Announced during a press conference call today, Marvel announced Ultimate Comics X-Men #1 by Nick Spencer and Paco Medina, the second of a few new relaunched/revamped books coming from Marvel post-Death of Spider-Man. Spencer has assembled a new group of X-Men, focusing on Kitty Bryde, Bobby Drake, Johnny Storm (who is noticably not a mutant?), Rogue, and “Jimmy Hudson”, as well as cameos by Jean Grey, Storm, Colossus, and Nightcrawler. This does sort of call into question what is going on with Ultimate X by Jeph Loeb, but given the massive delays that book has seen, it’s fair to say that Spencer will be filling in all the final details.
Described as a Days Of Future Past-type scenario, most of the mutants have gone underground after Ultimatum, and Spencer is going to use the information set up in Ultimate Origins (that mutants aren’t actually evolved humans, but government experiments) and use that as a jumping point. “That information is going to go public, and the entire world is going to learn that the government created mutants,” Spencer said. “That’ll change the way mutants view themselves in a meaningful way.” The book will focus on the remaining mutants mainly saving each other as opposed to the world, and that there are no plans to bring characters like Cyclops, Magneto, Wolverine, and Professor X back (all of whom died in Ultimatum). Spencer also notes that Nightcrawler is dead, but is still involved somehow.
The mutants will mainly be on a path of self discovery, and Axel Alonso notes that Spencer will be working close with Jonathan Hickman to keep the Ultimate universe tight, with hopefully no delays whatsoever. Alonso also notes that it won’t be long before a crossover between titles is seen.
On top of this, there will be lots of new characters, and that Kitty will be one of the main heroes.
Keep your eyes peeled for this in September, and for a press conference about Spider-Man tomorrow (assumedly).
