‘NYX’ Brings A New Mutant Underground To New York City In July
by Tony Thornley
Marvel’s new X-Men From the Ashes initiative continues to take shape, with perhaps the most interesting revamp of an old concept- NYX.
With writers Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly, and artist Francesco Mortarino, NYX sees five young mutants navigating and leading the new mutant underground in New York City in the wake of the Fall of the House of X.
Kamala Khan is striking out on her own for the first time, both as a young woman and as a mutant. Anole is just trying to survive the craziness of life in New York. Wolverine is protecting her own borough from the shadows. Prodigy has found a calling chronicling history as it happens. And Sophie Cuckoo is forging her own destiny. Together, they are the leaders amongst New York’s mutant community.
“This is the kind of book we came to Marvel to create,” Kelly shared. “When the Hivemind first formed, Collin and I bonded over books like Runaways, Young Avengers, and the original NYX – stories that showcased that tense, wonderful place where the mundane world and marvels collided. And no book has embodied that more in recent years than Ms. Marvel – Kamala Khan is one of the most definitive protagonists in the Marvel canon, and we’re deeply honored to be inheriting the character from Iman [Vellani] and Sabir [Pirzada], while chronicling a whole new phase in her growth as a young adult.”
“The opportunity to take on these characters is both an incredible challenge and an amazing honor,” Lanzing added. “Sophie, Anole, and Prodigy have been personal favorites since their time on the New Mutants and New X-Men – in a sense, we’ve become who we are right alongside them. And returning Laura to NYX – while in a radically different context that centers her heroism over her victimhood – feels like the chance to really bring the character full circle and help her grow into the next phase of her life.”
“I was a big fan of Joe Quesada and John Middleton’s version, so I was thrilled when Editor Annalise Bissa asked me to draw NYX!” Mortarino said. “I’m so glad to have the opportunity to work on characters like X-23 and Ms. Marvel, and NYC is a location that I love, so I’m eager to deliver the city vibes that I would see in books like Daredevil and Spider-Man! I’ve been really enjoying Jackson and Collin’s scripts, and I can’t wait to bring them to life!”
I’m not thrilled about the revival of NYX as a title. The original series- outside of introducing Laura Kinney, the future All-New Wolverine, to Marvel continuity- was best known for being edgy just for the sake of being edgy. However, this concept is the most interesting to me of the three that were announced this week. Laura and Kamala in particular are favorites and this is a really interesting use of both (especially if Kamala brings some or all of her supporting cast). Giving the other three starring roles also piques my interest, especially Sophie, a first for any of the Cuckoos on their own.
Check out the cover to the debut issue from Sara Pichelli and watch for more news about X-Men From The Ashes soon!
