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Well, I know Wizard World is done now, but I just got a report a couple days ago about some news related to Gen X. John Q.T. Nguyen, who was at the convention, said that "Blink, formerly of the Exiles, is slated to return, but not in the pages of the aforementioned alternate universe hopping adventures. Discussions to brings her aboard New X-Men by Chuck Austen after Grant Morrison's departure are in the works." Great news! The other bit of news from the con is a bit more circumstantial. As Tracie Mauk pointed out to me, Jubilee seems to be taking up permanent status as an X-Man. If you look at Salvador Larocca's preview X-Men cover (hosted by CBR), you'll note that amongst the usuall cast is Jubilee. Finally, as a follow up to the bit about Bachalo working on New Mutants, it appears that he will be taking on cover duties as of issue #7. To see issue #7's cover, click here (courtesy of ComiX-Fan).
GET READY FOR DEMO
A few months ago, I ran an article about Brian Wood's Demo. The comic's release in November is fast approaching, and as I've said before, I honestly believe this comic will be closer to the feel of Generation X (or at least to the feel we all imagined it had) than New Mutants or NYX. As Brian Wood puts it, "Fans of mutants and superheroes will enjoy my skewed take on their themes, and this book sits just as comfortably in the company of titles like Eightball and Optic Nerve, I feel." So, for tons of info about the comic along with tons of pictures and a PDF preview, click here.
BACHALO DOES NEW MUTANTS
A small quote from Lying in the Gutters: "Look for Chris Bachalo to draw an upcoming issue of 'New Mutants.'" Big news, and yet that's all they have to say?!
NYX BY QUESADA
As you may or may not remember, Brian Wood for a long time was tied to NYX. The series was also originally supposed to feature a cigarette-smoking Jubilee. Well, after a couple years, it now appears Joe Quesada has taken on the series and it will finally hit stands in October. Here's the solicitation:
Written by Joe Quesada, cover and pencils by Josh Middleton. Say hello to a pack of New York City gutterpunks, the likes of which the Marvel Universe has never seen. The X-Men's dream has always been one of creating hope from despair - in a young mutant's darkest hour Charles Xavier will always be just around the corner, ready with open arms and a helping hand. But Xavier can't be everywhere at once. What becomes of a group of young mutants that have to rely on themselves for everything from food to shelter to love? Wayward angels with dirty faces who, instead of preparing for Magneto's next big assault, must learn to survive in the cold, harsh world of the city that never sleeps. 32 pages, $2.99.
TEEN HEROES ON THE RISE
July 20's Washington Post had an interesting article about what they observe to be an increase in teen super-hero comics.
The article neglects to mention other comics as well, such as New Mutants and the up-coming NYX.
IS PENANCE NOW EMPLATE?
As many of you know, the Marvel Encyclopedia: X-Men is now on the stands, featuring bios of mutants new and old. A surprising piece of speculation was included in the encyclopedia in regards to Penance. The encyclopedia notes that "it appears a third victim has since [after the twins escaped] been trapped in the form of Penance--possibly Marius St. Croix." When I read this, I was confused. If you read Generation X #57, then you know that Emplate was not Penance, despite the fact that the twins were now free. Mind you, Generation X can not be held to a high standard when it comes to respecting its own continuity, but this seemed to me to be a major oversight. So I contacted Eric J. Moreels, the writer/researcher of the encyclopedia. "It was just speculation based on the events that happened when the third Penance was introduced. It seems highly likely that Marius is now a victim of his own schemes, but it's unlikely that we'll ever know for sure since Gen X's cancellation." So, that clears that up, making this speculation non-cannon. Still, despite the fact that it goes against chronology, I think this is a very cool explanation for a plot line that should have ended sooner than it did; imagine how much fun a Emplate-Penance would have been!
HOW MUCH IS GEN X WORTH?
Man, eBay sure is a great source for news anymore! I get really tired of covering X-Men comics anymore, cause they seem really depressing. Skin's dead now, and other characters seem to be under a constant threat (remember the rumors that Paige would die?). So, it's nice to be able to report something, if anything, about Generation X. Now, I'm not sure how many of you collected the entire series, but I'm sure if you're still visiting my site then you probably did or at least came very close. But now that Generation X is no longer listed in Wizard and the comics are seemingly not in demand, many of you may wonder "What is my collection worth? Was it all a waste of money?" Fear not. Recently on eBay, a collection containing the following issues went up for sale: Note that the only issues missing from making this series complete is the San Diego Comic Con #1/2, the Holiday Special, several versions and parts of the Gen X/Gen13 crossover, and a few annuals. However, this is perhaps the closest thing I've found on eBay to being the complete series. So, how much did it go for? $261. Now, keep in mind, the auction did have a reserve on it; although I can not be certain what the reserve was, it appears to be $150-200. Now, since this auction consisted of 89 comics, the average value of a single issue turns out to be $2.93. True, not a huge gain. But the point is that, if you are planning on selling your collection sometime soon, don't be a moron and let it go for pennies. It is worth money, so at least have the suckers pay cover price, man.
UNUSED GEN13/GEN X COVER
Well, I was cruising eBay, and look what I found. Apparently, it was an unused cover for the Gen13/Generation X crossover. It was drawn by Anthony Williams and inked by Andy Lanning. No word on why it was never used; however, the auction does mention it was eventually published "UK Convention Book, 1996," though I have not been able to figure out if this is the actual title of the book. I am going to look into whether or not this truly was a cover; it may have been a sample page. More as I get it.  UPDATE: Well, apparently it is not a cover. I managed to get in contact with inker Andy Landing who told me that it was actually a sample page and was never intended to be a cover for the crossover. Still, sure is a nice piece of art.
YOUNG EMMA: THE SERIES
According to Bollers, "The concept behind EMMA FROST is 'what in the world could have happened to make a basically good person go bad?' We'll see teenaged Emma growing up in a wealthy New England family while attending an expensive all-girls' school. Sure, she has every comfort that money can buy...but is she a happy person after all is said and done?" The first two story arcs deal with Emma trying to find her voice in the world while starting down the road to becoming the independent woman she is today. But much darker events lie ahead, Bollers hints. Green had been slated to draw a previous White Queen mini-series, but had to back out due to time constraints. However, when another chance came up to work on the characters, he jumped on it. "It always takes me a few times drawing a character before they start to develop their own look. I'm extremely happy with the way the artwork is coming out so far, but I'm going to keep pushing to make each issue better than the last. Both creators are fans of the original White Queen, the Hellfire club Dominatrix. Green puts it simply. "Woo-Hoo!! I'm very happy about getting to work on the origin storyline and to be a part of her history, and it will be a lot of fun a few months down the road when I start drawing the adult Emma. Huge amounts of anticipation!" Marts also confirmed that a White Queen mini by Sean McKeever and Drew Johnson is actually in the can, but is on hold. "It's different in focus from this series, so I'm sure when the time is right, we will release it." Looks pretty damn cool! Check out the actual article to see some wickedly cool art from the series. Here's the solicitation for issue #1: EMMA FROST #1
GEN X REUNION!
