Whilce Portacio delves into Bishop's pre-X past in X-Men Legends

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Just as he's about to get his own limited series training the new leaders of the mutants of Krakoa, cult-favorite X-Men character Bishop will also star in a new two-issue arc of X-Men Legends, drawn and co-written by his original co-creator Whilce Portacio.

In the story, running in January 24's X-Men Legends #5 and February 8's X-Men Legends #6, readers will get a deeper look at the alt-future from which the mutant soldier hails, as Bishop and the other members of his elite team of agents of the group known as XSE uncover the truth about their organization and its mission.

As with many X-Men Legends arcs, the story will take place in the past, set before Bishop's first appearance in Uncanny X-Men #282.

"At heart, I love the genre of science fiction. Specifically, the world-building aspect of science. So, when Karl Alstaeter and I created Lucas Bishop, we built in our heads, a world for Omega Squad to exist in," Portacio explains in the story's announcement.

"In the original incarnation, we didn't have much time to show any of that. Here in these two issues, Brian and I are able to give the audience a beginning glimpse of some of the detail of the world that Bishop left behind."

"Whilce and I have been longtime collaborators, and both worked for Marvel individually, but never together!" adds co-writer Brian Haberlin. "It's an honor he thought of me to work with him on defining more of Bishop's history; a legendary comic artist and a legendary X-Men? How could I say no??"

Stay tuned to Newsarama for Marvel's full January 2023 solicitations, coming later this month.

Keep up to date with all the new X-Men comics planned for release in 2022 and beyond.

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)