Rachel and the Starjammers in Realm of Kings

So, the War of Kings epilogue, Who Will Rule, is out today, but we still don't have any more clues as to what is next for Rachel and the Starjammers. There's no answers about why they walked away from the fight in War of Kings, or what they might do next. In fact, they're barely in the issue.

We have to turn to some of the recent Q&As from folks at Marvel to get some answers, but it's really just more wait and see than anything.

At Fan Expo Toronto a few weeks ago, a fan asked at the Dark Reign Panel where the Starjammers will be next was asked, and Marvel's CB Cebulski answered that they will be in both the X-Verse and Cosmic books, but more on the Cosmic side of things for now.

Marvel's Ben Morse was asked on ComicBloc's forums about what Alex meant by walking away and replied to see Who Will Rule and Realm of Kings. Since Who Will Rule offers no help on the subject, hopefully something will be in Realm of Kings.

Ben also recently posted that Lorna would be in the Realm of King minis.

However, none of the press that Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (the writers of all of Realm of Kings) did when it was first announced even mentioned the Starjammers. So, there's no indication from them that the Starjammers are even involved in Realm of Kings.

Realm of Kings starts with a one-shot in November, and then runs until April in several mini-series along with Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard - This will focus on the Imperial Guard searching for Black Bolt and Vulcan in the Fault. DnA have talked about this fleshing out the members of the Imperial Guard and how they are a military unit, not superheroes.

The Starjammers don't exactly fit into the story, especially since DnA have said it will be very militaristic. I can't see the X-Jammers blindly following Gladiator like good soldiers. And including the X-Jammers would overshadow the Guardsmen that DnA want to focus on.

Realm of Kings: Inhumans - DnA haven't said too much about the storyline here, except that it will pick up Crystal's narrative and that it will address the fallout from War of Kings and with political intrigue with the Kree and Shi'ar.

The Starjammers could be involved in this (especially with Lorna's ties to Crystal and Luna) but as part of a large cast of characters.

But since the X-Jammers' mission was to kill Vulcan, and they have never had any interest in the Shi'ar (especially considering how much damage the Shi'ar have inflicted on them and their loved ones), it would be strange to see any of them with an interest in Shi'ar politics or helping the Shi'ar people.

Nova #31-35 - This will deal with Nova bringing Darkhawk to justice for killing Lilandra.

Wanting to find Lilandra's killer might be a something that would interest Alex, Lorna and Rachel. Adding the Starjammers might also boost the sales of Nova, which is one of the lowest selling titles for Marvel.

Guardians of the Galaxy #20-24 - The Guardians will deal with the Fault, which will bring back a lot of old 70s Cosmic characters.

While the X-Jammers could appear here, they likely wouldn't have a large role.


X-Books
In the X-Titles, there are quite a few crossovers taking up most of the books, which may make it difficult to bring in a bunch of new characters and integrate them back into the X-books.

In X-Force, New Mutants and X-Men Legacy, Necrosha will be happening from the fall into early winter, while Uncanny X-Men is dealing with Magneto and the fallout from Utopia. Matt Fraction has said that the next year of Uncanny will happen in a very short period of time, so catching up with the X-Jammers probably isn't in the cards.

Then some time in the spring or summer, the final chapter of the Messiah Trilogy will get underway.

Cable would clearly be involved in the next Messiah crossover event, but it would be nice to see them address something with the Askani between the current Brood arc and the crossover.

In Cable (vol 2) #6, baby Nathan being taken by the Askani to the future was recapped, but simplified to Scott giving Nathan to Rachel directly. While it parallels the current situation with Scott giving Hope to Nathan, it did change the original events and the sacrifice Scott had made giving his son to a stranger, rather than trusting his daughter.

When asked whether this was a mistake or something done deliberately, Duane Swierczynski said it would be addressed later.

While nothing has been said about what's next for Cable and Hope following the Brood, it would be nice for Cable to actually provide some sort of education for Hope in the Askani religion. Cable (vol 2) has been seriously lacking anything Askani related, and could benefit from adding some depth to Nathan's character.

So, if Rachel can't be in the Messiah trilogy, it would be nice for something Askani related to be mentioned. She was prominently featured in the Messiah War Sourcebook, so it's not like she had been forgotten, even though she's in space.

Another possibility would the the recently announced S.W.O.R.D. title featuring Agent Brand from Astonishing X-Men along with Beast and Lockheed. Since it deals with space (although around Earth), the X-Jammers might fit.

