Welcome, X-Fans, to another uncanny edition of X-Men Monday at AIPT!
The Children of the Vault — created by Mike Carey and Chris Bachalo — have been making the X-Men’s lives difficult since their debut in 2006. And true to their penchant for constantly evolving, Serafina and her fellow post-humans continue to find new ways to surprise readers. Of course, the Children owe a lot to their current creative team of writer Deniz Camp, artist Luca Maresca, color artist Carlos Lopez, and letterer VC’s Cory Petit, who together, delivered the excellent, thought-provoking, and just flat-out entertaining Children of the Vault #1.
Deniz made his brief X-Men Monday debut before the Fall of X started, so luckily, he was game to answer new X-Fan questions about Children of the Vault‘s debut issue, as well as tease what comes next.
Courtesy of Image Comics
AIPT: Welcome back to X-Men Monday, Deniz! Before we get into Children of the Vault #1, it’s clear you’ve done your homework and know your X-history as it relates to Cable, Bishop, and the Children of the Vault. What was your first X-Men experience as a fan?
Deniz: The ‘90s X Men cartoon, which I guess is true for a lot of people of my generation (Generation Fox Kids). I remember really liking Bishop and Cable both in that, specifically; their inclusion upped the scale, added a dimension (time!), and pushed the stories more towards sci-fi, which all appealed to me.
As a comics fan, I dipped my toe into this or that back issue, but I didn’t really get “into” the X-Men until I found Grant Morrison’s New X-Men. That book really showed me what was possible.
AIPT: Thanks for sharing — onto those X-Fan questions! X-Fan Reed Lawson said you, Luca Maresca, and Carlos Lopez delivered an incredible portrayal of Cable. What is your personal history with Nathan Summers and how did that inform how you wrote him in Children of the Vault?
Deniz: I’m glad it worked for you, Reed! I’ve had a lot of fun with Cable, and I think the character is very rich.
When I agreed to take the job, I went back and read most of Cable’s appearances, and all of his solo stuff. Ditto for Bishop and the Children of the Vault.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
The foundation for this version of the character was Al Ewing’s (wonderful) recent work since that has defined this era, but my favorite Cable is the Igor Kordey Cable of the 2000s, first with Tischmann and then with Macan. There, Cable was a little more philosophical and political. They played Cable as a Messiah figure, which I felt was very rich and different. It was ahead of its time in some ways (and in other ways, very much of its time).
So my version of Cable has a lot of that. I’m interested in his philosophy and in the sci-fi-mythological scale of his life. He’s a Telepathic Soldier-Messiah from the far future. Which is just — that’s a wonderful pitch for a character, isn’t it? Instantly interesting.
And of course, all the Swierczynski/Olivetti work is very important, in establishing the antipathy between Cable and Bishop, and the love between Cable and his daughter, Hope.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
And that’s one of my favorite things about working in a shared universe, is you have this build-up of good ideas and interesting takes over time, decades worth of people applying their creativity to a character. You have all of that to be inspired by when you’re finding the character’s voice. Al Ewing is one of the great masters of that.
So I try to include bits from every era, because I think it makes the characters more specific and more real. More interesting. For Cable, you’ll see not just the Ewing and Kordey versions of the character, but bits from the Casey/Ladronn run, the X-Force stuff, the Duggan/Noto run, etc. All filtered through my own voice.
Plus I make stuff up.
AIPT: That’s all awesome to hear — especially for Cable fans who’ve read all those runs. Now, a caption box in Children of the Vault #1 told readers Cable would rather accept help from Apocalypse than Bishop, but of Cable and Bishop, which do you think is better at burying their past differences and moving forward?
Deniz: You’ll have to read to find out!
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
I’m sorry to be so brief, but there’s really too much to go into for an interview; you have to take into account Bishop growing up in a concentration camp, Cable’s Askani philosophy, their experiences in war and throughout time, etc.
I will say, the dynamic is slightly more complicated than “we hate each other”. It’s more: Cable can’t forgive Bishop for what he did, but Bishop can’t forgive HIMSELF for what he did. Being around Cable kind of makes him uncomfortable, which leads to him being more of a dick, which leads to more tension.
It’s very rich to write!
