Rachel Summers Starchilde News

Mother Askani in the Messiah War Sourcebook

2009-06-07T21:30:00.001-04:00

Rachel was included in the Messiah War Sourcebook, a guidebook to all the characters involved in the Messiah War event and Cable's backstory.

Hopefully Rachel's inclusion is a good sign that she may be included in the third part of the Messiah trilogy and that Cable's backstory related to Mother Askani isn't going to see any major retcons.

Marvel Girl Super Hero Squad Figure Finally In Stores!!!!

2009-02-17T23:56:00.004-05:00

Finally, the Marvel Girl & Cyclops Marvel Super Hero Squad figure set is hitting stores in the US. I found it in my local Target today, and more and more are starting to show up on eBay.

It was originally due out last year, but was delayed due to retailers not stocking as many toys for the holidays because of the recession. Finally, it seems like they're finally shipping now. So, start looking for it at a store near you!

Also, today Cartoon Network announced that it will be airing a Super Hero Squad cartoon later this year. The only female character in the promo artwork is Ms. Marvel. Hmmm...., they could use another female character.... maybe a marvel girl ;) .

Site Update: No longer covering War of Kings

2009-02-04T18:59:00.002-05:00

Just an FYI, I’m no longer going to be doing War of Kings updates. Even though Rachel will be in it, her role appears rather limited and it seems like a waste of time covering it.

Space stories just aren’t my thing so I have very little interest in what is going on in WoK besides Rachel.

The site will be covering any news about Rachel’s potential return to earth or anything Rachel related in the earth based X-books.

War of Kings News Round-up for 01/16/09

2009-01-16T23:20:00.002-05:00

War of Kings writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (DnA) are once again on the interview circuit, and there were several WoK related interviews this week, along with preview art from War of Kings.

In an interview with IGN, DnA talk about how the X-Jammers will get involved in WoK and reveal that they will be in the Guardians of the Galaxy WoK issues:

IGN Comics: While we're on the subject of tie-ins, I wanted to ask about the Starjammers' involvement. Principally this storyline seems to be a dispute between the Shi'ar and the Inhumans. How will Havok's team be involved, particularly once the Kingbreaker mini-series wraps up?

DnA: They're involved in a major way. Polaris's family ties to the Inhuman Royal Family will carry them into the fight, and their involvement will play out through the main series and through the Guardians issues.

IGN also has several pages of preview art (pencils only) from War of Kings #1, including a page that includes Rachel in one panel and the cover for War of Kings #2.

DnA were in the X-Position hotseat this week, and the Starjammers and Rachel were mentioned:

1) Will the Starjammers interact with any of the cosmic crew? Getting Ch'od and Rocket in the same room just sounds golden.

DnA: The Starjammers and Guardians of the Galaxy will be undertaking a mission together so the chances of some fur flying are high!

2) Any possibility of Rachel Summers staying in space and joining the Guardians? The Phoenix Force has always felt like it belongs more in the cosmic books than the X-books, and it would certainly lend them some valuable power. And let’s face it, the team could use more women.

DnA: We're going to talk to editor Nick Lowe about that right now!

1) As a huge fan of the Starjammers (particularly Polaris), I, like many other fans of these characters, are excited and grateful to know that after nearly three years, the Shi'ar storyline is finally heading towards its big ending with “X-Men: Kingbreaker” and “War of Kings.” However, it's unclear to us what kind of role the Starjammers will play in the event. Will they have more of a main role, or will they be supporting characters?

They are definitely front and center and play a significant role in the course of the story.

War of Kings editor Bill Rosemann filled in for Joe Quesada in My Cup o' Joe on Myspace.

JM: War of Kings is another book on your plate. Whereas I think it’s clear this doesn’t hit the marquee value of a Secret Invasion or World War Hulk, this is a pivot point in the Marvel Universe, right?

