This week we turn our attention away from the characters that make up the comic and towards those that help create it. Mike Marts has suggested a “favorites” segment. It’s just a short interview that delves into the mind of the creators. I asked all the current creators of the X-Men to give us some of their input. Six of them were gracious enough to add their input to this article. I want to thank them for taking time out of their schedules to talk to UXN about a few of their “favorites”.
Mike Marts:
Favorite X-Title Growing Up: UNCANNY X-MEN, hands down. There's only one comic I've consistently collected and read since I was 10 years old and this is it. The Claremont with Byrne/Cockrum/Smith stuff was my favorite.
Favorite X-Cover: This one's so tough...there are so many...John Byrne's UNCANNY #137 (death of Jean Grey) still stands out as the quintessential X-cover in my mind. I also love Paul Smith's UNCANNY #168 (Kitty cornered by the Sidri), UNCANNY #275 (Jim Lee's space X-Men), and X-MEN (UNCANNY) #50--the all green Lorna Dane cover.
Favorite X-Dude: Wolverine (current), Nightcrawler (past)
Favorite X-Babe: Psylocke (current), Kitty (past)
Favorite X-Moment: Death of Jean Grey (UNCANNY #137)
Favorite X-Villain: Magneto
Favorite X-Crossover: Inferno, the Mutant Massacre
First X-Comic Read: Uncanny X-Men Annual #4--Nightcrawler's Inferno! The first time I ever met Belasco or Limbo, Margali Szardos, Amanda Sefton, Dr. Strange--this one had it all!
Favorite Wolverine Moment: His kiss with Jean Grey during Inferno.
Favorite X-Artist: Paul Smith
Favorite X-Writer: Chris Claremont
Favorite X-Couple: Emma and Scott (current), Peter and Kitty (past)
X-power you'd love to have: Professor Xavier's
X-power you'd hate to have: Jubilee's
Nick Lowe:
Favorite X-Title Growing Up: X-Men (I started reading comics in the
90's)
Favorite X-Cover: Wolverine 107 (such cool design and use of sparing color)
Favorite X-Dude: Archangel (90's) Doop (current-ish)
Favorite X-Babe: Psylocke (90's) Emma Frost (current)
Favorite X-Moment: Wolverine #75, when Wolverine first pops his bone claws. It was just huge to me.
Favorite X-Villain: Proteus
Favorite X-Crossover: X-Cutioner's Song (it was my first!)
First X-Comic Read: Tie between X-Men 13 and Classic X-Men #14 (read them the same day and was hooked!)
Favorite X-Artist: Jim Lee
Favorite X-Writer: Grant Morrison (E is for Extinction was SO GOOD)
Favorite X-Couple: Beast and Trish Tilby
X-power you'd love to have: Control of Weather like Storm
X-power you'd hate to have: Live chicken power like Beak
Sean Ryan:
Favorite X-Title Growing Up: X-Men. They just had much better team. That Blue Team was great. Cyclops, Psylocke, Gambit, Wolverine. Please. No contest.
Favorite X-Cover: New X-Men 118. Cyclops plus Frank Quietly; there is nothing flashy about it, but damn it’s cool.
Favorite X-Dude: Cyclops
Favorite X-Babe: Emma
Favorite X-Moment: When Magneto rearranged the Sentinel insides and attacked Washington D.C. (Ultimate X-Men 5 and 6)
Favorite X-Villain: Sentinels.
Favorite X-Crossover: Age of Apocalypse and or Onslaught, depending on my mood.
First X-Comic Read: X-Men 32. I don’t know what the hell was going on then and still don’t know now. But I still loved it. I think Spiral showed up, and Psylocke threw here fake eyes into a lake. Boy was I hooked. (God bless Andy Kubert)
Favorite Wolverine Moment: Pops his bone claws for the first time. (Origin 2)
Favorite X-Artist: Frank Quietly
Favorite X-Writer: Joss Whedon
Favorite X-Couple: Emma and Scott.
