Welcome, X-Fans, to another uncanny edition of X-Men Monday at AIPT!
Because you demanded it, Hellverine is back. And so is his co-creator and longtime Wolverine writer Benjamin Percy.
In case you missed the news, an all-new, ongoing Hellverine series launches December 18, 2024 — hot off the heels of the recently concluded mini-series of the same name. Hellverine — a recently resurrected Akihiro — will set out on hellish new adventures while grappling with Bagra-ghul, the demon who possesses him. I spoke to Ben to learn more about what comes next for this deadly odd couple. Let’s see what he has to say.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Welcome back to X-Men Monday, Ben! The last time we spoke, toward the end of the First Krakoan Age, you said Wolverine is your “favorite character in comics.” But now that you’ve been writing Akihiro for a while, how do you feel about Logan’s son?
Ben Percy: I’ve been writing Wolverine since 2017, which is wild to say. There’s been the podcast series. The mainline series. X-Force. Events (like “Weapons of Vengeance” and X Lives and Deaths of Wolverine and Predator Vs. Wolverine). Now we’ve got Deadpool/Wolverine coming down the pipeline. And Hellverine of course — which started off as Logan and then spun off into Akihiro’s narrative.
I guess you could say my approach to Wolverine has been prismatic, as I study and explore him from various angles and eras. Family — the Wolverine family — is a central part of his identity. So it feels like a natural extension of the work I’ve been doing to spend some quality time with his son.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Could you share a bit about how Hellverine went from a mini-series to an ongoing? Was that always the plan or was this the result of reader enthusiasm and demand?
Ben: It’s been a total delight and surprise to see this character take off. I was writing Wolverine — and I was writing Ghost Rider — and it was inevitable that they would converge. They’re great on their own; they’re better together. A peanut butter-and-jelly kind of situation.
The notion of Wolverine with a flaming skull and flaming claws was something that really excited me (for obvious, nerdy reasons). Geoff Shaw and I co-created the design/concept for the “Weapons of Vengeance” storyline…and I thought that would be it. Just a fun, heavy-metal moment. But instead… it totally took off.
People started seeking out that first appearance issue. Marvel Legends rolled out a Hellverine toy. I was asked to do a mini-series. The mini-series sold well enough that I was then asked to do an ongoing. It feels something like a Cosmic Ghost Rider moment in terms of energy, trajectory. So thank you, fans and retailers. This is awesome. Hopefully, Hellverine will be a colorful part of the Marvel canon in the years to come.
Courtesy of Hasbro
I’m partnered on this with artist Raffaele Ienco — who kicked so much ass on Darth Vader — and he’s doing such an incredible job bringing the character to life and the horror vibes to the page. Some of the art that shows up in my inbox makes me gasp it’s so good (and creepy).
AIPT: This week’s first X-Fan question comes from Will Foote, who wanted to know if it’s difficult to balance the Wolverine and Ghost Rider brands in your Hellverine stories. Do you find yourself drawing more from one mythology than another?
Ben: It’s a tricky balancing act — and Mark Basso (my editor) and I have talked about this a lot. We don’t want Hellverine to simply feel like yet another Ghost Rider. So we’ve made extra efforts to distinguish him in small ways (such as him being a demon with a very particular… aesthetic and purpose) and big ways (such as tying the character to the mutant side of Marvel horror).
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: X-Fan MonsieurOverlord asked, given Akihiro’s complex history (as a villain turned anti-hero), how do you plan on balancing all of the facets of his character?
Ben: This series is all about moral complications, and Hellverine is the definition of an anti-hero. We’ll be diving deep into Akihiro’s history of pain and how that’s prepared him (for better and for worse) for the present.
AIPT: X-Fan Angelo said one of the things that Akihiro hates (fears?) the most is being controlled, given that he’d been controlled most of his life. So now that he’s possessed by a demon, Angelo was wondering if we’ll see how his mental state can negatively affect his healing powers, like how his depression used to weaken it in the past. Angelo thinks it’s such a unique aspect of Akihiro which also makes him different from the rest of the sniktfam.
Ben: It’s a tricky situation because he’s only alive because of the demon. It’s a co-dependent relationship that might at first be considered a curse but also could be perceived as a terrible gift. Control is very much on his mind, especially when he realizes that there’s a larger conspiracy (enacted by Mephisto) that he might be playing a role in.
AIPT: X-Fans were really interested in Akihiro’s love life. X-Fans Kasi, Michael, Phil, Saturn, Shawn, and Will Foote all wanted to know if we might see Aurora or learn more about the status of their relationship following “Sabretooth War.”
Ben: Aurora will indeed show up. So will others.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: X-Fan Kasi wanted to know if Akihiro will get to talk to any of his family besides Logan.
Ben: Right now Akihiro is caught up in a non-stop race against a hellish conspiracy that spans the globe, so he doesn’t have a lot of free time or even a strong sense of self. But once things stabilize for him, yes, I think bringing in his larger family would feel right. Currently, he’s scared of himself — and what he might be capable of — so they would be put at risk if he sought them out.
AIPT: X-Fan Sam asked if the Project Hellfire team might return in the ongoing series.
Ben: Not immediately, but yes — they will return.
AIPT: Beyond Hellverine, you and artist Joshua Cassara are prepping a new Deadpool/Wolverine series. What can fans of your past Wolverine work expect from this series — and is there anything you’re doing differently in a post-Krakoa world?
Ben: Deadpool/Wolverine has the mayhem and energy of a non-stop ’80s action film. It’s also a reckoning between the past, present, and future — as it pays homage to and reinvents a very famous X-Men storyline. Josh is absolutely killing it (because of course he is). This will feel similar to the big, wild swing we took with X Lives and Deaths of Wolverine.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Finally, as it’s Halloween week, what other Ben Percy work would you recommend to readers craving more horror in their spooky season reading diet?
Ben: I’d tell folks to check out some of my novels or short stories. Red Moon is an epic werewolf novel. The Dark Net is kind of a tech horror (influenced by William Gibson). The Dead Lands is a work of dark fantasy with plenty of terrifying moments. Suicide Woods is a collection of horror and mystery stories. Happy Halloween, everybody!
AIPT: Happy Halloween — and thanks for stopping by X-Men Monday!
Remember, X-Fans, Hellverine #1 goes on sale December 18, 2024. As that’s still over a month away, how about a look at a few preview pages from artist Raffaele Ienco and color artist Bryan Valenza as this week’s X-Men Monday eXclusive?
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
And yes, that was indeed Doctor Strange!
In the next edition of X-Men Monday: Writer Ashley Allen returns to discuss her upcoming Magik series.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Until next time, X-Fans, stay exceptional!
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