Who Watches the Watchers - Forum for the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe & Similar Works » Handbook announcement

Loki · 6/17/2020 12:23 am

https://www.gamesradar.com/x-mens-x-of-swords-event-to-come-with-a-handbook-giving-insight-into-the-24-part-event/

Andy E. Nystrom · 6/17/2020 2:26 am

Excellent news that we're getting two Handbooks this year. I think everyone needs good news these days,

Nexus · 6/17/2020 9:08 am

I don't know if this is the right place for a question, so forgive me if it's in the wrong section. When putting together a handbook, how are character updates handled. How is it decided what makes it in to an update and what doesn't?

Loki · 6/17/2020 10:15 am

Nexus wrote:
I don't know if this is the right place for a question, so forgive me if it's in the wrong section. When putting together a handbook, how are character updates handled. How is it decided what makes it in to an update and what doesn't?

Perfectly reasonable place to ask, so no worries.

In terms of updates, it's mostly space that ultimately determines what gets left out. Using this book as an example, and without naming specific characters, it started with editorial at Marvel picking the theme and identifying a few characters who HAD to be included, then sending that remit to our head writer Mike O'Sullivan. Mike then looked at the remit (X-Men, and this specific event), figured out how many pages the already chosen characters needed to give them proper coverage, then looked at who else might go into the book - so he considered who was involved in this event, weighing up those who might not have had a modern era (early 2000s on) handbook entry, how much those who did have a prior entry had appeared between this event and their last handbook profile (no point covering someone who has so few appearances between the two that the update would be entry), and then tried to juggle page counts based on how many appearances have happened between times (and how significant those were. Once Mike had a basic list of people he wanted to include, but before he worked out page counts, he ran the list by the rest of the team for feedback, so we could suggest people we might think he had overlooked or raise any other concerns we might foresee with his list. Once we've got that list hashed out, it's taken back to editorial for approval or revision. Once all that's done, page counts are finalized, and writers are assigned entries.

Every writer reads every appearance their characters have had since the last time they got a profile (or every single appearance for someone without a prior profile), making notes. A fair few appearances can be utterly insignificant - to take Brian Braddock, for example, since he's mentioned in the solicit and is one I handled, he appears in FF #643, 644 and 645, but he's literally only in a single panel of the two bookends, and on a screen in 644. In the story in question, the Quiet Man is attacking the whole world using monsters unleashed from Franklin Richards' dreamscape, and Brian is one of several heroes fighting them in Britain, part of a couple of pages showcasing heroes in different countries fighting the creatures. Overall Brian's entire appearance across the three issues is fairly unimportant to his personal story; it'd be worth mentioning in passing if the word count permitted, but it's hardly vital to his entry. Since he's a favorite character when it comes to any story depicting "meanwhile, away from out main heroes, British heroes were also fighting the threat" it falls in with many of his appearances throughout his history that could all be summarised with:
"Brian protected Britain from numerous threats, both solo and alongside other British heroes."

Once everything is summarized, then for me at least it is time to hammer that summary into a readable shape. I personally do a first draft that cuts as little as possible, without worrying about word counts. I then start cutting it down a draft at a time until it fits within word count. To provide perspective on this trimming process: my first ever Captain Britain entry, written back circa 2004/5, was over 5000 words in the first draft (which would equate to a little over five pages in the format we used back then), and the one I actually submitted (before it got further refined by the rest of the team) was around 1800 words. A lot can get trimmed out, but what has to be included are pivotal moments for the character and important character moments - so to use Brian again as an example, his involvement with Illuminati and the destruction of the Corps are important, though what he actually did while with the Illuminati was often just take part in group battles and show face in crowd scenes. His passing on the mantle of Captain Britain to Betsy definitely needed detailed coverage; his becoming a headmaster for Braddock Academy, and a father, had to be mentioned; attending Nightcrawler's "good to hear you are alive again" party wasa nice character moment but not vital is space proved tight; his showing up as a face in the crowd when Steve Rogers announced he was appointing Sam Wilson the new Captain America was only worth including if there was space going spare, and even then only because it would only eat up a sentence or so.

