Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: fantomex, jonathan hickman, Marvel Comics

Fantomex Has Been Around A Lot Longer Than We Thought (Spoilers)

Fantomex is a weird character. Created by Grant Morrison and Igor Kordey in New X-Men #128 back in 2002), he was designed as a character playing off of European pulp heroes Fantômas and Diabolik. He was later revealed to be an escaped experiment from the Weapon Plus programme that created Captain America, Deadpool and Wolverine. Indeed, it was part of that storyline that revealed that Wolverine's Weapon X was actually Weapon Ten – and there were many more besides. Fantomex was Weapon XIII (a reference to another European pulp hero comic) and had an external nervous system referred to as E.V.A. that emerged from his mouth and developed into a techno-organic flying saucer-like vessel. He has the power to project misdirection, and nanobots in his blood do all sorts of weird stuff too.

Fantomex came from The World, a man-made environment designed to create super-sentinels and media-friendly mutant-hunters modelled after Saturday morning cartoons. In today's Giant-Size X-Men: Fantomex #1 however, it looks like The World goes back a lot longer than before – and that Fantomex has been active in the Marvel Universe for far longer as well. And we see it pass decade by decade, beginning with Jonathan Hickman and Rod Reis taking Sergeant Fury and the Howling Commandoes into The World.

A decade later, mixing it up with the Hellfire Club for a similar sortie.

A decade later, we introduce some new nineties-style heroes, the Humonganauts – this making their first appearance.

And then we get to his first appearance in the Marvel Comics, with the New X-Men, recruiting Cyclops and Wolverine to join him revisiting The World.

And this is the visit that we remember, back in New X-Men #144, with Ultimaton or Weapon XIV.

Relatives, maybe. Indeed. And Giant-Size Fantomex brings that all out…

We also meet Ultimaton, Weapon XV, revealed to be a lot closer to Fantomex than we thought. And now, definitely less than a decade after the events of New X-Men, it is time to return courtesy of Krakoa…

And Fantomex – and The World – has been around far longer than we thought…

GIANT SIZE X-MEN FANTOMEX #1
MARVEL COMICS
MAR200888
(W) Jonathan Hickman (A/CA) Rod Reis
HICKMAN AND REIS TAKE ON THE WORLD!
The hit creative team of Jonathan Hickman & Rod Reis (NEW MUTANTS) turn their attention to the covert activities of the Weapon Plus program's Weapon XIII! A bred killer who choses the life of a gentleman super-thief, Fantomex has always defied expectations… For example, who would expect him to break into the World, the artificial realm of his creation? And then again? And then… again?
Parental Advisory In Shops: Aug 05, 2020 SRP: $4.99

I bought mine from Piranha Comics in Kingston-Upon-Thames. Piranha Comics is a small south London comic store chain with a small south-east store in Kingston-Upon Thames's market centre, which runs Magic The Gathering nights on Fridays, and a larger south-west store in Bromley, which also runs Magic nights and has an extensive back issue collection and online store. If you are in the neighbourhood, check them out.

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