Gail Simone interviews David Marquez on ‘Uncanny X-Men’ and ‘The Unchosen’

From Outlier design secrets and naked X-Men to found family, faith, and fantasy, this interview is packed with warmth, insight, and that signature Simone-Marquez wit. Enjoy the ride.

From Outlier design secrets and naked X-Men to found family, faith, and fantasy, this interview is packed with warmth, insight, and that signature Simone-Marquez wit. Enjoy the ride.

Note from Gail:

Folks, I have written a LOT of comics. And as someone who can’t draw even a little, it’s an incredible feeling to have a great artist make something amazing out of the scrapings of my brainpan. It’s always a great feeling.

But every once in a while, you get to work with an artist where it all just clicks. You can ask for ridiculous things because you know they can pull it off. You avoid pages of exposition because you know they’ll nail it and make a lot of jibber-jabber unnecessary.

Every once in a while, you just hit the artist lottery and everything sings.

For me, it’s happened several times; Nicola Scott, Phil Noto, Walter Geovani…it’s been an abundance for which I am forever grateful.

And now, it’s this guy. The guy I work with every day and still send fan letters to, the guy who makes the X-Men so goddamn uncanny.

I present to you all, my brother and collaborator, David Marquez. He has a new book coming out, and it rocks, and I thought it’d be fun to ask him some questions on both Uncanny X-Men and The Unchosen.

Enjoy!

Joining the X-Men Dream Team

Gail Simone: Okay, you know, I hope, what a ridiculous fan of your work on UNCANNY I am. I just think you brought so much muscle and magic and music to the table, I can’t even believe it.

But weirdly, I don’t know how you arrived at the book. Can you tell me how that process went, and was the X-Men something you just wanted to draw (again?)

David Marquez: Oh geez, well first off I can’t let you get away with that kind of flattery without giving some back.

I’ve been a huge fan of your work for years and was thrilled to learn you were coming on to write UNCANNY. You have such a natural grasp of character, and the way you blend drama and humor into your stories makes you such an incredible (and long overdue) fit for this book.

And don’t think I haven’t been taking notes on how you make it all work 😉

But yeah, The Unchosen is actually a big part of how I came on to UNCANNY. I had spent the better part of 2023 taking a break from Big 2 work to write and draw my own thing.

And after that long of a break, I knew it was time to dive back in. I’d previously been over at DC for a while, but had kept in touch with folks at Marvel. They mentioned the upcoming X-Men relaunch, and I KNEW I had to be a part of that.

UNCANNY was the first comic I fell in love with. I remember my dad taking me to a comic shop when I was a kid and picking up Uncanny X-Men #275. Claremont, Lee, and Williams blew my mind.

From that, through X-Men#1, to the Joe Mad days, to the Grant Morrison New X-Men run, and on and on… I’ve been a massive X-Men fan right from the start.

So yeah, drawing this book has been a lifelong goal and a dream come true. I’m getting to draw the characters I fell in love with as a kid, and together with you, create a whole new branch of the X-Men family tree with the Outliers.

GAIL: I didn’t know any of this, that’s really cool! And I agree, writing these characters that we both loved as kids, that’s something spec.

Designing the Outliers

Gail: About the Outliers, I get people all the time saying they love one Outlier or another, that they love their personalities, and I always just have to say, “Oh, that’s just David being David.”

So much of what they became is just you…I remember giving, like, next to no notes at all about what they should look like, and then getting these fully-realized images back!

So, how did you approach designing these characters, and do you have a favorite?

DAVID: I love them all so much, but I think Deathdream is my favorite. His creepy stillness, and saying the most unsettling shit at just the right moment… he’s dark and unnerving and adorable all at the same time. And when I’m feeling lazy, I can just wrap him up in his robe to save time drawing.

GAIL:  I love that little death guy, too. He KILLS in the Dark Artery story!

So, have you had a favorite story or scene where you were just certain you nailed it?

Naked Mutants and Favorite Moments

DAVID: Ha, I never really feel like I totally nail a page or scene. Like a lot of artists, I’m always my own worst critic, so I often just see things I want to improve on.