Not sure if that actually answers your question. Hopefully it does, but if not, or you have others, feel free to ask.

Rayeye · 6/17/2020 12:17 pm

I'm so excited for this handbook! Please tell me there will be also an updated X-Men roster in it (because nowadays it's hard to differntiate who's an X-Man and who's just an ally or trainee)!
Also I hope to see a lot of new X-Men (trainees) being covered like Aero, Bling!, Cipher, Eye-Boy, Nature Girl, Morph and Tempus!

Loki · 6/17/2020 1:33 pm

Rayeye wrote:
I'm so excited for this handbook! Please tell me there will be also an updated X-Men roster in it (because nowadays it's hard to differntiate who's an X-Man and who's just an ally or trainee)!
Also I hope to see a lot of new X-Men (trainees) being covered like Aero, Bling!, Cipher, Eye-Boy, Nature Girl, Morph and Tempus!

Since the solicit mentions it, I think I am okay to say that yes, there is an X-Men team update, and yes, it includes a roster update. You're not wrong to say that it's hard to tell these days who is an X-Man and who is just an ally; there was a lot of checking done to make sure it is official and correct.

As to any other entries, I'm afraid you'll have to wait and see.

Nexus · 6/17/2020 5:09 pm

Loki wrote:
Nexus wrote:
I don't know if this is the right place for a question, so forgive me if it's in the wrong section. When putting together a handbook, how are character updates handled. How is it decided what makes it in to an update and what doesn't?
Perfectly reasonable place to ask, so no worries.

In terms of updates, it's mostly space that ultimately determines what gets left out. Using this book as an example, and without naming specific characters, it started with editorial at Marvel picking the theme and identifying a few characters who HAD to be included, then sending that remit to our head writer Mike O'Sullivan. Mike then looked at the remit (X-Men, and this specific event), figured out how many pages the already chosen characters needed to give them proper coverage, then looked at who else might go into the book - so he considered who was involved in this event, weighing up those who might not have had a modern era (early 2000s on) handbook entry, how much those who did have a prior entry had appeared between this event and their last handbook profile (no point covering someone who has so few appearances between the two that the update would be entry), and then tried to juggle page counts based on how many appearances have happened between times (and how significant those were. Once Mike had a basic list of people he wanted to include, but before he worked out page counts, he ran the list by the rest of the team for feedback, so we could suggest people we might think he had overlooked or raise any other concerns we might foresee with his list. Once we've got that list hashed out, it's taken back to editorial for approval or revision. Once all that's done, page counts are finalized, and writers are assigned entries.

Every writer reads every appearance their characters have had since the last time they got a profile (or every single appearance for someone without a prior profile), making notes. A fair few appearances can be utterly insignificant - to take Brian Braddock, for example, since he's mentioned in the solicit and is one I handled, he appears in FF #643, 644 and 645, but he's literally only in a single panel of the two bookends, and on a screen in 644. In the story in question, the Quiet Man is attacking the whole world using monsters unleashed from Franklin Richards' dreamscape, and Brian is one of several heroes fighting them in Britain, part of a couple of pages showcasing heroes in different countries fighting the creatures. Overall Brian's entire appearance across the three issues is fairly unimportant to his personal story; it'd be worth mentioning in passing if the word count permitted, but it's hardly vital to his entry. Since he's a favorite character when it comes to any story depicting "meanwhile, away from out main heroes, British heroes were also fighting the threat" it falls in with many of his appearances throughout his history that could all be summarised with:
"Brian protected Britain from numerous threats, both solo and alongside other British heroes."

