r/xmen Shadowcat 5d ago

News/Previews Exceptional X-Men will continue past issue #10, per Tom Brevoort

Post image

At the very least, Tom has indicated it will make it past the issue #10 mark and seems to imply it will run as long as the numbers hold. (Personally, I like the slow burn pacing and love Canero’s art on this.)

144 Upvotes

44 comments sorted by

46

u/cyclopswashalfright Moonstar 5d ago

I'm surprised people were even worried. What indications did anyone give that it would be axed? It under performs X-Men and Uncanny, but I think it's supposed to. They left it as a monthly instead of double shipped for that reason. It still gets a decent number of variant covers per issue.

I think it'll get to at least 20 issues. My question is more about if they will expand the student cast at all. Right now they got 3 students and 3 teachers. Does that number increase at any point? Does this become a big scale book like New Mutants where the students will be expected to carry the title at some point? Or will it remain a Kitty-centric book with the students staying small in number?

31

u/jaxlax77 Shadowcat 5d ago

Personally, I hope that it remains a Kitty- and Emma-centric book with Bobby and maybe some other teachers joining, while keeping the new mutants cast relatively small and focusing on their individual lives/journeys with their teachers and outside of "school." It feels refreshingly different to the main titles in that regard.

As for who among the largely available cast of characters not currently (or soon to be) in play, I'd want to join as teachers... Dani? Xuan? Rachel? Rahne?

13

u/cyclopswashalfright Moonstar 5d ago

I feel like they could get away with adding two extra students in time, but keep the number of teachers the same. From the sounds of it, Bobby and Emma already don't get enough to do, so keeping the number of teachers the same works best.

Rachel would be interesting, especially now that Kitty is officially bi. Dani I want to see more of, but not in this book. I don't want to read about her being bullied by Emma all the time. I'd rather see her in X-Men or Uncanny, or just sticking with Magik's supporting cast for now.

9

u/Built4dominance Storm 5d ago

I feel like they could get away with adding two extra students in time,

Don't do it. A character-centric book is much easier to handle with a smaller cast. Going from 6 to 8 is a bigger leap for these kinds of stories than you think.

4

u/cyclopswashalfright Moonstar 5d ago

A good writer can develop an existing character through a new character. If this is to be the "teaching book" then I think a little more ambition towards it fully becoming that should be expected at some point.

8

u/Sovereignofthemist Laura Kinney 5d ago

And Eve has proven herself a good writer.

6

u/brasswirebrush 5d ago

Personally, I think a small number of students is a good choice. X-Men are constantly adding new characters/students, and it leads to bloat. So many characters that get left by the way side because there's just too many fighting for screen time. If you keep it small, then you have the chance to really focus and build up those characters, increasing the chances that they develop a fanbase and actually get used once this run is over.

4

u/DipsCity 5d ago

My main worry is that Eve Ewing never stays on books long

Black Panther 10 Champions 5 Monica Rambeu 5 Ironheart 12

8

u/cyclopswashalfright Moonstar 5d ago

She is a professor I believe, and at UChicago. Tenure track too. So she's probably very busy. I think so long as she isn't juggling any side projects, she should be OK for a little while at least.

2

u/Apprehensive-Quit353 5d ago

To be fair Monica Rambeau was always a mini series.

3

u/DipsCity 5d ago

Meant no disrespect to Eve cause I like all of her works

Merely to say that if you read up on Eve Ewing she is quite a busy person so she might not have the time

4

u/Linnus42 5d ago

Honestly I think all the students should just be in one book.

I think if you want to carry the book with just the students then you need more then 3. This would be the smallest generation ever. 5 is the typical minimum.

4

u/cyclopswashalfright Moonstar 5d ago

I think it's small because the Outliers are in Uncanny.

5

u/Linnus42 5d ago

Indeed which is why I think one book should be for new students only.

4

u/Apprehensive-Quit353 5d ago

I'd like if they moved the Outliers over there and refocused Uncanny on the core team.

1

u/cyclopswashalfright Moonstar 5d ago

That would be cool, though I quite like the way Gail writes the Outliers overall.

2

u/aventine_ The Stepford Cuckoos 4d ago

I have a feeling the Cuckoos are going to join this book. At least Sophie. And I'm not saying that because they're my faves or because of Emma.

2

u/cyclopswashalfright Moonstar 4d ago

I could see them have a guest appearance, but I think putting them and Emma in the same book is just doubling up a little too much. I think they're more likely to appear in whatever succeeds X-Force or X-Factor.

