When ticking off the seminal stories in X-Men lore, some mainstays nearly always pop up: “The Dark Phoenix Saga.” “Mutant Massacre.” “Days of Future Past.” And no list would be complete without the late 1980s/early 1990s time period of the X-Men history referred to as the “Outback era.” Written by Chris Claremont with art by Marc Silvestri in Uncanny X-Men, the “Outback” stories focus on the X-Men following the “Fall of the Mutants” event, with the world thinking the X-Men dead. The X-Men use this opportunity to hide in the Australian Outback and do their superheroic derring-do free from the public spotlight.
Earlier this year, Marvel debuted X-Men: Outback, a miniseries set during this fan-favorite era. Written by Steve Orlando, drawn by Stephen Segovia, colored by Alex Sinclair, and lettered by Joe Sabino, Outback fills in the gaps during those Uncanny X-Men issues and makes an already rich X-era that more robust. I spoke with Steve Orlando recently about how X-Men: Outback came about, where we find the X-Men at the start of the miniseries, collaborating with the creative team, and his love of the “Outback” era and all the feudin’ fun!
As a fan of the “Outback” era, this book was always going to be my radar, and adding Steve Orlando sealed the deal on that I’d be checking out the book. The comic has taken me–and other readers who’ve chimed in online–back to that place in X-lore that felt intimate, bombastic, and unpredictable. Steve Orlando and the rest of the creative team have recaptured that feeling, crafting a story that resonates with us old-timers, while also inviting new readers to a gateway (pun intended) they’ve never stepped through before.
FreakSugar: Before we get into the book itself, you’ve been vocal on social media that the “Outback” era of the X-Men comics is one of your favorites. I echo that, as those were some of the first X-books I ever read. What is it about the Outback era that resonates with you?
Steve Orlando: As a kid, I think it was simple—this is the team that I first picked up in the comics, it’s very close to the team from the Pryde of the X-Men pilot, and also close enough to the team from the arcade game, which I wore out. I think, years on, it’s the imperative feel of the era—mutants were always hated and feared, always outcasts, but now, this roster wasn’t just outcast from society. They’re outcast from the lives they knew before! From their own support groups and family! All they truly have is each other, which makes the stakes feel even higher for me—and the heroism and courage even greater.
FS: How did X-Men: Outback come about as a project?
SO: With a phone call! My love for the era—and especially Dazzler and Colossus—was no secret. So, when the call was made to honor and revisit the era, I’m not surprised I saw the Marvel office number come up on my phone. I make no secret either about every character—and every story—having inherent potential to explore and resonate, to be polished and made to shine in new ways. This era was already iconic, that work was done and done well. But this was a chance to show a new swath of readers just why we love it like we do.
FS: While so much of current X-lore has spun out of the era, we haven’t seen many explicit revisits to that period. What was your thinking about what you wanted to contribute to that lore?
SO: Honestly, due to the fact the mutants were in hiding and couldn’t be seen by technology, the stated or circumstantial mandate for this era became—the new. That’s why we got so much of the new X-lore that’s become foundational today! So, to me, and to the rest of the team, we contribute to that by picking up the baton—offering stories that fit between the moments we know, but never forgetting the new.
FS: The first issue of the miniseries dives right into the fray. It feels very much like an “Outback” era story, but still being unmistakably the voices of you and the creative team. Where do we find the X-Men at the beginning of the debut issue?
SO: Tense! In our first issue, the team is relatively new to the outback—and not everyone’s happy to be there. And more so—we join them at a time where a new kind of leadership was needed. This is the moment Storm steps into her role—signified by the change into her new uniform, which happened between issues originally. The team is on edge, they feel alone—they aren’t sure how to feel about the lives they left behind OR the lives they’ve started anew. And for Logan, just as he’s questioning who he is as much as everyone else on the team, the ballast of who he was comes back big and bloody in the form of Creed.
FS: Stephen Segovia’s art is both so kinetic and gritty and makes me feel like I’m back in the Outback era. What’s your creative process been like with Stephen and the rest of the team on the book?
SO: With Stephen, and with all my collaborators, my theory is simple – set them up for success with the script and then get out of the way and let them do what they do best. Segovia has power and energy in his work like no other—all I have to do is pass him the baton and lay out a story where he gets to show that in new, exciting ways. The same goes for the rest of the team! We all need to support each other, and we all need to let each other have the room to work. Alex Sinclair, for example, is easily a first ballot hall of fame colorist. So he doesn’t need me over his shoulder—my gig is making sure what’s in the script allows folks like Stephen and Alex to shine as brightly as possible.
FS: Has there been a character that surprised you while writing your story? Have you had a favorite moment you’ve written thus far?
SO: The surprise has absolutely been Psylocke—I’ve written Betsy a bit before, and I wrote Kwannon more in Marauders. But this is the first time I’ve really been able to dial in with Betsy. And the combination of quiet struggle, compassion, and a stiff upper lip has really been fun to write—especially alongside Colossus. And that brings me to the other part of the answer—because her rescue of him from his own mind in our third issue is one of my favorite moments in the run.
FS: I told a buddy both about the comic and that I was interviewing you and he was jazzed for both. What’s been the reception after the first issue?
SO: So far—very good! The goal here isn’t to just mimic what we got from Claremont, Silvestri, and company back then. The goal here is to honor it—so, just like Segovia isn’t trying to draw just like Marc, I don’t want to or think it’s appropriate to just try to write like Chris. But both of us—we want to bring notes of the original era’s style into our own work and offer something that’s our homage, our celebration, of the era. Not a copy, not an impression, but a veneration. And I think once the first issue hit—people saw that! When the reception matches the intent, that’s about as good as it gets.
FS: What are you reading right now?
SO: Right now – the DG Chichester and Bill Sienkiewicz adaption of Moby Dick. I’m also finally getting back into some prose—How to Speak Whale and Native Tongue, both of which fell by the wayside due to a ton of Age of Apocalypse reading that folks now know is because of Gambit Gone. Also very excited to read My Captain America by Megan Margulies, Joe Simon’s granddaughter.
FS: Is there anything you can tease about what we can expect later in the miniseries?
SO: Of course! And in fact, let’s do one for every issue. For Issue 2 – meet the Reaver even the Reavers were scared of! For issue 3 – Colossus and Psylocke confront his cursed bloodline…and we debut his cousin, the Mighty Monk! For Issue 4—the leader of the outback’s mutant outcasts wars to save her people from molten conquerors! And for Issue 5—if Rogue and Dazzler’s feud over Longshot wasn’t enough, what happens when his ex-wife shows up?
FS: If you had a final pitch for X-Men: Outback, what would it be?
SO: If you love the outback era, X-Men: Outback is a celebration of everything that made it special! If you’ve never heard of it? Welcome in! Take a sampling here, we’ll be giving you everything you need to know, and then get excited—because as you explore the rest of the era for the first time, some of the greatest X-Men stories ever told await!
X-Men: Outback #4 goes on sale tomorrow, Wednesday, September 16, 2026, from Marvel Comics.
From the official issue description:
THE MORLOCKS OF THE OUTBACK ARE IN TROUBLE – ANDONLYTHE X-MEN CAN HELP! •HAVOK and MADELYNE PRYOR must help the MORLOCKS of Australia escape from the LAVA MEN! •Can even HAVOK withstand the heat? •Will these X-MEN be able to establish a truce between the Lava Men and the Morlocks before Maddie’s fiery visions of the future come true?
