X-Men Monday #169 – Danny Lore talks about the “new mutants” • AIPT

Welcome, X-Fans, to another odd edition of X-Men Monday at AIPT!

Before New Mutants turns 40 (September 21 New Mutants #30), writer Danny Lore will replace series regular writer Vita Ayala in New Mutants #29 (on sale September 7). What does Danny have in store for readers in this unique issue featuring Warpath-Daken? Read on for details and more!

AIPT: Welcome to X-Men Monday, Danny! Since this is your first time appearing in the column, could you share your first X-Men experience as a fan?

Dany : Honestly, non-comedy media like arcade games, movies, and anime TV shows have been a part of my life for so long that I can’t remember when they got in there. I remember arguing over who “would become Snape” with my sister (spoiler alert: I realized later that I wanted to be Gambitbut hey, Snape was with Gambit, and it was the same thing, right?) while playing games. I remember going to see movies at the cinema, and my dad heaved a dramatic sigh jokingly referring to “Halle” instead of referring to her as Storm (he was an Iron Man fan growing up) .

The first time I got involved in comics, however, was in high school. I was on a trip to London with my school and felt really lost and out of place (because of the school, not the location, lmao). I stumbled upon a comic book store in the middle of town and asked about X-Men comics, including the first appearance of Dark Phoenix. I bought a few Ultimate X-Men comics that day, and I remember opening the first issue and seeing Storm in that Knicks jersey for the first time. It was comfort, like a piece of home.

AIPT: So you write New Mutants #29. How did this opportunity to replace a problem arise?

Dany : I was very lucky to have Sarah Brunstad, the New Mutants editor, approach me for a problem. I was already a huge fan of the team members, and more so a fan of this rather gnarly writer named Vita Ayala, whose run had already brought me to tears a few times. Seriously, though, I consulted Vita, Sarah, and Jordan D. White extensively while committing to a specific story. I’m an X-Office fan, but I didn’t want to tackle a problem and make everyone’s life harder because I didn’t have the same command of the canon. In the end, I wasn’t as lost in the Wild Hunt as I thought!

AIPT: You mentioned New Mutants writer Vita Ayala – X-Fan Clone Gabby Gabby! I was actually wondering if you and Vita traded ideas when crafting your story.

Dany : Super GG!

Is it a day that ends in Y if I don’t exchange ideas with Vita? For this one, I constantly inquired. Even though Vita was just giving me a nudge, I didn’t want to have to go back to the drawing board multiple times because of some upcoming development that I missed. Also, I don’t believe in skipping a resource, and Vita’s immersion in New Mutants and the overall creative brilliance is excellent! More than anything else in the book, I checked out Gabby a lot. With so much of Gabby’s presence off-screen, I enjoyed following the fact that her voice landed, and didn’t contradict (or double-cross) any development that was happening elsewhere.

AIPT: This issue promises to shine a light on Warpath and Daken. What made you want to focus on James and Akihiro?

Dany : I’m a firm believer in asking for the wild to-do list idea first and coming up with more rational ideas in case it doesn’t work. For me, Warpath and Daken at the center of a story is the bucket list choice! I’ve loved Daken ever since he tormented the Fantastic Four. Warpath is an incredibly empathetic character who has evolved so much since his inception. I wanted to see what would happen when I gave them a chance to be both badass and vulnerable together.

AIPT: X-Fan Rift asked, who are your favorites New Mutants characters and why.

Dany : Howdy Rift – I love them all, but it’s no exaggeration to say that Gabby and Warpath are my favorites, hands down. The reason I wanted to use them in this story is because I find them so compelling, and I couldn’t miss an opportunity like this!

AIPT: X-Fan Chance wanted to know what your favorite New Mutants story is.

Dany : Ok Luck you can’t say I’m cheating if I say the current streak of New Mutants, especially the first Vita arc and Rod. What Rod does artistically is absolutely captivating and slips under your skin, a perfect complement to Vita’s writing. However, if I to have to choose another series, this 2003/2004 series is another favorite.

AIPT: X-Fan DeeBee said you spent time writing Blade (and his daughter). Are you a fan of the amazingly many Dracula and vampire themed X-Men stories?

Dany : DeeBee, the only thing I love more than Dracula and vampire themed wonder stories is werewolf stories! I have a huge soft spot for older horror comics, especially Marvel horror. So every time I see this stuff in X-Men, I scream. And yes, that includes the story that comes to mind that drives someone up the wall, because I ALSO love campy, messy stories.

AIPT: You also wrote Transformers: broken glass. So which Transformer do you think would be comfortable among Krakoa’s New Mutants?

Dany : Well, I want to keep Evil!Ratchet as far away from Krakoa as possible, because that seems to be best for everyone. I think the good version of Soundwave would love to help the New Mutants train the younger ones, and all versions of Megatron would be philosophically fascinated with Krakoa and want to debate it.

AIPT: Speaking of your work on non-mutants, if New Mutants readers are really digging into your problem, what other Danny Lore comics should they check out next?

Dany : I think that Broken glass plays with a lot of the themes that we see in X-Men, about belonging and resisting and starting a family and standing up for those things. Champions is my turn in a Marvel teen heist book, so if you like youngsters, go for it. Vita and I have killer neighborhood at Comixology, and right now I have some werewolf goodness in the form of Lunar room at Vault.

AIPT: Finally, beyond New Mutants #29, X-Fan Gray Jeans was curious if we could expect more X stories from you in the future.

Dany : Gray Jeans, I would love to do more, and it would probably depend on whether people like this writer cameo or not 😉

AIPT: To be continued, I suppose! But on that note, Danny, thanks for taking the time to drop by X-Men on Monday! Remember, X-Fans, New Mutants #29 goes on sale September 7th. And speaking of the not-too-distant future, here are some exclusive preview images from upcoming X-Men comics, courtesy of Jordan D. White.

In the next edition of X-Men Monday, writer Leah Williams returns to answer X-Fan questions about the highly anticipated X Terminators! (If you haven’t already, be sure to read AIPT’s pre-review.)

Until next time, X-Fans, stay awesome!