BR: Definitely. The very cool thing about this is that our bosses basically said, “Hey, you know these Shi’Ar toys in the Marvel toybox? You wanna play with these?” And we said, “Yeah! Would love to! That’s cool!”

So we took two expanding empires—the Kree and the Shi’Ar—heading toward each other, with the central notion of “What happens when these two huge kingdoms collide?” I would say it is as big as Secret Invasion to the Marvel cosmic junkies—this is our Super Bowl. But War of Kings also has a lot of appeal to fans of the Marvel Universe period. X-fan who like the Shi’Ar? They’re here. Fans of the Inhumans? We have them. You’ll see characters like Blastaar, Darkhawk and others pop up. So there will be some great opportunities for people who haven’t sampled the cosmic books to check this out. We’re treating it as a big tentpole event.

And when Dan and Andy sat down with Joe Quesada and Tom Brevoort and all, we decided that we would only tell this story if it legitimately changed the Marvel Universe. It’s gotta move things forward. And Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning absolutely wanted to do that. They have a very clear vision of where they see the Marvel cosmic universe going, and how it will affect the “mainstream” Marvel heroes. And here we are.

It also included the same War of Kings preview art IGN has.

In addition, War of Kings Saga is now online for free at Marvel Digital and Marvel has updated the War of Kings official site with new graphics.

X-Men Kingbreaker #2 Preview

2009-01-15T22:46:00.002-05:00

CBR has posted a seven page preview for X-Men: Kingbreaker #2. Rachel appears in the seventh page, which the unletter version was included in the Chris Yost X-Position a few weeks ago.

Interestingly, on the recap page, Rachel is called Rachel Summers. I think this is the first time she's been called that in an X-book in since Uncanny X-Men 472.

1/7/09 Comics Updates

2009-01-07T22:45:00.005-05:00

Today there were several Rachel related comics out today.

Rachel continues to be a character in the back-up story, The Sentinels, in X-Men Noir #2.

Rachel does not appear in Secret Invasion: War of Kings. The issue is mainly about the Inhumans and Skrulls, and Vulcan only appears in a few pages at the very end. The Starjammers are not in the issue nor mentioned.

Rachel and the Starjammers are in the War of Kings Saga, a free comic that recaps the major comics that lead into War of Kings. There is no new material in the comic, and it's funny how Marvel avoids saying Rachel Summers or Grey by calling Rachel only Marvel Girl throughout the whole issue.

If you didn't get WoK Saga at your local comic store, it likely will be put online for free prior to the start of the event.

Also, Rachel's "niece", the Messiah Baby/Child, received a name in Cable #10.

War of Kings writers Andy Lanning and Dan Abnett will be answering questions on X-Position next week. Check the bottom of this page for how to submit questions.

Chris Yost X-Position With Kingbreaker #2 Preview Art

2008-12-25T20:41:00.003-05:00

Kingbreaker writer Chris Yost was in the X-Position hotseat this week.

He was asked about whether or not the Shi'ar can still track Rachel through the Deathmark, something Rachel fans have been speculating about for a while now.

Question: Also, will certain things be clarified in this series, such as Korvus' mysterious sword and Rachel's attachment to this unique (if not inferior) form of the Phoenix Force? Or Rachel's Deathmark on her back? Whatever the answers, you should be congratulated on the job you've done so far…

Yost: I cannot comment on this “Phoenix” stuff you talk of. I assume Rachel's Deathmark is still in place, and that's how the Shi'ar are chasing them across space. The Death Commandos have been hounding them since the end of “Emperor Vulcan.” The X-Jammers are on the run, they keep moving. Does hiding out by a power source like the M'Kraan crystal mess with the Deathmark signal? Maybe.

The article also includes some excellent preview art from X-Men: Kingbreaker #2 which features Rachel in a new X-Jacket.

War of Kings News Round-up for 12/20/08

2008-12-20T00:05:00.003-05:00

Here's a run-down on this week's news about War of Kings.

