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'WEAPON X FIRST CLASS' WITH MARC SUMERAK
The writer talks about his miniseries announced at Fan Expo 2008 that delves into the world of secret Canadian ops with artist Tim Seeley
By Steve Sunu
Posted 8/25/2008
WIZARD: Tell us a bit about Weapon X: First Class
SUMERAK: Weapon X: First Class is the new book in Marvel's First Class line of titles. Currently, they have X-Men: First Class and Wolverine: First Class, and this series is a companion book to Wolverine: First Class. It takes place during the same time period as the Wolverine: First Class book written by Fred Van Lente. This particular book is going to examine a little bit of Wolverine's history most specifically his days during the Weapon X program. So, it's going to be an insight into one of the darkest periods of Logan's life.
Will the three issue series incorporate the lighthearted humor that the First Class line has become known for?
SUMERAK: It's definitely a little bit of a darker tone because of the subject material, but it's definitely going to be a book that is readable by an audience of all ages.
Much like the other First Class books, we wanted to make sure that we presented the story in a way that readers from every demographic could get a hold of it and enjoy it. One of the things about the original Weapon X story by Barry Windsor-Smith is as fantastic as it is, it's also one of the most violent tales you'll see in Wolverine's past. With the Wolverine movie coming out and with the desire for younger readers to learn more about what made Wolverine who he is, it was decided it was time to revisit that story and present it in a way that everyone could enjoy it thoroughly and that the content was appropriate for all readers.
Which characters can we expect to see in this series?
SUMERAK: The leads of the series are going to Wolverine and Charles Xavier as they explore the buried memories in Wolverine's mind. We're also going to run into the rest of the X-Men from that time period including Kitty Pryde, Angel, Storm, Nightcrawler and Colossus. You're going to see big roles from the rest of the Weapon X staff—Professor Thorton, Doctor Corelius and Carol Hines. They were in the original Barry Windsor-Smith Weapon X and they're going to play big roles in this series as well, and we're going to get to know them more intimately.
Beyond that, we'll also be seeing backup stories featuring characters from the past of the Weapon X program and from Wolverine's life. We'll be having ten page backup stories in each issue and they'll feature Sabertooth in the first issue, then Deadpool and then Gambit. Deadpool is one of those characters that has a huge fanbase and strong ties to Wolverine's past so we thought it would be really natural to bring him in. The backup stories are all going to be drawn by Tim Seeley and what he did with the Deadpool story is absolutely fantastic. It is a very warped tour of the Weapon X facility as given through the eyes of Wade Wilson.
What should fans of the First Class line or of the original Weapon X story look forward to in this title?
SUMERAK: I think we get into the best of both worlds with this series. It's got that all-ages appeal of the first class books. We're taking established X-Men continuity and looking at what happens between the panels, much like other First Class books do. We're giving fresh insight into a previously explored period of their lives, but telling some new exciting stories and giving some fresh revelations.
Meanwhile, people who read the original Weapon X story, that story is the foundation of what we're doing here. So, not only will we be able to revisit those events, but we'll also get to see a new perspective on a lot of things that happened and a lot of behind the scenes stuff that may not have been in the limelight during the first story; the stuff that happened off-panel is going to come into light a little bit.