And eventually someone needs to go rescue poor Kitty in the giant rocket floating through space, but nothing announced yet about when/where that will happen.


Unfortunately, it's more wait and see. But considering how little the Starjammers were used in War of Kings, the most likely scenario is similar with them appearing in a few panels here and there in various Realm of Kings titles, until eventually returning to the X-Books some time after the third part of the Messiah Trilogy is over some time in the summer or fall of 2010. :(

Starjammers News from Fan Expo

The Starjammers came up at the Dark Regn Panel yesterday at the Fan Expo convention in Toronto, Canada.

CBR had this recap in their coverage of the panel:

The Starjammers will appear throughout the X-Titles as well as the more cosmic books occurring in the Marvel Universe.

"The Starjammers have always been interesting - we just had our X-Men retreat a couple weeks ago and they kept coming up," said Cebulski.

"You'll be seeing them."

War of Kings leads to Realm of Kings

Here we go again... Marvel announced today at Wizard World Chicago that War of Kings is leading into another event called Realm of Kings, which is starting in November.

Cosmic Marvel writers Dan Abnett and Dan Lanning explained to IGN that there will be two mini-series: Realm of Kings: Inhumans and Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard, tie-ins with Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy and a one-shot prologue.

War of Kings ended with Vulcan and Black Bolt sucked into a hole in space, and Realm of Kings will deal with the fallout from that.

The question is how does it impact the Starjammers, who "walked away" from the situation in War of Kings #6. Will they stay and help with the hole in space, or go home? And can they even get home with all the destruction that's been caused?

Hopefully there might be answers tomorrow at the X-Panel at Wizard World Chicago.

It's so frustrating that it seems so close to Rachel coming home, but now another obstacle has been placed in the way.


Update: According to CBR's recap of the Mondo Marvel panel, the panelists was asked about the X-Jammers returning home:

Will the X-Men Starjammers characters be returning to Earth? "Thaaaaat... would be telling," McCann said.

It's worth noting that X-writers Chris Yost, Craig Kyle and Jason Aaron are at Wizard World Chicago, were on the Mondo Marvel Panel and will be at the X-Panel tomorrow.


Update 2: No news about Rachel or the Starjammers out of the X-Panel on Sunday. Marvel did announce a S.W.O.R.D. series and a Dark X-Men series which Rachel's alternate reality brother, Nate Grey, will return in.

What's Next For Rachel and the Starjammers after War of Kings?

War of Kings is almost over, so it's time to look to the future. Within the next few months, hopefully there will be news on what's next for Rachel and the rest of the X-Men stuck in space.

Hopefully it means she'll be returning home, since there’s been considerable speculation that she will be headed to X-Force. But so far there hadn't been any concrete news, but here is a recap of what’s known so far.


Will there be a Starjammers mini-series or ongoing series spinning out of War of Kings?

I doubt it, but it probably one of the only viable options for Marvel.

According to cosmic writers and editors at Marvel, following War of Kings there are "stories" in the works and "talks" about mini-series, but nothing solid.

Cosmic Marvel editor Bill Rosemann told IGN that, "As has happened before, new stories will grow out of War of Kings...." and Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning added, "Each 'event' so far has a character or characters that have emerged to their own titles, Nova and Guardians respectively, War of Kings has given us an even larger cast of classic Marvel characters to explore and develop. Given the chance, we are more than happy to continue to do this in whatever format is available."

Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada said in Cup o' Joe on CBR: "There are talks of other titles – there definitely are – and of giving certain characters that haven't had a title of their own, a shot at perhaps at least a mini series and maybe more. But once again, a little too soon to announce that. But there have been talks."

At the Cup o’ Joe Panel at the San Diego ComicCon on July 25th, Quesada was asked about plans for DarkHawk following War of Kings, and he responded that there are plans, but it is too early to talk about them. He said within 6 weeks there would be cosmic news.


Last fall, Marvel's CB Cebulski told fans at the Dublin Comic Con that the plan was for there to be Inhumans and Darkhawk series spinning out of War of Kings, but it all depended on sales and what fans wanted.

An Inhumans series would make the most sense, and the entire event seems like a launching pad for the Inhumans. However, the question is whether Marvel sees enough sales potential with either of them.

In terms of Darkhawk, it is highly unlikely that a Darkhawk series will be spinning out of War of Kings since sales of his two mini-series have been dreadful. The War of Kings Darkhawk mini-series and War of Kings Ascension (featuring Darkhawk) have sold less than Nova and GotG, and near the cancellation level for any on-going series. (War of Kings Ascension #3 only sold 23,680 copies, according to ICv2 and the War of Kings: Darkhawk mini-series sales averaged 24,645 according to Publishers Weekly.) So, any plans for Darkhawk would be as a member of an existing ongoing.

