Premise[]
ACADEMY X
Plotter: H-E-D
Writer: Tillie Walden
Artist: Kris Anka
Location: The Moon!
Concept: Spinning out of X-Men Silver, Karma runs a boarding school for mutants... on the moon! But she's not the only one!
Starring:
ACADEMY X STAFF
1. Karma (Xuân Cao Mạnh), Headmistress
2. Silhouette (Janelle Chord), Dean of Students
ACADEMY X STUDENT BODY “PARAGONS”
3. Chance (Ryu Mok-won)
4. Apocalypse Twins (Uriel and Eimin Kishi-Worthington)
5. Cylobel (“Lille l’Obel”/Unknown)
6. Dragon (Dei Guan)
7. Surge (Noriko Ashida) [芦田 典子]
TRANQUILITY GULCH PREPARATORY STUDENT BODY “DARK RIDERS”
8. Jetstream (Haroun ibn Sallah al-Rashid)
9. Bling! (Roxanne Washington)
11. Deadbolt (Park Joon-ho)
12. Pipeline (Cormick Grimshaw)
13. Pixie / Nightmare (Megan Gwynn)
TGP STAFF
13. Centurius (Noah Black), Head of Science
14. Eila Locke [OC], Director
X-MEN SILVER FIELD TEAM
1. Mercury (Cessily Kincaid)
2. Iceman (Robert Drake)
3. Ricochet (Johnathan Gallo)
ACADEMY X / X-MEN SILVER SUPPORT STAFF
4. Doctor Cecilia Reyes, Chief of Medicine
5. Prodigy (David Alleyne),
6. Wallflower (Laurie Collins), Guidance Councilor
7. Triage (Christopher Muse), School Nurse
TGP STAFF
8. August Hopper (The Locust), Biology Teacher
9. Thame Panagitis, Head of Languages
10. Katherine Reynolds, Head of Para-Psychology
COMBAT INSTRUCTORS
11. Toko Ashida
12. Timeslip (Rina Patel)
13. Omega White (Fyodor Engel)
the Black Womb (Amanda Müeller)
Solicitations[]
#0-12[]
ACADEMY X #0
Written by TILLIE WALDEN
Plot by H-E-D
Art by KRIS ANKA
Convocation — Where U Are
FROM THE PAGES OF X-MEN SILVER COMES…
THE BOARDING SCHOOL ON THE MOON!
After running her mutant rescue operation for a long time, Karma realized that some of the young mutants of the world need a place or learn and grow. And Professor X can’t handle them all himself.
So she has turned her Moon base into the MONS ESAM ACADEMY FOR THE EXTRAORDINARY — or Academy X, for short.
Most of her students only want to learn to control their powers, and how to live in a world that hates and fears them.
But a select few elect to join the PARAGONS, a squad of X-Men in training!
With Silhouette as Dean of Students, things are running smoothly.
They even have fully accredited teachers for actual education subjects like math, history, and more!
But, and this is weird, it turns out, there’s another school on the moon?
On the dark side of the moon is the TRANQUILITY GULCH PREPARATORY SCHOOL.
Unlike Academy X, TGP is a cut-throat for profit school, attended by the mutant scions of the world’s most wealth.
Their elite super-squad is called the DARK RIDERS, and they’re looking to ignite a rivalry!
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
ACADEMY X #1
Written by TILLIE WALDEN
Plot by H-E-D
Art by KRIS ANKA
Matriculation — Take Me As I Am
Ryu Mok-won’s life has always been dictated by the whims of chance.
It was Chance that lead her parents to join Reverand Park’s Glorification Church cult. Chance that got them shipped to Los Angeles to proselytize. Chance that gave her the chance to escape. Chance that got her taken in by X-Men Silver. Chance that took her to the moon, literally.
So when Dean Silhouette suggested Mok-won choose a mutant name… she chose CHANCE.
Now, if only she knew what her mutant power was — and why Silhouette and Karma chose her for the Paragons!
