Generation Ne(X)t

New groups of writers are always popping up, looking to make it into the main stream. When it comes to Marvel there is an interesting pattern they use to break in and try new writers; The X-Books.

Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Scott Lobdell, Chis Bachalo, Peter David, Jim Lee, Joe Mad, Christopher Yost and more all got major pushes, and in many cases their first major work for the company, in the X-verse. Even Joe Quesada worked in the X-verse as an artist on Peter Davids’s X-Factor.

Its an interesting thing to realize as Marvel reshuffles their X-Men family titles in the wake of Schism, as well as the possible changes coming after Avengers vs X-Men. Kieron Gillen has gotten more work in the X-verse than he has in the rest of the marvel universe, he set up the next generation of mutants and set himself apart from other writers in the process. Marvel even tapped him to relaunch their premier X-book.

The Marvel Architects that I previously mentioned as well as Brian Bendis all have some time served with the resident mutants of the Marvel universe. Jason Aaron started his career at the house of ideas with a short Wolverine story, Bendis helped usher in the Ultimate X-men, Brubaker and Fraction co-wrote the Uncanny X-Men before Brubaker departed and Gillen joined.

Jim Lee made his carrier with the release of X-Men #1 along side Chris Claremont. Peter David will forever be known for his multiple X-Factor runs, they set the tone of what we expect a Perter David story to be. Joe Mad and Scott Lobdell made me an X-fan in the 90’s. Lobdell and Bachalo created Generation X and set up a whole new generation of mutants for creators to play with. Claremont himself made his name with the X-Men and will forever be tied to those books. Same with John Bryne.

Even in the editorial side, if you can manage the X-Men then you can handle anything, look at Axel Alonso. From X-verse editor to E.I.C., and as I stated Quesada drew X-Factor for a while before really taking off to other projects.

Looking at the current writer Marvel is bringing, in we cannot help but see a similar pattern emerging. Gillen will no doubt be a big name for Marvel in a few years, and they are bringing Christos Gage in to write X-Men Legacy. Gage has been a fringe writer for Marvel and between Legacy and adding X-23 to Avengers Academy is seems like they are using him more for their titles.

Yost’s work on New X-Men helped make X-23 a viable character as well as establish some new mutants for the universe to play with. Now he works in the animated side of the universe as well as launching a new Scarlet Spider-Man title. Rick Remender proved himself on Punisher, but its his recent Uncanny X-Force run that has set the charts on fire and now he is picking up Secret Avengers after Warren Ellis run. Ellis himself worked on Excalibur as well as the Counter-X initiative.

It seems like every major writer in the Marvel universe has to put some time in with the X-Men. Granted they are about half the publishing line, but it seems like once  a writer proves themselves on a X title then they can move out to the main universe. These books are where editors tend to put a creator to see what they can do, how they can use what has come before while adding something new to the mix.

Looking at the current X-titles I am interested to see where James Asmus, Gillen, Gage and Victor Gischler will be in a few years. Between them they control a majority of the X-books and manage the next generation of the mutant race as well as the legacies they are leaving behind.