BRUBAKER AND FRACTION TALK ABOUT UNCANNY DAYS TO COME

[MattBrady]

by Steve Ekstrom

On Saturday, at Wizard World Los Angeles, Marvel Comics announced during their X-Men panel that Matt Fraction would be joining Ed Brubaker as co-writer on Uncanny X-Men with issue #500. Joined by artists Greg Land and Terry Dodson, the writers will spell each other off on the series, with Fraction picking up the ball on issues #501-#503, and then Brubaker taking things from there.

Even with all the success the X-Men have garnered, times are very bleak for the very few mutants remaining on earth. With the current “Divided We Stand” storylines spanning the entire X-book line-up and the remaining vestiges of Charles Xavier’s students finding themselves scattered across the globe—can the X-Men save all of mutantkind from extinction with a Secret Invasion looming over the Marvel Universe and scores of villains new and old knocking on their door?

Newsarama contacted Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker to discuss their collaborative efforts on Uncanny.

Newsarama: Matt, when you think about the X-Men before actually writing with Ed on the book, what do you think are some of the core elements that make this book and these individuals unique?

Matt Fraction: These people were once the future, and now they're standing on the verge of extinction. And they still defend a world that hates and despises them. The ones that believe in tomorrow are running on faith and fighting off doubt. What's to keep them holding on? That crux at the core of all the characters, in all of its different forms, is what we're going to be looking at. There's a wildly new status quo that speaks to the very heart of who the X-Men are, and who they've always been. Facing the end of the mutant genetic line only serves to magnify that.

Oh! And stuff blows up; everybody has lots of sex, and then dies.

Ed Brubaker: And yet it's still light-hearted. Thus with all the sex.

NRAMA: How do the two of you see the mutant universe in the days to come following Secret Invasion? Is it going to keep being hard to be a mutant?

MF: It's never been more difficult to be a mutant. It's one thing to be sworn to defend a world that hates and despises you; it's entirely another to be dwindling away to nothing while the world can't bring itself to care. Mutants are just another species on its way to extinction—Secret Invasion or no, that's an impossible place to be.

EB: And part of what's happening with the X-Men, starting in Uncanny #499 is that they're changing how they approach that. How they deal with being nearly extinct.

NRAMA: Are there any old-school villains the two of you would like to bring back into the limelight in Uncanny? Has there been any collaboration between the two of you to create new villains for the X-Men so far?

MF: We're bringing back some awesome old-school guys, creating new twists and remixing some old favorites, and then making up all new ones to keep the knives twisting.

EB: Please—we have the Immortal Weapons of the Seven Lost Cities of Mutants.

NRAMA: Matt, do you have any favorite X-characters that you'd like to have in Uncanny while you're on the title?

MF: I have a particular fondness for the Claremont/Sienkiewicz New Mutants run; any time one of them pops up you can probably be certain that was me dorking out in a story meeting.

EB: I have already shot down Longshot and Magus a number of times. But there's only so much one man can do.

NRAMA: Ed, with Uncanny X-Men #500 closing in on us in four months, can you honestly say--with the reappearance of Magneto—that a showdown with the X-Men is not far from occurring?

MF: He's got no powers! What the hell kind of a showdown is that?

All new! All different! A group of super-powered thirty-somethings beats the holy hell out of some poor old man—because you demanded it! This senses-shattering expose of violence against senior citizens was so sensational, so scintillating, that only the 500th issue of The Uncanny X-Men could contain it all! Face front, true believers—time to put the boot in to grandpa! Suck it, pops!

EB: Yeah, it's really about taking the whole "Mutie hatred" vibe and twisting it to ageism, to show everyone how wrong that is. I think that's what Matt was getting at.

NRAMA: [laughs] Okay, okay. After reading the last few years of stories, with the Civil War and the current climate of hatred towards mutants escalating in the entire line of books--could an actual "Days of Futures Past" type of storyline be that far off? Could readers of these books currently actually see something as catastrophic as mutant concentration camps and Sentinels on every corner? Or is it safer to say that the paranoia of an event like that happening is more provocative of story device?

MF: Camps? Plural? There's less than 200 mutants left. You don't need camps. You'd need a Camp. One. And a small one at that. Next time you're at a full movie theater on a Friday night, look around and think-- these are all the mutants left in the world. This is worse than "Days of Future Past." This is extinction. This is the end of an entire species. "Days of Future Past" is a Sunday afternoon picnic compared to where the X-Men are right now. There is no more future left to fear or hope for. The end isn't near, it's here.

How do you have faith that a tomorrow will come? How can you believe in the future, in spite of all that? That's our playing field.

EB: Yeah, and I think the places we're going to take the book will really surprise our readers. Because to live at all, as people, they have to believe there's going to be a future. And hell, that's a metaphor that goes for all of us, these days, I guess. Look at the news; look at the weather and global warming. Fear of the future and how to save it for ourselves is something that's becoming almost primal, I think.

NRAMA: If you the two of you could each pick two characters to tell readers to keep an eye on in the months to come--who would they be?

MF: Cyclops and Emma. And Pixie.

