The Age of Krakoa for the Uncanny X-Men ended a few months ago, with Marvel’s mutants—both heroic and villainous—scattered across the globe, as their mutant nation was no longer a viable home. Without the unifying mission of the Krakoan nation, mutants from Cyclops to Kitty Pryde to Nightcrawler to Rogue and beyond once again have had to blaze their own trails and walk their own paths in a world that continues to hate and fear them.

One of those mutants, of course, is Raven Darkholme, the shapeshifter known as Mystique. In recent years, the amorphous sometimes-ally, oftentimes-adversary, to the X-Men has seen an increased breadth and depth of character development, becoming a key contributor to both the highs and lows of the X-Men’s trials and tribulations. But with the fall of Krakoa and the sanctuary of the island nation, in this new “From the Ashes” era, what will Mystique do? Will the high-minded ideals of Krakoa carry over into Raven’s new life? Or will Raven do what it takes to survive, no matter how brutal the means? These questions and more will be explored in Declan Shalvey’s upcoming miniseries Mystique, debuting next month from Marvel Comics.

I spoke with Mr. Shalvey recently about the conceit of Mystique, how Raven Darkholme’s mission has changed since the end of the Krakoa Era, what motivates the multilayered mutant in this series, and bringing a kinetic, spy-thriller feel to the comic.

Declan Shalvey has always been a comic-creating dynamo, and this has felt like his time to shine, from upcoming books like Terminator and Mystique to his ongoing ThunderCats series. Of the wealth of “From the Ashes” books, this will definitely be one to watch.

 

MYSTIQUE #1 cover by Declan Shalvey

 

FreakSugar: Before we get into the miniseries itself, what is your personal history with Mystique?

Declan Shalvey: I’ve always loved the character, I don’t think you can be an X-fan and not, she’s so compelling and interesting. Beyond that, I don’t have a deep connection with the character. I just think there’s such fertile ground to play with her, considering her history with the X-Men, her skill set, her powers and her character.

FS: Where do we find Raven at the beginning of the miniseries?

DS: Right in the middle of a mission. She’s being hunted in Europe by a familiar character to X-fans, and like we would expect from her, is about to turn the tables. In a post-Krakoa world, having a rogue element like Mystique unaccounted for is dangerous, which is where Nick Fury Jr. and S.H.I.E.L.D. come in.

 

MYSTIQUE #1 cover by David Baldeon

 

FS: Mystique has always marched to the beat of her own drum and kept her own counsel, but with Krakoa fallen, the solicitations suggest she’s now fully unleashed. How much is what she’s doing about going after those who’ve wronged the mutant population and how much is it about exacting vengeance? (Not that wanting vengeance isn’t understandable.)

DS: I can’t really answer that properly without giving things away, but I would say that Mystique’s motives in this series aren’t really vengeance, they’re more about survival and because of that, her actions are all the more violent.

FS: It sounds like that this series will harken to her previous spy stories. How are leaning into that? What are some favorite spy tropes and stories are you drawing on in crafting this story?

DS: Well yes, thanks for mentioning her previous amazing spy series, I certainly haven’t been intimidated by that! Ha, well I was initially worried about doing another Mystique spy book in the shadow of a beloved one but by approaching this as a writer/artist, there’s definitely a different language to the book. Hopefully, a kinetic energy that comes specifically from a cartoonist’s eye, as opposed to a collaborative endeavor.

I’ve actually been working on my own super-spy series at Image for the past year called OLD DOG so I feel I have a very strong approach for this genre that I developed for that book, that I can now apply on a Marvel project like Mystique. I must say, it fits like a glove.

 

MYSTIQUE #1 cover by Rickie Yagawa

 

FS: Mystique has quite the twisting and turning family tree. Will we get to see any members of that extended family in the miniseries?

DS: In typical espionage fashion, my answer is yes and no. Mystique is very much on a solo mission in this miniseries, estranged from those closest to her. However, she is a shapeshifter so we will see many from her past.

FS: Speaking of her past, the solicitations hint at her wide and sometimes contradicting history and past. How will you address that history? How much of a reliable narrator on her own past is she?

DS: Mystique is the star of the book, but she is never the narrator as we can never really know what her motives are. I’m looking to embrace the contradictions and muddy the water. My goal is that by the end of the series, we will know less about Mystique, not more.

 

MYSTIQUE #1 cover by Yasmine Putri

 

FS: What are you reading right now?

DS: I am particularly swamped at the moment so very behind in my reading, but am trying to catch up When The Blood has Dried, The Rocketeer, Void Rivals, Petrol Head, Transformers, Precious Metal, and all the new X-Men books (obviously!).

FS: Are there any other projects coming you’re working on that you’d like to discuss?

DS: Yeah, strap yourself in Jed! Deep breath….

FS: I previously mentioned OLD DOG, well I have a special one-shot anthology set in that world out in September called OLD DOG [OPERATIONS] with creators such as Charles Soule, Chris Sprouse, Matias Bergara, Leonardo Romero and many more. Been amazing to have such an amazing bunch of creators play in my world.

I’ve created a new Moon Knight for the Phases of the Moon Knight project, it debuts in #2 of the series with amazing art by Eder Messias, also in September.

The final volume of Time Before Time is out in September, a time-travelling crime saga that I co-wrote with Rory McConville. This volume has a host of great artists, and also …myself.

I’m also writing ThunderCats every month, illustrated by Drew Moss. We’re getting to the end of our second arc, I believe the first arc will be collected in hardcover in October.

Finally, in October I’m launching a band new Terminator series with artist Luke Sparrow that I’m very excited about.

Aaaaaand that’s everything. Hey, you did ask!

 

MYSTIQUE #1 cover by Rose Besch

 

FS: Is there anything you can tease about what we can expect to see in the series?

DS: The less I say the better, honestly. I’m trying to keep as much intrigue and surprises for those reading the book. But I guess I can say, since Mystique is a shapeshifter, it’s given me great excuses to draw all the fun cameos I want, so in some ways you’ll get to see all your favourite X-Men.

FS: If you had one last final pitch for the series, what would it be?

DS: Mystique is the book that shows you sometimes, there are some mutants you should hate and fear.

Mystique #1 goes on sale Wednesday, October 16, 2024, from Marvel Comics.

From the official issue description:

Reminding the world to hate and fear her! How do you track a subject with a history that contradicts itself? How do you stop a force whose motives change like quicksilver? How do you stop a target that can be anyone? That’s the question that confronts Nick Fury as he stumbles upon a web of lies and espionage leading back to Mystique. From the ashes of Krakoa, the shape-shifting mutant terrorist returns to remind the world exactly why it hates and fears her. From award-winning creator Declan Shalvey (MOON KNIGHT), MYSTIQUE sifts through the dark underbelly of the Marvel Universe to tell a tale of action and espionage targeting Marvel’s most m