Comic Books

X-Men Monday #206 – Steve Orlando Reflects on ‘X-Men: Before the Fall: Mutant First Strike’

Plus, 6 eXclusive preview images from upcoming X-Men comics!

June 12, 2023

Welcome, X-Fans, to another uncanny edition of X-Men Monday at AIPT!

With each new comic book Wednesday, we inch closer and closer to the Fall of X. Last week, X-Men: Before the Fall: Mutant First Strike revealed another aspect of ORCHIS’s master plan — how effective media manipulation can be in twisting the public’s opinion of mutantkind. But even amidst the devastation of Milford, New Hampshire, mutants from decades of Marvel publishing history came together under Bishop’s leadership to provide relief and hope.

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That sounds like a good comic! (I mean, you already know because you read it, right?) But I wanted to go deeper. Fortunately for me, I have a weekly X-Men interview column, so I asked the one-shot’s writer Steve Orlando if he’d be up for discussing it. Read on for Steve’s thoughts on X-Men: Before the Fall: Mutant First Strike, real-life disaster relief work, and more.

Courtesy of Steve Orlando’s Twitter

AIPT: Welcome back to X-Men Monday, Steve! X-Men: Before the Fall: Mutant First Strike is such an interesting concept for a one-shot. You’re exploring super-powered disaster relief following a catastrophic event and media manipulation, all while setting up the next phase of the X-Men’s Krakoan saga: The Fall of X. How did Mutant First Strike come together?

Steve: Years of planning! You know, that’s actually true. Here’s a book that pulls together the narrative petal of ORCHIS’s escalating efforts to delegitimize and scapegoat mutants worldwide. And that’s a plan that does go back many years. If you’re not up on everything — that’s fine! All you need to know for the book is that Krakoa is a mutant nation, and this is their humanitarian aid team. But if you’ve been following X-Men, X-Men Green, Marauders, Giant-Size X-Men: Thunderbird, and the Krakoan era in general, there’ll be extra seasoning for sure. We knew we wanted to make ORCHIS’s big push a dynamic one, and an attack on all sides as it were. And part of those kinds of strikes is always a hit on public opinion.

AIPT: Before we get further into the issue, we’ve yet to cover Judas Traveller’s return in X-Men Monday. What made you want to bring this Spider-Man character into the X-Men’s world as a member of Orchis? (Also, did you know he’s apparently from Danvers, MA?)

Steve: I did not know he was from Danvers! I wonder if he shops at North Shore Mall… anyway! Judas was just a perfect fit for ORCHIS’s narrative petal. First, what’s in a name? He’s a mutant working against mutants after all. And he’s got a history of posing as something he’s not — he really wanted people to think he was a god back in the day. But in reality, he’s a showman, a manipulator, a modern day carnival barker. And we knew from early on that that’s someone ORCHIS needs.

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: Love a good North Shore Mall reference. Back to Mutant First Strike. “When they see the red-and-white X… it means help is on the way.” A great line set to an uplifting splash page. You’ve spoken before about your time doing disaster relief work. What does it mean to you that you got to introduce this important element of our world to the fictional world of the X-Men?

Steve: I think it’s important, now that Krakoa is a nation, to consider what superheroics means for them. It’s not that the Marauders, who have been doing this type of rescue right along, often in a way that bends the limits of human experience, aren’t superheroes per se. But the approach to disaster relief, the one that I learned, is a style of thinking slightly different than swinging in to save the day and punch the villain. Disaster relief is essentially about how you swoop in and save the day for a community, versus a person, or small group of people. And that’s thinking I felt just had to be applied to mutantkind. Because as Bishop says — if mutants CAN do more, they SHOULD do more.

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: In a time when so much superhero discourse is about power feats and who can beat who, Mutant First Strike focuses on how mutants’ powers can help, heal, feed, and more in times of great need. The brief panel with Wicked providing grief counseling is especially impactful. What came first? The relief scenarios or the mutant powers?

Steve: Oh the relief scenario definitely came first. And then it became — how can we take the steps I’ve learned and studied and accomplish them with mutant power versus how they’re accomplished in real life with human power? THEN it became, with mutant powers as a given, what extra relief could be given that just isn’t possible in the real world? How could WE do more, if we had the power and agency to do so?

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: Did any of your personal disaster relief experiences inspire specific scenes in Mutant First Strike?