Yippee! Looks like plans are afoot for the Gen X kids to get together for a reunion in an up-coiming X-Men Unlimited issue! C.B. Cebulski, editor of the series, says "we're looking at a Generation X reunion story, and maybe doing something with Colossus and other deceased characters to keep fans happy." No word on when this issue will come out, as there is still the possibility it may not happen.
LEECH IN X2?
Wizard #140 has an interesting tid-bit, as it listed-off several cameos in the movie, including Leech. Strangely, there has been no mention of Leech being in the movie before this. Although he could be in the movie, I have not heard anything about this before now and think that this may have been an editorial mistake on Wizard's part. Maybe they meant Artie.
POUNDED'S ROLSTON DOES CHAMBER
Jono was cool enough to point out the nice sketch of Chamber done by Steve Rolston, artist of Brian Wood's Pounded. To see the sketch, click here.
REMINDER: ENCYCLOPEDIA IN STORES
For some reason, I never have mentioned the Marvel Encyclopedia Vol. 2: X-Men on my site, which is a damned shame. The fact is, it's written by Eric J. Moreels of X-Fan and "features comprehensive, up-to-date, fully illustrated biographies of more than 350 X-Men characters along detailed entries on all important locales and technology from the X-Universe" including several Gen X characters. The cover, in fact, features, amongst other characters, the White Queen! To find out more info about the book, click here.
NO GEN X IN NEW MUTANTS
I know a lot of us were hoping for some sort of connection between Generation X and New Mutants, but it looks like no such luck. I went straight to the source, co-writer Nunzio DeFilippis, and asked. "No Gen-X plans at this time."
DOES WOOD'S DEMO HAVE SOME GEN X IN IT?
While cruising Brian Wood's site today, I noticed that links in his sections for both Generation X and his attempt at NYX lead to a section for his up-coming title Demo. Little information has been released to date about Demo, the twelve-issue reteaming of writer Wood and artist Becky Cloonan (Channel Zero: Jeannie One). In his NYX section, Wood hints that "Those original characters and concepts, however, may appear in future creator-owned projects of mine." A post on his message board reveals the following:
"DEMO is a monthly comics series by myself and Becky Cloonan, to be published by AiT/Planet Lar starting in 2003. "its not Gen X. it isnt even NYX. NYX is old news already, two years old to be exact, and i have a lot better ideas now. its beyond both of those, and takes the "superhero" label and does something pretty unique and subtle with it." More art from Demo can be seen here.
MARVEL TRIES TO DO NYX AGAIN
Early solicitations for June's Wizard #142 reveal the following:
Could it be? Should it be? And will Jubilee even be in it this time? Stay tuned!
IS ARTIE IN X2?
I noticed a while ago at the IMDb that a character by the name of "Artie" was listed on the site's unofficial credits list. I dismissed it at the time, as the IMDb is known to list a lot of incorrect credits. But Jono did not dismiss it as easily as I did. Thanks to Jono's research, the actor portraying Artie is named Bryce Hodgson and is actually a fairly young kid. Some pictures of him on the X-set can be found here. The question is, is his character the same as our favorite purple mute? The set photos show him to look just like anyone else, but that does not mean he is not Artie. Afterall, the first movie featured a regular kid who was supposed to be Nightcrawler. His bio on IMDb seems to be obviously made by either himself or, more likely, his parents, as some of the information seems pretty trivial for a no-name actor. But still, the fact that his character actually has a name does make one wonder. I guess we will just have to wait and see. Thanks to Jono for the great work! UPDATED: I have been informed that in the novelization, Artie speaks and does not use holograms. It would seem if the character is indeed supposed to be Gen X's Artie, it is in name and age alone.
WILL JUBILEE DIE?
This is some scary news, guys. Over at the the X-Fan Forums, Chuck Austen, writer of Uncanny X-Men, revealed a bit of info about Jubilee's guest-appearance in Uncanny X-Men #423. According to Austen, Jubilee will be in "Just the one issue, and then she... uh... moves on." What's curious, of course, is his wording. Is Jubilee going to die? It seems strange to me that Marvel would kill Jubilee of all of the Gen Xers; after all, she is cameoing in the movie and has the biggest following of any of the Gen X kids thanks to the X-Men cartoons. I guess we will have to wait until May to see.
MAY 2003 COMICS
Here's what's hitting the stands in May that feature Generation X characters. I'm also posting the Exiles preview even though Blink won't be in it because, as the rumor goes, she's probably going to come back in a year anyhow. And I'm also posting the preview for New Mutants because it's probably going to become the closest thing we have to Generation X for a while. NEW MUTANTS #1
UNCANNY X-MEN #423
UNCANNY X-MEN #424
NEW X-MEN #141
EXILES #26 & 27
NEW MUTANTS: MARVEL'S HYPOCRICY
I'm pissed. I'm sorry, that's all there is to it. Generation X has been off the shelves for less than two years. Why? Because the Powers-That-Be thought it would be best to cut-back on the X-books and that a book that focused on a teenage division of Xavier's was useless as there would be teens in the revamped X-Men series. Yet now, according to Newsarama, Marvel is publishing a new version of New Mutants, a comic that all you die-hards know was the 80's equivalent of Generation X. What does this mean? Put simply, we've been screwed, again. Now, this is not to say New Mutants will not be good; to be honest, I am looking forward to it. But come on! First off, Marvel has tried re-doing New Mutants before; mind you, it was a crappy attempt and was a mini-series, but, if memory serves, no one seemed to really give a crap about it then. I know, I know, this one will have better tallent (Skinwalker's Nunzio DeFilippis & Christina Weir, New X-Men Keron Grant, and cover artist Josh Middleton). But I predict that, unless if Marvel can pick-up and maintain significant steam for their Second Wave titles as a whole, this sucker is going to die, not due to content but due to interest. Because, come on, New Mutants is so twenty years ago, and believe me, it is not one of those 80's titles that should be revived.
FIRST LOOKS: UNLIMITED #41 & EXILES #22
Comics Continuum has posted first-looks for several new Marvel Comics, including X-Men Unlimited #41 and Exiles #22. As you may or may not remember, Unlimited #41 stars Blink and the Exiles and features a cover by Chris Bachalo. Click here to check out these and other Marvel First Looks.
DARKNESS FALLS INSPIRED BY GEN X?
An interesting tid-bit from Newsarama. In an interview with the comic news site, Joseph Harris, the writer of the hit Darkness Falls, revealed the movie's link to a comic book he once worked on -- Generation X. ”The very first inklings I had for Tooth Fairy - the original name for what looks like a burgeoning franchise in Darkness Falls - came during my time at Marvel. The exact details are a little hazy, but I had written a Generation X Holiday Special a couple years ago in which we learned that not only is Santa Claus real, but he’s also a mutant. My editor at the time was giving me shit and kiddingly asked, ‘So what mythological creature are you going to pitch us next, the Tooth Fairy?’ And it was funny, because I’d already been thinking along those lines... but I was not giving this to Marvel.” To read the rest of the article, click here
APRIL GEN X COMICS
Quite a few comics of interest come April, including Uncanny X-Men which features, amongst other characters, Husk as drawn by Chris Bachalo! Lloks like Blink isn't in Exiles #25, but I figured I'd list it anyhow. UNCANNY X-MEN #421
NEW X-MEN #139 & 140
EXILES #25
BANSHEE IN X-MEN 2?
