Official Handbook Updates

[rplass]

They are Mantlo creations, and yes, he is unavailable. We always prefer to go back to the original creators, but, in cases where that's not an option, editorial can approve new information.

So you just made them up and editorial approved it? I don't see where you go the names from or what compelled you to generate names in this situation. Why not generate a name for St. Elmo too then?

[Le Messor]

So you just made them up and editorial approved it? I don't see where you go the names from or what compelled you to generate names in this situation. Why not generate a name for St. Elmo too then?

St. Elmo's name probably is St. Elmo. He's a personification.

- Le Messor
"I do not rule Russia; 10,000 clerks do."
~ Czar Nicholas I

[Loki]

So if editorial approved that Flex was indeed Wolverine's son, it would be considered canon?

Yes, it would be. That said, with a few exceptions, we wouldn't do that without something in story to support the idea first. We don't usually go with plans mentioned in interviews, because plans change - we'd have had Mystique and Destiny as Nightcrawler's father and mother respectively (which, in hindsight, is probably better than what we currently have), Wolverine being an actual mutant wolverine, Sabretooth being Wolverine's father, etc, all of which was later undone. If, on the other hand, we'd been (for example) shown the files covering Flex's parentage and under father there was visible "Wolv..." (with the rest cut off by the page), we'd likely have gone with "Wolverine (possible father)" or words to that effect. We'll bridge a gap, where something was shown but not explicitly spelled out, but we limit the level of outright new info and anything that is added is closely scrutinised.

So you just made them up and editorial approved it? I don't see where you go the names from or what compelled you to generate names in this situation. Why not generate a name for St. Elmo too then?

Where creators are contactable, we try to always go to them to see if they'd like to fill in any missing details, or if they are okay with us doing so, or if they'd prefer to leave the details unrevealed for now. When that's not an option, then the decision whether to provide names gets influenced by various factors, one of the biggest being whether there's anyone else using the same codename - when two or more share a codename, having a real name for clarification purposes is helpful. There's at least two other Breakdowns, and no less than five other Januses. And since that prompted the decision to name those two Derangers, we decided to identify Freakout too - while no one else shares that exact codename as of yet, it's not such an unusual name that it's unlikely to happen in the future.

Where we got the names? That varies depending on who names them. In this case, I did, and I like to have a reason for the names I assign, rather than just randomly picking something that might not fit. I don't normally explain those reasons, but since you asked: Janus is a disturbed artist, and his name is derived from an artist with mental issues; housewife Breakdown's first name comes from a well-known fictional housewife and her surname from that housewife's fictional husband; Heavy Metal rocker Freakout's three part name is inspired by real world heavy metal rocker(s). I'll leave figuring out the exact inspirations to those who want to try.

As for St. Elmo, see below...

St. Elmo's name probably is St. Elmo. He's a personification.

While we're not certain St. Elmo is a personification, it's certainly one of the more likely possibilities. Providing him with a civilian name would have been refuting that option, and, given his powers and manner of his apparent demise, he's easily resurrected if a writer ever chooses to do so (perhaps unlikely, but more unlikely things have happened), which means narrowing down the scope of who or what St. Elmo really is wouldn't be helpful to said speculative future writer. Since there's no one else calling themselves St. Elmo within the Marvel universe, the need for a clarifier isn't there either. Hence, we elected not to add a real name for him.

[Flightpath07]

Excellent answers, Loki, as always. Thanks a bunch!

[MistressMerr]

Providing him with a civilian name would have been refuting that option, and, given his powers and manner of his apparent demise, he's easily resurrected if a writer ever chooses to do so (perhaps unlikely, but more unlikely things have happened)

Hope springs eternal.

Thanks for the answers! Now I'm curious about those names, which is officially more thought than I have ever given to the Derangers.

[Ahab]

Yes, it would be. That said, with a few exceptions, we wouldn't do that without something in story to support the idea first. We don't usually go with plans mentioned in interviews, because plans change - we'd have had Mystique and Destiny as Nightcrawler's father and mother respectively (which, in hindsight, is probably better than what we currently have), Wolverine being an actual mutant wolverine, Sabretooth being Wolverine's father, etc, all of which was later undone. If, on the other hand, we'd been (for example) shown the files covering Flex's parentage and under father there was visible "Wolv..." (with the rest cut off by the page), we'd likely have gone with "Wolverine (possible father)" or words to that effect. We'll bridge a gap, where something was shown but not explicitly spelled out, but we limit the level of outright new info and anything that is added is closely scrutinised.