In fact, she’s confused about why any of them are on the team.
Take CYLOBEL. Chance knows the rumors; she’s a total mystery. No papers, no history, no real name. A girl of few words and fewer actions. “Black-brain telepath” – reads your mind, but only the parts you want hidden.
And then there’s SURGE – Noriko Ashida, the lightning-fast (literally) Japanese gyaru run-away. Short temper, shorter attention span. Nobody knows if she’s actually a bitch, or just pretending to be one.
Next is Dei Guan, a refugee from Xinjiang. He turns into a dragon. He calls himself DRAGON. Not the creative sort. Though, Chance actually respects the lack of pretense.
Finally, there’s the AKKΔBA TWINS. Uriel and Eimin Worthington. Two inseparable goth weirdos with acid-spitting demon wings who talk exclusively in monotone. The once time Chance talked to him, Eimin told her a story about the time her aunt’s house ate all her friends. Yeah. Still, daddy is a billionaire and friends with the Headmistress. So…
There you have it, Mons Esam Academy. Your PARAGONS!
Sounds like a joke, huh?
And the punchline is that their first training session reveals that Chance has the mutant power to send everybody else’s powers out of control.
You’d think things couldn’t get worse…
…but then Silhouette tells them that they’ve arranged a “friendly” sparring match against Tranquility Gulch Preparatory’s own DARK RIDERS!
They have one week to prepare.
They are so screwed.
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
ACADEMY X #2
Written by TILLIE WALDEN
Plot by H-E-D
Art by KRIS ANKA
Orientation — Dynasty
Uriel and Eimin Worthington feel like they have a proud legacy to uphold.
But… they’re no longer so certain as to what that legacy *is*, exactly.
They were raised in the AKKΔBA cult, but now they know its teachings were a lie.
Their mother Ichisumi comes from an old family… of convicted war criminals. Plus, their aunt’s house tried to eat Eimin one time. Long story.
Their father, the high-flying billionaire ARCHANGEL, was duped into being a living weapon for Helmut Zemo for years.
Still… the Twins are proud. Always proud.
And so it’s of the utmost importance to them that the Paragons triumph over their rivals, the Dark Riders!
Unfortunately, their efforts to motivate the team to train seem to have backfired.
Of course, Eimin’s first move was to bluntly tell Silhouette to take CHANCE off the team
And SURGE didn’t appreciate being hit with energy blasts while her back was turned.
When Chance and Surge stormed out of the training room, DRAGON followed in vocal solidarity.
Then it was just Uriel, Eimin, and CYLOBEL… who stood around awkwardly for a few minutes before leaving without saying a word.
So much for pride.
How could things get worse?
Find out next month!
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
ACADEMY X #3
Written by TILLIE WALDEN
Plot by H-E-D
Art by KRIS ANKA
Passages — Cyber Stockholm Syndrome
Cormick “Pipeline” Grimshaw of the Dark Riders has an idea: use his powers to trap the Paragons in cyberspace!
It’s very important to him that the Dark Riders win the intermural competition — and the best way for them to win is to keep the Paragons out of it!
The Dark Riders aren’t all on board with the plan.
Pixie thinks it cruel. Jetstream and Bling! thinks it will cheapen any victory.
But Deadbolt supports Pipeline. And with Deadbolt as their de-facto leader only, Pipeline immediately put the plan into action!
…only to accidentally trap *both* teams in cyberspace instead!
It’s an inauspicious first meeting between the two squads, to say the least.
Of course, they immediately start to fight… but in the digital arena, the Riders have the upper hand!
Chance has an idea: if Pipeline’s powers are keeping them digitized, then disrupting his powers might let them free.
On the other hand… it might kill them.
Time to find out.
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
ACADEMY X #4
Written by Tillie Walden
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Kris Anka
Orientation — Holy (Til You Let Me Go)
After securing the Paragons’ escape from cyberspace last issue, Chance has earned a degree of respect from her teammates.