X-power you'd love to have: Professor X
X-power you'd hate to have: Maggot
Tony Bedard:
Favorite X-Cover: Maybe UNCANNY #173, Wolvie and Rogue runnin' at ya, which I recently reprised in the ROGUE series. Or maybe UNCANNY #213 with Wolvie and Sabretooth in close combat, by the incomparable Alan Davis.
Favorite X-Dude: Being a short man myself, I gotta go with Wolverine. Colossus was right up there, though. Thank God he's back.
Favorite X-Babe: Rogue, although I had a thing for Kitty when I was
younger.
Favorite X-Moment: Wolverine cuts loose in the Hellfire Club (UNCANNY #133). At the time, it was shocking and glorious. It’s been watered down since.
Favorite X-Villain: Magneto, one of the all-time great villains
anywhere.
Favorite X-Crossover: Does the original SECRET WARS count? Otherwise, those things really irked me.
First X-Comic Read: I first encountered the X-Men in SECRET WARS.
Then I guess it was UNCANNY X-MEN #169 (Angel kidnapped by the Morlocks), but I'm not really sure. I devoured back-issues immediately.
Favorite Wolverine Moment: Tough call. Obviously, my favorite X-Moment above was one, but I think it was probably his solo limited series by Claremont and Frank Miller. Also loved him burning the Brood Egg out of his body back in UXM #162. At that point, I knew you just
couldn't beat this guy.
Favorite X-Artist: Paul Smith, with Byrne and Davis right on his heels.
Favorite X-Writer: Claremont did things that everyone else has been
feeding off ever since. Whedon's doing stuff now that lives up to it.
Favorite X-Couple: Kitty and Colossus.
X-Power You'd Love to Have: I guess Wolverine is, if it came without the bad attitude and swiss-cheese memory.
X-Power You'd Hate To Have: Rogue's, because I like me some human
contact.
Fabian Nicieza:
Favorite X-Title Growing Up: Technically, I didn't have one when I was really young. I didn't start reading X-Men until Giant Size X-Men #1 and I was already about 14. And since Uncanny was the ONLY title, I guess I'd have to say that one!
Favorite X-Cover: Uncanny #100 and #141 -- the first issue for Days of Future Past?
Favorite X-Moment: Magneto’s reveal at the end of X-Men (2nd series) #110
Favorite X-Villain: Magneto
Favorite X-Crossover: There is no such thing
First X-Comic Read: Uncanny X-Men #21
Favorite X-Artist: John Byrne
Favorite X-Writer: Chris Claremont
Favorite X-Couple: Iceman and Darkstar (that's going back a ways and sliding over to the Champions!)
X-power you'd love to have: Mimic, then I could have any power I want.
X-power you'd hate to have: Husk, perpetual High School insecurity.
Aaron Lopresti:
Favorite Marvel Title Growing Up: Spiderman, I didn't read X-men until I was older. But the only X-title I consistently read was X-Factor. It really got cool when Walt and Weezie teamed up on it. I really liked the original X-men being back together again.
Favorite X-Cover: I don't have my Marvel Cover Photo Journal Guides handy because I am currently in the throws of moving, but off the top of my head I would have to say the issue that has the giant figure of Magneto being swarmed by the original X-men. I think it was a Buscema cover, Uncanny X-Men #43. I'm not that old, but I saw it retrospectively and always thought it was well done.
Favorite X-Character: Either Nightcrawler or Colossus.
Favorite X-Babe: Storm
Favorite X-Moment: When Apocalypse turned Angel into Archangel
Favorite X-Villain: Sauron
Favorite X-Crossover: Inferno
First X-Comic read: The Neal Adams issue with Sauron, Uncanny X-Men #60. Awesome! (Again I found these long after they had come out, I'm not that old!)
Favorite Wolverine moment: When he gutted the Hulk, in Incredible Hulk #340. A great Peter David / Todd McFarlane issue.
Favorite X-artist: Neal Adams, with Simonson a close second.
Favorite X writer: Weezie Simonson
Favorite X couple: The forbidden romance between Nightcrawler and Meggan in the original Excalibur.
X-power I want: Sub-mariner. Remember, technically he's a mutant.
X power I don't want: Rogue.