EB: Dazzler—wait, did I just say Dazzler? Oh my god.

NRAMA: Do the two of you think that the X-Men titles would function better if they were set up like Amazing Spider-Man is now (three times a month with rotating teams) or do you think that each book separately defines certain characters and tones? Is there a possibility of seeing Uncanny X-Men two of three times a month as well?

MF: No... I think that post Messiah Complex each of the X books has a very discreet mission statement and style. I think maybe for the first time in a long while, maybe ever; the books have unique identities that distinguish them from one another and fulfill a unique role in revealing an aspect of the X tapestry.

EB: That said, the hope is with both me and Matt writing, and the fantastic team of artists we've got onboard, that we may get the book out more often than monthly. Nothing is finalized yet, but it's certainly a possibility, and something we're shooting for.

NRAMA: In one sentence, both of you give readers something to mull over about Uncanny X-Men until convention season really starts rolling.

MF: "Stuff blows up, everybody has lots of sex, and then dies."

EB: I don't think there's anything to add to that. Oh wait, some of them don't die.

[SpaceButler]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

NRAMA: Ed, with Uncanny X-Men #500 closing in on us in four months, can you honestly say--with the reappearance of Magneto—that a showdown with the X-Men is not far from occurring?

MF: He's got no powers! What the hell kind of a showdown is ?

All new! All different! A group of super-powered thirty-somethings beats the holy hell out of some poor old man—because you demanded it! This senses-shattering expose of violence against senior citizens was so sensational, so scintillating, that only the 500th issue of The Uncanny X-Men could contain it all! Face front, true believers—time to put the boot in to grandpa! Suck it, pops!

Fraction always cracks me up. This is going to be great.

[Supremeo]

greg land's work is very good

[mister_groin]

I'd be excited about this if Greg Land wasn't involved. Can't stand his work.

[Punchy]

I guess I'm buying X-Men then.

[CaptainCanad]

I'd be more excited if Land wasn't involved. Brubaker, Fraction, and Dodson might just convince me to overlook my hatred for him; or maybe I'll just buy the non-Land issues.

It's awesome to have Fraction doing more work with Brubaker.

[House of J]

Sounds great! Now if only I hadn't enjoyed reading that interview more than the last half a dozen or so issues of Uncanny...

[Samy Merchi]

Lots of writers profess love for New Mutants, but I'm not seeing that materializing in a book. All talk, no action. Enough talking crap, let's have an ongoing already. I'm tired of everybody just talking about them and nobody doing a book for them.

[red-maverick]

Originally Posted by SpaceButler

Fraction always cracks me up. This is going to be great.

I loled at that part to. Yeah I'm definitely stoked about this. Brubaker's writing post-MC was really good so far and Fraction on top of that is great.

[red-maverick]

Originally Posted by Samy Merchi

Lots of writers profess love for New Mutants, but I'm not seeing that materializing in a book. All talk, no action. Enough talking crap, let's have an ongoing already. I'm tired of everybody just talking about them and nobody doing a book for them.

Well give it a chance, maybe they're not telling you straight up because they want to surprise you. Plus would you be okay with it if they were to split up all those New Mutants among the different X-books because it looks like that's what they're doing.

I mean Rhane is on X-Force. Sam will definitely be on an X-team and allready has been for a while. Magma may or may not have a large part in Young X-men, etc.

[theNameless]

I really like Fraction but they've got to either stop throwing the word extinction around or better yet actually do something with it. The only time we've seen a true story out of it was "endangered species". And that was a snoozer. They might as well have called it "now we're really, really, really depowered." It could have been addressed in one issue.

Its a cool word to associate to the new status quo but it hasn't really changed much has it?

[Dreighton]

2 writers....and 2 artists......on Uncanny

No announcements on X-men Legacy on the far future..just for the next few issues

I still think X-men: Legacy gets canceled and Uncanny goes to bi-monthly.

But with Land and Dodson as the artists....that means monthly...at best.

Seriously....does no one at Marvel read Wonder Woman? I loved Dodson's art...WHEN it came out. Sure dumping the first writer helped....but WW didn't get to a monthly output under Dodson.

Oh, and I hat Land as anything more then a cover artist...even then he's just tracing a porn star, Hollywood actor or WWF wrestler.

[Samy Merchi]

Originally Posted by red-maverick

Well give it a chance, maybe they're not telling you straight up because they want to surprise you. Plus would you be okay with it if they were to split up all those New Mutants among the different X-books because it looks like that's what they're doing.

I agree, it does look like that's what they're doing, and you're right, I wouldn't be happy with that.

The reason why I wouldn't be happy with it is, because as long as they're in an X-Men book, they will *always* be playing second fiddle to the older X-Men. Cyclops and Wolverine will *always* be the ones who get to lead the team, get to take down the main bad guy, get to have all the best moments. I have no desire to see my favorite characters be treated as "backup" for Cyclops and Wolverine. I want them in their own book, where they can be the *main* characters, where *they* get to lead, take down the main baddies, have all the best moments.

But no, they just get scattered around and passed around like cheap bongs at a frat party. Sigh. They deserve more respect than that.