My Cup O' Joe #36 has some preview art from Secret Invasion: War of Kings, along with some hype for the event (although, absolutely no mention of the Starjammers).

Marvel released a trailer for War of Kings, which shows some of the previously revealed covers and preview art. Rachel is shown on the Kingbreaker #2 cover, but that's it.

Marvel also has an interview with Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (DnA) about the Inhumans and War of Kings, and Vulcan is mentioned (no Starjammers).

Newsarama has an interview with DnA about War of Kings, and the Starjammers and Kingbreaker are mentioned, but not entirely good news:

NRAMA: Since you have the Shi'Ar showing up, are you having to coordinate this with the X-Universe at all?

AL: Yes, we've been coordinating with the X-Men office, and we're actually coming out of the X-Men: Kingbreaker mini-series that's putting the pieces from their side of the story in place. It won't involved the X-Men directly, but we'll deal with the cosmic side of the X-Men, including Vulcan and the Shi'Ar and the Starjammers. Obviously, they're fundamentally tied up with the X-Men side of the universe, so we had to get permission and work closely with them. And previously, they weren't included because they were tied up with the X-books, so this was great for us. It's great fun to finally feel out that side of the cosmic universe that we hadn't dealt with as far as logical galactic players on that sort of scale.

NRAMA: With all of the stories that are setting up War of Kings, from Secret Invasion: Inhumans to X-Men: Kingbreaker to the stories in Nova and Guardians, is War of Kings something that a newcomer to the Marvel cosmic universe can understand with Issue #1? Or should they start with the Secret Invasion: War of Kings one-shot?

AL: Absolutely, they can pick up the Secret Invasion: War of Kings one-shot, because it really does set the scene. Obviously, when writing something like this, you'd like the readers to be engaged enough with the stories we're telling that they want to pick up every book. But we're realistic enough to realize that you can't burden someone with that, because you can actually alienate people. So if they want to pick up the Kingbreaker mini-series, they'll get an extra piece from that side of things. It's kind of supplemental reading that helps flesh out and round out the entire story. But it's not necessary.

Calling Kingbreaker "not necessary" isn't exactly promising... I can understand DnA wanting to do a self-contained story, but it's becoming more and more clear that this is really a Cosmic event and the Starjammers are minor, supplementary characters.

Rachel Super Hero Squad Figure

2008-12-19T22:53:00.002-05:00

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the Marvel Girl & Cyclops Super Hero Squad (Wave 11) figure set is going to make it to stores before Christmas. Although a few have shown up on eBay, barring Santa Claus delivering it to your home, it's probably not going to be under your tree for Christmas. :(

On a brighter note, here are pictures of the packaging:

Hopefully, the figure will be available in the next month or so.

Marvel March 2009 Solicitations

2008-12-15T21:49:00.002-05:00

CBR has the advanced X-solicitations for March, including X-Men Kingbreaker:

X-MEN: KINGBREAKER #4 (of 4)
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST
Penciled by DUSTIN WEAVER
Cover by BRANDON PETERSON
The road to the WAR OF KINGS is paved here! The X-Men cosmic event of the year ends with a bang as the X-Men and Starjammers face the collective might of the Shi’Ar Empire. It’s a family affair as Havok fights his brother Vulcan and Lilandra takes on her sister Deathbird. Can the X-Men and Starjammers dethrone the mad Emperor?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Kingbreaker #4 will be in stores on March 18.

Edited to add: Marvel.com has added the War of King information:

WAR OF KINGS # 1
The Story: In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion, Black Bolt has led the Inhumans on a shockingly savage path to restore their strength and security. But that path has brought them into direct confrontation with the Shi’Ar Empire – and their mad ruler Vulcan! Who will get in the first strike? Who will fall on the bloody battlefield? Who will rule? The Imperial Guard, the Starjammers, the Inhuman Royal Family and more of your favorite sci-fi characters are locked on a collision course…and it all starts here! Join the acclaimed team
of Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (NOVA) and Paul Pelletier (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) for a pivotal turning point in Marvel’s
cosmic history!
Rated T+ …$3.99

In Stores: Mar 4, 2009

Also, Marvel's Hotline also has an audio interview with Chris Yost about Kingbreaker.

