At the Diamond Retailer Presentation in the UK, Marvel has announced an upcoming miniseries--X-MEN: WORST X-MAN EVER. This will be a digital first miniseries starting in December with a printed version of the issues beginning in February. The series will be written by Max Bemis, singer of Say Anything and writer of OH, KILLSTRIKE, with art by Michael Walsh (HANK JOHNSON: AGENT OF HYDRA).
The series will focus on Bailey Hoskins, who just discovered he's a mutant. He's never been an above average kid and soon finds himself at Xavier's School for Gifted Children. With this being the actual headquarters of the X-Men, Bailey will discover he may actually be the worst X-Men ever.
We had the chance to talk to editor Jordan D. White about the series.
COMIC VINE: Where does this story fit in with what’s happening to the X-Men currently?
JORDAN D. WHITE: Given the story he wanted to tell, we decided to give Max the opportunity to bring us his own take on the X-Men, which is very much a sort of evergreen “Best of” situation. We’ve got X-Men from all eras in here, all coming together to tell the story of Bailey Hoskins, our main character...who fears he may be the worst X-Man ever.
CV: Max Bemis is largely known as the singer for Say Anything but has written other comics (plus an A+X story). How was he brought on to this project?
JORDAN: The fact is that Max is a HUGE comic book fanatic. We will occasionally get celebrities coming through the offices for tour because they are fans of our work...and Max did just that, but said he wanted to make sure to meet with editors because he was determined to write for us. As you said, he did an A+X story for me before, and I’ve read his work for BOOM! like EVIL EMPIRE and Oh, Killstrike, and I’ve really enjoyed it. You can tell he knows his stuff.
CV: Did Max come up with the character and powers for Bailey Hoskins?
JORDAN: You’d have to ask him for the details on that one. All I can say for sure is that he’s a very identifiable character, personality-wise...and that his powers are a big part of why things don’t go as expected for him.
CV: What will be the tone of the limited series?
JORDAN: Great question. I think it’s a misfit story, and since it’s an X-Men story, it’s really a story about a misfit among misfits. He’s the outcast of the outcast. He doesn’t fit in with the others that don’t fit in. So, it’s a very modern story, a relatable story...and like a lot of X-Men stories, it’s about growing up, and the ways that can go wrong. It’s dark, but still fun. For anyone who ever wondered where they belonged, this is for you.
CV: Will Michael Walsh get the chance to draw other familiar characters and cameos?
JORDAN: For sure! There are a TON of X-characters spread across this series. If you have a favorite X-Man, I would say there is...an 80% chance they will put in an appearance. And Michael is knocking it out of the park!
CV: We haven’t seen many Digital Firsts (followed by print) at Marvel. Why was this series chosen for this type of distribution?
JORDAN: Marvel’s got a lot going on right now with all the new titles—it would be easy for a series like this to get lost in the shuffle without a proper spotlight shone on it. This way we can draw attention to a slightly off-kilter project while still getting the story to both the digital and print audiences. In addition—like you said—Max Bemis has a lot of fans from outside the comics community who might want to check out his take on the X-Men, and picking up comics digitally is even easier for new readers.
CV: Could we possible see more miniseries (Digital First or otherwise) focusing on new or non-mainstream characters?
JORDAN: That’s a great question—I think the only way to find out is to see how this goes! Fingers crossed!
Be sure to look for X-MEN: WORST X-MAN EVER #1, a Digital First series, beginning in December. We'll definitely want to find out what makes Bailey the worst X-Men ever.