The new issue of Entertainment Weekly (Jan. 24/31) is reporting that when the X-Mansion is broken into by Gen. William Stryker, we will be able to see, amongst other mutant cameos, Banshee. There has never been any mention to my knowledge of Banshee being in this movie, though for a time Siryn was reported to be in it. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
ALTERNATE GEN X #26 PAGE 9 DISCOVERED
I was cruising eBay when I ran into this page. It's page 9 of Generation X #26 and was drawn by Joe Bennett. Apparently, editorial must not have been please with the final panel so they made him redraw it. So, enjoy this newly discovered treasure by clicking here!
NEW EMMA FIGURE?
The most recent issue of Toyfare reports that a series of action figures based on New X-Men is on its way, and the series is to include a new White Queen figure. I have yet to get the issue, so I don't have a picture to show you, but the issue apparently does have pictures. If anyone has access to the issue and can scan me up a picture, send it on over!
NYX A GO?
Comics Continuum is reporting that Marvel Comics' NYX will happen next year. For those of you that do not remember all of the controversy, NYX was an idea from Bill Jemas that originally had Brian Wood attached to write it. In Brian Wood's pitch, Jubilee, Gambit, and Rogue were the only X-Men characters, though the stories took place in a Vertigo-version of the X-Men universe where a few mutants including those just mentioned try living together. Continuum reports that the current canidate for writing chores is Brian K. Vaughan. Update: Continuum got in touch with Vaughan who denied the rumor. "I'm not writing NYX. Sounds like a fun book, but my plate is full right now."
FIRST LOOK AT X2'S JUBILEE!
Man, I've been waiting for this picture forever. Everytime I hear about a new batch of pictures from X-Men 2 pictures being released, I search through them looking for one of Kea Wong as Jubilee. Alas, I was many times disappointed. But, finally, a picture has been released, thanks to Wizard magazine, and wow, Jubilee looks way different than she did in the first film! This Jubilee actually seems most similar to me to Steve Pugh's renditions of her. No yellow jacket. Now tacky earings. Instead, a very unique sense of fashion. I think Kea Wong looks great as Jubilee and I can only hope that her role does not wind up on the cutting-room floor. 
WHY HUSK IS IN UNCANNY
First off, happy Thanksgiving! Hope you're all having some awesome turkey and cranberry sauce. Now, back to the news. X-Fan got a great little interview with Uncanny X-Men writer Chcuk Austen and some insight as to why Husk is on the team was revealed. "I had wanted to use her when I originally took over the book," Austen said. "Every series needs an exposition character, someone who's smarter than the others and more knowledgeable so they can explain things to the others and to the reader. Grant {Morrison} has Hank {McCoy, the Beast} over in New X-Men, and I wanted someone like that. Paige was on my list, but low on {former editorial team} Mark {Powers} and Pete {Franco}'s list of favorites, so she wasn't going to be in, originally. But when {current editors} Mike Marts and Mike Raicht got the series, they asked if I'd mind using her when they took over the book, and it was just the first sign of many such synchronicities that make me REALLY happy to be teamed with those two guys. We have a strong sympathetic energy on the book, and they bring a lot of skill, enthusiasm, and great ideas to the table." "Paige gives most of our readers someone they can relate to," added series editor Mike Marts. "A majority of our readership is probably around Paige's age, so it's only logical that we have someone like her on the team. She's a teenager who has teenage problems and teenage dreams, not unlike most of our fanbase. She also acts as our 'eyes from the outside looking in'." However, just because Paige is relatable and smart does not mean she's sticking around. "Of course, I haven't said whether we decided Paige was going to be a permanent fixture in the book," teased Austen, indicating that the "Dominant Species" storyline may be Paige's only appearance in the series. For the rest of the interview, click here.
FEBRUARY GEN X COMICS
Looking for your dose of Gen X come February? Well, here's what Marvel has in store for us.
NEW X-MEN #137
UNCANNY X-MEN #419
X-MEN UNLIMITED #42
BACHALO DRAWS BLINK!
Well, looks like there is another comic book for us Gen X fans to grab come January. X-Fan has released the cover and solicitation for X-Men Unlimited #41. The cover's art is done by Generation X co-creator Chris Bachalo and features the AoA version of Blink. The solicitation makes no direct mention to either Blink or the Exiles, but it looks like it will probably be an Exiles story. Check out the cover and full-article by clicking here. I have to say, though, this is very cool. I mean, when you get right down to it, technically Chris Bachalo has never drawn Blink in a comic book before. I have to say, I am very excited about getting ahold of this comic, if for no other reason than the cover.
BANSHEE IN ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
The newest issue of Entertainment Weekly (October 18, 2002) is the magazine's annual "Power Issue," and this year certain powerful individuals are being depicted as famous super-heroes. Surprisingly, Banshee wound up being one of them, as singer Bono was drawn to look like him. 
EMMA GETS BUSTED
Dynamic Forces has announced that it will be releasing, amongst other Marvel character busts, a bust of the White Queen in her current X-Men uniform. Scheduled for a December 2002 release, the bust was sculpted by Gabriel Marquez and is limited to only 1,500 production units. It's quite beautiful, but, be warned, this may be the first Gen X related item you'll probably not buy: it carries a recommended price tag of $89.99. For more information on the new busts as well as a picture of the White Queen bust, head over to X-Fan.
HUSK JOINS THE X-MEN
Sorry for the delay on my part on reporting this. I first found out about it five minutes before I left for a long trip, so perhaps you'll all forgive me. Apparently, according to Wizard magazine, Husk will be the much talked about Gen Xer who will be joining the X-Men in the pages of Uncanny X-Men. The magazine provided a sketch of Husk as well by artist Kia Asamiya. You can view the sketch by clicking here (many thanks to Xavier Institute for the link to a sketch).
COOL EBAY AUCTION NEWS
Sometimes the best news comes from the strangest places. And sometimes, that news is partially illegal. Over on eBay, auctions for bootleg DVD versions of the Generation X movie have appeared. VCDs of the movie only recently began to get auctioned off, but really, any moron can make a VCD. A DVD takes one hell of a computer, as most of us into that type of crap can attest to, so it's taken a long time for anyone to do it. But apparently, it has. The current DVD is being advertised a Region 2 (though the auctioner notes that it plays just fine in his Region 1 player). Now, I'm not suggesting you buy this; fact is, the $23 asking price is way too much for something that can now have copies made of it for the price of a DVD disc and probably should not be sold for more than $5 each. But it is still something to cheer about, since, if you're like me, your video version is probably starting to get worn down. To check out the auction, click here. Meanwhile, two awesome items have popped up on eBay: prototype figures of both Emplate and Skin. Toy collectors will note how rare and great these are. They're not pieces of art, mind you, but they are cool. Check out Skin's here and Emplate's here.
