Weapon X-Men #1 has now officially been released, and the latest X-Men team is an elite collection of rough-and-tumble mutants including Wolverine, Cable, Deadpool, Chamber, and Thunderbird. And on the creative side, writer Joe Casey and artist ChrisCross are on board, delivering what Casey calls "Blockbuster Comics" meant to "show video games and movies how it's done."
With the villain of the series now revealed as Baron Strucker, things are already ramping up with Casey telling Newsarama that a new group of villains known as WMDs - Wolverine Model Decoys - are about to make their debut.
"SHOWDOWN ON HYDRA ISLAND!" reads the solicitation text for Weapon X-Men #3. "The newest X-team on the block faces their first trial by fire! Baron Strucker and his new super-army intend to conquer the world – with only Wolverine, Deadpool, Cable, Chamber and Thunderbird standing in their way! This one is a battle for the ages that you can’t afford to miss! Also introducing – WEAPON EXILE!"
Newsarama: Joe, what brought you onto Weapon X-Men, and what are your goals for this series?
Joe Casey: I actually pitched this monster to Marvel last spring. The name, the concept, the initial roster, everything in a tight, little package. The subsequent, editorial transition that occurred in the X-office ended up delaying things for a few months, but we're here now and the goal is to deliver big concepts, big stakes and hopefully a big impact. Each month, every issue, it's a pure popcorn thrill ride.
To put it in wider perspective, I look at a series like Weapon X-Men as part of the new movement that's been happening over the past year in mainstream super hero comic books, and it's time we finally codified it and identified it with its very own category… Blockbuster Comics. Once again, it's time to show movies and video games how it's done.
The roster of this team is all-killer, no filler. Which characters have surprised you the most as you've been writing?
Casey: Well, there's the "big three" to start with. The bona fide movie stars. Two of which - Wolverine and Cable - I've written before, so there's already a certain familiarity there. Those two feel a little like coming home.
But I'll tell you, writing Deadpool has been a bit of a revelation. As you might expect, he provides the real "meta" aspect of this series, the one who's able to comment on events as they're happening in the same way that a Marvel fan might.
That gives the stories a whole new dimension that ends up being really fun. And Chamber is a character I've always had a soft spot for, which is why I made him an official X-Man when I wrote Uncanny X-Men back in the day and why he's a part of this team now. Finally, there's Thunderbird, the "forgotten X-Man" whose personal circumstances end up being the main driving factor in our first batch of stories.
You mentioned the recently resurrected Thunderbird. How does the fact that he died way back in the '70s and was just recently brought back in the Krakoa era inform how he fits into Weapon X-Men?
Casey: Well, for those who might not already know, Thunderbird has been dead for the entirety of modern X-history. That's 50 years of published comic books. He's painfully aware that he's missed out on a helluva lot. And the fact that he's now compelled - to be more specific, he's desperate - to prove himself to be the hero he feels he was always meant to be is the first main subplot of the series, and it all comes to a dramatic head in issue #5.
Check out a gallery of unlettered pages from Weapon X-Men #1, followed by more interview:
Both Cable and Wolverine have been the leaders of squads like this before. How does their dynamic work in Weapon X-Men?
Casey: They're obviously both alphas, so there's always going to be a bit of tension there. But they've also been through so much, both separately and together, that they're not going to waste time fighting over who's going to be the top dog. They know better. Both of them realize that the two of them need to be there in equal measure if this team is going to work. In other words, they're grown-ass men and - being a grown-ass man myself - I try and write them that way.
You're working with ChrisCross on Weapon X-Men, one of my favorite underrated artists. What's it been like teaming up with him for this title?
Casey: Cross and I have worked together before, but never on such a massive scale as this. I mean, we're painting on the largest possible canvas here. Because where most X-books stay in a certain lane, operating almost exclusively within a more mutant-centric jurisdiction, in Weapon X-Men we're dealing with the entirety of the Marvel Universe. In that respect, we're presenting certain elements and classic locales - like Hydra Island in the second issue - in a way that makes them feel brand new.
With Weapon X-Men #1 now released, what can you tell us about the big villain the team is going up against?
Casey: At this point, there's no need for me to be coy. I can tell you straight up that the first villain - as revealed in our very first issue - is the infamous Baron Von Strucker (who MCU fans might remember from the opening action scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron, a movie I will defend against any and all naysayers. Love that flick!).
But we're not stopping there. We're going to introduce the WMDs - Wolverines of Mass Destruction - in issue #2. And by the end of the first arc, we're also going to upgrade Strucker in a major way, transforming him into an even more significant - and terrifying - villain for the Marvel Universe.
What do you want fans to know as Weapon X-Men rolls on?
Casey: We're really swinging for the fences with this series, and we're just hoping that there are plenty of readers - lapsed or otherwise - that are willing to check out what we're up to. It's the kind of super hero comic book reading experience they just might be missing right now. Where things are at in the industry right now, it's very disorienting.
Whatever "new normal" we're in… is decidedly abnormal. There aren't as many sure things anymore. So, we're putting everything we have into making Weapon X-Men as kick ass as it can possibly be. We're having a blast and everyone's invited to the party.
Check out the best X-Men comics at all time.
