Welcome, X-Fans, to another uncanny edition of X-Men Monday at AIPT!
Writer Peter Milligan and artist Michael Allred rocked comics way back in 2001 when their bombastic, fame-obsessed creations took control of the ‘X-Force‘ brand with issue 116. After a brief and critically acclaimed run came an all-new title: X-Statix, which ran for 26 boundary-busting issues. Now, almost 20 years after the final issue of X-Statix went on sale, Peter and Michael are back together, spinning new tales featuring your favorite media-friendly mutants.
Well… at least the ones who are still alive.
Both Peter and Michael were more than happy to answer a few X-Fan questions. Let’s see what they had to say!
AIPT: Peter and Michael, welcome to X-Men Monday! Let’s start at the very beginning — what was your first X-Men eXperience?
Peter Milligan: I have a memory of being in a comic store and randomly picking up an X-title — I believe it was by Chris Claremont — and glancing at it. That letter ‘X’ probably drew me to it. Maybe some smutty part of me was half-hoping it’d be X-Rated. It wasn’t.
Michael Allred: One of my earliest memories was seeing an X-Men cover with Spidey on it. I was immediately fascinated with Cyclops and his killer cool laser visor.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: I love a good visor. This week’s first X-Fan question comes from Jason in Little Rock, who loves the work you two do on the X-Cellent/X-Statix characters. Jason asked if there was anything in particular that prompted you to continue their story after your initial X-Force/X-Statix run?
Peter: Neither of us wanted to return to this comic and these characters, who meant so much to us, just for the sake of it. The time had to be right. And the time WAS right. The explosion of internet celebrities gave us a perfect theme for this book and gave birth to a new team, the X-Cellent. A team just as keen on celebrity status as X-Statix — but who go about achieving it in a very different, very modern kind of way.
Michael: I was always eager to work and play with Peter again, and always wanted to get back to our gang of Marvel Mutants, we just could never sync our schedules back up. But then our guy Zeitgeist and our X-Force gag popped up in the mega-hit, Deadpool 2. All of a sudden the planets lined up and we were shakin’ things up again.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: X-Fan Vitamin was curious to know how it feels to be working together again.
Peter: It feels like being deprived of your favorite flavor of ice cream for many years — and then, on the hottest day of the year, falling into a whole tub load of said-frozen dessert.
Michael: SNAP! KRACKLE! POP! Peter has always been one of my favorite writers, and diving into his scripts is pure comic book bliss. Very VERY gratifying!
AIPT: Looking back on that beloved X-Force/X-Statix run, what are you two most proud of all these years later?
Peter: That first issue I think really nailed what we wanted, that this was unlike any other X-Book.
Michael: Absolutely everything! But breaking with the Comics Code Authority with our first issue is constantly brought up and has locked in a significant piece in comic book history.
AIPT: That was definitely a welcome break. X-Fan iant wanted to know which character you each missed working on the most.
Peter: I think Edie Sawyer AKA U-Go Girl. I started missing her the moment I went and had her die.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Michael: I relate to Mister Sensitive to an embarrassing degree. It’s like I’ve reunited with a part of myself.
AIPT: X-Fan Robert Furey asked, how is it writing and illustrating a Marvel mutant book in the 2020s compared to about 20 years ago?
Peter: The biggest difference was the means by which ‘celebrity’ can be achieved. YouTubers. ‘Followers.” All that stuff.
Michael: It’s home. My happy place. With years of experience and growth and would say there is a much higher level of confidence. I still feel like a newbie, though.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: You’ve touched on this a bit, but celebrity culture has changed so much since the early 2000s when we first met your characters in X-Force #116. Building an online following, trying to stay in the headlines while also dodging cancellation are just regular parts of being a star nowadays. Have these changes to real-life stardom affected how you approach the characters in X-Cellent?
Peter: 100%. This is exactly the field we’re digging.
Michael: It’s been a very organic evolution for me. Peter’s instincts and insights are always on target and exciting to play with.
AIPT: Mirror Girl and Hurt John are among the new characters you’ve introduced. How do you two go about dreaming up these colorful characters? Does it start with a name? A power? A design?
Peter: It works all those ways. These two particular characters — Mirror Girl and Hurt John — started with a name and an idea. But sometimes Mike shows me an insane drawing, sometimes it even has a name, and I attach a character to it.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Michael: With the original run, we were both spit-ballin’ and throwing stuff in the air and seeing what landed.
Then I drew a bunch of character designs, some with suggested names, suggested powers, which Peter would always level up. Peter wrote several character descriptions that I worked up visualizations for. And that has been the process that we’ve largely locked into now.
AIPT: X-Fan Claudio Cubillos asked, who is your dream casting for a live-action Dead Girl?
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Peter: I’d probably settle for Scarlett Johansson.
Michael: I could think of several options, but coming first to mind… I’d love to see Florence Pugh play Dead Girl.
AIPT: Finally, we know that Doctor Strange will be appearing in X-Cellent #3. What else can you tease about the future of this series? X-Fan Jason in Little Rock was curious if we’ll see a certain mutant island and its residents?
Peter: There are no plans for either the X-Cellent or X-Statix to visit any island, unless that’s the island of their own self-absorption.
Michael: My lips are sealed.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Ah, sealed lips — the eternal risk that comes with asking for teases. But that’s OK because I appreciate you both taking the time to swing by X-Men Monday at AIPT and answer these questions! Thank you, both!
X-Fans, you know what’s better than written teases? Visual teases, like these eXclusive preview pages from X-Cellent #2!
Love that Allred art! No one makes half-melted faces look better.
Until neXt time, X-Fans, stay eXceptional!
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