Marvel War of Kings News Roundup for 12/12/08

2008-12-12T19:43:00.002-05:00

Marvel's War of Kings is just around the corner, and the editors writers and artist have been making the interview rounds to give some hints about the story. Unfortunately, so far no specific news about Rachel's role has yet been revealed.

SciFi.com has an exclusive look at War of Kings cover, including one that features Rachel and the rest of the Starjammers. Marvel's March solicitations should be out next week, so there should be high quality versions available then.

Editor Bill Rosemann has this to say to SciFi about Marvel War of Kings, "In Secret Invasion, The Skrulls thought they could get away with kidnapping and replacing the Inhumans’ king. They thought wrong. Black Bolt, one of Marvel's most powerful heroes, is back on his throne. Woe to those who have wronged his family. Enter War of Kings, as Black Bolt and the Inhumans look to secure their rightful place in the stars--only to find that the mighty Shi'Ar empire has different plans."

It also lists that artists Paul Pelletier, Bong Dazo, Brad Walker, Wellinton Alves and Andrea DiVito will be involved and the first issue of War of Kings will be out in March. A free comic, War of Kings saga, will be out in January to catch-up new readers unfamiliar with the stories and characters.

Marvel has an interview with Paul Pelletier, who will be drawing the Secret Invasion: War of Kings one-shot and the War of Kings limited series. Nothing specifically Rachel or Starjammers related, but it does have some preview art from SI: WoK.

Last week, Marvel interviewed War of Kings writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.

On a side note, it's really starting to annoy me how marginalized the Starjammers seem in War of Kings. It's very clear that The Inhumans are the stars of the heroes side, followed by the Guardians and Nova, with the Starjammers off to the side. I understand that there's over 30 main characters in WoK, but why bring back the Inhumans

Sigh....

It's such a shame that Rachel is being wasted in this, when she could be in the Cable/X-Force cross-over Messiah War instead.

X-Men Kingbreaker #1 Full Preview

2008-12-11T23:53:00.001-05:00

Comics Continuum has posted a 8 page preview of X-Men Kingbreaker #1.

Rachel is featured on the 8th page (the previously released page with Rachel, only now with words).

Rachel is in X-Men Noir #1… sort of

2008-12-07T13:36:00.001-05:00

An alternate version of Rachel appears in the back-up short story in X-Men Noir #1, which came out on Wednesday. X-Men Noir, written by Wolverine First Class writer Fred Van Lente, is a re-envisioned X-Men in a noir, crime drama universe.

During the main (comic format) story, a story in a sci-fi pulp fiction magazine, The Sentinels, is referenced. The story is written by Dr. Bolivar Trask, as a highly renowned anthropologist, and is his vision of the future where people have evolved to have superpowers and protect the rights of normal people who worship them. The short story (in paragraph format) is included at the back of the comic.

The Sentinels story (which is Chapter 1: Days of Future Past) centers on a Sentinel, Nimrod, and his love interest and fellow Sentinel, Rachel. It’s a very different Rachel, but it’s an interesting re-envisioned Days of Future Past type of story in pulp fiction format. Instead of Sentinels hunting mutants, they hunt down Inadequates, also called "muties". The next chapter of the story, "Mutant Massacre" will be in the next issue.

It’s not quite Rachel Summers, but similar to Hound Rachel.

X-Men Kingbreaker News

2008-11-30T19:11:00.001-05:00

Many people wondered what was up with the color of Rachel's Phoenix firebird in the X-Men Kingbreaker #1 Preview art that was released last week.

Colorist Nathan Fairbairn posted on CBR that it was an error and he's fixed it so that it's the proper blue color.