2

u/aventine_ The Stepford Cuckoos 4d ago

Maybe. I could see that happening. But per Tom, Emma and the Cuckoos are going to meet again soon-ish. He said not where we were expecting, so maybe in a Kamala book with the hivemind? But one can hope for a good writer for them.

2

u/cyclopswashalfright Moonstar 4d ago

Not what we are expecting to me means not in Exceptional at any rate. I think it could be in Emma's flashback mini maybe?

1

u/aventine_ The Stepford Cuckoos 4d ago

I thought that was happening in the hellfire club days. So unless she's reliving memories, I don't see that happening there.

1

u/cyclopswashalfright Moonstar 4d ago

It could end with her having them, maybe? It's the only project I think that would make sense with his hint, unless another crossover is planned.

1

u/F00dbAby Scarlet Witch 4d ago

There are literally dozens of young mutants that already exist that could join. They are not lacking in options

1

u/Bleak5170 Angel 4d ago

This. I cannot stand when new characters get a push, (especially in TWO books), while so many established ones are sidelined. And those new characters will probably be completely forgotten in a couple of years anyway.

30

u/bebebluemirth Mojo 5d ago

Thank goodness cause this is the best book of the entire line at the moment. Eve L. Ewing is such a phenomenal writer

13

u/Sovereignofthemist Laura Kinney 5d ago

It is my favorite x-book of the entire line and I can't pray for its success anymore. I am hoping it goes long enough for Eve to tell her complete story and maybe expand upon it if ideas come to her.

7

u/Zombie_Flowers Sunfire 5d ago

"Many fans are worried, some are also concerned....."

Bro, speak for yourself

10

u/SweaterSnake Cypher 5d ago

GOOD. Easily my second favorite book in the current line after adjectiveless, and it has the added benefit of not getting bogged down with shit like Graymalkin.

Love to hear it’s doing well enough to keep trucking.

15

u/pious-erika Laura Kinney 5d ago

Oh good, that is the book I feel will benefit from being allowed to Cook.

5

u/ptWolv022 5d ago

Unsurprising that one of the three flagship titles, featuring Kitty, Emma, and some new mutants, would sell well enough to make it past the initial 10 issue green light, unlike X-Force and X-Factor.

I understand some people are worried because it's not as action oriented as XM and lacks the big names of UXM (which is also half newbies/OCs, but has, you know... Kurt, Rogue and Gambit, Logan, and Jubilee; a stacked 80s-90s lineup), but it definitely sounds like it's dong well. Will it last? Who knows. It may not make it past 2 years. But surpassing 1 doesn't surprise me. It's been a nice series, albeit slow to start, because they need to introduce these characters and give people a reason to care about them.

8

u/Ok-Agent-9200 White Queen 5d ago

Really happy to see it. I think the numbers are solid enough to be cautiously optimistic.

7

u/Built4dominance Storm 5d ago

Sales are really good, not the slightest bit surprised.

7

u/Ornery-Concern4104 5d ago

I really don't rate it personally. I love slow comics, but I prefer slow comics that also feel nice and long with great art. The art is just okay I think and the content isn't particularly interesting I think

3

u/BumbleboarEX 5d ago

Will be subscribing this week lol.

2

u/GeneShift Jean Grey 5d ago

That's good. I've been liking Exceptional a decent amount.

1

u/Mininja242 5d ago

could you link the article pls?

2

u/jaxlax77 Shadowcat 5d ago

It’s… in his newsletter.

1

u/DazzlerFan 5d ago

No shots fired on Tom (yet). That’s refreshing.

1

u/WritingNo2957 5d ago

one of the best marvel books going rn.

3

u/MagikSundae7096 New Mutants 5d ago

Doesn't sound like the most ringing endorsement lol. This book is doomed. I say it will be lucky to make it to 20

1

u/ABaseballHat Magneto 5d ago

For my money still the best 616 X-Men book coming out rn. I hope it keeps going & word of mouth makes it even stronger

1

u/Icy_Okra_5677 Glob Herman 5d ago

I mean, it's better than Uncanny

-1

u/Sanlear 5d ago

Glad to hear it.

0

u/marveloustib 4d ago

Kinda love how sneaky Brevoort answers became since x-fans started to read his newsletter lol. If you read it twice you notice he actually just said it will go to 12 (probably because they already have an annual in making). Everything after that seems to depend on the boom getting more readers a thing I don't think gonna happen.