While X-Men: Kingbreaker didn't sell all that well for an X-book, it did outsell current cosmic Marvel books Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy despite the 3.99 price tag. It averaged sales of 33,216 copies an issue according to Publishers Weekly. But would Marvel want another X-book, especially a low selling one?

It seems the intent was to launch new series out of War of Kings with little respected characters like the Inhumans and Darkhawk and reinvigorate them the way DnA have done Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy - which launched out of Annihilation.

Then, would they really want to launch another X-books which X-fans would want as part of the X-verse, not part of Cosmic Marvel?

Joe Quesada did mentioned in Cup o’ Joe on CBR that there will be new X-books launching in November. That likely includes the new Dark X-Men book, and possibly other previously announced books such as the delayed Sex & Violence mini-series.



Return to the X-books?

There’s been no direct news about Rachel returning to X-books, other than speculation.

At HeroesCon in June, Fraction said that Alex and Lorna would not be in Uncanny:
Might Havok and Polaris return to the X-Men? Fraction said that while he doesn’t have any specific designs for them, others might.

That doesn't exclude Rachel, but it suggests that Uncanny won't provide some sort of conclusion to the Vulcan storyline that left the three in space in the first place.


What's Next?

Hopefully there should be an announcement in the next month about post-War of Kings plans, but it remains to be seen if that will include anything related to the X-Men.

There wasn’t any news out of the huge San Diego Comic Con, which was to be expected since that seemed a little early. It’s also in the middle of convention season where Marvel needs to spread out their announcements over several months.

The last issue of War of Kings comes out August 5, 2009, which is right before the Chicago Comic Con (fka Wizard World Chicago).

That’s the first convention where an announcement about "what’s next for the Starjammers" could come, since Marvel wouldn’t want to spoil the outcome of the last War of Kings issue to its release.

Chicago Comic Con is August 6-9, so that's after War of Kings #6, but before Guardians of the Galaxy #17 in late August and the War of Kings: Who Will Rule epilogue which comes out September 2nd. So, the announcement might not be until after that.

Fan Expo Canada is August 28-30th in Toronto and Marvel will have a large presence there. So, if there isn’t any news in Chicago, it might come in Toronto.

If any Rachel fans are in attendance at those conventions, make sure to ask about any plans for Rachel, Alex and Lorna. Hopefully we can get some answers about what’s next for them sooner rather than later.

It's been a long wait for them to return to X-books, and hopefully we’re in the homestretch now.

Site Update: No longer covering War of Kings

Just an FYI, I'm no longer going to be doing War of Kings updates. Even though Rachel will be in it, her role appears rather limited and it seems like a waste of time covering it.

Space stories just aren't my thing so I have very little interest in what is going on in WoK besides Rachel.

The site will be covering any news about Rachel's potential return to earth or anything Rachel related in the earth based X-books.

War of Kings News Round-up for 01/16/09

War of Kings writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (DnA) are once again on the interview circuit, and there were several WoK related interviews this week, along with preview art from War of Kings.

In an interview with IGN, DnA talk about how the X-Jammers will get involved in WoK and reveal that they will be in the Guardians of the Galaxy WoK issues:

IGN Comics: While we're on the subject of tie-ins, I wanted to ask about the Starjammers' involvement. Principally this storyline seems to be a dispute between the Shi'ar and the Inhumans. How will Havok's team be involved, particularly once the Kingbreaker mini-series wraps up?

DnA: They're involved in a major way. Polaris's family ties to the Inhuman Royal Family will carry them into the fight, and their involvement will play out through the main series and through the Guardians issues.

IGN also has several pages of preview art (pencils only) from War of Kings #1, including a page that includes Rachel in one panel and the cover for War of Kings #2.


DnA were in the X-Position hotseat this week, and the Starjammers and Rachel were mentioned:

1) Will the Starjammers interact with any of the cosmic crew? Getting Ch'od and Rocket in the same room just sounds golden.

DnA: The Starjammers and Guardians of the Galaxy will be undertaking a mission together so the chances of some fur flying are high!


2) Any possibility of Rachel Summers staying in space and joining the Guardians? The Phoenix Force has always felt like it belongs more in the cosmic books than the X-books, and it would certainly lend them some valuable power. And let’s face it, the team could use more women.