Here is the original:

Here is the corrected Rachel Grey as the Phoenix (Blue):

The same thing happened with Emperor Vulcan. Rachel's Phoenix glowy- eye thing was orange in the preview art, and was changed to blue by the time the first issue came out.

Also, Chris Yost discussed X-Men Kingbreaker in a brief Q&A on Marvel.com.

Marvel Select Marvel Girl (Rachel Grey) Figure

2008-11-21T00:13:00.003-05:00

MarvelousNews has information about a new Rachel action figure. Diamond will be releasing a Jean Grey Marvel Girl figure with a Rachel Grey variant.

Here is how Diamond describes the figures:

The name Marvel Girl has always been a crucial part of the X-Men's history and now this new action figure release delivers the two women responsible for that! Sculpted by Sam Greenwell, the standard Marvel Girl depicts Jean Grey in her retro costume while the variant Marvel Girl features Rachel Grey's more modern look! Collect both to assemble the two pieces of the X-Mansion front gate!

You can see what the figures look like here.

According to Big Bad Toys, the Marvel Girl figure will be out in May 2009.

Cable Artist Jamie McKelvie is a Rachel Fan

2008-11-19T22:44:00.002-05:00

iFanboy talked to artist Jamie McKelvie, who will be drawing Cable for issue 11-12, and he revealed that he's a Rachel fan and would like to draw Rachel:

Question: You've done Nightcrawler and now Cable....who is the next character you've always wanted to draw?

Jamie: Rachel Summers was always my favourite character when I was younger, but I think she's still in space? So who knows when I'd get the chance. Of the current X-crop, either more Nightcrawler or Pixie - a Pixie mini or something would be great.

You can check out Jamie's work at his official site http://www.jamiemckelvie.com and in Cable #11, which is due out in February.

X-Men: Kingbreaker #1 Preview

2008-11-18T21:58:00.002-05:00

Marvel has released a five page preview of X-Men: Kingbreaker #1 from Dustin Weaver, which is quite impressive. Rachel is featured on the third page in full Phoenix firebird attacking a Shi'ar ship.

http://www.marvel.com/news/comicstories.6097.FIRST_LOOK~colon~_X-Men~colon~_Kingbreaker_%231

Marvel February 2009 Solicitations

2008-11-17T22:11:00.000-05:00

CBR and Marvel have advanced Marvel February 2009 solicitations for X-Men Kingbreaker and other War of King tie-ins that Rachel might be included in:

X-MEN: KINGBREAKER #3 (of 4)
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST
Penciled by DUSTIN WEAVER
Cover by BRANDON PETERSON
The fuse has been lit in the Shi'Ar Empire and an intergalactic powder keg is about to explode. After the shocking events of last issue, the rest of the universe just found out how dangerous Vulcan is... but right now Vulcan is more concerned with a now free HAVOK and POLARIS. And as the ruthless new Imperial Guard hunts down MARVEL GIRL, everything begins to converge. Will there be any X-Men left to fight the WAR OF KINGS?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

MARVEL SPOTLIGHT: WAR OF KINGS
Written by JOHN RHETT THOMAS
Since the early '70s, Marvel's cosmic comics have occupied a corner of the Marvel Universe that has provided some of the best and biggest stories the company has ever produced. And now, in the shadow of the twin triumphs of ANNIHILATION and
ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST, and springing directly from the action of SECRET INVASION, comes WAR OF KINGS! As DARK REIGN confounds planet Earth, the Inhumans are on a collision course with the Shi'Ar Empire. Anyone who has been following the action from X-MEN: DEADLY GENESIS through EMPEROR VULCAN knows what's in store for Black Bolt when he squares off against the most powerful mutant among the stars! It all sets up the kind of sweeping cosmic event that will provide some awesome reading pleasure through 2009 — and SPOTLIGHT is here to give you full insider access with the creators and characters behind the event!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

The good news is this probably means War of Kings will start in March if a Spotlight is coming out in February.

