Trevor -- Uncanny X-Men is said to be getting another, as of yet unnamed member, can you let the fans in on who that character is?
Mike Marts -- I’ll do you one better Trevor. Out of these sixteen characters atleast one of them will die, two of them will get married, two characters will quit one team to join another, and one of them will be the “unnamed” Uncanny member.
 Corsair |
 Cyclops |
 Darwin |
 Deathbird |
 Gambit |
 Havok |
 Hepzibah |
 Lilandra |
 Petra |
 Polaris |
 Pyro |
 Cecilia Reyes |
 Sunspot |
 Sway |
 Vulcan |
 Warpath |
Trevor -- Mike many a fan has been wondering about the status of Exiles, since Claremont is on his mini-hiatus. What is the plan for the title? When can we expect to see Claremont at the helm?
Mike Marts -- While Chris is recuperating from his recent setback, we’ve asked Tony Bedard to extend his run on EXILES by a few issues. Tony was happy to accept and we’re grateful that he’s agreed to help out Chris for a few months. Tony has a few exciting storyarcs planned for his extended run, one involving someone who’s “the best there is at what he does” and another featuring a few of Marvel’s cosmic characters.
Trevor -- Speaking of Exiles, let’s talk about the line up. What shake ups will be happening pre-T.B. vs. post-T.B.?
Mike Marts -- Tony’s cast pretty much stays intact throughout his extended run (Blink, Sabretooth, Longshot, Spidey 2099, Morph and Power Princess)…but hey—everyone knows that where the Exiles are involved, anything can happen!
Trevor -- Blink and Morph are, as of now, your only genesis Exiles left. What is in store for these two world hopping mutants and how far in the future do you see these two remaining on the team?
Mike Marts -- Readers will soon see a major story twist involving Morph…I expect him to be around the book for a long time to come…but that doesn’t mean I see him staying the same. And as for Blink, I think as long as there’s an EXILES title on the shelves Blink will be on the team. Well, unless something horrible should happen to her. Again.
Trevor -- We can’t talk about Exiles without talking about Nocturne. Do the Exiles know Talia is on Earth?
Mike Marts -- Yes, Heather Hudson has been keeping tabs on her.
Trevor -- Do you see a potential story in an Exiles / Excalibur crossover? What type of story would you have to see come out of a reunion between Talia and the Exiles?
Mike Marts -- An eventual EXILES / EXCALIBUR crossover is something that Chris Claremont and I have talked about from time to time. Nothing’s on the schedule just yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.
Trevor -- Excalibur has a lot of supporting characters, what I mean is that none of them could make it in an ongoing all on their own. What is it about these six characters that makes you think they could be THE next Excalibur just like the first Claremont / Davis team was?
Mike Marts -- Like the original EXCALIBUR series, this cast has the perfect mix of characters that bring a variety of attributes to the table: everything from mystery to humor to classic superheroics. And don’t say that none of these characters could star in a series of their own—Dazzler had a long-running series of her own in the ’80s, as did Captain Britain…and one of our other cast members will have a limited series of their own later this year!
Trevor -- I’ve been wondering about this since Juggernaut joined the X-Men. When will we see more stories about the Gem of Cyttorak and the Realm of Cyttorak?
Mike Marts -- Look no further than NEW EXCALIBUR #13-15—guest writer Frank Tieri is planning a Juggernaut-centric story as I type this.
Trevor -- It has almost been a year since Greg Pak finished his run on Phoenix: Endsong. Are there any plans for a sequel? Will we get to see which Cuckoo the firefly visited?
Mike Marts -- A sequel to PHOENIX: ENDSONG sounds like a great idea…as readers, is this something you guys are hoping for?
Trevor -- Speaking of Jean, it’s been over two years since her death. When does she get a get out of purgatory free card like all the rest of our Marvel Heroes? Wouldn’t you think the slaying of her entire family would cause her ashes to begin forming, heck isn’t Scott about due a change of woman again (LOL)?
Mike Marts -- Sadly, the status of Jean’s death hasn’t changed at all, nor will it be anytime in the near future. She’s still dead.
Trevor -- By the way just listened to the recent X-Podcast from you, Nick, and Sean. Do you guys plan on doing more of those are was that just a one time thing?
Mike Marts -- We do plan on doing more X-Office podcasts. Stay tuned to Marvel.com for details.
Peter Luzifer -- With everyone else of the former Excalibur's cast having made a (depowered) appearance post House of M, what became of Karima Shapandar and the Dark Beast?
Mike Marts -- You’ll be seeing at least one of them in one of the main X-Men titles before summer’s end.
Novaya Havoc @ comicbookresources.com – Dazzler and Nocturne are two of my favorite characters. Why were their looks changed from pre-New Excalibur to how they appear now?
Mike Marts -- Did their looks really change all that much? I mean let’s face facts, folks--how often do you (or your significant other) change your clothes or hairstyle over a five-, or ten-, or even a twenty year span? More than a few, right? Dazzler is a pop singer. Take a look at Britney Spears. Or Madonna. Or the Chili Peppers. How many times have they changed their looks over the last few years? Twice? Five? A dozen? Does Dazzler really have to stay chained to a disco-inspired suit she wore twenty years ago? Or can’t she change with the times and enjoy the freedom of altering her look from time to time?
Beast @ comicbookresources.com – I know this question has been asked to death, but why keep the Beast in his cat-like state when, as I believe, his ape-like state was ten times more popular with the fans?
Mike Marts -- Mainly because Hank doesn’t have the ability to change back!
AesSedaiguy -- Since Jean's not supposed to come back this year, are there any plans to move Rachel out of Jean's shadow (i.e. adopting her own codename and costume)?
Mike Marts -- Rachel will continue to wear the Marvel Girl costumed inspired by her late mother, but that in no way means she’s going to be in anyone’s shadow. Ed Brubaker has BIG plans for her.
AesSedaiguy -- Is Vulcan definitely going to be a villain for the next few years, or is he going to follow the Summers brother tradition and become an X-Man eventually?
Mike Marts -- I hate to play the “you’ll just have to wait and see” card, but you’ll just have to wait and see.
AesSedaiguy -- Since X-Treme X-Men is no longer in production, one would assume that the ban of Adam-X a.k.a. X-Treme is off, so is he going to be making an appearance in the next few arcs of Uncanny?
Mike Marts -- With a storyarc titled “The Rise and Fall of the Shi’Ar Empire” coming up in UNCANNY X-MEN, I wouldn’t rule out an appearance from the Shi’Ar born Adam-X.
AesSedaiguy -- I think it would just be interesting to see the 3rd Summers Brother interact with the man who was originally going to fill that spot.
Mike Marts -- Possibly…
Ms Faded -- Is or isn't Marrow still powered? Generation M didn't really give a clear indication of whether or not she was one of the few to retain just her physical mutation.
Mike Marts -- Marrow has indeed lost her powers, but retained some of the physical aspects of her mutation.
Ms Faded -- Do you find the deaths in New X-Men to be on the excessive side?
Mike Marts -- I don’t. The power and strength of the story that Chris Yost and Craig Kyle are spinning far outweighs some of the details that make up the story. I admire and respect writers who aren’t afraid to take risks. In fact, I don’t think we see enough of it in comics these days.