X-Men Monday #342 – Steve Orlando Talks ‘X-Men: Outback’

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

If you’re looking to get away this summer but don’t want to spend on airfare, consider the more affordable trip to Australia that Marvel Comics is offering in the form of X-Men: Outback. Written by Steve Orlando and illustrated by Stephen Segovia (with covers by Russell Dauterman), this retro limited series will present five issues of all-new adventures set during the X-Men’s fan-favorite Outback era.

And to help you decide whether a trip to the Outback is in order, Steve returned to X-Men Monday to discuss his cast of X-Men and what you can expect. Let’s see what he has to say.

AIPT: Welcome back to X-Men Monday, Steve! So, I feel like many of the retro X-Men series we’ve seen have had a tight focus, choosing to spotlight one or two characters (Gambit, Wolverine and Kitty Pryde) or a moment in Marvel publishing history (Wolverine: Madripoor Knights and Rogue: The Savage Land). But with X-Men: Outback, your canvas is not just an entire ERA, but the WHOLE Uncanny X-Men team of the time! I’m excited but also curious to learn how such an ambitious limited series comes about.

Steve Orlando: It starts with the ask, of course! Flashback series aren’t as new as folks might think, though they haven’t always looked like this—we’ve had things like X-Men: The Hidden Years and X-Men: Deadly Genesis expanding on hidden stories and moments in the past, to great effect. And the solos you mentioned are some of the many, like the Magneto flashback series, which I loved, which have brought the flashback minis back into prominence.

With X-Men: Outback, I was well known as a fan of the era—so when the time and desire came to put the book together, I was very happy my name came up. These were the X-Men when I was first cruising back issues at flea markets in the ’80s and early ’90s! And for me—the chance to write the classic version of characters like Colossus, who was very different when I was working in Krakoa, was something I couldn’t pass up. 

AIPT: This week’s first X-Fan question comes from Alex Dee, who wants to know what, in your opinion, makes the Outback era special and worth revisiting.

Steve: I think this is an era that spoke well at the time and still speaks well today—the idea of truly having to go underground, in this case literally faking your deaths, to start fresh… to live free. The perseverance and defiance that it takes for any marginalized community to live freely is no small matter—it’s a massive force.

The Outback Era, for me, summed that up even more than ever before—now, the X-Men were truly on their own. They didn’t even have their old friends, families, and support systems. But they were still out there—still carving out peace and justice for themselves. And I think, too, in a character sense, the Outback era was by design one that focused on the NEW—when you can’t return to old villains and threats, you need to innovate. And we’ll be keeping that going with this series as well. 

AIPT: X-Fan Voyage Voyage would like to know when exactly during the Outback-era run this limited series takes place.

Steve: Depends on the issue! But all of our issues will be taking place before “Inferno.” I genuinely am not sure yet if we’ll be doing setting and continuity notes in the printed issues—but each appears either between specific issues or within time jumps inside existing issues. Since these are five new adventures, each has its own setting.

AIPT: Now a two-part question. First, X-Fan Patixa asks which character you never had the opportunity to write before were you most excited to tackle? And similarly, X-Fan Evelyn wants to know which character on the Outback team you were most excited to be writing a new bit of history for.

Steve: It’s got to be Colossus—my Grandmother is Russian, and for a long time she was my only living grandparent. She was a strong influence on me, and I always held onto that part of my heritage. So, as a reader, I always gravitated toward Colossus. And I did get to write him in X-Men: Green, but he was a very different character in the Krakoan Era. So it’s nice to be able to work with the version I first met—and as someone who lived in the country and studied its classics, it’s very nice to infuse him with a blockbuster version of the ennui and contemplation that pervades in the cornerstones of Russian literature. In fact, having just experienced a rebirth of sorts, he’s digging in his soul more than ever before. 

As for who I’m excited to write a new bit of history for… I DO really like our Colossus and Psylocke-focused issue, our third. We get to build out some of Colossus’s backstory as well as allude to stories we know are still to come. But that being said, I think our fifth issue, where we meet Longshot’s ex from his time as a revolutionary in Mojoworld, has probably been the one I’m most excited for as far as new history for characters. 

AIPT: Shocking no regular X-Men Monday readers—we received quite a few Betsy Braddock questions. X-Fan CG is a huge Betsy fan and knows you have a big team to juggle, but what excites you about writing Betsy in the Outback era, and was there anything you wanted to explore or delve into that you think will be supplemental?

Steve: With Psylocke, in this era, she has just begun to wear her armor—she believes she could be a liability, even if others don’t. So we’ll see her find the confidence we know she has waiting—and she will, of course, be a force. Betsy plays into the resolution of our first issue and gets a spotlight along with Colossus in our third—though, of course, everyone appears in each issue. But much like in the original run, some folks will step into the spotlight more than others depending on the issue. This is an era where Betsy is questioning herself, but everyone can see the strength she has—watching her discover, or rediscover it, I think, is one of the heights of the era.

AIPT: She’s not on the covers (at least the ones we’ve seen so far), but we know Madelyne Pryor will play a role in this limited series. What can Maddie fans expect from her appearances in X-Men: Outback?