But I have a problem with Vulcan being called “the most powerful mutant among the stars”. Vulcan is so overpowered it’s not funny, but Havok and Rachel should be able to give him a run for his money on that one. Especially with solar-charged Alex and Phoenix-powered Rachel. With Polaris’ powers being technically non-mutant, I guess that would exclude her. I realize Marvel wants to overhype Vulcan for a major crossover event, but after Deadly Genesis, RaFotSE, Emperor Vulcan and Kingbreaker, this is getting tiresome.

Marvel War of Kings Information

2008-11-15T19:52:00.004-05:00

Very little info is available about Marvel's War of Kings, the upcoming cosmic crossover event that Marvel is either keeping really hush-hush (due to Secret Invasion, maybe?) or is just not promoting very well.

Marvel still hasn't made any announcements about what exactly the format of War of Kings will be, besides the lead-up books that have already been solicited.

A couple of weeks I mentioned War of Kings to a few of the guys at my LCS, and they hadn't really heard of it and weren't clear on what it was.

So, here's my rundown of what's been said online about War of Kings so far:

Basic Premise:

Vulcan's expansion of the Shi'ar Empire brings him into conflict with the Black Bolt of the Inhumans (due to the Inhuman/Kree alliance). This causes all heck to break out space, drawing all of the cosmic characters into the battle. How all of that happens (especially why the Inhumans are on the collision course with the Shi'ar) will be set-up in the initial Secret Invasion: War of Kings one-shot

Issue List:

Lead-Ins:

Secret Invasion: Inhumans 1-4 (August 2008 - November 2008)
Guardians of the Galaxy 8-10 (December 2008-January 2009)
X-Men: Kingbreaker 1-4 (December 2008 - March 2009)
Secret Invasion: War of Kings One-shot (January 2009)
War of Kings: Darkhawk 1-2 (February 2009-March 2009)

Main Storyline:

War of Kings 1-6 (Starting in March or April 2009, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning) (Mini-series)

Tie-Ins (Just speculation):

Guardians of the Galaxy 11-14
Nova 23-26 (this likely won’t be where a major part of the story plays out, but may be impacted by the events of War of Kings)

Characters That Will Be Involved:

Shi’ar - Vulcan (Gabriel Summers, Emperor of the Shi'ar), Deathbird (Vulcan's wife, and former Empress of the Shi'ar), Imperial Guard, Shi'ar Death Commandos (in X-Men: Kingbreaker)

The Starjammers - Former X-Men Marvel Girl (Rachel Grey/Summers - Vulcan's niece), Polaris (Lorna Dane), and Havok (Alex Summers - Vulcan's brother), Ch'od, Raza, Korvus (sigh, unfortunately), and Lilandra (former Empress of the Shi'ar and Deathbird's younger sister/Vulcan's sister-in-law).

No X-Men, other than the X-Starjammers - According to Nick Lowe to IGN, the only X-Men participating in War of Kings are the Starjammers. And don't expect anything about Kitty Pryde and her magic space bullet to be addressed in it either (that was asked about at SDCC).

The Inhumans (Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal, Triton, Karnak and Gorgon)

Nova – DnA told NovaPrimePage that “Although Nova won't play a central role in War of Kings like he did during Annihilation, the story arc in his book will be very much determined by the Shi'Ar/Inhuman struggle.”

Guardians of the Galaxy - I have very little knowledge of the cosmic Marvel and anything going on with the Guardians of the Galaxy or Nova. It seems like the Guardians have been going through a radical lineup change lately and I have absolutely no idea who any of the characters are or what is going on, so I'm the last person who should be writing any sort of guide for them. I can't find a good source of info online, so Wiki is your best bet.

