LEGACIES AND ORIGINS COLLIDE: MIKE CARY & DANIEL WAY TALK

[MattBrady]

by Steve Ekstrom

During the Mondo Marvel Panel at Wizard World Philadelphia on Friday—Marvel touched upon the upcoming convergence of X-Men: Legacy and Wolverine: Origins. It seems Professor Xavier and Wolverine—both men who are seeking answers will find that some of the questions they are individually asking will lead them head on into one another. Also, Marvel went on to release that Mike Deodato will be joining Daniel Way on Wolverine: Origins as the regular artist.

Newsarama contacted Mike Carey, Daniel Way, John Barber, and Nick Lowe to discuss the upcoming storyline that sends Logan and Charles Xavier barreling across one another’s paths.

Newsarama: Current events in Wolverine: Origins and X-Men Legacy aren't running parallel—they seem more like they are more in the "head on collision" department—care to elaborate?

Daniel Way: I’d say that’s a very accurate description, actually. Both Wolverine and Professor X have been digging into their pasts; Professor X with his mind and Wolverine with his claws. It has now become clear that each of them is holding puzzle pieces that the other needs in order to continue their journey. But will they help one another? And, even if they do, will it actually “help”…or just unearth more painful memories and harm done? The mind is a scary place—what may seem to be a step toward enlightenment could easily become a plunge into oblivion.

Mike Carey: Yeah, and the damage could take in other people too, because the memories and events we’re talking about here go far beyond Xavier’s relationship with Logan. There are huge ramifications, potentially.

NRAMA: Mike, the current story arc in X-Men Legacy has been very informative in regards to Xavier's past in a sort of "sins of the father" kind of way—with quite a bit of Sinister sprinkled on top. Will Logan be figuring into this equation alongside Cyclops in terms of Xavier's past machinations? Does the Alamagordo Facility have a dark secret that ties together all of these characters? Or will the story change locales in upcoming months?

MC: Each arc of Legacy has its own setting and cast, but there is an overall direction and a cumulative logic to the revelations. So no, in a purely logical sense, there’s nothing that Xavier finds at Alamogordo that links himself, Gambit, Cyclops and Wolverine in one over-arching conspiracy. It’s more that each step he takes in his journey positions him to take the next step—makes it that much more inevitable that he’ll now go and explore these events or pay these debts or whatever. Also, bear in mind that this is not just a case of Xavier dropping in on people unannounced and progressing his own quest. Wolverine has an agenda here too, and it’s very important to how the story plays out.

NRAMA: Daniel, currently, in Wolverine: Origins, Daken has returned and Logan seems to be taking the role of "concerned parent" at the conclusion of the latest issue. Does the "Son of X" storyline fit into this crossing of storylines? Are there any other villains being added to the mix?

DW: Very much so. At the end of “Son of X”, Wolverine is put into a position where he must address Daken’s situation immediately—there is no time to waste. With every passing moment, an already volatile situation becomes even more unstable. This is what leads Wolverine to Professor X. That is, once he actually finds out the Professor is alive, a fact that’s been kept from him…

And yes. Oh, yes. The villains are quite thick in this little tale of ours.

NRAMA: Most of these characters have somewhat murky pasts—when you're trying to coordinate these kinds of stories with other writers (and possibly editors) can there be difficulties? It would seem easy, considering the fact that you're actually writing new stories about old and obscure plot points or past events that haven't been revealed yet. Was the crossing of these two titles kind of a no-brainer since they are both primarily books that revolves around mystery and revelation?

DW: There’s a joke to be made here about the fact that both books have colons in their titles, right? Should I take it, or…?

Anyway, this is definitely a situation where the whole becomes more than the sum of its parts. The relationship between Wolverine and Professor X is extremely unique and the examination of same deserves a larger than normal stage upon which to play out. This is big stuff, folks; this goes back to why Wolverine was inducted into the X-Men in the first place. Some may even describe this as a “genesis”, of sorts…?

MC: Amnesiac Genesis? Could be big. Yeah, it is a no-brainer in a way. Professor X has now been put in the situation that Wolverine has been in for many years—of trying to piece together the narrative of his past from inadequate and contradictory clues. And as Daniel says, if you add to that the prior relationship between the two men, which has been complicated and painful and problematic, then you’ve got a kind of momentum going into the story that’s very, very cool.

NRAMA: You've got a new edition to Wolverine: Origins—Mike Deodato is joining the title. How is his work different to Steve Dillon's? What will he bring to Wolverine: Origins aesthetically? Have you seen any of his work in regards to this project yet?