Once everything is summarized, then for me at least it is time to hammer that summary into a readable shape. I personally do a first draft that cuts as little as possible, without worrying about word counts. I then start cutting it down a draft at a time until it fits within word count. To provide perspective on this trimming process: my first ever Captain Britain entry, written back circa 2004/5, was over 5000 words in the first draft (which would equate to a little over five pages in the format we used back then), and the one I actually submitted (before it got further refined by the rest of the team) was around 1800 words. A lot can get trimmed out, but what has to be included are pivotal moments for the character and important character moments - so to use Brian again as an example, his involvement with Illuminati and the destruction of the Corps are important, though what he actually did while with the Illuminati was often just take part in group battles and show face in crowd scenes. His passing on the mantle of Captain Britain to Betsy definitely needed detailed coverage; his becoming a headmaster for Braddock Academy, and a father, had to be mentioned; attending Nightcrawler's "good to hear you are alive again" party wasa nice character moment but not vital is space proved tight; his showing up as a face in the crowd when Steve Rogers announced he was appointing Sam Wilson the new Captain America was only worth including if there was space going spare, and even then only because it would only eat up a sentence or so.

Not sure if that actually answers your question. Hopefully it does, but if not, or you have others, feel free to ask.

Well that's convenient, I'm a Marvel UK fan, so Captain Britain is a good example

That account was really helpful, thank you. A follow-on question I have is, how do you handle retcons between handbooks? It may not be an issue due to the history constraint your faced with.

Loki · 6/17/2020 11:57 pm

Nexus wrote:
A follow-on question I have is, how do you handle retcons between handbooks? It may not be an issue due to the history constraint your faced with.

First, it's worth noting there's a light difference between types of retcons. One type is a deliberate choice to change things by the writer - they know what they are revealing alters the past version, but still choose to do so. Prime examples of this would be the recent(ish) revelation that Carol Danvers powers originate from her being half-Kree, and going back further we've got things like the massive retcon to the New Universe's Justice's backstory that happened when Peter David took over the title, or the reveal of the true identity of the child hero Captain Hero who had appeared in the final issues of Power Man and Iron Fist, etc. These usually come with in-story reasons why what was seen previously was misleading, so they aren't too problematic for the handbooks - we just present the facts as now understood, noting what has changed and why the old info was misleading.

The second type of retcon is the continuity insert. It doesn't change what we thought we knew, it just fill in gaps with new info. Peter Parker discovering his parents were spies is an example; it's not contradicting previous information, just adding in additional backstory. There can be some overlap between the first version and this; Carol Danvers discovering one of her parents was a Kree is not changing what had been established about her, as I don't recall her parents ever really coming up before, but revealing that it is this genetic heritage that gave her powers is a retcon, since previously it had all been ascribed to a genetic transfer from Mar-Vell. Again, this kind of retcon is usually easy to handle; no contradictions to explain, so it's just mentioned as new information in the handbook profile.

The third type of retcon is the unintentional one. A writer unwittingly alters the backstory because they didn't fully know / misremembered/ misunderstood the established backstory. These need to be explained in some way. We'll raise these concerns, sometimes with the writer who has made the change but more commonly with editorial (who might then run it by the writer). We'll cite the issues and instance that the contradictions arise in, and will usually offer suggestions how the two accounts might be reconciled, though naturally editorial/writers are free to shoot any such suggestions down in favour of their own. Sometimes the retcon gets shot down - it's ruled to not have happened. Other time the retcon sticks.

To give some examples: Spider-Man: Chapter One revealed that Sandman and Norman Osborn were distantly related (they are second-cousins), apparently purely as a way of explaining their similar unusual hair styles. This was an insert - didn't contradict past info, and an addition made with knowledge of existing continuity.

It's not the only retcon the series introduced, and the series was at the time intended to be in continuity. However, when we checked on this while handling the first modern handbook's entry for one of the above (I forget whether it was Norman or Sandman), editorial ruled it out of continuity. No explanation needed in the handbook, it simply didn't happen.