Darkhawk – Former New Warrior Darkhawk will have a two issue WoK mini-series from writer C.B. Cebulski and artist Harvey Tolibao

Continuity/Required Reading

Other than the lead-ins, the following stories are needed to understand what’s going on, especially with Vulcan & the Starjammers:

Uncanny X-Men 466-471 (Shi’ar massacre of the Grey family)
X-Men Deadly Genesis 1-6 (Vulcan is revealed)
Uncanny X-Men 475-486 (Xavier takes an X-team after Vulcan)
Emperor Vulcan 1-5 (Vulcan vs the Starjammers)

Annihilation
Annihilation: Conquest
Guardians of the Galaxy

Preview Art:

Secret Invasion: War of Kings:
Preview Page 1

Preview Page 2

Kingbreaker #1 Preview

Duane Swierczynski Talks Cable and Rachel in X-Position

2008-11-05T01:46:00.002-05:00

Cable writer Duane Swierczynski is the guest in this week’s edition of X-Position on Comicbookresources.com.

Duane talked a lot about what's coming up in Cable for Nathan and the Messiah Baby (or is she the Messiah Girl now?)

He was also asked about Rachel appearing in Cable, and gave a rather nondescript answer:

3) Also, any chance Rachel Summers will appear in “Cable” once she returns from space?
As Tom Petty once said, “The future is wide open.”

Warning, possible spoilers for Cable ahead:

Duane Swierczynski said a couple of interesting and alarming things about Cable's future.

First off, it sounds like the "baby" will be aging quickly, (Duane told X-Position, "So we always intended for the series to show the baby growing up quick") and as the baby grows up, Nathan will be growing older.

What's alarming is how Duane describes Nathan as, "a tired soldier who’s seen it all but has been pressed into service one last time for the most important mission of his career." That doesn't sound promising for Nathan's long term development or future in X-books. Even worse, Duane alludes to the potential that Nathan is not going to be coming back with the "baby".

Duane is clearly writing Nate as being at least in his late 50s and he will age at least 10, and possibly more, years as his young charge grows to be at least a teenager before she returns. Then Duane brings up doubts that Nathan will be returning.

While killing off the title character of a books sound unlikely, it does bring up the ol' "kill Cable off and bring back Nate Grey" argument again, especially when Nathan is being written as an old man in his 60s-70s and an old soldier on his final mission. I can't see Marvel wanting to continue that for very long.

That takes a lot of the joy of the speculation that Rachel and Nathan might, at long last, be reunited. I only started reading X-books again when it was announced that Cable would be in Adjectiveless at the same time Rachel would be in Uncanny X-Men. I assumed that there was no way they wouldn't interact if they were both X-Men at the same time. (Silly me). Now I wonder if it's going to be decades before that reunion ever happens, if ever.

Marvel January 2009 Solicitations

2008-10-23T02:23:00.000-04:00

The Marvel January 2009 solicitations have been released, and the lead-in to War of Kings is in full swing.

X-MEN: KINGBREAKER # 2
The Story: Marvel Girl, Korvus and Lilandra are the only resistance to Vulcan’s reign, but Vulcan aims to end their rebellion. With Havok, Polaris and rest of the Starjammers in prison, they don’t stand to get much help. The Shi’Ar Empire is expanding under Emperor Vulcan’s reign… Come see the road to the WAR OF KINGS!
Rated T+ …$3.99

In Stores: Jan 21, 2009

War of Kings officially gets underway with a one-shot in January. No indications on whether or not the Starjammers will appear (especially considering it's being released between Kingbreaker 1 and 2 coming out), but it sounds like Vulcan will be involved.