Well, maybe not *respect*… but gratitude, at least.
As the newly united Paragons start training for the inevitable rematch with the Dark Riders…
Meanwhile, at Tranquility Gulch, the Dark Riders are in disarray.
Everybody is mad at Pipeline — enough to flip Pixie into Nightmare mode. Jetstream feels vindicated. Bling! decides to just watch her parents perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
But Joon-ho “Deadbolt” Park is furious.
As the son of Reverend Park, leader of the Glorification Church, he’s not used to being embarrassed.
Failure is unacceptable.
Deadbolt is doubly enraged when he discovers that the key to their humiliation, Chance, is actually Ryu Mok-won, a runaway from his father’s church!
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
ACADEMY X #5
Written by TILLIE WALDEN
Plot by H-E-D
Art by KRIS ANKA
- A Mutant War Tie-In. Sort of.*
Syllabus — Paradisin’
Nobody has told them why… but the Paragons of Academy X notice that their teachers have been gone for a *while*.
(If *you* want to know why, check out X-MEN: RED & SILVER!)
Surge knows the right call in this situation: Party!
Before anybody can say anything, Surge uses her super-speed to assemble all the decorations, drinks, snacks, and substances they’ll need. And invited all the cool kids in the general student body, too.
There will be dancing! Kissing! Drama! Drinking! Outfits! More kissing!
This is the behavior that made Noriko’s parents back in Japan kick her out.
Does she regret it? Occasionally. But also definitely no.
Despite themselves, the Paragons find themselves enjoying themselves.
Even when they realize that Surge also invited the Dark Riders!
As promised, there is drama. Jetstream crushes on Dragon! Surge does a keg stand! Pixie makes out with Uriel of the Apocalypse Twins! Surge vomits! Cylobel and Bling have a moment! Surge makes out with Deadbolt, and no, she doesn’t like him! Nobody makes out with Pipeline, but he’s definitely trying. Chance… stands by the snack table. With Dragon. They also have a moment!
It’s a lovely, messy night… until the alarms go off and the school goes into lockdown.
Apparently there’s a MUTANT WAR going on outside?!?
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
ACADEMY X #6
Written by Tillie Walden
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Kris Anka
Break I — Ordinary Superstar
After the events of the MUTANT WAR, the students of both Mons Esam Academy and Tranquility Gulch Prep are sent home on a short break while repairs are done.
But not everybody has a home to return to.
In a show of uncharacteristic magnanimity, Uriel and Eimin Kishi-Worthington invite their fellow Paragons to join them in Japan at their mother’s house.
Chance, Surge and Dragon all accept — and quickly come to regret it. All Uriel and Eimin want to do is train. And while Ichisumi may have been deprogrammed from the AKKΔBA cult, she’s still the heir to a far-right Japanese ethnonationalist dynasty. Chance is Korean, Dragon is Uighur Chinese, and Surge is everything she thinks is wrong with modern Japan. It’s a bad time!
Cylobel plays characteristically coy about why she can’t return home — or where home would be, for that matter — but after bonding last issue, Bling! insists she accompany her back home.
Even though they’re on rival teams from different schools, Cylobel decides to go with Bling! instead of the rest of her team.
As it turns out… the invitation is not just a kindness. Roxie’s parents are world-famous superstars… which doesn’t always leave much time for family.
But for once, Roxie has a friend to help her pass the time, and spend her parents’ ridiculous fortune.
And will their friendship blossom into something more?
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
ACADEMY X #7
Written by Tillie Walden
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Kris Anka
Mid-Term — XS
With repairs completed, both the Mons Esam Academy for the Extraordinary and Tranquility Gulch Preparatory have welcomed their students home!
No time to celebrate, though, because its time for Mid-Term Examinations!
These are real schools, remember?
Both the Paragons and the Dark Riders have an additional mid-term on top of the normal math, science, history, language, drama, comp-sci, etc.
