X-POSITION: Jeff Lemire Teases Inhumans and Interconnectivity in "Extraordinary X-Men"

After months of anticipation, the new era of the X-Men has arrived. With "Extraordinary X-Men" #1, a new status quo has been put in place that finds mutants more hated and feared than ever and Storm gathering a team to combat the rising tension and try to reverse the impending mutant extinction. Writer Jeff Lemire and artist Humberto Ramos have kicked off a whole new run of mutant adventure -- a run that continues this week with the release of "Extraordinary X-Men" #2.

But before the second issue finds its way into readers' hands, "Extraordinary X-Men" writer Jeff Lemire joins X-POSITION to answer all of your questions about everything from the team's two teleporters to Storm's leadership style and the possibility of an Inhuman encounter.

CBR News: Welcome back to X-POSITION, Jeff! Let's begin this week with a question from xhx23x about one particular scene in "Extraordinary X-Men" #1.

The flashback with Colossus seems to add a darker tone to the Rasputins, who were mostly remembered as loving parents before. What was the thought process to add the barn scene and will it play out in Colossus' story going forward?

I want to try and make the X-Men as real as possible. No one's life is perfect. No one's childhood is perfect. No matter how happy and supportive anyone's family is, there are still dark times. Even loving parents can make mistakes based on fear. I wanted to show another side of Piotr and Illyana's past. This doesn't negate what we've seen of their childhoods in the past, just adds another wrinkle.

MarvelMaster616 wants to know more about the role of the Inhumans in your book.

Can you talk a bit about the role the Inhumans will play in your run? They're already part of the story with the Terrigen Mists. Will we be seeing any major Inhuman characters in this series?

Can't say too much yet, but as you can tell, the paths of the Inhumans and the X-Men seem destined to cross. There is a plan in place for when and how this will happen. I was recently in New York with X-editor Daniel Ketchum, "Uncanny's" Cullen Bunn, and "All-New's" Dennis Hopeless as well as the Inhumans crew of Nick Lowe and Charles Soule. We had some great discussions about this plan and I think we're all pretty excited about where this is all heading and what it will mean for both mutants and Inhumans.

We were subtly introduced to X-Haven in your first issue, which inspired Master of Sound's question.

What can you tell us about X-Haven?

Not too much. Sorry, but a lot more about X-Haven will be revealed in issue #2, out this week!

In addition to your core X-Men cast, Andru spotted a few other characters in the background and wants to know more about your plans for them.

My question is about the X-Haven inhabitants. Obviously much has happened in the 8-month time jump and I am sure everything will be answered in time. We saw a few familiar faces residing at X-Haven. Anole, Rockslide, Blindfold, Glob Herman, etc. Did you specifically choose these characters, or did Humberto have free reign to draw who he wanted? Any hints as to who else might be hanging around? And will these characters play any significant role in the book?

Jeff Lemire on "Extraordinary X-Men," "Bloodshot Reborn," Picking Projects & More

First of all, I want to state that we will learn more about what happened during the 8-month gap and we will connect dots between the end of Brian Bendis' run and "Extraordinary X-Men" #1. That is a story that we fully intend to tell, we are just being very careful about when and how we tell it because it plays into larger plans for the X-books.

As for the supporting cast, and as to whether I wrote characters like Glob, Rockslide, Anole etc. into the script, or if Humberto drew who he wanted -- it was honestly a bit of both. There are a handful of mutants I have definite plans for, and who will play a bigger role in the series as we move forward; Glob and Anole are among them. And there were others that Humberto added.

I want to develop a strong supporting cast for the book, and many younger mutant characters will be included.

I will also say that Glob Herman has quickly become one of my favorite characters.

With Professor X and Cyclops out of the picture, Storm's really rising to the occasion in your series. Arya has a question about Storm's leadership style.

The X-Men leaders have a long history of being too private about their plans and motivations. It always bites them in the butt. Will Storm learn from their and her mistakes and become a more open leader?

Storm will indeed become a much more open leader. Issue #5 will answer this question fully.

"Extraordinary X-Men" caught up with Jean Grey, now a college student. jdgs is curious about the role Jean's studies will play in future issues.

Will we see more of Jean's life in college in future issues or is she going to be an X-Man full time from now on?

Sorry, don't mean to avoid answering, but Jean's college life is featured in issue #2 and the rest of this question will be answered then!

And speaking of Storm and young Jean Grey, Delo has a question about their friendship.

Will you be delving into the strong friendship Storm and Jean had? I feel like it was a topic sorely missed from "All-New X-Men" and would love to see their (obviously) different, dynamic.

Yes! The relationship between Storm and Jean is one of my favorites to write. They do have a strong bond and it will grow as the series progresses.

Looking at your lineup of X-Men, healed1337 notice a similarity between two members.

One thing I find a bit strange is that your team will have two teleporters who both tend to wield swords, Nightcrawler and Magik. Is there a particular reason for this? How are you going to differentiate their roles on the team?

There are two very specific reasons why the team needs more than one teleporter. The first reason is that the Extraordinary X-Men are a search and rescue team now and, as a result, this particular power is valuable. The second reason is linked to the location of X-Haven and I can say no more... but after you read issue #2, you'll know what I'm talking about.

As for the swords... you can never have enough swords.

As the new X-era dawns, Alejandr0 wants to know how all the X-Men titles will interact with each other.

Will your story be as interwoven with the continuing "Uncanny"/"All-New X-Men" as the two titles were in the last couple of years? I kind of enjoyed the connectedness.

Each of our books will stand alone, but also be part of the shared X-Universe. So, no direct crossovers for a while, but we will see common threats and elements woven into the larger tapestry of the X-books.

And lastly this week, berserkerclaw wants to know if you can set the scene for your other X-Men-related series, "Old Man Logan."

Question on Old Man Logan's solo. You said he'd show up naked in Times Square on page one, just like final page of the "Secret Wars" "Old Man Logan" series. Is the first arc of "OML" taking place before his appearance in "Extraordinary" #1?

First of all, I love your name "berserkerclaw." Coincidentally, the first arc of "Old Man Logan" is actually called "Berserker."

This first 4-issue arc of "Old Man Logan" takes place before the events of "Extraordinary X-Men" #1, in the missing 8-month gap. Then after issue #4, the two series will sync up and run concurrently.

Thanks to Jeff Lemire for taking on this week's questions! Check out a preview of "Extraordinary X-Men" #2 right now on CBR.

Next week, we have the first of two-part X-POSITION wherein "Deadpool" and "Uncanny Avengers" writer Gerry Duggan answers your questions about the Merc With a Mouth, Rogue, Cable, Quicksilver and everything else involved with both game-changing series.