The 2005 run of Black Panther was apparently originally intended to be a miniseries set out of continuity. Hence the first six issues presented a massively retconned origin for not only the title character, but also several other characters in the story (notably the villains who attacked Wakanda). Then the decision was made to shift the whole shebang into 616 continuity, meaning things had to be reconciled as much as possible. So some of those established villains were simply acting varying degrees out of character (Batroc, Rhino), while some whose depiction were too far off prior appearances were brand new characters who simply shared codenames and similar appearances to established characters (Black Knight, Radioactive Man). A few revised elements which were just impossible to reconcile were thrown out completely - Klaw did not kill T'Chaka in Switzerland. Some revised elements, those that didn't actively contradict past info, were adopted exactly as presented - T'Challa having a younger sister Shuri remained in place; T'Challa, known for playing things close to his chest, had simply never mentioned her before to anyone outside of Wakanda, presumably for her own protection. It should be noted that this kind of reveal was hardly new for Black Panther - after all, he had an adoptive brother (White Wolf) and another half-brother, Jakarra, both of whom were retcons and neither of whom he normally ever mentions even since their existence was revealed to the reader.

Nextwave was another example of massive numbers of apparent retcons (again because it wasn't initially intended to be in 616) - Monica Rambeau having her powers as a child when she received them as an adult; Elsa Bloodstone being trained in insane ways by her father when she was a child despite 18 year old Elsa claiming never to have met him (she didn't even know what he looked like); Devil Dinosaur being able to talk; etc. Since the Nextwave Squad's foes, the Beyond Corporation, were shown to use modified clones (cf a horde of Elvis Modoks), and all the Squad members were acting out of character, the contradictory memories were explained as brainwashing by Beyond and Devil Dinosaur (and Fin Fang Foom) were ersatz clones.

A minor one, more of an insert because it didn't outright contradict any prior info. Spitfire mentioned being forced to kill a man in 1941 while battling Nazis in Norway. The implication was that she had done this as part of her work as Spitfire. However, she became Spitfire in 1942; the Invaders, who only formed in the days following Pearl Harbor, and then travelled to the UK in the New Year, encountered her as a WAC driving ambulances in London. After consultation with the writer of the story, Spitfire's handbook entry clarified the comment - she'd been undercover as a normal human in Norway (not a stretch - she's the daughter of a former secret agent and the UK had plenty of female undercover agents dropped into various spots in occupied Europe), but after being forced to kill a man her conscience plagued her sufficiently to request reassignment to a role where she could save lives instead of taking them. She was already heroic before becoming a superhero.

An example from the forthcoming handbook, since you've mentioned being a Marvel UK fan. Meggan is in this handbook, as evidenced by the cover. We got an extensive flashback to Meggan's childhood in Captain Britain and MI13 Annual#1, which showed her shapeshifting throughout her childhood. Yet prior evidence seemed to make it clear that she'd been stuck in a single monstrous form since infancy; we'd seen her begin to adopt it in her earliest childhood flashback, and the first time we the readers saw her change form, it seemed to be a revelation to her that she could do so. I'm not going to reveal the explanation here (feel free to guess), but suffice to say her early appearances also provided a way to explain this so it becomes only an apparent contradiction.

RVcousin · 6/18/2020 3:19 am

Loki wrote:
Since the solicit mentions it, I think I am okay to say that yes, there is an X-Men team update, and yes, it includes a roster update. You're not wrong to say that it's hard to tell these days who is an X-Man and who is just an ally; there was a lot of checking done to make sure it is official and correct.

OMG ! OMG ! OMG ! 10 years of waiting ! Thank you ! thank you thank you !
I know you can't reveal who's in, but can we get a clue and having the numbers of new members of the main team ?
This would fuel discussion on the forum and help us to wait until the release. Of course if you can't we would understand

skippcomet · 6/18/2020 4:24 am

Loki wrote:
https://www.gamesradar.com/x-mens-x-of-swords-event-to-come-with-a-handbook-giving-insight-into-the-24-part-event/

I know that we can't necessarily assume that everybody on the cover will be included in the Handbook, but there are some characters on there that I don't recognize, so I hope it's okay if I ask for help identifying them.

