NYCC 2011 EXCLUSIVE: Christos Gage to write X-MEN: LEGACY – Interview

X-Men Legacy

With X-Men: Regenesis, there have been many changes to the status quo with the X-Men, in addition to those changes there have been new creative teams assigned to many of the books.  One of the remaining titles that we’ve been awaiting a creative team change from has been X-Men: Legacy, as long time writer Mike Carey is leaving the book.  Today at the X-Men panel at the New York Comic Con, it was revealed that the new creative team for X-Men Legacy would be writer Christos Gage (Avengers Academy) and artist David Baldeon (Young Allies).

As an exclusive treat for you X-Men fans, we caught up with Gage to discuss this new direction for X-Men: Legacy as well as got a sneak peek at some of Baldeon’s character designs which you can see below.

iFanboy: As you take over the writing duties on X-Men: Legacy from Mike Carey, you’re picking up some of the characters that were in the series previously (Rogue, Gambit, Frenzy, Rachel Grey), but adding some other X-Men (Cannonball, Husk and Iceman). How did you go about picking the characters to use for X-Men: Legacy?

Christos Gage: Well, as you said, Mike had done some great work with several of them, and I wanted to continue that. For the rest, I took a look at who else was going to Westchester and selected a few that appealed to me for various reasons, from powers to personality to potential. And really, any Westchester-based X-Men could show up in the pages of X-Men: Legacy…Wolverine will be involved when it makes sense for him to be, as well as Beast and others. But yes, the characters you mentioned are our core group…I think they represent a great cross-section of X-Men history and there are a lot of interesting stories yet to be told involving them. We’ll see some students as well…I loved what Mike did with Blindfold and plan to continue showcasing her from time to time.

iF: It appears that Rogue is the leader and starring character of X-Men: Legacy, she’s a character with a rich and layered history. Can you give us a sneak as to what your plans for Rogue may be?

CG: In the near term, we’ll be exploring the fallout of Schism…what this all means for Rogue. She’s had a sort of vaguely defined romance with Magneto, but now they’re on opposite sides of the country. Distance aside, can two people have a relationship when they have a fundamental disagreement over how life should be lived? Then, of course, there’s the fact that Gambit, who has a bit of a history with Rogue, is also in Westchester… but he made it clear to her that he didn’t want to get involved again unless she was ready to commit. Is she ready now, or less so than ever? Then there’s the simple question of whether Rogue made the right choice. She believes strongly she did, but events will occur making her wonder about that. Finally, Rogue is continuing to define who she is and what she wants to be now that she has her powers under control. I really feel like Rogue is one of the richest and best developed characters in comics.

iF: Post X-Men: Schism, what is the world like for Rogue and her teammates? In the Regenesis teasers, we see they’re standing with Wolverine? How has the fallout of Schism been for Rogue et. al.

CG: They are indeed standing with Wolverine. As for what their lives are like, that’s the crux of the book! Right away, with my first issue, #260.1, we’ll see just how seriously they take their responsibility to protect the kids, not only from harm, but in terms of making sure they can be students and young people rather than soldiers. Following on that, Exodus returns, throwing the whole post-Schism dynamic into considerable disarray!

iF: You’ve had great success with Avengers Academy, which is a team based book based in a training/learning environment. The X-Men have a similar environment, what have you taken away from the Avengers Academy experience that you’re bringing to X-Men: Legacy?

CG: The interesting thing is that the books are almost mirror images of each other. In Avengers Academy, the focus is on the students. In X-Men: Legacy, it’s the teachers. But you’re right, there are a lot of similar dynamics. I’ve said before about Avengers Academy that what makes everything to dramatic is that in your teen years, the decisions you make will affect the rest of your life. The same is true for the X-Men’s students and teachers…but their choices will also affect the future of their entire species! The main lesson I’ve learned on Avengers Academy that I will bring to X-Men: Legacy is that action only matters if it grows out of and affects character. The action has to serve the characters, not the other way around.

iF: We’ve seen the team lineup, but will there be other characters, as well as new mutants that will be brought in to be taught by Rogue and her team?

CG: Yes! In my second arc, we’ll see Mimic and Weapon Omega show up, and chances are good that at least one of them will be around for a while.

iF: Your working with artist David Baldeon on X-Men: Legacy, whose work we’ve seen previously at Marvel. Are there any specific characters or scenes that you’re excited to see Baldeon come back with drawn?

CG: He’s really impressed me with his rendition of the N’Garai in #260.1. I can’t wait to see him draw Exodus. I knew from his work on Young Allies that he was great at character work, but what’s blowing me away is his action scenes!