DnA: We're going to talk to editor Nick Lowe about that right now!


1) As a huge fan of the Starjammers (particularly Polaris), I, like many other fans of these characters, are excited and grateful to know that after nearly three years, the Shi'ar storyline is finally heading towards its big ending with “X-Men: Kingbreaker” and “War of Kings.” However, it's unclear to us what kind of role the Starjammers will play in the event. Will they have more of a main role, or will they be supporting characters?

They are definitely front and center and play a significant role in the course of the story.

War of Kings editor Bill Rosemann filled in for Joe Quesada in My Cup o' Joe on Myspace.

JM: War of Kings is another book on your plate. Whereas I think it’s clear this doesn’t hit the marquee value of a Secret Invasion or World War Hulk, this is a pivot point in the Marvel Universe, right?

BR: Definitely. The very cool thing about this is that our bosses basically said, “Hey, you know these Shi’Ar toys in the Marvel toybox? You wanna play with these?” And we said, “Yeah! Would love to! That’s cool!”

So we took two expanding empires—the Kree and the Shi’Ar—heading toward each other, with the central notion of “What happens when these two huge kingdoms collide?” I would say it is as big as Secret Invasion to the Marvel cosmic junkies—this is our Super Bowl. But War of Kings also has a lot of appeal to fans of the Marvel Universe period. X-fan who like the Shi’Ar? They’re here. Fans of the Inhumans? We have them. You’ll see characters like Blastaar, Darkhawk and others pop up. So there will be some great opportunities for people who haven’t sampled the cosmic books to check this out. We’re treating it as a big tentpole event.

And when Dan and Andy sat down with Joe Quesada and Tom Brevoort and all, we decided that we would only tell this story if it legitimately changed the Marvel Universe. It’s gotta move things forward. And Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning absolutely wanted to do that. They have a very clear vision of where they see the Marvel cosmic universe going, and how it will affect the “mainstream” Marvel heroes. And here we are.

It also included the same War of Kings preview art IGN has.


In addition, War of Kings Saga is now online for free at Marvel Digital and Marvel has updated the War of Kings official site with new graphics.

X-Men Kingbreaker #2 Preview

CBR has posted a seven page preview for X-Men: Kingbreaker #2. Rachel appears in the seventh page, which the unletter version was included in the Chris Yost X-Position a few weeks ago.

Interestingly, on the recap page, Rachel is called Rachel Summers. I think this is the first time she's been called that in an X-book in since Uncanny X-Men 472.

1/7/09 Comics Updates

Today there were several Rachel related comics out today.

Rachel continues to be a character in the back-up story, The Sentinels, in X-Men Noir #2.

Rachel does not appear in Secret Invasion: War of Kings. The issue is mainly about the Inhumans and Skrulls, and Vulcan only appears in a few pages at the very end. The Starjammers are not in the issue nor mentioned.

Rachel and the Starjammers are in the War of Kings Saga, a free comic that recaps the major comics that lead into War of Kings. There is no new material in the comic, and it's funny how Marvel avoids saying Rachel Summers or Grey by calling Rachel only Marvel Girl throughout the whole issue.

If you didn't get WoK Saga at your local comic store, it likely will be put online for free prior to the start of the event.

Also, Rachel's "niece", the Messiah Baby/Child, received a name in Cable #10.


War of Kings writers Andy Lanning and Dan Abnett will be answering questions on X-Position next week. Check the bottom of this page for how to submit questions.

Chris Yost X-Position With Kingbreaker #2 Preview Art

Kingbreaker writer Chris Yost was in the X-Position hotseat this week.

He was asked about whether or not the Shi'ar can still track Rachel through the Deathmark, something Rachel fans have been speculating about for a while now.

Question: Also, will certain things be clarified in this series, such as Korvus' mysterious sword and Rachel's attachment to this unique (if not inferior) form of the Phoenix Force? Or Rachel's Deathmark on her back? Whatever the answers, you should be congratulated on the job you've done so far…

Yost: I cannot comment on this “Phoenix” stuff you talk of. I assume Rachel's Deathmark is still in place, and that's how the Shi'ar are chasing them across space. The Death Commandos have been hounding them since the end of “Emperor Vulcan.” The X-Jammers are on the run, they keep moving. Does hiding out by a power source like the M'Kraan crystal mess with the Deathmark signal? Maybe.

The article also includes some excellent preview art from X-Men: Kingbreaker #2 which features Rachel in a new X-Jacket.

War of Kings News Round-up for 12/20/08

Here's a run-down on this week's news about War of Kings.