BUT I’ve been tickled by how much folks seem to dig our X-Men roster running around naked half the time. Never figured myself for a beefcake artist, but sometimes you just fall into things.

lol:)

GAIL: Much to Marcus’ chagrin and many readers’ delights, you know how to draw mutants without britches, David.

Marvel Guest Star Fantasy Draft

Gail: Okay, you get to draw three Marvel guest stars in UXM, say. Who would you pick?

DAVID: Well, we’re already putting Deadpool in, so that’s covered 🙂

My worst-kept secret is that I have this unironic, shameless love for Darkhawk, but have no idea how to make that work.

I’m also obsessed with Cloak and Dagger. Just great designs begging for a new, compelling story.

That’s three, right?

GAIL: I think technically that’s four.  Darkhawk, eh?

DAVID: Bonus: Namor is always half-naked. He’d fit in great.

GAIL: And THANK YOU FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE BOOK, DAVID.

DAVID: Hey, don’t put that all on me :). The book wouldn’t be anywhere near as successful as it is if not for your writing and Matt Wilson’s colors, plus Clayton Cowles’s lettering and the entire editorial staff under Tom Brevoort. It’s been a team effort through and through.

GAIL: Agreed about the team, we lucked out!

The Unchosen: A Longtime Vision Realized

GAIL:  About THE UNCHOSEN.

Just have to say, it is VERY ANNOYING when artists write so well. STOP IT, David!

I’m kidding, but man, was I delighted by this book. It felt so realized, and my favorite is how much emotion and meaning is packed into the sparse dialogue. It’s absolutely one of my favorite reads in ages.

So, how long have you had this idea in your cranium?

DAVID:  Aw, thanks so much – it means so much coming from you, especially. I have so much respect for you and your craft.

This story has been floating around in one form or another since before I broke into comics. So, you know, since the dinosaurs.

It’s my first foray into writing and drawing my own thing for sure, but it’s been cooking for a long, long time.

Aida and the Anti-Chosen One

GAIL: Can you give us your version of a capsule synopsis about what the book is about, without giving spoilers?

DAVID: For sure!

Thirteen-year-old Aida had lived a quiet, isolated life—until she was told her powers destroyed an entire city. She remembers nothing, has no magic, and wants no part of the war brewing between rival factions desperate to claim her.

But if the world is ending, she’ll have to decide who to trust, who she really is, and what she might be capable of.

GAIL: I immediately adored the POV character from issue one, Aida. Can you tell us what inspired you to make her the center of this universe so far?

DAVID: Oh, the story is ALL about her and her journey. We’ve had so many stories about Golden Child/Chosen One types. Harry Potter, Neo, Luke. etc etc. It’s a fun trope, but I wanted to explore it a bit more with a character for whom the role doesn’t quite fit, beyond just the reluctant hero stereotype.

As for HOW it doesn’t fit, well, folks will have to read to find out.

GAIL: Also, just saying, VASHA is BADASS.

DAVID: Right??!

Themes of Magic, Memory, and Meaning

GAIL: And finally, what is it you hope to convey with this book? What do you think makes it special, aside from being drawn and written by one of the best in the business?

DAVID: I hope folks come for the action and art but stay for the characters and ideas. Issue one offers just a (hopefully exciting) glimpse of what’s to come. This story is deeply personal, emotionally and conceptually.

It’s about faith, trust, and betrayal. Rage and forgiveness. Blood family and found family. It’s an exploration of language and magic, higher realms and the mundane world.

And finding your place in a world that’s just about to end.

Why You Should Read The Unchosen

GAIL: This is me again, Gail, saying, I promise, this isn’t just hype. The Unchosen is drawn beautifully, and has a cinematic feel and a real emotional punch. I’d love it even if my worst enemy created it. Check it out, The Unchosen by DAVID MARQUEZ.

Final order cut-off is 6/16/25, from IMAGE COMICS! Lunar Code is 0525IM311

Thanks for reading, everyone!