If you have a X-Men ’97 fan who was not only surprised by the revelation that Rogue and Magneto history but also want to know more right away, then Marvel has the comic for you. Villain: The Wild Landa retro limited series from a stellar team of modern creators, dives back into the ’90s storyline that first saw two very different X-Men characters spark a thread of sexual tension between them.
In 1991 Unusual X-Men #274, Rogue found herself nearly powerless and stranded in the Savage Land, Marvel Comics’ home country Land of the Lost-style Antarctic oasis. How did she get there? Don’t worry. What did she find when she got there? An alliance with a lovestruck Magneto and the scantily clad Ka-Zar, Marvel’s own Tarzan analogue (and oft-played Marvel Snap card), against the evil sorceress Zaladane. Rogue and Magneto’s romance would never be real, after he executed Zaladane — a level of villainy Rogue it just didn’t click anymore —but that hasn’t stopped later writers from reaching back into the attraction they once briefly shared.
For Villain: The Wild Land writer Tim Seeley (Nightwing, Shattered star), a chance to revisit Rogue’s time in Savage Land was “a dream job, and probably the absolute perfect Marvel job for me,” he told Polygon via email. “These 5 issues allow me to flex my love of ’80s X-Men, Jim Lee, Chris Claremont, Zabu, scantily clad heroines (and heroes!), and probably most importantly: DINOSAURS.”
Seeley is joined by promising Italian artist Zulema Lavina, who makes her Marvel Comics debut after being named the winning artist of Disneyland Paris. 2024 Marvel Art Studio.
“After winning the Marvel Art Atelier, I still realized what an incredible opportunity this is,” Lavina wrote to Polygon, “and then I was asked to draw this Rogue limited series, which I immediately fell in love with. It’s great to be working with Tim Seeley again, and I hope readers enjoy this amazing story as much as I did. The character of Rogue is full of empathy and determination, the iconic Savage Land setting is fantastic, the story is full of wild and unexpected things — I can’t wait for you to read it!”
“We’re going to deliver something new,” Seeley promised, “while honoring the impossibly sexy and epic classic story of a young Rogue, and two of the strangest allies a Mississippi girl could ask for: Magento and Ka-Zar.”
Check out Marvel’s official synopsis for Villain: The Wild Land #1 below, as well as the full main cover by Kaare Andrews and a character design variant cover by Russell Dauterman. The first issue of the five-issue series will hit stores in January 2025.
ROGUE: THE WILD LAND #1
Written by TIM SEELEY
Signed by ZULEMA LAVINA
Cover by KAARE ANDREWSRELIVE AN ICONIC ERA WITH ROGUE, MAGNETO, KA-ZAR AND MORE!
The X-Man known as Rogue has always been a survivor, but without her mutant powers, she’ll have to prove it like never before! As the Savage Land turns to war, Rogue will need all of her skills to survive dinosaurs, mutants, and the Master of Magnetism himself! Writer Tim Seeley (LOCAL MAN) and new artist sensation Zulema Lavina tell a lost story from a lost world!