My Cup O' Joe #36 has some preview art from Secret Invasion: War of Kings, along with some hype for the event (although, absolutely no mention of the Starjammers).


Marvel released a trailer for War of Kings, which shows some of the previously revealed covers and preview art. Rachel is shown on the Kingbreaker #2 cover, but that's it.


Marvel also has an interview with Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (DnA) about the Inhumans and War of Kings, and Vulcan is mentioned (no Starjammers).


Newsarama has an interview with DnA about War of Kings, and the Starjammers and Kingbreaker are mentioned, but not entirely good news:

NRAMA: Since you have the Shi'Ar showing up, are you having to coordinate this with the X-Universe at all?

AL: Yes, we've been coordinating with the X-Men office, and we're actually coming out of the X-Men: Kingbreaker mini-series that's putting the pieces from their side of the story in place. It won't involved the X-Men directly, but we'll deal with the cosmic side of the X-Men, including Vulcan and the Shi'Ar and the Starjammers. Obviously, they're fundamentally tied up with the X-Men side of the universe, so we had to get permission and work closely with them. And previously, they weren't included because they were tied up with the X-books, so this was great for us. It's great fun to finally feel out that side of the cosmic universe that we hadn't dealt with as far as logical galactic players on that sort of scale.

NRAMA: With all of the stories that are setting up War of Kings, from Secret Invasion: Inhumans to X-Men: Kingbreaker to the stories in Nova and Guardians, is War of Kings something that a newcomer to the Marvel cosmic universe can understand with Issue #1? Or should they start with the Secret Invasion: War of Kings one-shot?

AL: Absolutely, they can pick up the Secret Invasion: War of Kings one-shot, because it really does set the scene. Obviously, when writing something like this, you'd like the readers to be engaged enough with the stories we're telling that they want to pick up every book. But we're realistic enough to realize that you can't burden someone with that, because you can actually alienate people. So if they want to pick up the Kingbreaker mini-series, they'll get an extra piece from that side of things. It's kind of supplemental reading that helps flesh out and round out the entire story. But it's not necessary.

Calling Kingbreaker "not necessary" isn't exactly promising... I can understand DnA wanting to do a self-contained story, but it's becoming more and more clear that this is really a Cosmic event and the Starjammers are minor, supplementary characters.

Marvel March 2009 Solicitations

CBR has the advanced X-solicitations for March, including X-Men Kingbreaker:

X-MEN: KINGBREAKER #4 (of 4)
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST
Penciled by DUSTIN WEAVER
Cover by BRANDON PETERSON
The road to the WAR OF KINGS is paved here! The X-Men cosmic event of the year ends with a bang as the X-Men and Starjammers face the collective might of the Shi’Ar Empire. It’s a family affair as Havok fights his brother Vulcan and Lilandra takes on her sister Deathbird. Can the X-Men and Starjammers dethrone the mad Emperor?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Kingbreaker #4 will be in stores on March 18.


Edited to add: Marvel.com has added the War of King information:

WAR OF KINGS # 1
The Story: In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion, Black Bolt has led the Inhumans on a shockingly savage path to restore their strength and security. But that path has brought them into direct confrontation with the Shi’Ar Empire – and their mad ruler Vulcan! Who will get in the first strike? Who will fall on the bloody battlefield? Who will rule? The Imperial Guard, the Starjammers, the Inhuman Royal Family and more of your favorite sci-fi characters are locked on a collision course…and it all starts here! Join the acclaimed team
of Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (NOVA) and Paul Pelletier (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) for a pivotal turning point in Marvel’s
cosmic history!
Rated T+ …$3.99

In Stores: Mar 4, 2009

Also, Marvel's Hotline also has an audio interview with Chris Yost about Kingbreaker.

Marvel War of Kings News Roundup for 12/12/08

Marvel's War of Kings is just around the corner, and the editors writers and artist have been making the interview rounds to give some hints about the story. Unfortunately, so far no specific news about Rachel's role has yet been revealed.

SciFi.com has an exclusive look at War of Kings cover, including one that features Rachel and the rest of the Starjammers. Marvel's March solicitations should be out next week, so there should be high quality versions available then.

Editor Bill Rosemann has this to say to SciFi about Marvel War of Kings, "In Secret Invasion, The Skrulls thought they could get away with kidnapping and replacing the Inhumans’ king. They thought wrong. Black Bolt, one of Marvel's most powerful heroes, is back on his throne. Woe to those who have wronged his family. Enter War of Kings, as Black Bolt and the Inhumans look to secure their rightful place in the stars--only to find that the mighty Shi'Ar empire has different plans."