I recognize Magik, Storm, Cyclops, Iceman, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Apocalypse. I *think* the two in Captain Britain-esque costumes are the Braddock siblings, Brian and Betsy. I'm guessing that the two in the upper left, with the metal arm and glowing left eye, respectively, are Scalphunter and the new, younger Cable, but I could be wrong.

Who are the blonde man in-between Betsy and Magik; the blindfolded swordsman; the blonde woman to the right of Brian Braddock; and the brunette woman to the right of Wolverine?

Nexus · 6/18/2020 4:36 am

The blonde man between Betsy and Magik is Cypher, the blindfolded swordsman is Gorgon, the blonde woman to the right of Captain Britain is his wife Gloriana and the brunette woman to the right of Wolverine is Moira X I believe, though I could be wrong on that one.

Last edited by Nexus (6/18/2020 5:18 am)

Loki · 6/18/2020 5:09 am

Nexus wrote:
The blonde man between Betsy and Magik is Cypher, the blindfolded swordsman is Gorgon, the blonde woman to the right of Captain Britain is his wife Glorianna and the brunette woman to the right of Wolverine is Moira X I believe, though I could be wrong on that one.

Except for it being one n in Gloriana, yes, you've correctly identified them all.

Loki · 6/18/2020 5:12 am

skippcomet wrote:
I know that we can't necessarily assume that everybody on the cover will be included in the Handbook, but there are some characters on there that I don't recognize, so I hope it's okay if I ask for help identifying them.

I recognize Magik, Storm, Cyclops, Iceman, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Apocalypse. I *think* the two in Captain Britain-esque costumes are the Braddock siblings, Brian and Betsy. I'm guessing that the two in the upper left, with the metal arm and glowing left eye, respectively, are Scalphunter and the new, younger Cable, but I could be wrong.

Correct on all those identifications, and also in the assumption that just because they are on the cover is not a guarantee they have their own profile inside.

Loki · 6/18/2020 5:18 am

RVcousin wrote:
Loki wrote:
Since the solicit mentions it, I think I am okay to say that yes, there is an X-Men team update, and yes, it includes a roster update. You're not wrong to say that it's hard to tell these days who is an X-Man and who is just an ally; there was a lot of checking done to make sure it is official and correct.
OMG ! OMG ! OMG ! 10 years of waiting ! Thank you ! thank you thank you !
I know you can't reveal who's in, but can we get a clue and having the numbers of new members of the main team ?
This would fuel discussion on the forum and help us to wait until the release. Of course if you can't we would understand

Can't really say, I'm afraid. Once it comes out, I am sure there will be debate whether or not we got it right and queries as to how we could confirm character A but not character B. At that juncture I'll be happy to explain the parameters that were established after consultations with and rulings from editorial.

Nexus · 6/18/2020 5:20 am

Loki wrote:
Nexus wrote:
The blonde man between Betsy and Magik is Cypher, the blindfolded swordsman is Gorgon, the blonde woman to the right of Captain Britain is his wife Glorianna and the brunette woman to the right of Wolverine is Moira X I believe, though I could be wrong on that one.
Except for it being one n in Gloriana, yes, you've correctly identified them all.

Just so we're talking about the same person. The blonde lady next to Brian isn't his wife Meggan a.k.a Gloriana?

Loki · 6/18/2020 6:09 am

Nexus wrote:
Loki wrote:
Nexus wrote:
The blonde man between Betsy and Magik is Cypher, the blindfolded swordsman is Gorgon, the blonde woman to the right of Captain Britain is his wife Glorianna and the brunette woman to the right of Wolverine is Moira X I believe, though I could be wrong on that one.
Except for it being one n in Gloriana, yes, you've correctly identified them all.
Just so we're talking about the same person. The blonde lady next to Brian isn't his wife Meggan a.k.a Gloriana?

Yes, Meggan. Just correcting the spelling of her codename.

Nexus · 6/18/2020 6:32 am

Loki wrote:
Nexus wrote:
Loki wrote:

Except for it being one n in Gloriana, yes, you've correctly identified them all.
Just so we're talking about the same person. The blonde lady next to Brian isn't his wife Meggan a.k.a Gloriana?
Yes, Meggan. Just correcting the spelling of her codename.

