Exclusive: Generation X Character Design Commentary With Amilcar Pinna And Christina Strain

Marvel Comics is preparing for a new era of X-Men comics.

“ResurrXion” will launch a brand new line of X-Men ongoing series. Among them is Generation X, which will carry on the longstanding tradtion of an X-Men series focusing on the students who attend the school.

The new series features art by Amilcar Pinna and is written by Christina Strain. The series’ cast includes members of several past student bodies, each with a new design by Pinna.

ComicBook.com can exclusive reveal Pinna’s character studies for each of the characters, with additional commentary by both Pinna and Strain.

Keep reading to get your first look at Generation X! The new series launches this spring, following the events of Inhumans vs. X-Men.

Next: X-Men Editor Daniel Ketchum Talks ResurrXion

Jubilee

The ResurrXion era Generation X sees original Generation X member Jubilee taking on the lead role. She’ll be balancing her responsibilities looking over the young mutants of Generation X with the responsibilities inherent in being a mother and a vampire. 

“Jubilee is such a cool character and I want to make her look cheerful but tough at the same time,” Pinna says of her design for Jubilee. “I put some stripes on her dress because stripes are cool! It’s nice to see superheroes in ordinary clothes.”

“Our resident mall rat has always been one for fashion,” adds Strain, “and sure, she’s a vamp mom now but why’s that gotta stop her love bright colors and statement jewelry?”

Nathaniel (Hindsight)

Hindsight is a brand new character created by Pinna and Strain for Generation X. His mutant power allows him to see other individuals’ histories.

“For Nathaniel, the idea was he’d dress in more ‘classic’ clothing,” Pinna explains. “Christina described him as liking vintage clothing, and specifically that he likes white shoes.”

“The thing about Nathaniel’s power (Psychometry) is that it doesn’t just show him something/someone’s past, it makes him feel it,” Strain says. “So he wears gloves to protect himself from the weight of other people’s emotional baggage, but at the same time, he loves vintage clothing/items because it all comes with a story and none of the pain.”

Benjamin Deeds (Morph)

Benjamin Deeds, aka Morph, was one of the students at Cyclops and Emma Frost’s New Charles Xavier School. He has the mutant ability to shapeshift. Ben didn’t care for the codename “Morph” when it was suggested to him by Emma Frost, but apparently, it has stuck to him as he moves on to Generation X.

“Benjamin can change his appearance, which is a cool power to draw,” Pinna says. “For this, I illustrated him mid-transformation into Eye Boy. Benjamin’s look in the series will usually consist of more dark colors, also with stripes.”

“I love what Amilcar did with Benjamin,” Strain says. “I jokingly call him our ‘sad boy’ but… he kinda is. He just looks like he’s got a lot of feelings he’s not particularly good at expressing which is completely accurate.

Bling & Nature Girl:

Bling and Nature Girl were both students at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.

“Such nice looking characters! For Bling, I’m trying to capture the textures of her skin, but not too much,” Pinna says. “For Nature Girl, she’s a girl who gets along with animals and plants more than she does with humans. So I want to capture that mood for her. Also, she’s always in her college uniform, which is cool.”

“Bling is interesting because depending on what iteration of her you read, she’s changed a lot,” Strain says. “So I wanted to roll with that keep up the notion that– like most teenagers– she’s still in the process of figuring out who she is and how to be comfortable in her own diamond skin. Like, what’s online dating look like for Roxy? As a mutant, it can’t be that easy.

“My first question about Nature Girl was: ‘If she can talk to animals and plants… wtf does she eat?’ So, aside from being a starving fruititarian who’s low on energy, she’s also someone who understands nature better than humans. It’s why she’s lives in her school uniform. She doesn’t see the point of fashion. And while she wants to connect with humans, it’s hard because people love talking about what they want/need but they’re not great at reciprocating– especially when it comes to nature. And that doesn’t go unnoticed with her.”