It also lists that artists Paul Pelletier, Bong Dazo, Brad Walker, Wellinton Alves and Andrea DiVito will be involved and the first issue of War of Kings will be out in March. A free comic, War of Kings saga, will be out in January to catch-up new readers unfamiliar with the stories and characters.


Marvel has an interview with Paul Pelletier, who will be drawing the Secret Invasion: War of Kings one-shot and the War of Kings limited series. Nothing specifically Rachel or Starjammers related, but it does have some preview art from SI: WoK.


Last week, Marvel interviewed War of Kings writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.


On a side note, it's really starting to annoy me how marginalized the Starjammers seem in War of Kings. It's very clear that The Inhumans are the stars of the heroes side, followed by the Guardians and Nova, with the Starjammers off to the side. I understand that there's over 30 main characters in WoK, but why bring back the Inhumans

Sigh....

It's such a shame that Rachel is being wasted in this, when she could be in the Cable/X-Force cross-over Messiah War instead.

X-Men Kingbreaker #1 Full Preview

Comics Continuum has posted a 8 page preview of X-Men Kingbreaker #1.

Rachel is featured on the 8th page (the previously released page with Rachel, only now with words).

X-Men Kingbreaker News

Many people wondered what was up with the color of Rachel's Phoenix firebird in the X-Men Kingbreaker #1 Preview art that was released last week.

Colorist Nathan Fairbairn posted on CBR that it was an error and he's fixed it so that it's the proper blue color.

Here is the original:



Here is the corrected Rachel Grey as the Phoenix (Blue):





The same thing happened with Emperor Vulcan. Rachel's Phoenix glowy- eye thing was orange in the preview art, and was changed to blue by the time the first issue came out.


Also, Chris Yost discussed X-Men Kingbreaker in a brief Q&A on Marvel.com.

X-Men: Kingbreaker #1 Preview

Marvel has released a five page preview of X-Men: Kingbreaker #1 from Dustin Weaver, which is quite impressive. Rachel is featured on the third page in full Phoenix firebird attacking a Shi'ar ship.

http://www.marvel.com/news/comicstories.6097.FIRST_LOOK~colon~_X-Men~colon~_Kingbreaker_%231

Marvel February 2009 Solicitations

CBR and Marvel have advanced Marvel February 2009 solicitations for X-Men Kingbreaker and other War of King tie-ins that Rachel might be included in:

X-MEN: KINGBREAKER #3 (of 4)
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST
Penciled by DUSTIN WEAVER
Cover by BRANDON PETERSON
The fuse has been lit in the Shi'Ar Empire and an intergalactic powder keg is about to explode. After the shocking events of last issue, the rest of the universe just found out how dangerous Vulcan is... but right now Vulcan is more concerned with a now free HAVOK and POLARIS. And as the ruthless new Imperial Guard hunts down MARVEL GIRL, everything begins to converge. Will there be any X-Men left to fight the WAR OF KINGS?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99


MARVEL SPOTLIGHT: WAR OF KINGS
Written by JOHN RHETT THOMAS
Since the early '70s, Marvel's cosmic comics have occupied a corner of the Marvel Universe that has provided some of the best and biggest stories the company has ever produced. And now, in the shadow of the twin triumphs of ANNIHILATION and
ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST, and springing directly from the action of SECRET INVASION, comes WAR OF KINGS! As DARK REIGN confounds planet Earth, the Inhumans are on a collision course with the Shi'Ar Empire. Anyone who has been following the action from X-MEN: DEADLY GENESIS through EMPEROR VULCAN knows what's in store for Black Bolt when he squares off against the most powerful mutant among the stars! It all sets up the kind of sweeping cosmic event that will provide some awesome reading pleasure through 2009 — and SPOTLIGHT is here to give you full insider access with the creators and characters behind the event!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

The good news is this probably means War of Kings will start in March if a Spotlight is coming out in February.

But I have a problem with Vulcan being called “the most powerful mutant among the stars”. Vulcan is so overpowered it’s not funny, but Havok and Rachel should be able to give him a run for his money on that one. Especially with solar-charged Alex and Phoenix-powered Rachel. With Polaris’ powers being technically non-mutant, I guess that would exclude her. I realize Marvel wants to overhype Vulcan for a major crossover event, but after Deadly Genesis, RaFotSE, Emperor Vulcan and Kingbreaker, this is getting tiresome.

