WEAPON X-MEN #3: THE EGGS KEEP COMING

Or laying, as the case may be

We all have those days, don’t we? Those days when things are flying wild, every which way, from suppositions to rumors to outright misinformation, bouncing around like a goddamn pinball. Those days when you can’t help but think to yourselves… “Why bother?”

Well, y’know, I’ll tell you why… despite all the bullshit that occasionally comes with the dinner, this gig is still really f**king fun. If you love comicbooks the way I do, actually making them is simply one of the best jobs in the world, no doubt about it. Writing superhero comicbooks -- especially when they’re an intrinsic part of your DNA -- can be rewarding on multiple levels. And putting in these Easter eggs, these callbacks to the comicbooks of my youth… is just one of those levels. So, let’s all dive deep into the four-color magic that is WEAPON X-MEN #3 (in stores right now, with more to come… I promise!).

PAGE 7, PANELS 1-2: In the heat of battle, this is the moment where Baron Von Strucker unveils his personal weapon of choice, the so-called Satan Claw… here upgraded to Satan’s Claws, plural. Because, let’s face it, two claws are infinitely better than one. Created by the legendary Jim Steranko in the Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. strip that ran in the classic Strange Tales #157 way back in 1967, it’s one of those things that usually shows up in any story where Von Strucker is the villain. And, this time, they’ve been forged out of indestructible (and fictional) Adamantium, for that little extra “oomph”.

Steranko could draw some mean Kirby Krackle, don’tcha think…?

PAGE 12, PANEL 1: Thunderbird evoking the “Killer-of-Enemies” refers to a specific legend straight out of Apache culture. The Killer-of-Enemies is a mythological being who -- according to said legend -- is both one of their greatest and most mysterious warriors of all, who made the land safe for the Apache. It seemed to fit perfectly with John Proudstar’s personality -- while putting his established cultural background in some sort of context with his “superheroic” identity as Thunderbird.

PAGE 17, PANELS 1-2: As far as I know, the gag where you can melt Adamantium down to its malleable, liquid state was first presented in Avengers #202, which was based on the Jim Shooter short story, “This Evil Undying” (also written about extensively in previous newsletters). As you can see, I just lifted the climax of Shooter’s story to provide a quick end to the threat of the WMD’s in our story. Another profound reminder that great artists steal…

I gotta admit, for the final George Pérez Avengers work for almost two decades, the “trapped Ultron” moment is a pretty great send off.

PAGE 18, PANEL 1: In keeping with previous issues featuring classic Hydra tech, here we have one more. To the best of my knowledge, this Hydra aircraft first appeared in Strange Tales #151, which also happens to be the previously-mentioned Jim Steranko’s first work on the Nick Fury strip, providing finishes and inks over King Jack Kirby’s layouts.

Once again, it just doesn’t get much better than Steranko, does it…?

PAGE 18, PANEL 2: This flashback and accompanying exposition references the 5^th issue of the Cable & Deadpool monthly series published from 2004 to 2008 (written by Fabian Nicieza and drawn by a variety of artists including Reilly Brown, Lan Medina and Patrick Zircher).

I was gratified to be able to tap into events of that series here (and this particularly gruesome scene), fully acknowledging the relationship between Cable and Deadpool that existed years before their team-up was solidified cinematically in Deadpool 2.

PAGE 19, PANEL 1: Also extensively discussed in a previous newsletter, here we have the official debut of the “new” villain, Weapon Exile. Not much more to say here than I did then. Really cool design, no doubt.

EXCLUSIVE, UNCENSORED PANEL!!!

PAGE 20, PANEL 5: What you see above is the original version of Deadpool’s dialogue, which I only discovered didn’t make it to the printed version until after it was released in stores last week. As you can see, his original dialogue was: “You KNOW we’re gonna be bigger than Jesus! I mean, we’re gonna be bigger than the BEATLES!”

This gag refers to an early rock star controversy in which the legendary John Lennon, during an interview for a British newspaper at the height of Beatlemania, compared the Beatles’ enormous popularity to religion… and to Jesus, in particular. Once the story hit America a few months later, all hell broke loose. It led to some harsh public outcry, instances of record burning and general mayhem that eventually contributed to the Beatles’ decision to stop touring altogether in 1966. Given what’s going on with this series, it seems even more relevant than the harmless quip I originally intended it to be.

Of course, being the generally conscientious editor that he is, Tom Brevoort raised some concerns when he read my script that this bit might end up being a problem. But it got as far as the final, proofed version before I assume someone flagged it -- and cut it -- at the last second (meaning, it wasn’t in the editorial notes that I was privy to when we were proofing what I thought was the final version going to print). I suppose it just goes to show that we’re still living in a country that -- even in this day and age -- comports itself so hypocritically puritanical that even the mere mention of Jesus could be seen as problematic, even when the context is clearly referencing an historical event, rather than the Biblical figure. Ah, whatever. Them’s the breaks. Although, I wish I’d known it was going to get deleted, so maybe I could’ve made a few other adjustments to land the same joke in some other manner. Just excising it kinda leaves the moment flopping on the dock like a dying fish.

On the bright side, I guess no one will be burning WEAPON X-MEN albums…

Like I said up top, WEAPON X-MEN #3 is out in stores right now.

And, not for nothing, but the next issue of WEAPON X-MEN -- in stores later this month -- is a real motherf**ker. If you’re any kind of old school Marvel fan, you don’t wanna miss it.

Joe Casey

USA