JUBILEE CASTING UNDERWAY
CountingDown.Com is reporting that casting is underway for minor roles of X-Men 2, including that of Jubilee. Other roles being cast currently include Collosus and Siren. No news on exactly what characteristics they are looking for in the actress that would play Jubilee, though it could be assumed, since her character cameod in the original, that she will be Asian as she is in the comics. UPDATE: Corona Coming Attractions scooped this big news first: the part of Jubilee has been officially cast with Kea Wong set to portray her. Wong previously appeared in the minor role of Paula in the family film Snow Day. I've scoured the net for the past half-hour trying to find any photo of her, but with no such luck. As such, I'm asking you, the reader, to help me out by e-mailing any photos or stills you can grab or find of her!
X-FAN SCORES CHAMBER INTERVIEW
X-Fan has scored a neat little interview with the almost the entire crew of the up-coming Chamber mini-series. There is a little bit in terms of spoilers, but the majority of the interview concerns the creative choices made during the making of the comic. Click here to read it.
A GEN XER TO JOIN THE X-MEN?
According to X-Fan in their WizardWorld East coverage, a former member of Generation X will be joining the X-Men in the pages of Uncanny X-Men. No word on who it will be or when, though there is reason to believe it would be Jubilee simply for marketing reasons.
CHAMBER COVERS REVEALED
X-Fan was the first to reveal the covers of the up-coming Chamber limited series.    X-Fan also had the solicitation information for the first issue. X-MEN ICONS: CHAMBER #1
A new 4-issue series straight from the pages of Uncanny X-Men! Will the new X-Man solve the mystery of a hate crime - or become the next victim? Featuring covers by Generation X penciler Chris Bachalo! 32 pgs. with ads/FC/MARVEL PG $2.99
A VERY NICE REVIEW OF GEN NEXT
It's been a while since my site has received an award from another site; I think it's mainly because it's no longer the chic thing for sites to have awards (I still remember when every site on the net, including mine, had one). But this one came with such a nice article about my site, I felt I should repost it here, because it seems to sum up perfectly all of my efforts. The award and article come from Jacob Bond over at the newly relaunched X-Fans Discussion List Site. Way back when Generation X was still huge and the team of Lobdell/Bachalo were still the big talk on the GenX sites, Generation neXt began amidst dozens of fan sites committed to the comic book series. When Larry Hama took over the writing chores on the title and the only thing you could count on was a guest artist every month, fan sites all over the web began shutting down. But Generation neXt continued on. When Generation X became a Counter X title with Brian Wood at the helm, only a few fan sites even existed to see the series reach its end -- but Generation neXt was one of them. Throughout the years Generation neXt has constantly evolved and has gained more visitors each day. While sites were closing down or left neglected for long periods of time, Generation neXt continued to bring up-to-date information and updated almost every week. To this day when I search for a Generation X site, I'll be honest when I say the only site I've found still active is Generation neXt, and with good reason. It's still the best damn GenX site on the web, and any visitor can see why it survived when other sites did not. Nate1234 deserves a lot of credit. When other fans' love for the series faded and with the cancellation went any motivation to continue any work based on the series, Nate continued on, just as much of a fan of the series now as he was when he first opened his site. I remember back in the day when THE GenX site on the web was Trevor's "GenX" fan site. Even when it eventually closed down (to be reopened years later during the Faerber era) it was always considered the best GenX site available. But Generation neXt has proven itself. It has risen above and beyond the popularity Trevor's "GenX" site had and has reached such a level that sites such as X-World's X-Fan (then with Fandom.com) uses it as a source for information. Nate, ever vigilant, has tracked down practically anyone associated with the title, as fans can see in the many interviews he has conducted. Y'know, even though the series is dead and years from now the new fans will skip over the name as they look through the quarter bins, this site will still be around. You can't help but feel the fandom craze that once existed six years ago at the height of the series' popularity. Generation neXt brings that feeling back, that excitement fans once felt.
BACHALO DOES CHAMBER
Now this is exciting news. Newsarama is reporting that not only is Chris Bachalo returning to Marvel for issues #18 and #19 of Ultimate X-Men, but now Bachalo has confirmed that he is drawing, inking, and coloring with acrylics the covers for the X-Men Icons: Chamber mini-series. "That’s been a very interesting experience, and a fun experiment," Bachalo said in regards to coloring the covers. “The second one looked slightly different from the first one as my approach changed. The third one will be a little different yet – working out the process and creating the work is such a fascinating experience." No word on when we can expect the series.
THE GEN X MOVIE: WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN (PART 1)
Alright, I'm a nerd. I've said it. Part of my daily ritual is to search eBay for Gen X memorabilia. Anymore, I don't buy too much, mainly because I either have the things already or forget to bid on them. However, about two weeks ago, I ended up stumbling upon the rarest of rare finds: the second draft of the script for the Generation X telefilm. Luckily, there was a buy-it-now option for it so I grabbed it. I mean, it's not often you find something like that, especially in regards to Gen X. The thing is, it's a second draft. What does that mean? Well, I have no clue how many drafts they went through preparing for the film, but this script definately has some differences. And, as such, I thought I'd take the time to highlight some. I haven't had a chance to read the entire thing yet and won't be able to give you the complete low-down for at least another week as I'll be gone as of tommorow, but I figured, in the mean time, these little bits of information about cut or alternate versions of scenes might appeal to you.
Well, that's it for part 1. But be sure to check in again later, because I'll definately have more on this script later! UPDATE: Well, I said I’d be back with more differences between the movie and this second draft script, so here’s a huge list of everything else I could find.
BACHALO RETURNS!
Sorry that I delayed so long in mentioning this bit of news, but I've been busy at school. According to X-Fan, Christ Bachalo, co-creator of Generation X is officially slated to draw a story in Ultimate X-Men #18. "I've been following the guy around like Gloria Estafan's stalker since he started Shade back in the late 80's so I'm really excited by the idea of working with him," said writer Mark Millar. "Adam and I both agreed that his style fits in quite neatly with his so the trade should look pretty sweet when 'World Tour' is collected. It's the arc I'm most pleased with in terms of writing and I'm very happy that the art is going to be so strong for these issues." "Chris is drawing #18 and the story mostly takes place in Russia with Colossus, Cyclops and Marvel Girl. I can't say anything else without a huge spoiler, but I think it's possibly the strongest script to date and, if you have any interest in Colossus whatsoever, I think you'll appreciate this issue." Ultimate X-Men #18 hits stands in May.
GEN X FONT FOUND!
Years ago (two, maybe three), a young Gen X website owner named Arcane tried to create a Gen X multimedia frenzy with his sites, featuring backgrounds and all sorts of strange CGI website sections, like a link database. He created a font based on the Gen X logo that was used during the majority of the series. His sites disappeared a couple years later and no one has been able to obtain his popular font... until now. Guess what, folks? I found a copy lying around my harddrive!