Marvel War of Kings Information

Very little info is available about Marvel's War of Kings, the upcoming cosmic crossover event that Marvel is either keeping really hush-hush (due to Secret Invasion, maybe?) or is just not promoting very well.

Marvel still hasn't made any announcements about what exactly the format of War of Kings will be, besides the lead-up books that have already been solicited.

A couple of weeks I mentioned War of Kings to a few of the guys at my LCS, and they hadn't really heard of it and weren't clear on what it was.

So, here's my rundown of what's been said online about War of Kings so far:

Basic Premise:

Vulcan's expansion of the Shi'ar Empire brings him into conflict with the Black Bolt of the Inhumans (due to the Inhuman/Kree alliance). This causes all heck to break out space, drawing all of the cosmic characters into the battle. How all of that happens (especially why the Inhumans are on the collision course with the Shi'ar) will be set-up in the initial Secret Invasion: War of Kings one-shot

Issue List:

Lead-Ins:

Secret Invasion: Inhumans 1-4 (August 2008 - November 2008)
Guardians of the Galaxy 8-10 (December 2008-January 2009)
X-Men: Kingbreaker 1-4 (December 2008 - March 2009)
Secret Invasion: War of Kings One-shot (January 2009)
War of Kings: Darkhawk 1-2 (February 2009-March 2009)


Main Storyline:

War of Kings 1-6 (Starting in March or April 2009, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning) (Mini-series)


Tie-Ins (Just speculation):

Guardians of the Galaxy 11-14
Nova 23-26 (this likely won’t be where a major part of the story plays out, but may be impacted by the events of War of Kings)

Characters That Will Be Involved:

Shi’ar - Vulcan (Gabriel Summers, Emperor of the Shi'ar), Deathbird (Vulcan's wife, and former Empress of the Shi'ar), Imperial Guard, Shi'ar Death Commandos (in X-Men: Kingbreaker)


The Starjammers - Former X-Men Marvel Girl (Rachel Grey/Summers - Vulcan's niece), Polaris (Lorna Dane), and Havok (Alex Summers - Vulcan's brother), Ch'od, Raza, Korvus (sigh, unfortunately), and Lilandra (former Empress of the Shi'ar and Deathbird's younger sister/Vulcan's sister-in-law).


No X-Men, other than the X-Starjammers - According to Nick Lowe to IGN, the only X-Men participating in War of Kings are the Starjammers. And don't expect anything about Kitty Pryde and her magic space bullet to be addressed in it either (that was asked about at SDCC).


The Inhumans (Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal, Triton, Karnak and Gorgon)


Nova – DnA told NovaPrimePage that “Although Nova won't play a central role in War of Kings like he did during Annihilation, the story arc in his book will be very much determined by the Shi'Ar/Inhuman struggle.”


Guardians of the Galaxy - I have very little knowledge of the cosmic Marvel and anything going on with the Guardians of the Galaxy or Nova. It seems like the Guardians have been going through a radical lineup change lately and I have absolutely no idea who any of the characters are or what is going on, so I'm the last person who should be writing any sort of guide for them. I can't find a good source of info online, so Wiki is your best bet.


Darkhawk – Former New Warrior Darkhawk will have a two issue WoK mini-series from writer C.B. Cebulski and artist Harvey Tolibao

Continuity/Required Reading

Other than the lead-ins, the following stories are needed to understand what’s going on, especially with Vulcan & the Starjammers:

Uncanny X-Men 466-471 (Shi’ar massacre of the Grey family)
X-Men Deadly Genesis 1-6 (Vulcan is revealed)
Uncanny X-Men 475-486 (Xavier takes an X-team after Vulcan)
Emperor Vulcan 1-5 (Vulcan vs the Starjammers)

Annihilation
Annihilation: Conquest
Guardians of the Galaxy

Preview Art:

Secret Invasion: War of Kings:
Preview Page 1

Preview Page 2

Kingbreaker #1 Preview

Marvel January 2009 Solicitations

The Marvel January 2009 solicitations have been released, and the lead-in to War of Kings is in full swing.

X-MEN: KINGBREAKER # 2
The Story: Marvel Girl, Korvus and Lilandra are the only resistance to Vulcan’s reign, but Vulcan aims to end their rebellion. With Havok, Polaris and rest of the Starjammers in prison, they don’t stand to get much help. The Shi’Ar Empire is expanding under Emperor Vulcan’s reign… Come see the road to the WAR OF KINGS!
Rated T+ …$3.99

In Stores: Jan 21, 2009

War of Kings officially gets underway with a one-shot in January. No indications on whether or not the Starjammers will appear (especially considering it's being released between Kingbreaker 1 and 2 coming out), but it sounds like Vulcan will be involved.

