hulk, Adam Kubert has announced that he too is leaving the title, as of issue #467 (the same issue as David's last). When asked what he's doing after the Hulk, Kubert replied "I had already committed myself to doing four issues of X-Men with Joe Kelly... YES! We'll be working on a four issue story-arc that begins after X-Men #80, and is presently planned to lead right into Alan Davis' stint... pretty cool." Marvel editorial currently has not officially confirmed any X-Men pencillers between the already solicited issues and Alan Davis' unspecified run.
MAVERICK GETS THE AXE
Marvel Editor Frank Pittarese has confirmed the rumoured cancellation of Maverick with issue #12.

X-MEN GET BYRNED AGAIN!
Though its likely debut won't be till the latter half of 1999, creator John Byrne has confirmed his rumoured plans for a new X-Men title that he will begin working on after the completion of his Spider-Man: Twice Told Tales 12-issue maxi-series. "The X-Men series appears to be a go, though the details have yet to be worked out," Byrne said. "The book would be the 'missing years' - Hidden Years is my title - covering the original team's adventures between issue #66 and Giant-Size X-Men #1." "Call it an 'Ongoing Maxi'," Byrne responded when asked about the format. "The 'space' is 29 issues, but I don't want to be limited to 'real time' considerations. I don't want to lose the Beast two years into it, for instance. Plus, if it's a success, why limit it? The main advantage of a series set in the past is that it does not have to be 'in sync' with the rest of the Marvel Universe."

DAVIS TO PENCIL X-MEN!
Associate Editor Mark Powers has addressed the X-Men penciller situation following the departure of Carlos Pacheco with issue #74. Powers confirmed widespread reports that Alan Davis will be coming onboard to pencil six issues later this year, before moving on to work on his long-rumored Killraven project. Then sometime after Davis' departure, plans call for current Wolverine penciller Leinil Francis Yu to take over art chores on a permanent basis.

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