ComicsVerse

BLACKLUNG, Christ Wright’s first graphic novel, published by Fantagraphics in this just-past year of apocalypse jokes, is intense, desolate, and sort of dares you to chuckle. Wright has developed a cartoonish aesthetic for his homunculi—on a Smith-based spectrum they’re closer to Fone Bone than RASL: simplified facial features, big, clumsy-looking hands, and rounded body parts sewn together with visible stitches, sometimes in patchwork shades, as though these beings were made of remnant felt. They look helpless and formidable at the same time—just like people.

I’m not going to lie. When I first heard the original five X-Men (Cyclops, Angel, Iceman, Beast, and Jean Grey) were returning to present day Marvel continuity, I thought it was a stupid idea. Like many people, I wondered what could possibly be amiss that was preventing The Powers That Be at Marvel from creating original characters with depth and soul. The story of the original X-Men had been told -- over decades, and the original run of X-MEN starring this cast lead to low circulation numbers and even temporary cancellation. The book didn’t become a part of pop culture until Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus were introduced to the X-Men in GIANT-SIZED X-MEN #1 rendering a decision like bringing the original five X-Men back into the fold as teenagers risky at best and disastrous at worst. What I didn’t realize at the time was one of my favorite writers was leading the charge -- Brian Michael Bendis. Luckily, he proved me wrong -- very wrong and instead of disaster, the transport of the original five teenage X-Men to our time is surprisingly refreshing and fills a much needed void in creativity that has been lacking from the X-Men family of comic books for some time now.

It's no secret that Peter David is one of the most important and prolific comic writers of all time. He's given us unforgettable moments in X-Factor, Incredible Hulk, and even episodes of Ben-10. The illustrious writer recently suffered a stroke, but fear not, he's doing much better now!

Count us very lucky for being able to talk to Mr. David at the 2012 NY Comic Con. In this exclusive interview, he tells us about Polaris, the mutants of Marvel, and gives us an essential life lesson that we'll carry with us the rest of our...lives.

Thank you for everything, Mr. David. And get well soon!