DW: Though I’m saddened to see Steve go, I think that Deo will, er, “bring the thunder”, as they say. Deo strikes that precarious balance between the gritty, shadowy stuff that works so well, character-wise, for Wolverine and the over-the-top, superhero action stuff that works so well for Wolverine, visually. I think people will be very, very happy with the new look.

John Barber: Yeah—Daniel’s worked with Steve a long time, over a lot of different projects. And Steve and Dan did 25 consecutive issues of Origins together, and that’s not a bad achievement in today’s world. I’ve been a fan of Steve for a long time, and he’s a great guy. The next thing he’s working on is Amazing, and I think everybody will be…ah…pretty excited to see it happen.

But I think Mike is going to be a great fit on this book. Mike was born to draw Wolverine, and I think he’s the right kind of artist to get where Daniel’s coming from.

NRAMA: The rotating artist "de Jour" on X-Men Legacy services the book as a chronological segue point—will there be any new artists involved in the near future?

Nick Lowe: Well, first I want to state for the record that Scot Eaton is that back bone of X-Men: Legacy. Seriously, he’s putting in such amazing work and I don’t think he gets the attention he deserves. In fact, Scot is doing all the art in Legacy #213, doing his standard pencils (with Drew Hennessy inks) and doing some amazing enhanced pencils for the mindscape stuff. #214 brings Ken Lashley to the team and we’ve got some more surprises up our sleeves for #215 and #216.

NRAMA: Daniel, touching on Daken again; he has become a larger part of the tapestry of Origins since the title started two years ago—will we be seeing more of the character elsewhere or is his story somewhat finite considering his current condition?

DW: Funny you should ask that. Just recently, I received an e-mail on behalf of a certain writer whose name rhymes with Ryan Endis…?

NRAMA: Mike, Sebastian Shaw has been figuring into the current X-Men Legacy storyline recently—will he continue to be woven into the plot as well? Would you like to utilize this character more in the future?

MC: Yeah, definitely. I’ve loved the Hellfire Club ever since its first appearance in the Dark Phoenix storyline, and for me, the two characters that carry forward the dark, charismatic vibe of the Hellfire Club are—in their very different ways—Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw. Shaw is a ruthless, consummate schemer who at the same time glories in the naked exercise of power when his schemes come to fruition. He joins the long line of perversely attractive X-Men villains, but he contrasts with Magneto, Apocalypse, Exodus and many others in being a total pragmatist, not ever an idealist. He’s all about the bottom line, and the bottom line is power.

So yes, Shaw will be back. Soon.

NRAMA: Are there ancillary characters that readers may or may not expect to show up during this crossover?

DW: This is the story of Professor X and Wolverine’s shared past—you could see anyone. Or, possibly, everyone.

MC: We’re doing the Stan Lee cameo, right?

NRAMA: In six words, give readers something to chew on as they wait for the collision of these two titles.

DW: How about six letters? B-A-N-N-E-R.

MC: “Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be.” Damn, that’s seven. So is “What you don’t know can hurt you.” Okay, I’m gonna steal Daniel’s six too, and go with “sometimes the medicine can be more dangerous and devastating than the disease”.

[HartyPotter]

Deodato's a good choice for Wolvie.

[Ace]

Well,

X-Men: Legacy is one of the very best books Marvel is publishing.

Wolverine: Origins is one of the very worst.

Mike Carey is one of the best writers of his generation. Daniel Way is one of the least impressive.

Hell, you've got me.

[Edogawa1983]

hopefully the writing for Origins will pick up a bit, but the last arc with Deadpool was pretty good

[durkadurka]

NRAMA: The rotating artist "de Jour" on X-Men Legacy services the book as a chronological segue point—will there be any new artists involved in the near future?

Nick Lowe: Well, first I want to state for the record that Scot Eaton is that back bone of X-Men: Legacy. Seriously, he’s putting in such amazing work and I don’t think he gets the attention he deserves. In fact, Scot is doing all the art in Legacy #213, doing his standard pencils (with Drew Hennessy inks) and doing some amazing enhanced pencils for the mindscape stuff. #214 brings Ken Lashley to the team and we’ve got some more surprises up our sleeves for #215 and #216.

I think the rotating artists for the flashback scenes is a great touch. It makes each event and story its own thing, while tying everything together with Eaton.
Seriously, as far as i'm concerned, Carey can do no wrong when it comes to the X-Men. This past issue had me giddy as a school girl. I hope whoever picks up Gambit after Carey, although i hope it is Carey, will write him as well as Carey did.
"You wounded my feelings, homme. That was stupid. Always go for the vital organs first." Classic.
Looking forward to a little Wolverine/Prof. X confrontation.