SECRET INVASION: WAR OF KINGS ONE-SHOT # 1
The Story: It’s finally here…WAR OF KINGS! The Secret Invasion may be over, but the Inhumans are still reeling from the terrible wounds inflicted on them by the Skrulls. And this time, the Royal Family and their massively powered people have been pushed too far! You have never seen the Inhumans like this – and it’s only the beginning! Plus: How will the empire-expanding Vulcan react to these recent universe-shaking developments? Before this double-sized shocker is over, vengeance will be had, daring alliances will be forged, and the first shots in a destiny-changing battle will be fired! The acclaimed team of writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (NOVA) and artist Paul Pelletier (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) unite to revamp heroes, reveal villains and rock the universe!
One-Shot/Rated T+ …$3.99

In Stores: Jan 7, 2009

Cover For X-Men: Kingbreaker #2

Marvel has released the cover for X-Men: Kingbreaker#2.

The good news it is featuring Rachel, Lilandra and Korvus, but, unfortunately, it's not some of Brandon Peterson's better work.

In other news today, Nick Lowe was answering questions this week in CBR's X-Position, and was asked about the lack of female characters in X-books:

Is there any chance that the X-teams will be getting an estrogen injection? I've always felt that the books were at their best when the teams were evenly split between men and women, but it seems like a lot of the best female characters (Kitty, Rachel, Lorna, Betsy) have been pushed aside. I think any of these characters could enhance the X-books, so why not use them?

Hold on, hold on, hold on. Rachel and Lorna are still around. Just because they’re out in Shi’Ar space doesn’t mean that they aren’t important. As for the X-Men in San Francisco, we totally agree with you. Don’t be surprised if you see more of Dazzler, Domino, and another surprise lady.

Nick, considering how utterly irrelevant Rachel and Lorna have seemed to the core X-books, I'm not sure I see how they are important while in Shi'ar space.

Friday News Bites for 10/3/08

Here's a quick round-up of the news from around the web this week related to Rachel Summers, Kingbreaker and War of Kings:

IGN talked to X-Editors Nick Lowe and John Barber about the future of X-Books, and the Starjammers and War of Kings came up. Unforunately, it doesn't seem like any of the other X-Men will be helping the Starjammers:

IGN Comics: Unsurprisingly, Havok and the rest of the Starjammers are going to be playing a large role in War of Kings next year. Outside of the main event and the Kingbreaker prologue, will the X-Men be caught up in this storyline? Will the main team be reunited with these castaways anytime soon?

Lowe: The X-Men won't play a role in War of Kings. They've got enough on their plates. But definitely check out Kingbreaker. You'll get to see some of the best Havok/Polaris stuff in years.

Y'know, if Scott's brother was captured and on the verge of being executed, and Rachel, Lilandra and Korvus are the only remaining Starjammers fighting the whole Shi'ar empire, you would think Scott might actually be interested in sending someone to help??? It's not like the X-Men have that much on the plates in San Francisco...

The X-Editors go on to talk about future crossovers, which hopefully the X-Jammers and Rachel will be back on earth for:

IGN Comics: Outside of these two events are there any big, encompassing event books that the books are building towards, a la Messiah Complex. Given the success of MC, is a follow-up at least being considered by the various writers and editors?

Lowe: There certainly are. We have a big plan for the summer of 2009 that will have big ramifications with the rest of the Marvel U, and then we have a huge "Messiah Complex" style crossover coming in 2010.

Speaking of War of Kings, on Marvel.com, there is a video interview with Cosmic writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Marvel has also opened their War of King hub, but there isn't much there yet.



Comic Book Urban Legends brought up the never published Phoenix Limited Series:

COMIC URBAN LEGEND: Rick Leonardi and Chris Claremont began work on a Phoenix mini-series that never saw the light of day.

STATUS: True

Reader Jonathan Nathan suggested this one, and yes, apparently Chris Claremont and Rick Leonardi began work on a Phoenix mini-series spun out of Uncanny X-Men that was canceled after pages were already finished!

You can read more about it this site's Phoenix Limited Series page.


To wrap up this week's new bites, here's some fun fan art done by Carly Monardo, which is "What if Rachel was drawn by Gary Baseman":



Check out Carly's blog for a lot more great Excalibur artwork.