SECRET INVASION: WAR OF KINGS ONE-SHOT # 1
The Story: It’s finally here…WAR OF KINGS! The Secret Invasion may be over, but the Inhumans are still reeling from the terrible wounds inflicted on them by the Skrulls. And this time, the Royal Family and their massively powered people have been pushed too far! You have never seen the Inhumans like this – and it’s only the beginning! Plus: How will the empire-expanding Vulcan react to these recent universe-shaking developments? Before this double-sized shocker is over, vengeance will be had, daring alliances will be forged, and the first shots in a destiny-changing battle will be fired! The acclaimed team of writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (NOVA) and artist Paul Pelletier (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) unite to revamp heroes, reveal villains and rock the universe!
One-Shot/Rated T+ …$3.99

In Stores: Jan 7, 2009

Marvel's Top X-Women

2008-10-16T01:46:00.002-04:00

Once again Rachel made one of Marvel's Take 10 lists. The Secret Cabal (a group of assistant editors and interns) selected Rachel as the 8th best X-Woman:

8. RACHEL GREY
First Appearance: X-MEN v1 #141 (1981)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "Rachel Grey epitomizes two cornerstone of the X-verse: she has that Grey/Summers heritage and also comes from an alternate future, a theme common to many great X-stories. Rachel, therefore, is made for greatness. The former Phoenix and current Marvel Girl has an impressive battery of powers, including telepathy, telekinesis and a connection to the Phoenix Force. You've gotta respect someone who can not only rearrange the atoms of her clothes to make a whole new ensemble, but also make you think you're seeing a different outfit altogether—even if she has the potential to some day destroy a planet." – Secret Cabal member LiterateNitz18
Spotlight Comic: UNCANNY X-MEN #466—Rachel must save her remaining family from the Shi'ar Death Commandos!

Overall, it wasn't a bad list, but Rachel getting beat by Dazzler, I mean, c'mon... Dazzler has barely been a member of the X-Men.

Cover For X-Men: Kingbreaker #2

2008-10-14T23:52:00.003-04:00

Marvel has released the cover for X-Men: Kingbreaker#2.

The good news it is featuring Rachel, Lilandra and Korvus, but, unfortunately, it's not some of Brandon Peterson's better work.

In other news today, Nick Lowe was answering questions this week in CBR's X-Position, and was asked about the lack of female characters in X-books:

Is there any chance that the X-teams will be getting an estrogen injection? I've always felt that the books were at their best when the teams were evenly split between men and women, but it seems like a lot of the best female characters (Kitty, Rachel, Lorna, Betsy) have been pushed aside. I think any of these characters could enhance the X-books, so why not use them?

Hold on, hold on, hold on. Rachel and Lorna are still around. Just because they’re out in Shi’Ar space doesn’t mean that they aren’t important. As for the X-Men in San Francisco, we totally agree with you. Don’t be surprised if you see more of Dazzler, Domino, and another surprise lady.

Nick, considering how utterly irrelevant Rachel and Lorna have seemed to the core X-books, I'm not sure I see how they are important while in Shi'ar space.

ClanDestine Mini-Series Trade Now Available

2008-10-12T14:38:00.003-04:00

For those that didn't pick up individual issues of the recent ClanDestine mini-series, it's not available in trade hardcover.

Written and drawn by Excalibur co-creator Alan Davis, ClanDestine chronicles the adventures of the super-powered Destine family. This mini-series (Blood Relatives) has a cross-over with the classic Excalibur team (they appear in all five issues).

ClanDestine is a really underrated series. If you're a fan of Excalibur, consider picking this up. It's some of Alan Davis' best work, and it's great to see the old Excalibur team again.

Amazon has the ClanDestine: Blood Relative Premiere Hard Cover for only $13.59.

Rachel Super Hero Squad Figure Coming in December

2008-10-09T22:40:00.005-04:00

Entertainment Earth is now offering pre-orders on Hasbro's Super Hero Squad Wave 11, which features a Rachel/Marvel Girl figure (packaged with Cyclops).

Previously it had been reported that Wave 11 would be coming out in the spring of 2009, but Entertainment Earth says Wave 11 will be shipping in December (but that date is subject to change).

So, possibly the Rachel Superhero Squad will be a Christmas present for Rachel fans (fingers crossed).