Steve: Maddie is part of the team! With us focusing on the time before “Inferno,” she is dealing with her dark dreams—as well as her complicated relationship with Havok. But we’ll also see her step up, Ellen Ripley style, in our fourth issue. There, though she hasn’t displayed any mutant powers, she’ll step out as part of the team to help rescue a group of hidden Australian mutants.

AIPT: This is X-Fan Ariel’s FAVORITE X-Men era and Ariel asks if we’ll be seeing any of the other X-Teams from this period, such as X-Factor or Excalibur, or if the focus will be solely on the Outback gang.

Steve: For this run, we’ll be focusing on the team living in the Outback for sure! Though in the future it would be a blast to do a parallel series focusing on this time period for X-Factor, especially.

AIPT: The art gods truly blessed you with Russell Dauterman on covers and Stephen Segovia on interiors. What makes these two the perfect travel companions for a trip back to the Outback era?

Steve: Russell has been taking care of me at Marvel for a long time—and I was lucky he was up for joining me here! Like me, he’s a big fan of this time period as a reader. But as a collaborator, Russell has one of the best minds for blockbuster imagery in the business. We’re lucky to have him! Each cover he unleashes is a revelation—it’s the best kind of surprise. 

And Stephen is the perfect person to tackle interiors—his style is wholly distinct from the Outback era’s style, the Marc Silvestri influence. And that’s what we want—we don’t want to just do the same thing, because that’s not what Silvestri did. He redefined comics storytelling and energy on his page in his own way. THAT’S how you honor this era. And Stephen does that—he has the power, the bold, confident paneling, and the propulsive force of the era… in a style that’s all his own.

AIPT: As we wrap up, X-Fan John William wants to know if you find writing a retro series more challenging than writing a present-day series, since you have to be careful not to disrupt the established timeline.

Steve: It can certainly be a challenge to dance between the raindrops—but that’s what also makes this kind of series fun to work on. You become a bit of an archaeologist, looking back and finding the nooks and crannies where story can be found.

It’s not necessarily more challenging; it’s just a different challenge. In a modern series, for example, the story of every book around you is just as fluid as yours—so that’s its own challenge. Fitting into a flashback era—all the factors have already solidified. But in either case—if we’re not challenging ourselves, why are we doing this in the first place?

AIPT: Finally, it’s become more and more common to hear X-Fans spotlight the Outback era as one of their favorites. I know you like your deep cuts—which lesser-appreciated X-Men era do you think is primed for a modern reevaluation?

Steve: It’s very hard for me not to mention the era with Joe Kelly and Steven T. Seagle writing—the time that put Maggott, Cecelia Reyes, and Marrow in the spotlight… and brought Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Shadowcat back to the X-Men for the first time in a long time.

Marrow is a character I always identified with; she was my POV character more than a Pryde or a Jubilee. And it’s not lesser-appreciated, I wouldn’t say, not by a long shot—but it shouldn’t be a surprise I love the New X-Men era. There was also still a lot of meat on the bone with the Neo—but that’s more a concept than an era, I’d say.

AIPT: Didn’t expect to hear “the Neo,” but if the Neo’s going to come up, it’s going to be in a Steve Orlando interview! But on that note—Steve, thanks for stopping by X-Men Monday!

X-Fans, remember to pick up X-Men: Outback #1 when it goes on sale June 24, 2026. Here’s the eXclusive preview, featuring writing from Steve Orlando, pencils from Stephen Segovia, and lettering from VC’s Joe Sabino.

One more eXclusive X-Men: Outback treat — here’s Russell Dauterman and colorist Matthew Wilson’s cover to X-Men: Outback #4 and the issue’s solicitation!

X-MEN: OUTBACK #4 (OF 5)

Written by STEVE ORLANDO

Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA

Cover by RUSSELL DAUTERMAN

THE MORLOCKS OF THE OUTBACK ARE IN TROUBLE – AND ONLY THE X-MEN CAN HELP!

Havok and Madelyne Pryor must help the Morlocks of Australia escape from the LAVA MEN! Can even Havok withstand the heat? Will these X-Men be able to establish a truce between the Lava Men and the Morlocks before Maddie’s fiery visions of the future come true?

On Sale 9/16

As if that wasn’t enough, we can also eXclusively announce that the first 10 issues of Steve’s X-Men Infinity Comic will be collected this September. For more on that series, read X-Men Monday #334 from this past March, and check out the one-shot’s cover from artist Ario Anindito and solicitation below.

X-MEN: OMEGA RED DAWN #1

Written by STEVE ORLANDO

Art by ALAN ROBINSON

Cover by ARIO ANINDITO

Variant Cover by LUCIANO VECCHIO

SPACE RACE!

When Omega Red abducts Professor X, the X-Men follow in a hot pursuit that takes them around the globe and beyond. But time is of

the essence, as Omega Red unleashes a deadly chemical attack that spreads rage and violence in his wake. With half the team down for the count, do they have what it takes to save their beloved mentor – and everyone else – before the world becomes totally consumed by hate? Reprinting X-Men Infinity Comic (2026) #1-10.

On Sale 9/2

Next X-Men Monday – June 15, 2026

In the next edition of X-Men Monday, X-Men writer Jed MacKay returns to discuss the upcoming X-Men-Fantastic Four event series, DNX!

Until next time, X-Fans, stay eXceptional!