I completely misread that my bad!

RVcousin · 6/19/2020 2:38 am

Loki wrote:
Can't really say, I'm afraid. Once it comes out, I am sure there will be debate whether or not we got it right and queries as to how we could confirm character A but not character B. At that juncture I'll be happy to explain the parameters that were established after consultations with and rulings from editorial.

I understand don't worry

According to Amazon, it's scheduled for September 30th

Andy E. Nystrom · 6/19/2020 6:42 am

I'll be curious to see how the "All-New" X-Men ended up getting handled. While it's possible they won't be mentioned at all, I'd be extremely shocked if that happened.

Andy E. Nystrom · 6/19/2020 6:55 am

Solicits now out:X OF SWORDS HANDBOOK #1

MIKE O’SULLIVAN & THE OHOTMU TEAM (W)
Cover by RON LIM
The dramatic new era for mutantkind takes center stage in the official handbook!
This all-new collection of X-Men-related profiles will bring you up-to-date on Apocalypse, Wolverine (Logan), Magik (Rasputin) and Meggan just in time for X of Swords! This issue includes profiles for Cypher, Moira MacTaggert, two Captains Britain (Brian and Betsy Braddock) and Krakoa itself! Plus: the young Cable (Nathan Summers) and the X-Men!
48 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$4.99

Rayeye · 6/19/2020 1:48 pm

Loki wrote:
Rayeye wrote:
I'm so excited for this handbook! Please tell me there will be also an updated X-Men roster in it (because nowadays it's hard to differntiate who's an X-Man and who's just an ally or trainee)!
Also I hope to see a lot of new X-Men (trainees) being covered like Aero, Bling!, Cipher, Eye-Boy, Nature Girl, Morph and Tempus!

Since the solicit mentions it, I think I am okay to say that yes, there is an X-Men team update, and yes, it includes a roster update. You're not wrong to say that it's hard to tell these days who is an X-Man and who is just an ally; there was a lot of checking done to make sure it is official and correct.

As to any other entries, I'm afraid you'll have to wait and see.

Thanks, now I am even more looking forward to this!

Nexus · 6/20/2020 3:56 pm

I thought of another question, probably quite an easy one on the face of it. Is the Power Grid still a thing? Also how much faith should anyone put in the numbers listed for characters?

Loki · 6/20/2020 11:54 pm

Nexus wrote:
I thought of another question, probably quite an easy one on the face of it. Is the Power Grid still a thing? Also how much faith should anyone put in the numbers listed for characters?

The Power Grids are still included. As to how much faith should be put into the numbers listed?

If you mean "are they properly researched and so as accurate as reasonably possible?", then yes, they are properly researched and as accurate as they can be. Obviously that's not to say mistakes can't be made, but if you spot a grid you think is in error, then please ask why it had the ratings it had, rather than assume we just got it wrong.

If, however, by "how much faith should be put into the numbers" you mean "aren't the power grid categories extremely broad brushes and so those numbers are really not a great way to gauge characters' abilities nor compare one to another?" then yes, that is correct. Because they have stepped levels for many of the categories, a character who can lift just over normal human maximum levels gets put down as superhuman, in the same category as someone who can lift 25 tons. The bands are excessively wide, so someone who can run at 40mph gets lumped in the same speed category as someone who can run just under MACH-1 (760mph), and there's no distinction between someone who can move at superhuman speeds in battle (Quicksilver, Aurora, Northstar, etc.) and someone who moves normally in a fight but can transport themselves between places really fast, whether that be by flight, driving, etc.

Some of the grids are partially non-linear - energy projection takes range and duration into account when comparing someone able to handle one type of energy, but then drops those components the moment someone can handle more than one type, so if you have "Lord of Lightning" who can hit someone with 1 million volts of electricity for several hours from the other side of the universe, and "Vandegraph Boy" who can emit sparks of static electricity a few feet that are only powerful enough to make someone's hair stand up but can also project a flashlight beam from their eyes able to do no more than illuminate a few feet in front of them, then Vandegraph Boy gets the higher energy projection rating.