JUBILEE'S & SKIN'S ROAD TRIP
UDON, the collection of artists who has most recently contributed art to the Marvel/Burger King CD comics, will be producing a story for X-Men Unlimited telling what happened during Jubilee and Skin's time together in California after Generation X #75, according to Newsarama. The story is to be written by Ken Siu-chong with art by Christina Chen and TR2. “Ken [Siu-chong] had this great idea about Jubilee wanting to be a movie star, but she keeps getting typecasted in Asian roles,” editor Dave Bogart said. “She feels she’s being exploited and singled out, not because she’s a mutant this time, but because she’s Asian. I found that angle really cool, and I immediately wanted UDON to do it, because I wanted it to be over the top in the sense that in one scene she’s dressed as a Chinese prostitute, and in the next she’s in a Hong Kong action flick. It’s a very self-aware piece and shows her dilemma because she keeps only getting these set roles, because this is how society sees her. It deals with prejudice, and lets Jubilee see that mutants aren’t the only people on the planet facing it. It’s done in UDON’s wonderful style, which I thought would capture another dimension of the story.” It is unknown whether the story will detail in any part the circumstances surrounding Jubilee joining the X-Corps. A finished piece of art from the story has been released for public viewing. Click here to view it. It was also mentioned that a White Queen story is planned, written by David Connolly.
CHAMBER GETS HIS OWN SERIES
Well, I'll blame a busy academic career and the holidays for why I let this major bit of news slip by (before I forget, I'd like to thank "jOno sTArSmoRE" for the heads up on this scoop). It appears our friend Chamber will be getting his own X-Men Icons limited series. Art will be provided by former Mutant X artist Lee Ferguson and writing chores will be handled by Brian (Cyclops) Vaugh. A sketch of Chamber by Ferguson has been released for public viewing. Click here to view it.
EDITORIAL APPOLOGY
As recent e-mails have pointed out to me, I've continued to make the mistake of referring to the X-Corp uniforms as "Nazi-ish." My remarks have been based mainly upon the way the early drafts and first publicly released version of Uncanny X-Men #401's cover looked like, in which Banshee's costume carried an X in the center that seemed to have been transformed to look like the Nazi insignia. However, this is not the case now as obviously Marvel realized the errors of their way and changed the problem. Although I do not agree with the idea of Banshee or other Gen Xers being part of a military style organization, I will from this point on end my comparisons of the group to the Third Reich, unless future events in the pages of the comics force me to change my mind.
LOST COVER UNCOVERED!
I've been meaning to add this to the news for a long time, and I had time to do it today. A few months ago, I stumbled upon Jason Martin's website. Martin inked several issues of Generation X. At his site, lies an unpublished cover drawn by Jason Pearson and inked by Martin. It appears to be for an issue from Larry Hama's run, in all likelyhood issue #37 (which would explain it not being used as that was the issue that first featured Dodson's art, only he only did the issues cover). Click here to see the cover!
JUBILEE & HUSK JOIN X-CORPS
Still, I’m worried about X-Corps. I’m not a big fan of what Marvel’s doing to our Gen X characters. Now, Chamber is still fairly alright, though I still don’t believe he would have ever dated a Britney Spears wannabe and his costume seems much too close to having a style to it than Jono’s normal wear. Emma, although perfect in attitude, has been torn apart as far as her powers go. I also disagree with the decision to put her in a costume that shows more than it covers. Emma in Generation X was gaining maturity. She wasn’t a teenager or a mid-twenty woman, she was a mature mid-thirty gal going into her forties. Although she most certainly had the body for a suit like this, she had the sensibility to not wear such a thing in Generation X. But, oh well. As for Blink... I’m sorry, but I really wish we had never begun to chant “Bring back Blink!” Blink was only fun while she was dead. But I digress. Anyhow, I don’t think Banshee, Jubilee, or Husk would be on the X-Corps, a team the solicitation describes with adjectives like “militarism” and “less tolerant.” Tell me, do any one of you believe Jubilee would be in a military group that causes harm to other people? How about Husk who ran off at the end of Generation X #75 to save trees? Please, Marvel, you really don't need to ruin established characters. There are plenty of other characters that would have fit these roles; heck, you could have come up with all-new characters. So why must you ruin Gen Xers? Well, there’s three more Gen X characters down the drain and the issue hasn’t even come out yet. Might as well just give Marvel a list of characters they can still screw up. Hey, don’t forget to screw with Skin, Monet, and Penance! You still need to mess with them!
YOUNG WANTS GEN X TRADE
Ya know, it seems anymore when I read comic news there are three people in particular who don't mind entirely to say whatever they want and do whatever they want: Joe Quesada, Bill Jemas, and Larry Young. The first two you probably know, as Quesada is the editor-in-chief at Marvel and Jemas is it's president. Young, however, is from a different company, AiT/Planet Lar. Now, I must say, I love AiT/Planet Lar anymore. They're cool. Lots of TPBs and graphic novels, which I think are the best ways to read comics. Well, anyway, about a week or so ago, Jemas made the announcement that Marvel will publish The Authority if DC doesn't want to. This was a bold move. Now, Young has done something similar over at the Warren Ellis Forum... to Marvel, in regards to Generation X. "Can you tell Bill we'll happily publish Brian Wood's Generation X run as a trade, if he'll let that go? I'll even put the big ol' 'M' logo on the cover. 'Course, we'll get Pugh to draw Bri's last script, for consistency." It seems pretty obvious that, of any company, AiT/Planet Lar would want Wood's Generation X. After all, they've published or republished almost everything Wood has done except for Gen X. The plan, if agreed to, would also have AiT/Planet Lar publishing Steve Grant's run on X-Man. A small note, though. Issue #75 wasn't the only issue Pugh didn't draw, he also didn't draw #69 (that was Alan Evans who did an awesome job, even doing an article at WizardWorld.Com about his work on the issue) and #73 (that was Ron Lim). So I do think, although it would be cool to see all the comics drawn by Pugh, might be unneccessary. Why not just get Pugh to do the cover and a few pin-ups? But, hey, I'm just happy about the idea of a trade paperback.
IS THIS BANSHEE?
It seems retarded to post comic news this week what with all of the events in NYC, I know. But if I don't post this now, I'm going to completely forget to a week from now. As some of you may or may not know, Uncanny X-Men #401 will introduce the X-Corps, a European extension of the X-Men. Banshee is scheduled to be the leader of the group. However, the first alleged picture of Banshee's new look, along with the designs for his teammates the Blob and Avalanche (former members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants) have hit the net via The Xavier Institute. I'll have to presume these designs are by Rob Garney, the new Uncanny artist. My opinion of the suits? Crappy. Banshee looks like a Nazi. I'm not kidding, look at the picture. Everything from his coat to his collar to his boots to even the X-logo make him look like a Nazi! Plus he's teaming with Avalanche and the Blob... boy, this does not look good at all. Click here to check out Banshee's design. Go to The Xavier Institute to see designs of the Blob and Avalanche.
