After teasing it during a presentation last weekend, Marvel has officially announced "Apocalypse Wars," a new event running through the three X-Men team books ("Extraordinary X-Men," "Uncanny X-Men" and "All-New X-Men") next spring. The announcement comes via ComicBook.com, who also spoke with "Extraordinary X-Men" writer Jeff Lemire about his title's stake in the story.

Lemire mentioned that he considers Apocalypse to be one of the "premier X-Men villains" and cited the character as one he immediately looked at upon taking the gig. "The original Apocalypse story in 'X-Factor' by Walter and Louise Simonson is a real touchstone for me," said Lemire. "As a kid that story had a massive impact on me. So I wanted to craft a story that had the same energy and imagination as those early Apocalypse stories, but something where Humberto Ramos and I were also able to put my own spin on things. I think we've come up with a big story that will be very fresh, but also harken back to the classics." In fact, Ramos' cover for "Extraordinary" #8 pays homage to 1986's "X-Factor" #6, which was Apocalypse's first full appearance.

The story itself, which will see Storm's newly assembled team go up against the Darwinist mutant, will feature a time travel element, Lemire teased. "The future aspects of the story are very rooted in mutant's present-day situation. It's not just some imaginary story or some pocket universe. This story, even though partially set in the future, will have lasting impact on the 'Extraordinary X-Men' team and mutants in the Marvel Universe moving forward."

While Lemire wouldn't spoil if his story would involve the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, he did discuss how "Extraordinary" will interact with the other two "Apocalypse Wars" books. Lemire said that fellow X-writers Cullen Bunn and Dennis Hopeless have created "something a little different from traditional event or crossover stories. So, each of our Apocalypse stories will be able to be read alone, but also tie together in unexpected ways for readers who check all three books. I think it it a testament to the depth Apocalypse character that three book can tell three Apocalypse stories from three very different points of view."

Comic Book Resources will have more information on the "Apocalypse Wars" event at 11AM PT. You can check out solicitation info from "Extraordinary X-Men" #8, the first part of the book's "Apocalypse Wars" arc, below.

EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #8

JEFF LEMIRE (W) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)

"APOCALYPSE WARS" STARTS NOW!

Mutantkind is an endangered species once more. But what better way to ensure your people see the future...than to skip ahead right to it? As the mutant race's last hope is jettisoned into the time stream, the Extraordinary X-Men make a startling discovery: the fate of their kind is about to fall into the hands of one of their most formidable adversaries - the immortal APOCALYPSE. Now, the X-Men race into a perilous future, desperate to reclaim what was taken from them...and completely unaware of the horrors that await them.