[Cray_ws]

Wolverine is about as relevant as Ron Popeil's hair in a spray can. The X-Men are dozen cluttered shells of their former selves. Sad part is no matter how brilliant a writer, there's just no fixin' the X-Men.

[LIEFELDISGOD]

The next thing [Dillon is] working on is Amazing, and I think everybody will be…ah…pretty excited to see it happen.

That seems pretty obvious, and should be interesting to say the least.

[UltimateXMF]

So Bendis wants to use Daken eh?

Maybe he can find something useful for him. Actually, this whole caterpillar thing... Perhaps he'll play into it somehow.

[Slayton]

I've always held that the writing on Origins was brought down by mismatched (I'm not saying bad) art. It may just be possible that Deodato is the piece that fixes Origins.

[Jodoria]

I love Wolverine: Origins, and I love X-Men: Legacy so this should be good for me.

[J. Dincauze]

The second I saw this article, I was bracing for the wave of bitching from the Origins/Way haters, and the bewilderment of the Carey fans, and of course I was right. I know Steve Dillion wasn't the best fit for this book, but that doesn't mean the book wasn't good before, and hopefully the whining with fade a little when a darker, moodier artist steps in on this title. And I am wicked pleased that Daken will get some much needed exposure outside of this title, particularly if it ties into one of the two Avengers titles. What could, under the right care, become a great new addition to the cast of new and interesting characters has been met with the loud bitching voice of the online community in such a way that it's almost like this isn't the son of one of comics most popular characters.

[saiyanspider]

Lord when will the just retire this uniform and bring back the brown and orange or some modified version as his one true uniform.

[rwsmith]

This sounds awesome! And Deodato will be perfect on Origins. Looking forward to it. Anyone know what issues of each title are crossing over?

[Samy Merchi]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

DAMN YOU SALAZAR -- ***DAMN YOU SALAZAAAAARRRRRRR***!!!

I'm not sure I can survive having to buy a Way comic.

[Starbird]

Originally Posted by HartyPotter

Deodato's a good choice for Wolvie.

Agreed!

But...I think Texeira is the best artist for Wolverine. (I think thats how Tex's name is spelled). Either way...I've always enjoyed Deodato's art and may very well get on and stay with this title for as long as he's doing the art.

[Kid Q]

I'd been looking for a reason to drop Legacy. Way to go Marvel you just gave me one.

[Samy Merchi]

I may go that route too.

[Papercut Fun]

I'm loving Wolverine Origins....I can't believe I'm reading a monthly Wolverine book. It lost it's direction a bit in the early goings but I think Way and Dillon (sorry to see him go...he was the reason I tried the book) have really got things moving now.

Mike Carey is one of my fav writers -- from way back in his Lucifer days (still one of the best reads...check it out in trade from Vertigo) and the teabags thread on the old DC message boards -- anyone remember that? Good times! I'm not reading X:Men Legacy monthly but I've got most of what Mike's doing with the X-Men in trade or hardcover. I'll pop in monthly to check this storyline out.

I kinda scanned the article and may have missed it, but is this a full-on crossover between the titles or will the stories be separate but along the same lines?

Jason

[grimace]

ok, is this a crossover or are the titles becoming one?

[Moosarama]

Originally Posted by J. Dincauze

The second I saw this article, I was bracing for the wave of bitching from the Origins/Way haters.

You could always read the article, post your own comment, and skip over the others.

Or you could label and generalize the opinions of those you don't agree with.

[Ken B.]

Originally Posted by Ace

Well,

X-Men: Legacy is one of the very best books Marvel is publishing.

Wolverine: Origins is one of the very worst.

Mike Carey is one of the best writers of his generation. Daniel Way is one of the least impressive.

Hell, you've got me.

Excellent observation. Maybe this is to stem the rapid decline that Wolverine Origins has had since it was released?

Anyways, this sucks because it means I can't read those Legacy issues if Way will be a part of it. Someone as bad as Way cancels out all the good Carey would bring to the table.

This truly is the greatest Yin and Yang creation in comics today!

[President Kang]

What about Thunderbolts?

[Ace]

They better not give Thunderbolts to Way when Gage is RIGHT THERE.

[samnoir]

I'm just wondering if this means Wolverine's son is joining the group the Nick Fury is putting together?

j___________________________________

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___________________________________

[DasPoppen]

Poor Mike Carey, he always gets the crappy assignments.
Dillon on Amazing? That would be awesome!