JUBILEE'S EVOLUTION LOOK
In the most recent issue of Wizard: The Guide to Comics (#121, on sale now), Steve Gordon, the art director and head designer of X-Men Evolution, walks us through what it took to create many of the Evolution characters in season 2, specifically Jubilee and the New Mutants. The design process for Jubilee was a very long process it would seem, taking her through at least five different forms. "She usually had goggles in the comics," Gordon said, "and we figured we'd give it a try, but no one seemed to stick on the idea. Glasses are hard to deal with in animation, so we try and avoid them whenever we can." Gordon and his crew also decided to ditch Jubilee's comic threads for a more current look. "We wanted to keep her clothes realistic. We didn't want to create a completely new fashion statement like they did in the comic. There was a lot of flipping through magazines and stuff to try and come up with these designs." In the end, Jubilee was given long, dark hair, and emphasis on her Asian origins, and a very some very trendy new clothes. "Marvel wanted Jubilee to look as much like Lucy Liu as possible. So the simplest way to make her look like Lucy Liu was to give her long hair. If we gave her short hair, it just wouldn't pass. No one would recognize Lucy Liu with short hair." To see a picture of Evolution's Jubilee and her gradual development, click here. X-Men Evolution season 2 debuts this fall on the Kids WB!
NYX CONTROVERSY
It appears NYX may see the light of day... just not the way we thought it would and not with the same creative team. While speaking to Newsarama, Marvel President and Chief Operating Officer Bill Jemas hinted to the idea that he may end up writing NYX. "I have a very specific ideas about NYX, a story about mutants living in the underbelly of New York," Jemas said. "These are not flashy mutants like the X-Men or villains with great powers; these are mutants with hardly noticeable abilities who just want to get by. That's a story we have not told." Joe Quesada later rang in on the topic seperately. "The original idea for NYX was Bill's. It was originally planned to be part of the Ultimate launch. It was first offered to Paul Jenkins who had no time in his schedule for it at the time. I came up with the name NYX. We later offered the gig to Brian, changed it from Ultimates to MAX, but it didn't work out." When a poster at a message board commented about the fact that we don't need another X-title, Quesada agreed. "I agree 100%, that's why I told Bill that if and when he gets to this, if it's not new and interesting, we're not doing it. Despite the fact that he's my boss, in matters like this he does bow to my preferences." It was also revealed that Brian Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man) said he was planning on writing the group into one of his Marvel titles. Jemas apparently said that was fine but that he still is planning to write the characters himself. Shortly after Generation X was canceled, it was revealed that Brian Wood and independant artist David Choe were planning on writing the first MAX title called NYX, standing for New York X-Men. The series would star Jubilee, Rogue, Gambit, and several new characters living together in the heart of New York. But shortly after Wood announced to the world the series, it was then announced that Wood and Choe had been dismissed. It is unknown at this time who will draw the series or if any of the characters Wood's NYX had would star as well. It is also unknown when the series will hit stands, though it could be assumed that most likely it would hit stands somewhere in 2002. Now, ladies and gentlemen... this is crime. We know the truth now. We know who's to blame. Marvel has once again destroyed a promising comic by thinking that they know what's best for it. This is a MAX title. They should realise then that such a title could only be sold at comic shops where the fans exist, and the truth of the matter is, every comic fan I've talked to so far thinks this is a tragedy and that Wood and Choe had the perfect take on the series. I hope, years down the road, Marvel appologizes to Wood for what they are doing now. Right now, I would rather NYX never see the light of day than to see the light of day without Wood and Choe. UPDATE: Over on the GenXfans mailing list, Brian Wood has been asked numerous questions as of late in regards to the NYX news. One little factoid: Jubilee, Gambit, and Rouge apparently had to be on the team when he was pitch. "One of the stipulations of this book was that it HAD to star those three characters," he said. Interesting, is it not? One must wonder if this is still a rule that Jubilee must be in the book.
BANSHEE'S X-CORPS!!!
ComicsContinuum.Com is reporting from the Chicago Comic Con this morning that, not only will Uncanny X-Men #401 introduce Rob Garney as the new, regular artist and be completely silent (in other words, no words, just art) but it will also introduce Banshee's new group, the X-Corps. "The X-Corps are sort of like Euro-Disney," Casey said. "They operate right out of Paris, they're not very popular and they're very corporate. To see this sort of clash of ideologies is what that story is about. To see how are camp of X-Men deal with Banshee's version of the X-Men. Some of the Generation X characters will show up, and a lot of villains who you haven't seen are also part of this organization." Wow, Banshee and other Gen Xers back! I bet Monet is part of the team, cause she is French speaking (she's from Algeria). Paige, too, perhaps? I mean, Paige didn't have a heck of a lot on her plate when she left the team. Cross your fingers, people, this may end up being to Generation X what X-Force is to New Mutants!
JUBILEE IN EVOLUTION
For those of you who haven't had a reason to watch the WB's X-Men Evolution, the second season this fall may have that reason for you. Jubilee, along with eight other characters, will be introduced as a new student attending Bayville High. Her role will be that of a supporting character. It is unknown at this time what episodes Jubilee will appear in.
NEW WOOD INTERVIEW ONLINE
Over at ComicCon.Com, an interesting interview with former Generation X scribe Brian Wood has been posted. In the interview he talks about his up-coming projects (Couscous Expess, Pounded), his Channel Zero sequels (Jeanie One and The Walk), and, most interesting to X-Men fans, NYX, a project which was abandoned by Marvel. NYX, for those of you who don't know, was intended to be the first book published under Marvel's MAX line and was to be written by Brian Wood with art by David Choe. "I don't think anyone really knows the full story of what happened behind the scenes, but as a result of all of it, there are maybe one or two people at that whole company that will answer my e-mails now. It's very clear to me that the editorial staff was either told not to talk to me, or they were told enough things about me to make them not want to talk to me. Even people I worked with for a year on Gen X won't answer my e-mails, which is pretty fucked up. I saw a whole bunch of them at San Diego, and it was so painfully obvious that they were trying as hard as they could to avoid me. I wish people would grow up and get over it. It makes me laugh almost - the whole thing is so stupid and so blown out of proportion." To read the full interview, click here.
GET READY FOR FAERBER TV!
I've known about this for a while, but it's finally official so I figure I'll mention it on my site too (because, hey, there's not much news any more and this is a cool bit of news anyhow). Former Generation X writer Jay Faerber has inked a deal with Goodman/Rosen Productions (Highlander: The Series, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World) for his Nobel Causes to be adapted into a television series. Nobel Causes, which hasn't even hit stands yet, explores the celebrity side of being a hero. Check out 2kComics.Com for more details.
DODSON’S NEW GEN X PICS
Believe it or not, there are still Terry Dodson drawings of Generation X you’ve never seen before. At his website, Dodson has added new pictures of Monet and Gaia, along with a wallpaper that makes use of those two pictures. The pictures are quite beautiful and are worth taking a look. UPDATE: Well, it looks like Dodson's at it again. Here's the official word from the man himself: "Just wanted to let you know there a bunch of Gen X sketches up on the site in the Gallery section. These were done while I was on the book still. They include all the "Rising Sons" designs and the villain that showed up in issue #51 which I only drew on the cover and never again. He actually looks very similar to one of the bad guys in OWAW going on now over at DC."
