In an interview with Newsarama, Kieron Gillen has talked in detail about ending his Uncanny X-Men run and teased fans with what they should expect from Avengers Vs. X-Men epilogue, AvX: Consequences. The writer also comments briefly on his other 'Marvel NOW!' series which will accompany Iron Man later this year, hinting that it will be connected to Journey Into Mystery somehow (possibly meaning it will be the rumoured Young Avengers series also featuring Wiccan and Miss America). Be sure to click on the link at the bottom of the page to read the interview in full and sound off with your thoughts on the comments below in the usual place.
On Why He Decided To Write An Epilogue To Avengers Vs. X-Men:
When Nick [Lowe] asked me whether I'd be interested in writing a five-issue epilogue to AvX, part of the appeal was to do a story that dug a little deeper into that area. After my relaunch of Uncanny X-Men, my book had been pretty full on. It was the Extinction Team on mission after mission, with only flashes of downtime between the day job. The closest we've had to a chance to catch a breath was in Issue #13, and the point of the quiet moment with Psylocke, Magneto and Storm was an ironic counterpoint to what was happening on the moon in AvX itself. So a chance to do something digging into something more that centered less on how the world has exploded and how their lives have exploded did appeal. Even before the end of the story, it's clear to all readers that the experience of AvX is going to be absolutely momentous for people who were my cast. The chance to dig into them — and a bunch of other Avenger characters who I've barely touched — was the appeal.
On Concluding His Critically Acclaimed Run On Uncanny X-Men:
Oh, man. The proverbial crazy times. It's been so crazy time that I'm not even stopping to ask myself whether "crazy time" is a proverb or not. As you note, as intense as condensed in time as my run has been, 34 issues isn't exactly that small. In fact, if memory serves me right, that's exactly the same as [Matt] Fraction's, since he started on #500 and left at #534. No, that's one more. Let me include Regenesis, and we're equal. Please let me. If Matt did one more, I'd never hear the end of it. Seriously — throw in AvX, Generation Hope, the assorted one-off things I've done and popular ever-extending Beast-nose vehicle, S.W.O.R.D. and that's — ooh — many issues of comics centered around the X-folk. While I wouldn't say I've exhausted everything I have to say about mutants, I have said a lot of it. And it's a really good time to leave it, both in terms of new opportunities for me and the exact timing in the general X-universe. I had the rare pleasure to write the final act in the mutant arch-plot that started with "Messiah Complex" (or House of M, really). I'm writing those key scenes at the end of a five-year HBO drama. That's crazy fun, and a good time to stop, at least for the time being.
And regarding the double-last-issue? This is proof there is no book I can't get cancelled. Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair.
On The Structure Of His Uncanny X-Men Run And What We Should Expect From The Last Few Issues:
I always arranged the run in a modular fashion. I knew the themes and character progression in each part. The first of the modules was up to the end of Schism, which led to a radicalized Utopia and a Scott who, if it came to it, would go toe to toe with the Avengers. The second ended with AvX, whose consequences remain to be seen. And while I had a few theories for module 3, I never really dug into them, as the idea of Marvel NOW! was finalized, and I knew I'd be moving on. What does it feel like? It feels good. While I'm not saying it's a literary comic, and the exact precision were limited by the fact I'm not actually writing AvX itself (i.e. that limited some areas I could have explored) I think I managed to make it all hold together. Especially as we build towards the conclusion, and everything I'm doing dovetails together, it's agreeably powerful. I think the last are some of my best issues in the series. #17 was all pop-philosophy explosion stuff. #18 and #19 go as deep into the heart of the Phoenix Five's experiences as I'm able — with #19 especially being my love letter to the cosmic poetic glorious excess of prime Claremont. And #20 is just me kicking over the drumkit, throwing the mic into the crowd and stomping off stage, high fiving all and sundry.
On His OTHER 'Marvel NOW!' Series:
Hmm. What can I say about my other Marvel NOW! book. On a work-happiness level, I've enjoyed writing two ongoing books at Marvel with contrasting stances. One is the book where I find a way to make a pre-existing Marvel powerhouse operate as well as I'm able to make it. The other is the one where I try to make a book from the ground up, and create something relatively unprecedented. Uncanny X-Men was the former, and Journey Into Mystery was the latter. Clearly, Iron Man is the former, and the unannounced book is the latter. So at the least, in terms of how it fits in my head, the new book is related to Journey Into Mystery. However, I'll be pushing whole different areas. It's not a high fantasy book, for example. While I want to push some technical stuff, rather than trying to reclaim and renovate '90s caption excess and hyper-compression (normally via the particular choice of ironic narrator), this is trying to push in a whole other bunch of ways. I'm working hand in glove with an artist. I wanted to do something that felt as aesthetically coherent as [Mark] Waid and collaborators have managed to make Daredevil. So yes, never aiming low.