Shadow War Zone X-Men tribute cover

 As the upcoming crossover event Shadow War gets bigger and bigger a new tie-in issue was announced this week(Feb 7,2022). I decided to wait to talk about the event, figured that it would be better to discuss it as it gets going, this way I can be more precise and informative about it. As you know, comic book covers and synopsis can be deceiving most of the time. However, we need to talk about this variant cover due to how unique and special it is.

The main subject here, by Howard Porter

I love when comics books do stuff like this, this is one of the most attractive things about comics, the sense of myths and icons. The reference here is Uncanny X-Men #141, part of the Days of Future Past storyline, by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. 

Also, really great to see artists getting this excited 

I love how Slade is put at the same spot as Wolverine in the original, since I find the two somewhat similar. Even Christopher Priest, Deathstroke Rebirth writer, talked about how Slade should be DC's equivalent to Marvel's Logan. 

And since Slade and Respawn are going to be on the run, this reference feels natural too. 

Now, I've been trying to figure out all the characters there, I do have a list of suspects, but this is just my speculation. Anyway, here we go. Batman(Bruce Wayne), Robin(Damian Wayne), Deathstroke(Slade Wilson), Talia Al Ghul, Ra's Al Ghul, Silencer, Deadline, Sharpnel, Warp, Calculator, Count Vertigo, Monocle, Prometheus, Flamingo, Libra. Dr. Destiny, Fobia and Respawn. Again, this is just my personal speculation and I might be wrong. 

And, of course, it's worth remembering that Deathstroke has crossed paths with the X-men in the past.

 

Expect a full post dedicated to this crossover in the future. 

About the contents of the issue, here's the official synopsis. 

SHADOW WAR ZONE #1
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON, ED BRISSON,
STEPHANIE PHILLIPS, and NADIA SHAMMAS
Art by TREVOR HAIRSINE, ANN MAULINA,
MIKE BOWDEN, and others

A special issue that showcases the spread and impact of the Shadow War on the DCU! Talia al Ghul has put out a hit on anyone who has ever worked with Deathstroke—and that includes Black Canary! Where has Luke Fox been? Talia is sick of watching from the sidelines and joins the battle herself! Also featuring the new villain Angel Breaker! What is her connection to Ghost-Maker?

We also have the official look on this new character called Angel Breaker. 

variant cover by Leirix

And to wrap this up, the main cover by Jonboy Meyers

As the time goes on it feels like there is more and more to unpack about Shadow War. When it starts you can expect this blog to be more active about it, the goal here is to cover this event. Until then, i'll try to not talk too much about it since I would hate to speculate a bunch of stuff and be wrong with the risk of spreading some level of misinformation. That's it for now, have a good one.