PORTMAN NOT JUBILEE
I’ve been alerted to a rumor that Natalie Portman, star of The Phantom Menace and Anywhere But Here will supposedly be playing Jubilee in the next X-Men movie. I can guarantee there is absolutely no truth to this rumor as Portman is currently planning on not doing any new movies other than the Star Wars sequels during her time in college unless they were to be filmed during the summer. With current plans for X-Men 2 to be planned for filming early 2002, I would doubt she would have the time to star in the film.
JUBILEE IN X-MEN 2!
Corona Coming Attractions recently has gotten a script review of a rough draft of X-Men 2. According to the reviewer, the script is very good and just happens to also introduce two new members to the team, Jubilee and Shadowcat. Isn't that exciting? However, there is no mentioning of the Beast which is strange but given that it's a rough draft I'm sure he'll get worked in. But Jubilee! Yay! No word, though, if Katrina Florece will portray her again or if they'll go for a more established actress.
KILLING GEN X MORE
As a faithful follower of Generation X since the beginning, I’d like to admit to several things. I admit that at times I’m a tad too obsessed with the comic. I admit that at times I pay too much for certain issues for the sake of just having it because Penance may appear in it for only one panel. I admit that I read every issue of Larry Hama’s run at least twice, even though I hated every single issue. As one would imagine, I’m a huge fan whose love for the comic may only be matched by fellow webmaster Tigrr Wildcat (who is solely responsible for supplying half of the Internet population with the Generation X Coloring Book). Obviously, when Generation X was cancelled, I was disappointed. But when I discovered Marvel’s new plans for the characters, I was more than disappointed. I was angered. Marvel has decided to destroy the characters we love and hold dear. Let us examine the facts. Several characters will be going into comic book Limbo, which is fine in my opinion because that’s how they were designed. Skin was supposed to quit being a hero when he was done with school and hit the road, Monet was supposed to go back to Europe, and Chamber would go back to England with his powers more under control. And this for the most part did happen. But three characters have escaped Limbo and are being killed as we watch. Let us begin with the painfully obvious, Emma Frost, our White Queen. I am not complaining about her looks at all, though I do think the costume is ridiculous and, in real life, I think Emma’s getting a tad too old and sensible to wear such a thing in combat. But a major problem as I see it is Emma’s change powers. According to Wizard #117, Emma has apparently lost her telepathic abilities and will have the ability “to turn into organic diamond” and will have advanced strength. My question is... why?! Why not use Husk or Monet or create a new character? Why do we have to change an already existing character? It seems pointless. They’re also reverting Emma back to her previous “evil” mood, which makes me sigh again as I realize that all the character development accomplished with her in the pages of Generation X is being ignored. Chamber is another character I have a strong problem with. Rather than his mood being tampered with, though, it’s his look. No longer does he wear a scarf to hide and control his powers, he now lets his energy emissions run wild. This seems reckless, and although I do think the Jono should be trying to not care so much about the fact that he’s a mutant, I think his powers could be very dangerous to himself and others if not controlled. If you want to give him a “hip, up-to-date” look, then fine, give him one of those blast-plates he had in the Age of Apocalypse storyline. But don’t let his powers run wild. And where’s his jacket? It’s his trademark, and they’re taking it away. No reason other than the fact that they want him to look less gothic. Just goes to show political correctness is everywhere today. Then there’s Blink. I’m sorry, I know I should be happy that she’s got a series now, but I’m very disappointed at the same time to see Marvel has finally let her be brought back. Why not leave her dead? Do we not remember how truly important her death was to us? And yet now with her back it means nothing, as if her death were just another one of those super-hero deaths like Superman’s or Wolverine’s. So who do I blame? Joe Quesada. He gave creators too much freedom and he must’ve thought the X-Men movie was so goo that he had to make the comics mimic it rather than vice-versa. Mind you, I will buy these series out of habit. I collected the stuff in the times of Hama, I will collect it today in the times of Quesada. And although I know Wizard and Fandom will say that these new X-books are the best things since sliced bread, this is one fan who will need a lot more than pretty pictures and big-time creators to impress him.
So, ever wanted to see what a mature-reader version of Jubilee and other X-Men characters would have been like? Well, too bad for you, cause Marvel's not going to let Brian Wood's NYX get made. The planned mature-reader title would have centered around humans and mutants living in New York trying to get along and live a good life. The title would have stared Jubilee, Gambit, and Rogue in a series of out-of-continuity stories. It was to have art supplied by David Choe. But then Marvel decided that the title would not have worked and scrapped the idea. That's the short version of the story. The long version shows how a group of fans who are now angry at Marvel for not letting this great story idea get made. It envolves two creators who put a lot of work into their story, only to see it never get made. It started with an interview over at PopImage.Com with David Choe. When asked about what his upcoming project with Brian Wood would be, he said "The X-Men New York Stories. It's gonna be out in August under Marvel Comics new Mature Line. Wood's writing, I'm rocking the covers, and my boys from 38th street and the Crabshack Project will be taking care of the guts with my help. It's taking place in New York, and Rogue, Gambit, and Jubilee are the key players, that's all you get for now." But the following day Brian Wood posted a message on his forum, Wood revealed the devastating news. "In an interview at PopImage, artist Dave Choe mentions a Mature Readers X-book he and I are developing for Marvel. Shortly before this interview went live, the project was killed. "The book was to be called NYX, a cute little abbreviation for New York X-Men. It was designed to be a real life drama, young mutants in the city, scrambling to exist. They weren't part of a team, or any sort of group. Some of them didn’t even know they were mutants yet. They were just kids down on their luck, scamming to eat and to have a warm place to sleep. No costumes, no villains. Just survival. "We were to mix normal humans in with the mutants, and explore that relationship. How do mutants and normals that aren't part of the whole Xavier/Magneto equation act around each other? If they are all living under one roof, depending on each other, how do their differences play out? "The main characters of NYX were: Rogue, Gambit, and Jubilee. Dave Choe and I created three other characters, normals, to round out the cast. Since this was part of the Mature Line and therefore out of normal continuity, we were given some leeway with the mutant characters. We were able to tweak their looks a bit, their backgrounds and histories, as long as they were still, at their core, Gambit, Rogue and Jubilee. "I think the general impression was that we went too far and made them a little too "different", even for a Mature Readers title. In my mind I delivered just what I was asked for at the start, but the project was axed as I was writing the plot for #1. "Now, this sucks. This was a truly special book, not only because of the non-Marvel creative team of me and Dave Choe, but because it was such an honest, real book. I wrote them as real as I could, drawing on personal life experiences, and those of friend's and family. This was a book about race and class and power, and about loss and sorrow and poverty. It was a love story, with Gambit and Rogue. It was about politics and anger and homelessness. It was everything I wanted to do with Gen X but couldn’t. It was in many ways a "dream project" of mine. Dave and I were ready to kick out the jams with this. It would have been this smart, lush, painfully real look at what its like to be young and on the edges of society. I had such