AIPT: No, that’s perfect! X-Fan Retro1999 loved the first issue and can’t wait for the next. Retro 1999 wanted to know what was the inspiration for flipping the Children of the Vault’s original mission statement from Mike Carey’s X-Men run essentially on its head and changing them from a group of post-human supremacists to brainwashing “saviors”.
Deniz: From their first appearance they have always been a kind of a mirror of the mutants, and that continued into the Krakoan age. Just as the mutants evolved their thinking, approach, and ambitions, the Children also evolved. I wanted to continue that evolution, I suppose.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
I asked myself, what tools and strategies might an advanced society bent on conquest develop? Would they keep relying on brute force after multiple failures despite their overwhelming strength advantage? With centuries to prepare, might they try something new?
And with the absence of Krakoa post-Fall, and the withdrawal of all that promise — the drugs, the housing, etc — it seemed to me there would be a power vacuum waiting to be filled and that the world would be newly vulnerable.
The power structures of Earth are in a state of flux and everyone is making their move. This is the Children’s move.
AIPT: X-Fan Rachel said we’ve only seen glimpses of the Vault, and we really don’t know what they do in there except evolve. Will we see some of the social systems and structures that have evolved with them? Rachel is curious about their value systems, and how monolithic the Children’s views of the rest of humanity (mutants included) are.
Deniz: Yes, we absolutely will. Some of it in the comic itself, as it becomes relevant — say, understanding the relationship between Serafina and Capitán — and some of it in the data pages.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
The data pages for issues 1 and 3 are dedicated to Cable and Bishop, and the data pages for 2 and 4 are dedicated to the Children and their history. So you’ll learn much more about the Children’s society and culture in the even-numbered issues.
Thank goodness for the data pages!
AIPT: X-Fan Avery pointed out that in Children of the Vault #1, there was a new character named Ferro who seemed to be a combination of Perro and Fuego. Could he be considered the Children’s equivalent to a mutant chimera?
Deniz: Yes, that was exactly the intent! We’ll explore it just a bit in later issues, but it made sense to me that they would mix and match, not just for powers but for temperament/personality.
AIPT: X-Fan Will Foote said the settings through which the reader sees the impact of the Children’s technology are ones that Marvel comics seldom frequent. Why did you make the choice to bring the narrative to these very real countries and places?
Deniz: Yes, absolutely. They’re neglected in the Marvel Universe as they are neglected, often, by the international community in our world. My father is from Turkey and my mother is from the Philippines, and members of my family died in earthquakes and floods, so having the characters save people in both places was a kind of wish-fulfillment for me.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Of course, the Children are rooted in South America, so it made sense to put some focus there.
AIPT: X-Fan Cathal was wondering if you received any interesting reactions in the X-Office upon hearing about 3019’s hottest weekly mind-virus, Hawkspox.
Deniz: Haha, you know everyone has been so open and accepting, I keep waiting for the shoe to drop. I expected some pushback about that one, but they didn’t blink!
Data! Pages!
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: A big question before we wrap: X-Fan Cole asked, if an event like the one portrayed in the Children of the Vault story were to happen in real life, how do you believe humanity as a whole would react to it?
Deniz: I suspect our response would be complex and inconsistent and intensely personal. The kind of thing that makes for great stories!
AIPT: Finally, what can you tease about what comes next in Children of the Vault?
Deniz: Silence: Psychic Interrogation In Progress, Lay Your Hammer Down, The Message Spreads, War On Tomorrow, Invasions From Beyond, Return to Graymalkin Lane, “The Human Question”, The Tetrahedral Histories, and A Cable’s Real Mutant Power.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics and ComicBook.com
I also want to thank everyone for reading. The response to the first issue was really kind, and I was very touched by it. I really hope you enjoy the rest of the series.
AIPT: So much to dig into in that last answer, but alas, we’re out of time. Thanks for stopping by X-Men Monday, Deniz, and keep up the great work! All those positive reactions to the first issue are well deserved. Children of the Vault #2 goes on sale September 13.
Now, X-Fans, before you debate what “A Cable’s Real Mutant Power” could be, take a look at these eXclusive Fall of X preview images, courtesy of X-Men Senior Editor Jordan D. White.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Hope none of you had tickets to Dazzler’s world tour.
Until next time, X-Fans, stay exceptional!
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.