Fighting skill is arguably the most contentious, especially at the higher levels. "Mr. Kung-Fu" is the world's greatest specialist in that single martial art; with his expertise he can go toe-to-toe with Shang-Chi, Iron Fist, etc., and have a good chance of winning, so great is his skill in just that single style. Meanwhile "KnifeMan" is a 5th dan black belt (and thus master) of a martial art, and also a master of knife fighting - he's considered a master of both skills, but while he could wipe the floor with average or even semi-skilled people, he's matched by countless soldiers from various elite armed forces units around the world and in a hand-to-hand fight with Mr. Kung-Fu he'd be taken down in seconds. However, he'll still get ranked higher in fighting skill on the power grid, because levels 5, 6 and 7 rate you on how many fighting styles you are a "master" of, not gradations of mastery.

RVcousin · 6/22/2020 12:17 am

Andy E. Nystrom wrote:
I'll be curious to see how the "All-New" X-Men ended up getting handled. While it's possible they won't be mentioned at all, I'd be extremely shocked if that happened.

For me they need to be included in the O5 individual entries: after Extermination, it is proved that they are the 616 versions.

Last edited by RVcousin (6/22/2020 12:18 am)

RVcousin · 6/22/2020 12:18 am

100 days to wait

Andy E. Nystrom · 6/22/2020 2:18 am

RVcousin wrote:
For me they need to be included in the O5 individual entries: after Extermination, it is proved that they are the 616 versions.

Which makes absolutely no sense (referring to the writers, not to you). Even allowing for amnesia and the sliding time scale, they spent an extended period of time in the modern era, during which time their bodies would have aged in ways that they would have noticed, even if the art doesn't show it. And they were extensively trained in their powers in the modern era. Their subconscious would surely have picked up that something was amiss. And even if by some miracle their subconscious blocked any and all attempts at noticing anything different, they were at the time being trained by arguably the world's most powerful telepath of that era, who was during that time quite willing to enter people's minds without consent. No way he wouldn't have noticed something was different and investigated.

So no, not buying it. Mopee with the Flash is far more plausible. I realize that's the direction they're going, but I reject that explanation. The not-safe-for-work song at the start of this video (from Return of Captain Invincible) nicely sums up my feelings on that explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcmv1OVOaJs

Last edited by Andy E. Nystrom (6/22/2020 2:32 am)

Andy E. Nystrom · 6/30/2020 7:22 pm

Here's a question that I hope is so broad that it's safe to answer: Are all the entries tied into X of Swords, however peripherally, or will there be a few profiles that are X-Men related but not necessary X of Swords? I have a specific profile in mind that I hope to see, but I highly doubt it would connect to X of Swords.

Nexus · 7/02/2020 12:16 am

Following on from your question, will the swords themselves be getting individual entries? I remember in the mystic arcana we got a brief history on various swords.

frogoat · 7/07/2020 2:51 pm

Ron Lim's art looks so different in the cover image to what I'm used to. I guess inks make all the difference!

Loki · 7/07/2020 4:00 pm

Andy E. Nystrom wrote:
Here's a question that I hope is so broad that it's safe to answer: Are all the entries tied into X of Swords, however peripherally, or will there be a few profiles that are X-Men related but not necessary X of Swords? I have a specific profile in mind that I hope to see, but I highly doubt it would connect to X of Swords.

Sorry for not responding earlier - somehow overlooked the question when you first posted it.

I know that when the list of who was going to be covered was being drawn up there were certainly different lists that included:
Editorial says they must be included
Characters who editorial hasn't said are mandatory, but who we've been told will be heavily involved in X of Swords.
Other X-characters who have either not been covered before, or need an update.

Unsurprisingly, that last list was a huge one. I honestly don't recall whether we ran out of space fitting in those from the first two lists, or if we were able to squeeze in a few from the third list.