great plans for this book. We both did. "I gotta thank Jenny Lee and Mira Lew, my co-editors who were involved in this, especially Jenny who spent seven straight days with me at the end refining and tweaking and really making a huge push to make this book happen. She was the one to break the news to me, as I can tell she is just as disappointed as I am. "But this book will happen. Dave and I will do this, under a different title and with a modified cast, but its too great a book to just drop. Not with the couple dozen pages of plot material and character designs here. It can't die." A bit later in the week, Joe Quesada, Marvel’s editor-in-chief, decided he should tell the public his version of the story over at the Marvel Comic forums. "NYX was originally developed way back when I started as EIC (6 months ago) as an idea by Bill Jemas as our fourth and final Ultimate title. Bill was looking for a real urban book with powered down mutants mixing in with normal kids. The idea was that while to others the big villain in life was Magneto, to these kids the big villain was "how do we get money for food?" I came up with the name NYX and the whole Alphabet City, squatters angle. We looked at it and then we took a look at the "New" X-Men line and figured that it was going to be redundant with all the other stuff we were doing, so we scrapped it. At one point I called up Paul Jenkins and asked him if he would like to try his hand at it, to see if he could find an angle that would separate it. We wrestled with it for a bit, even toying with the idea of using the kids from Inhumans #2 instead of some of the young X-Men characters. Anyway, it just didn't fly. "As we started to look for concepts for the adult line we revisited NYX not sure if we should try to incorporate it in the adult line, the regular Marvel U or back into Ultimates. We sat with Brian for an hour or so and came to the conclusion to make it a mature title. We asked Brian to give us a treatment and we asked David to do concept sketches. This happens all the time when your proposing a project. That leads me to the answer some of you are asking for. "NYX was not canceled, it wasn't even a book yet, it was a proposal! An idea that we were digging into! We have hundreds of proposals that come down the line and near hundreds that get rejected. Brian gave us a treatment and we passed, it happens all the time. I've got unused proposals on my desk from some of the best creators in the industry sitting on my desk, it's part of the biz. "So now we have fans hating books before they've read the actual stories and at the same time hating us for canceling stories they've never read. You can't win in this biz, folks! "There was nothing in NYX subject matter wise that we objected to, as a matter of fact you'll see much harsher and direct stuff in the new imprint. Truth be told, you will probably see the NYX concept come to pass somewhere down the road, just not at this juncture." Now our story must return to Brian Wood’s message board, as he then put in his thoughts about Quesada’s comments. "This confuses me even more, because not only were we talking to colorists for the book, it was also placed on the publishing schedule for late September and I was asked to write the plot for the first issue (as well as an outline for the first 6-issue arc and notes for the next arc). In my experience those things aren't typical at the initial proposal stage. "We were all moving ahead with this project with every indication that it was approved. If it was in fact NOT approved, no one I was in contact with seemed to know anything about it.” Back over to the Marvel Comic’s forum, as Quesada replies to that message. "This book has been placed on the publishing schedule from time to time as we toyed with the idea. When we all decided to go for the Mature Readers imprint it was placed in a September slot with all the rest of the Mature titles, even those that may not hit the September deadline or may not hit at all. "I'm sure Brian or David discussed colorist with the editor, we were thinking about moving ahead, that's what you do with proposals that you think you might go with, but as I said, we have many projects like these that never see the light of day. You can call it a canceled idea but not a canceled comic. I'm also sure that Brian was asked to start on a first draft of a script. This also happens many times, as a matter of fact I have a few canceled concepts with first and sometimes second issue plots in my drawer (mostly X-Men stuff). That's why we have kill fees. "Brian and David are talented guys who we would love to work with in the future. It's unfortunate but NYX was just something that, at the end of the day, we decided not to go with.” The story ends there... for now. More news as it comes.
WHAT WE DIDN'T SEE
An interesting find on eBay: an alternate version of Generation X #46's first page. It's still drawn by Arron Lopresti and still has Emma and Banshee, but look at how different their poses are. Banshee is rubbing his neck rather than straightening his tie. You can see Emma's bra. Emma's holding up a finger rather than her entire hand. And even the background is different. So why was it replaced? Who knows. It was obviously replaced early on, though, since the page on eBay never got inked. To see the auction, click here. 
JUBILEE IN X-MEN 2?
According to E! Online columnist Anderson Jones, not only is X-Men 2 on the fast-track for a 2002 release, but it will also feature Jubilee as a new member of the team. Other new members are rumored to be Gambit and Beast. It is unknown whether Katrina Florence, who portrayed Jubilee in the first X-Men would portray her in the sequel, though it is assumed that if she were offered she would accept.
NEW MAHFOOD PIC ONLINE
For those of you who're tired of waiting for the sequel for Generation X: Underground, Jim Mahfood has something for you over at 40ozComics.Com: a picture of Chamber and Wolverine. Click here to see the picture.
GEN X WINS BEMMIE
Well, it appears that even though Gen X is cancelled, it's still recieving praise. Gen X has been named "Best Cancelled Series" for 2000's Bemmie Awards. "This is always a sad category to have to judge, for every year there are a number of books whose imminent demise brings a dab of moisture to our eyes. This year was especially cruel, though, as Marvel took the bloody axe to a number of its mutant titles, and while we can understand the logic and in many cases approved of the parings, there are always a few that make us sad. This year Generation X was that book -- ever since The New Mutants, we've enjoyed reading about a school for teenage mutants, and obviously that's a concept that's strong enough that it popped up in both the X-Men movie and in the latest cartoon. But with the demise of Generation X, where will young mutants go to learn to harness their powers? Besides, any book with both Jubilee and Emma Frost in it can't be all that bad, can it?"
GEN X #71'S ORIGINAL ENDING
According to Brian Wood on his message boards, the ending that got printed in Generation X #71 was not how he originally wanted it. "As you may or may not know, the ending presented in Gen X 71 was not the orginal ending. After a 4 hour discussion with my editor, I agreed to compromise a bit and tweak it slightly. But here is the original dialogue for the end, just for fun." I suggest getting your issue #71 out and going to the last page. This starts after the fourth panel. MONET; SO WHAT’S THE PROBLEM THEN? YOU JUST DON’T SEEM VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT. He drops the note out the window. It flies away into the night. JONO; JUST SAVING MYSELF THE INEVITABLE PAIN, MONET. IT’S BETTER THIS WAY. SHE’S TOO GOOD FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME. External shot on the car on the highway. JONO; AND IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SHE REALIZES THAT FOR HERSELF.
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Emma Frost will be getting her very own mini-series come July! Titled, appropriately, Emma Frost, the six-issue mini-series will be written Karl Boller, with interiors by Randy Green and covers by Greg Horn. Here's the rest of the article:
EXILES #22
It appears that Jubilee and Husk will be joining Banshee’s X-Corps in Uncanny X-Men #403, if not earlier. Marvel released the cover for the issue and, sure enough, there’s Jubilee blowing some bubble gum and Paige who... man, she needs to do something with her hair. Marvel also seems to have gotten a clue about the costumes looking too Nazi-ish, as you can see by the lack of the zig-zag X on their costumes.