Where creators are contactable, we try to always go to them to see if they'd like to fill in any missing details, or if they are okay with us doing so, or if they'd prefer to leave the details unrevealed for now. When that's not an option, then the decision whether to provide names gets influenced by various factors, one of the biggest being whether there's anyone else using the same codename - when two or more share a codename, having a real name for clarification purposes is helpful. There's at least two other Breakdowns, and no less than five other Januses. And since that prompted the decision to name those two Derangers, we decided to identify Freakout too - while no one else shares that exact codename as of yet, it's not such an unusual name that it's unlikely to happen in the future.

Where we got the names? That varies depending on who names them. In this case, I did, and I like to have a reason for the names I assign, rather than just randomly picking something that might not fit. I don't normally explain those reasons, but since you asked: Janus is a disturbed artist, and his name is derived from an artist with mental issues; housewife Breakdown's first name comes from a well-known fictional housewife and her surname from that housewife's fictional husband; Heavy Metal rocker Freakout's three part name is inspired by real world heavy metal rocker(s). I'll leave figuring out the exact inspirations to those who want to try.

As for St. Elmo, see below...


While we're not certain St. Elmo is a personification, it's certainly one of the more likely possibilities. Providing him with a civilian name would have been refuting that option, and, given his powers and manner of his apparent demise, he's easily resurrected if a writer ever chooses to do so (perhaps unlikely, but more unlikely things have happened), which means narrowing down the scope of who or what St. Elmo really is wouldn't be helpful to said speculative future writer. Since there's no one else calling themselves St. Elmo within the Marvel universe, the need for a clarifier isn't there either. Hence, we elected not to add a real name for him.

Thanks!
It was nice to hear how some of this works. Thanks for taking the effort to respond and provide a peak into some of Marvel's methods.

[Mokole]

Yes, thank you and Merry Christmas.

[maniac mike]

Hope springs eternal.

Thanks for the answers! Now I'm curious about those names, which is officially more thought than I have ever given to the Derangers.

FREAKOUT, brain-damaged drug addict heavy metal rocker Arthur Amadeus Van Krijg.

JANUS, psychopathic artist Willem Vincent.

BREAKDOWN, housewife Esme Fernando.

[MistressMerr]

FREAKOUT, brain-damaged drug addict heavy metal rocker Arthur Amadeus Van Krijg.

JANUS, psychopathic artist Willem Vincent.

BREAKDOWN, housewife Esme Fernando.

Thanks! Man, Willem Vincent = Vincent Willem van Gogh is the only one I can work out. XD

[-K-M-]

Please update the alphanex with the new information

[rplass]

Jeffries appears in this files-type handbook, which is part of a trilogy among Heroic Age: Heroes, Heroic Age: Villians and Heroic Age: X-Men:

HEROIC AGE: X-MEN #1

Cover by JAE LEE

As mutantkind begins to pull back from the brink of extinction, Steve Rogers joins the fight! Appraising the state of mutants today, Steve assesses the X-Men, X-Factor, the New Mutants, the Five Lights and more from the mutant community! This 64-page Heroic Age files book also includes considerations for the humans who have sympathized with the mutant condition and takes aim at the worst of anti-mutant bigotry! See the world of mutants from Steve Rogers' vantage point, featuring everyone from Apocalypse to X-23! 64 PGS./Handbook/Rated T+ …$3.99

This info from Michael Hoskins, the lead writer for the Heroic Age: Heroes book, who left me a note about it. The release date was solicited as 12/29, but I don't see it now over at Marvel's site, so who knows the exact date?

Love,
rplass

Well I know the exact date now for this book - today!

Jeffries does get an entry but he's made out to be quite the nutjob. Too bad. It's a shame this got into print, but since it's a Files-type book, its just the opinion of Steve Rogers. Even still though, it sucks to see that kind of thing.

Northstar also gets an entry, which is oddly not verbatim from his previous entry in this trilogy, while Aurora, who is a member of the X-Men, does not get an entry. Why Jean-Paul gets 2 entries and his sister only gets one is a little weird but not so unexpected. At least they put Northstar into the ' X-Men' part of the book and not the 'Mutant Community' potpourri section.

Love,
rplass

[suzene]

Is Aurora with the X-Men now? I thought the last we'd seen of her, she was running Team Northstar with Kyle up in Toronto.

[Phil]

I think she's classed as a reserve member of sorts since Secret Invasion.

[rplass]

Is Aurora with the X-Men now? I thought the last we'd seen of her, she was running Team Northstar with Kyle up in Toronto.

Scroll up to the 257th post of this thread. In the 13th issue of the Hardcover series, it mentioned that Aurora joined the X-Men in Secret Invasion, confirmed again when the "Women of Marvel" tpb re-printed her entry from the 1st hardcover issue (see 264th post).

Love,
rplass

[Phil]

The fact of which is echoed in her comment in the CW:AF oneshot.