One of Krakoa's most religious mutants will seek out a new direction and a new spiritual path in Marvel's just-announced Way of X, a Nightcrawler-led ongoing title starting as part of the X-Men line's new 'Reign of X' branding.
Written by Si Spurrier with art by Bob Quinn, Way of X puts Nightcrawler and a newly assembled crew including Blink and Pixie on the path of answers for mutantkind's spirituality. Spurrier's involvement with the 'Reign of X' line was revealed when the writer tweeted a teaser for the newly-christened era, but his part in the line and his specific title are only now being revealed.
"Mutantkind has built a new Eden... but there are serpents in this garden. Some mutants struggle to fit in. Some mutants turn to violence and death. And the children whisper of the Patchwork Man, singing in their hearts..." reads Marvel's official synopsis of Way of X.
"Only one mutant senses the looming shadows. Snared by questions of death, law and love, only Nightcrawler can fight for the soul of Krakoa," it continues. "Only he - and the curious crew he assembles (including fan-favorites Dr. Nemesis, Pixie and Blink) - can help mutants defeat their inner-darkness and find a new way to live. This is the Way of X."
While the story may, on its face, seem like a tale of Nightcrawler defining and organizing a new mutant spiritual philosophy or religion, Spurrier says Way of X goes far beyond that, into a much bigger mystery about mutantkind.
"I should probably just tell a lie for the sake of a neat elevator pitch and say that Way of X is a story about the creation of a new mutant religion. But it's not - not really," states Spurrier in the series announcement.
"That's kinda where it starts, for sure. Nightcrawler realizes something's wrong with the hearts and minds of mutantkind and sets out to fix it," Spurrier continues. "But as he quickly discovers, this isn't a job for priests and prayers … The question is, what do they have to become in order to fight it? Preachers? Cops? Executioners? Or something entirely new?"
"Way of X is a smart, psychedelic tale about faith, science, culture, love, and law. And Bamfing. Bamfing just for the joy of it," he concludes.
"I'm incredibly excited that Marvel gave me the opportunity to launch a new X-Men series with Si," adds Quinn.
"Nightcrawler is one of my favorite X-Men, and he along with the recent developments in the X-Men universe really gives us the opportunity to explore some pretty wild concepts and ideas," the artist states. "Bringing them to life is really a dream come true. Si is a great storyteller and this story gives X-Men fans something they’ve never seen before."
Will Way of X’s new team someday be considered among the best X-Men teams of all time?