[red-maverick]

Originally Posted by Samy Merchi

I agree, it does look like that's what they're doing, and you're right, I wouldn't be happy with that.

The reason why I wouldn't be happy with it is, because as long as they're in an X-Men book, they will *always* be playing second fiddle to the older X-Men. Cyclops and Wolverine will *always* be the ones who get to lead the team, get to take down the main bad guy, get to have all the best moments. I have no desire to see my favorite characters be treated as "backup" for Cyclops and Wolverine. I want them in their own book, where they can be the *main* characters, where *they* get to lead, take down the main baddies, have all the best moments.

But no, they just get scattered around and passed around like cheap bongs at a frat party. Sigh. They deserve more respect than that.

I wouldn't say they've been treated that badly, ok well most of them have but I also haven't seen Wolverine having great moments other than in his own book. After all Wolverine got beat up a lot of times in Messiah Complex. However before Messiah Complex, Sam has a pretty big moment as he's being entrusted with saving the X-men against the Marauders/Sinister and he ends up being pretty kick ass. Sam is my favourite New Mutant by the way. Plus Wolfsbane hasn't been treated badly at all. Besides the older X-men shouldn't just have their asses kicked all the time either.

Edit: Actually nevermind you're pretty much right, they haven't been used that much or necessarily treated well. But the newest generation needs some love to.

[Clem]

Didn't Magneto get his powers back after that Xorn mess in New Avengers?

[mrorangesoda]

Originally Posted by CaptainCanad

I'd be more excited if Land wasn't involved. Brubaker, Fraction, and Dodson might just convince me to overlook my hatred for him; or maybe I'll just buy the non-Land issues.

It's awesome to have Fraction doing more work with Brubaker.

This is how I feel. They have 3 of my favorite creators working on one project, then bring in one of my least favorite. What I find really unfortunate is that I used to really like Land pre-Marvel work... Argh.
Well, money saved I s'pose.

[Samy Merchi]

Originally Posted by red-maverick

Actually nevermind you're pretty much right, they haven't been used that much or necessarily treated well. But the newest generation needs some love to.

I don't mind the newest generation getting love. They can keep pimping Armor, Surge, Nezhno, Pixie and everybody they want across the entire X-line for all I care.

All I ask is one book -- *one book* -- *ONE* book -- where the New Mutants get to be the *stars*. *Just*. *One*. *Book*.

[stasisbal]

I'm very happy with all these announcements.

My only complaint is that someone in editorial should let Greg Land know that Pixie is a young girl. Having an artist that actually drew those kids as kids spoiled me.

[Samy Merchi]

Every porn star grew into it from being a young girl.

Wait, not Ron Jeremy. But everybody else.

[mastadge]

Originally Posted by Samy Merchi

All I ask is one book -- *one book* -- *ONE* book -- where the New Mutants get to be the *stars*. *Just*. *One*. *Book*.

Disagreed. I'm all for integration. When the "New Mutants," "Generation X," etc. graduate, they become full X-Men far as I'm concerned. As far as the comics, they should just be added to the pool of X-Men. I don't want necessarily to see a team of just the original New Mutants -- rather, I'd like to see a little less emphasis on older characters. Enough in-jokes about how busy Logan is being on every team. Just stick him on one team. There's more than enough X-Men to go around without the original classes dominating so much. I've been very pleased to see Sam Guthrie taking good roles (up to MC, anyway). That's how it should be done. Integration of those characters as full X-Men.

[Samy Merchi]

Originally Posted by mastadge

Disagreed. I'm all for integration. When the "New Mutants," "Generation X," etc. graduate, they become full X-Men far as I'm concerned. As far as the comics, they should just be added to the pool of X-Men.

Well, you can call the book "Incredible X-Men" and have them be full X-Men. But I really don't want to see them in a book with Cyclops, Storm and Wolverine, and constantly getting to play second fiddle to "the main X-Men".

If they'd let Dani lead a team with Wolverine, Banshee, Colossus and Nightcrawler on it, then yeah, sure, I'll be for integration.

I'm not holding my breath for that day, though.

Under Nicieza, Sam became one of *the* best leaders any X-team has ever seen. And how many times has he gotten to display that in the last *ten years* he's been with the X-Men? A big fat goddamn ZERO.

[God-Man]

"Ohhhhhhhhh yeahhhhh, pull those chains harder baby..."

[Floodnado]

God, I want to be excited about this so much. Fraction and Dodson being on the book is great news and I'm completely excited about friggin' Pixie (of all characters) being added to the cast since I absolutely love her.

On the other hand, Greg Land is awful and it's ridiculous that he's not blackballed from the industry or something. There's more than a few instances of him re-using previously traced material in that black and white image... hell, the Pixie drawing is virtually the same "porn star Scarlet Witch" one from Ultimate Power which is creepy as hell.

In short, Greg Land sucks and I hope he's not on the book for longer than arc.

[BoosterGold]

i miss morrisons run.

[Flicker]

Lots of sex? Finally, Greg Land's years of tracing people's O-faces will pay off!