Steve: Without a doubt! A lot of this is in the answer above. But I’ll say, the big things from my own experiences are found in the scenes folks might think are somewhat tertiary. Scenes like Greycrow cooking a local favorite for everyone — the way THEY like it, not how he thinks is best. Scenes like Icarus learning local songs and singing with people. Scenes like Eye-Scream doing endless ice cream for the kids. These are things I think we tend to overlook, thinking that in a triage situation, folks should be happy with whatever people from outside deign to give. But in reality, I think we all underestimate what meeting folks where they are can do — prioritizing moments of dignity, of small comforts, of pinches of normalcy. It goes a long long way.

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: Jean Grey’s shock learning that the Watchdogs truly believe Krakoa was responsible for attacking Milford was another impactful moment. And despite the efforts of Krakoa — and the citizens of Milford — not enough people are listening. Is Jean’s shock perhaps a sign that mutants have grown a bit too comfortable and complacent following all their success? I mean, even Xavier refers to Krakoans as “benevolent” gods earlier in the issue.

Steve: I think there’s some of that, for sure. And I think that’s natural. Mutants of course KNOW their own intentions, at least their personal intentions. But we’re incapable of controlling how the actions fueled by those intentions are received. And we’re also well aware that equality for marginalized folks often feels like oppression for those who are used to holding all the power, space, and influence. So, yes, I think there’s an element of underestimating the fear associated with Krakoa’s rise. But there’s also a complacency to the fact that hate is often horrifically simple — it doesn’t reason, it barely needs an excuse. So the Watchdogs probably didn’t really care whether mutants were truly to blame or not — they didn’t stop to think about it too hard.

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: On a lighter note — what was the reaction in the X-Office to bringing back Eye-Scream? This has to be his first appearance since 1983’s Obnoxio the Clown vs. X-Men. Fingers crossed for a spot in the next X-Men Vote.

Steve: You know? I thought it’d be harder to get across the plate. But it just goes to show if the story supports the character pull, no matter how strange, it’s usually easy to make happen. It’s rare Eye-Scream has a key role to play in a mutant effort. But in this case, he was one of the few to bring what was needed to the table! And he was the only one whose power wasn’t based in their gastrointestinal system.

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: As a longtime X-Fan, I appreciate any time the X-Men’s past jobs come up in a comic. As Iceman’s next writer, what are your thoughts on Bobby’s CPA side?

Steve: I love it! I love how it plays against type — Bobby’s the class clown, often THOUGHT of as an airhead. And he might even lean into that for a gag, or to push someone’s buttons. But it’s important to remember he’s not actually that. He’s intelligent, he’s driven, he’s organized. The CPA exam is very hard to pass! So I think it’s a great counterpoint to Iceman’s otherwise laid back characterization.

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: As we wrap up, are there any specific Mutant First Strike ramifications we can expect to ripple through the Fall of X?

Steve: This is an easy answer — yes! You’ll see the war of public opinion carry on throughout not just the Hellfire Gala but Astonishing Iceman and many other books. Maybe not in the spotlight, but as the creeping sickness helping everyday people become more and more comfortable with ORCHIS’s incremental anti-mutant fascism.

AIPT: Finally, do you have any advice or helpful links for X-Fans who read Mutant First Strike and are inspired to help make a positive difference in people’s lives following disasters?

Steve: There are many! If you want to learn more about the group I’ve worked with, World Central Kitchen, which feeds those touched by disaster, you can do so here.

There is also DC Central Kitchen, which inspired it.

But there are many many ways to give and get involved — these are great organizations! But if they’re not the perfect fit for you — the perfect fit IS out there.

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: Perfect. On that note, Steve, thanks for a solid X-Men comic and for stopping by X-Men Monday to chat! Let’s talk again when Astonishing Iceman #1 hits comic shops.

Speaking of the future, X-Fans — how about a few eXclusive preview images from upcoming X-Men comics, courtesy of X-Men Senior Editor Jordan D. White?

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

Before you take a sip, Beast, I’ve got one more thing! A few weeks back, in X-Men Monday #204, X-Fan Bambi asked Jordan the following question:

“Similar to Nightcrawler taking on the mantle of the Uncanny Spider-Man, what other X-Men character would you want to see in the role of a greater Marvel superhero?”

Jordan suggested Gambit as Daredevil, Jean Grey as Captain Marvel, and Magneto as Forbush Man. That last one was a joke, but readers were inspired to take a stab at bringing these mashups to life… and even dream up a few combinations of their own!

First up, Jean Grey as Captain Marvel by artist Daedra: