War of Kings

"War of Kings" #3 on sale in May

On Earth, mutants have been oppressed. Homo-superiors (of questionable moral character) have tried, from time-to-time, to rise up and "rule" the human race. None have been successful thus far, and often they've been stopped by their own kind - namely, the X-Men.Currently, the entire galaxy is in the throes of a mutant with a grudge. Vulcan, brother of the X-Men's Cyclops and Havok, has taken over the Shi'ar empire and seems hell-bent on conquering the whole universe. Every cosmic character from Marvel's stable is involved in this battle, from the Guardians of the Galaxy to the Starjammers to the Inhumans. It's a "War of Kings," and it's getting messy.The two architects behind this epic - writers Andy Lanning and Dan Abnett (commonly known as DnA) - join us for today's X-POSITION to talk about your favorite characters and the tides of war. DnA are a hive-minded being - they think as one, so therefore, they've answered your emails as one. You've been warned. Now strap on your space-helmet and prepare to blast off!CBR: Adam Thompson begins things today with questions about church and our big blue marble.How big a role will the Universal Church of Truth play in the events of "War of Kings?"Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning: Without giving anything away, the connection between "WoK' and the Universal Church of Truth is enormous, but it is also going to sneak up on you!

Pages from "War of Kings" #3

How will "War of Kings" affect Earth? Will Earth's heroes realize the enormity of the war, or will they be too wrapped up in the events of Dark Reign to notice another cosmic war?"War of Kings" is specifically a cosmic event, although its repercussions may be felt on Earth in the coming months.OrionRyking is feeling a bit magical and wants to know what he'll be reading after the war is over. There seems to be a bit of a surge within the "magic realm" of the Marvel Universe lately, what with the Hood gaining popularity, "X-Infernus," Dr. Strange questing for the new Sorcerer Supreme, as well as comments that there's something big planned with the magic realm. Any chance you guys, DnA, will have a hand in making this interesting like what you've done with the "cosmic realm?" Keep up the good work on "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Nova," and "War of Kings!"Thanks for the props. The big magic surge in the Marvel U is also happening in the cosmic corner. Adam Warlock has been reborn with much more magical-specific powers and we'll really understand why in the upcoming months. The universe doesn't create a warlock unless it needs one!After "War of Kings" is over, and assuming these characters are still alive afterwards, any chance for an Inhumans series? Or how about some of the X-Jammers (Havok, Polaris, Ch'od, Rachael Grey, or Korvus) joining the Guardians of the Galaxy?

Pages from "War of Kings" #3

There are all sorts of plans afoot, you'll just have to wait and see who ends up where...and who survives. "War of Kings" will have a profound effect on the cosmic status quo and we are fully intending to play around with the possibilities this gives us.Recently, a big cosmic power source went bye-bye, so DMighty is hoping for an explanation.I was wondering about the plot point concerning Rachel and Korvus losing their connection to the Phoenix force - are there plans to actually answer that in the "War of Kings" story?No, that is something that will be examined after "War of Kings" is over.Rom Emerson Santos wants to know what's in store for two of his favorite cosmic cast members.Beta Ray Bill is one of my favorite characters. With all these cosmic events, I am surprised that Bill hasn't run into Nova or the Guardians of the Galaxy. Will Bill ever make an appearance in either book? Just my opinion, but I think Bill would be a great fit with the Guardians.There is already a Beta Ray Bill miniseries - "Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter," by Kieron Gillen and Kano - which you should check out or you'll miss out! We love Bill too and would love to get our hands on him sometime in the future.Do you two have any idea what happened to Super Skrull after "Secret Invasion" and if we'll see him again soon?Klyrrt will definitely appear at some point in the future, we just haven't found him yet. When we do, he'll come back with a bang!

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Reader Mitch Crane wanted to give us some food for thought - specifically, earthbound food.Several characters who are primarily earth-based have rocketed off to space recently (Havok, Darkhawk, Jack Flag, etc.) - are there any other earth-based characters you think would work well in space?The Thing would make a great meteorite! Seriously though, we found the more 'normal' the earth-based hero, the more they work well in a cosmic setting. Like Jack Flag, they respond well to the fantastical cosmic environment they are put into. On that basis, we guess the most ideal earth character then would be Willy Lumpkin!Wrapping things up for us today, ODell sent in a handful of queries that should provide us with a mental meal. I enjoyed your "War of Kings: Darkhawk" story, but why have it continue in a new title with "War of Kings: Ascension?" Why not just keep the whole mini with the same title? I know this isn't a big deal, but it confused me a bit as I was trying to follow the Darkhawk story.We wanted to make sure that that part of Darkhawk's adventure was clearly connected to the "War of Kings" event, as it plays such a crucial role in the overall scheme.Will fans finally have a definitive explanation of Darkhawk and his powers by the time "War of Kings" is over? The explanation for the source of his powers seems to have shifted over the years.Yes, if we've succeeded in what we aimed to do from the start.

Pages from "War of Kings" #3

Just hoping, but will "War of Kings" have any impact on the world where Skaar (Son of the Hulk) lives?Yes and you can see exactly how it plays out in "War of Kings: Savage World of Skaar," by Christos Gage and Clayton Henry. This has some truly awesome cosmic action featuring Gorgon of the Inhumans and Starbolt of the Imperial Guard! Check it out - you will not be disappointed!How much coordination was needed between you two and the X-books to get the story of the youngest Summer brother concluded in "War of Kings"? And please promise me that this story will provide a final conclusion for Vulcan's storyline - it seems to have dragged on and on.Nick Lowe and Bill Rosemann had to fight each other in the editorial combat pit to decide who got what. Thankfully, Bill is a dirty cheat and gave Nick a nasty paper-cut and won! We cannot give anything of the story away but, rest assured, it will be pretty decisive. Next week, we come back down to Earth; however, we still might do some dimension-hopping courtesy of "Exiles" writer Jeff Parker! In addition, he's happy and eager to answer your questions about "X-Men: First Class Finals." So read up, write those queries down, and send them our way quicker than Quicksilver. Putting an "X-Position" in the subject line spares my junk mail filter some work and moves your questions to the front of the line. See you in seven!