Everything you need to know about New Mutants: Lethal Legion!
I've always dreamed of writing superhero comics. I love how colorful and earnestly weird they are, and how well they lend themselves to a mixture action and soap opera. So I've been utterly delighted to have the chance to do some writing for Marvel Comics lately!
Right now, I'm writing a miniseries called New Mutants: Lethal Legion. The first issue comes out March 8, but the deadline for comics retailers to order copies of that issue is on February 6 — coming up real soon. After Feb. 6, you'll still be able to order the comic book (and you'll be able to get it once it's out, of course.) But the next nine days are crucial to determining how many copies retailers decide to order, which directly affects whether the comic is seen as a success.
In other words, this is kind of a make or break deal for me. If a lot of people ask their local comics shop to get them this miniseries — or order it online — in the next week, then I'll get to write more of this stuff. So I thought I would tell you everything you need to know about this comic, with no spoilers. So below is an FAQ.
But first, here are two variant covers for Lethal Legion #1, by Nao Fuji and Paulina Ganucheau respectively, followed by the cover of issue #2, by Javier Fernandez.
What is New Mutants: Lethal Legion about?
Basically, this is a comic about trauma and the things that we do to try to help each other deal with it. Again, no spoilers, but Escapade is trying to help Cerebella deal with some traumatic stuff that she faced back in New Mutants issues 31-33. Escapade hatches a plan to get Cerebella's mind off of it, and this plan leads to a close encounter with the Lethal Legion, a notorious team of super villains.
Okay, so who is Escapade?
I'm so glad you asked. Escapade is a new character that I created last summer, along with artists Ted Brandt and Ro Stein. Shela Sexton is a trans mutant, who has the power to trade circumstances with anybody, as long as she's physically close enough. She's also kind of a naive trickster, as I talked about in a previous newsletter, and she loves to pull heists and rip off the world's wealthiest people. She started hanging around with the New Mutants after she was given a vision that she would lose control of her powers and kill her best friend Morgan. (Morgan is an exceedingly dapper nerd, who has a pet flying turtle named Hibbert.) Luckily, with the help of the New Mutants, Shela was able to save Morgan's life.
Okay, so who is Cerebella?
Cerebella is Martha Johansson, formerly known as No-Girl. She was first introduced 20 years ago in Grant Morrison's New X-Men series. Martha is a powerful telepath who can stun you using psychic chaff and also take over your body, and she ran away from home when she was a teenager. She was captured by the U-Men, who removed her brain from her body and placed it in a kind of globe to use it as a weapon. Weapon. Recently, Martha got a body of her own once again, and then in New Mutants 31-33. She was once again captured by the U-Men and their leader, John Sublime. Martha managed to escape unscathed this time, but seeing Sublime and his evil nerd army once again brought up a lot of stuff for her, and she's feeling pretty freaked out.
Okay, so Escapade comes up with a plan to help Cerebella deal with her trauma. Who else becomes part of this plan?
I really appreciate the way that you are helping me to avoid giving away spoilers, anonymous interlocutor. In a nutshell, Shela and Martha are joined by Scout, aka Gabby Kinney. Gabby is one of Wolverine's clones, so she has all of Logan's powers. She is young and perhaps a little more impulsive. Real talk: I have been having the most fun writing Scout, and she gets some of my favorite moments in this comic.
Who are some of the other characters we might encounter in this comic book?
The regular New Mutants plays a massive role as well. Dani Moonstar and Karma both get sucked into the action pretty quickly —I've been having a lot of fun writing both of them, and they both get some of my favorite moments in issues two, three and four. But also, Rahne Sinclair aka Wolfsbane, gets a huge storyline of her own, where she ends up making a huge discovery. Again, I am trying to avoid spoilers, because I know Professor X is scanning the globe for any telepathic spoiler emissions and I don't want to get in trouble.
I, an experienced spoiler-averse interlocutioner, understand that the best way to elicit more information without venturing into spoilers territory is to ask about tone. So what can you tell us about the tone of New Mutants: Lethal Legion?
Wow, you are so right. Tone is a great way to talk about stories without giving away any plot information. In a word, the tone of New Mutants: Lethal Legion is silly.
Issues 31-33 of New Mutants ended up being very dark and scary, because of the U-Men. So when I was offered a chance to do a follow-up mini-series, I very much wanted to tell a story that was lighter and funnier, with more room for cute character moments. I was so grateful that my heroic editor, Sarah Brunstad, and her valiant assistant Anita Okoye, let me go in a much more comical direction, and that they let me use Scout, who is so perfect for this. At the same time, I already mentioned it's a story about trauma, and basically there's a very serious undertone to this wacky romp — which is one of my favorite things to do.
Finally, what can you tell us about the artwork?
Dang, you saved the best for last, interlocutor!
The artwork in these issues has been an utter joy to behold. Every time I see a new page, I have to scream with joy — which the people in my life might be getting a little tired of by now. I've been lucky, in a short span of time, to work with some of the best artists in the business. But I've still been incredibly blown away by the pencils of Enid Balám, who's perfectly matched the tone I mentioned above, with a lot of sweetness and a beautiful sense of composition. Enid's layouts are astoundingly dynamic, and he packs so much character and energy into every single panel. I wrote some scenes where there's a lot going on, and Enid makes it work beautifully and brings everything to life. And the inker, Elisabetta D'Amico, is an absolute dream. Her line work is incredible, and she's added texture and shadows and more personality to every single panel. I seriously cannot wait until the preview pages for this issue come out, so y'all can see how beautiful it all looks. Also, the colorist, Matt Milla, is making this a gorgeously colorful piece of art. There's a sunset in the first issue that is just stunning. Basically, anonymous interlocutor, I am over-the-moon delighted with how New Mutants: Lethal Legion has turned out so far. And I really hope y'all like it.
And just to remind you of what I said at the start — if you, your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers and your backgammon league can all put in an order for New Mutants: Lethal Legion #1 and the following issues by February 6th, it will help to ensure that I get to write more of this nonsense, and also that we get to see more of Escapade, who still has so much untapped potential.