Comic Books

X-Men Monday #282 – Tim Seeley Talks ‘Rogue: The Savage Land’

Plus, an eXclusive look at ‘Rogue: The Savage Land’ #2!

January 20, 2025

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

When you’re leading the X-Men following the fall of Krakoa, it’s hard to make time for sexy dinosaur adventures. (Believe me, I’ve tried!) But thanks to the magic of Marvel Comics, Rogue can star in Uncanny X-Men, become the herald of Galactus, and have a flashback adventure in Rogue: The Savage Land.

With Rogue: The Savage Land #1 already on sale, this is the perfect time to check in with its writer Tim Seeley and learn how this five-issue mini-series came to be, what it’s like collaborating artist Zulema Scotto Lavina, and, of course, what comes next for Rogue, Zaladane, and the rest of the Savage Land gang!

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: Welcome back to X-Men Monday, Tim! In an interview with Polygon, you referred to Rogue: The Savage Land as “a dream job.” X-Fan Karen wanted to know how the opportunity to write this untold retro tale came about. Is this something you proposed to Marvel, or did the House of Ideas come to you?

Tim Seeley: Yeah, I started becoming a big Marvel reader when I was 10 in 1987. But I was reading Classic X-Men at that time… the Chris Claremont/Dave Cockrum/John Byrne issues. The new Marc Silverstri issues that were coming out kinda scared me for some reason! But then in 1989, I picked up my first ever “new” X-Men issue. It was 269 — the debut of Savage Land Rogue! That era really has a place in my heart, while my interest in dinosaurs, ladies in swimsuits, and Ka-Zar hasn’t lessened any in 35 years. So when Marvel’s Darren Shan suggested this mini, I immediately had a pitch for it.

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: Let’s dig a bit deeper. X-Fan LegacyOfX wanted to know what about the original Claremont/Jim Lee storyline stood out to you and made you want to write more about it in this mini-series.

Tim: At the time, I loved that it was a ‘jungle survival” story in the middle of an X-Men superhero storyline. (The Shi’ar/Deathbird stuff was brewing at the same time). I think, as I get older, the thing that’s most interesting is the relationship between Magneto and Rogue. And I don’t mean what would later become an occasional romance — that aspect isn’t really apparent in this story. But, the idea that these two, who should be enemies, could work together is really interesting. What do they respect about each other? What do they relate on? What conflicts do they still maintain? I had many thoughts on that. Also, dinosaurs and swimsuits.

AIPT: You mentioned Rogue and Magneto’s relationship. From the Age of Apocalypse to X-Men ‘97, we’ve seen storytellers explore their romantic potential. Anything else you can share about what you have planned for the dynamic between these two?

Tim: Well, I spent the entire five issues on that, so I feel like I can’t just tell it to you right now! I will say, my interest wasn’t really in the romantic attraction… that’s all well and good, and I think later writers were able to sometimes use it to great effect. But my underlying read on issues 269-275 set me up with a different premise. Read and find out what!

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: In Rogue: The Savage Land #1, you spend a lot of time getting inside Rogue’s head and we see just how resourceful — and resilient — she can be. As a writer, what are some of your favorite aspects of Rogue as a character? X-Fans Evie and Meadow would love to know.

Tim: Yeah, I think an interesting aspect of Rogue is that she can steal all these incredible powers, but the question to me is always — does she need them? When she gets someone’s powers, it’s useful for a bit, but she always has to go back to being a neglected kid from the rural south who made her own way. That neglected kid figured out how to survive and thrive almost entirely on her own. The degree to which that makes her a pretty lonely person was something I wanted to explore too.

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: What’s your creative process for a throwback story like this? I assume you revisited the original comics — but are there any efforts on your part to channel Chris Claremont? Or do you approach it like any other Tim Seeley story?

Tim: I love Chris and his work. We did New Exiles together once! But I don’t think our styles or interests are exactly the same. So, I did ‘me’ first. What am I compelled by? How do I structure this? That said — Chris’ fingerprints are all over this story! It’s his setup, his take on these characters, his dangling plot threads! I think you end up with an interesting fusion of our approaches. And I’m totally proud of that!

AIPT: From lush, tropical landscapes to mutants with supermodel looks, Zulema Scotto Lavina really is the perfect artist for this mini-series. How’s it been collaborating with Zulema?

Tim: It’s always a pleasure. She and I did Hexware together at Image Comics, so I know what she likes to draw and how she’ll draw it. That totally allows me to customize the script for her. She’s great at pretty people, expressive acting, and really organic shapes. So, I gave her a hot people-dinosaur-adventure!

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: Let’s get into spoiler territory for what comes next. First, Ka-Zar seems to be in a bit of a pickle with the Deep Men. I believe they’re a new addition to Savage Land lore. What more can you share about these guys? Friendly fellas?

Tim: Well, it’s not really a new addition. I picked up all kinds of stuff from Ka-Zar back issues, and kind of expanded upon the lore, or tilted it on its head. I love me a good jungle adventure… I read Tarzan books as a kid. But Ka-Zar is jungle-advnture PLUS dino-adventure! It’s everything cool and pulpy! I tried to play up existing continuity and characters whenever I could to capture the texture of those old comics.

AIPT: Clearly I need to catch up on my Deep Men lore! Internet research failed me. And then we have the glorious return of Zaladane — who appears ready to ascend to godhood. What can we expect from this former priestess as the mini-series continues?

Tim: I wanted to make Zaladane more witchy. I wanted to make her culty. And most of all, I wanted to make her scary. And I wanted to get into WHY she is this way. Her origin has always been a bit murky —we’ll explore it.

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: Finally, a question about your recent — and excellent — X-Men: From the Ashes Infinity Comic story about Beak and Angel’s family. X-Fan Chamber’s Dermatologist said: “As someone with a loved one fighting an uphill cancer battle, your Infinity story with Beak and Angel’s daughter moved me to no end. What inspired you to write this? Did it come from personal experience?”

Tim: Oh, thanks so much! I’m glad you read it! When Darren Shan asked me to write a Beak Thanksgiving story, he said “it doesn’t need to be a typical superhero story.” I think Grant Morrison’s idea for Beak was that he was an everyman-mutant. And, even though he looked really different from the average person (or even mutant), he had all the same problems the average blue-collar person does. Having been through a few bouts recently with sick relatives, and the difficulty in paying for treatments imposed by insurance companies, I felt like a story about a dad just trying to help his kid would be really honest — and also not a story that Cyclops or Juggernaut could probably star in.

Courtesy of Marvel Comics

AIPT: And yet, you still found time to sneak in some fun Scott and Cain moments! But on that note — thanks for stopping by X-Men Monday, Tim!

X-Fans, if you missed the first issue of Rogue: The Savage Land, it’s on sale now. And Rogue: The Savage Land #2 goes on sale February 26, 2025. Speaking of, here’s this week’s X-Men Monday eXclusive — a few unlettered pages featuring artist Zulema Scotto Lavina and color artist Rachelle Rosenberg’s work, courtesy of our friends at Marvel.