As the junior Super teams of the respective schools, they must prove themselves in mock battles.
And Eila Locke, Headmistress of Tranquility Gulch Prep, has a proposal for Headmistress Karma.
They’ve rescheduled the previously suspended exhibition match between the teams.
The students will be graded on performance, not victory.
So, it doesn’t matter if who wins or loses.
But try telling that to these hormonal superpowered teenagers!
PLUS: A Faculty Origins Backup Story!
After his mutant powers activated, young Fyodor Engel was kidnapped by the off-the-books Russian agency called Intransigence (непримири́мость). Trained in the White Room and experimented upon, he was given the name Omega White. Escaping to his freedom, Omega White eventually was hired as an instructor at Tranquility Gulch Prep, focusing on energy attacks and constructs. His prize pupil is Deadbolt, the leader of school-team Dark Riders!
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
ACADEMY X #8
Written by Tillie Walden
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Kris Anka
Break II — Alterlife
The Paragons passed their midterm with flying colors!
Unfortunately, they also lost.
While the students of Academy X sulk, the Dark Riders take a victory lap.
The high of victory is enough for Megan Gwynn to stay in Pixie-mode all week.
A half-fae mutant, Megan’s mental state can influence her physical form.
And ever since a part of her soul was stolen to fight the elder gods of limbo… it’s gotten more extreme.
When she’s in a bad mood, she turns into Nightmare. And Nightmare scares people. Megan doesn’t like Nightmare.
TGP was supposed to be a safe environment for Megan to recover from her traumas.
But being around Deadbolt and Pipeline isn’t good for *anyone’s* mental health…
PLUS: A Faculty Origins Backup Story!
Kidnapped into the infernal Limbo dimension by Project Purgatory as a child, Toko Ashida had a harsh childhood, to say the least. In time, she earned her freedom, and found her mutant power of total invulnerability less valued on Earth than in Hell. Surge, Noriko Ashida, is a cousin, but because Toko grew up in hell, well, they aren’t close.
She was hired as an instructor at Tranquility Gulch Prep, focusing on hand-to-hand combat. Her prize pupil is Pixie / Nightmare, with whom she feels a certain kinship.
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
ACADEMY X #9
Written by TILLIE WALDEN
Plot by H-E-D
Art by KRIS ANKA
Study Group — Catch Me in the Air
The PARAGONS lost.
But that’s old news.
They’ve had their time to sulk. now it’s time to train, so it doesn’t happen again!
…That’s Dragon’s motivation speech to his teammates. He’s not much of a public speaker.
At first, it seems to land on deaf ears.
But then Chance stands up and voices her support.
(She and Dragon exchange a meaningful glance. Are sparks flying?)
Surge follows, and then Cylobel.
Will Uriel and Eimin follow? Or has the shame of defeat been too great for these proud scions?
PLUS: A Student Origins Backup Story!
Haroun ibn Sallah al-Rashid, aka JETSTREAM, was born in Morocco, a child of two world.
His mother, Taziri Zefzafi (ⵜⴰⵣⵉⵔⵉ ⵣⴼⵣⴰⴼⵉ), is a native Amazigh, of the Rif Mountains.
His father, Salah al-Rashid (صلاح الرشيد), is a wealthy scion of a Moroccan Arab family.
Their union left them on the outs of both their families, but Salah retained his wealth… and his family’s membership in the Morrocan branch of the Hellfire Club, the Grant Acedrex.
As Red Rook to the club’s Red Aanca, Fatima Abboud, Salah has many connection. When Haroun’s powers manifested and ravaged his body, his father was able to have his limbs reconstructed with bionic parts, and enrolled him in Tranquility Gulch Preparatory so that he could learn to use his powers without killing himself.
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
ACADEMY X #10
Written by TILLIE WALDEN
Plot by H-E-D
Art by KRIS ANKA
Dead Week — Snakeskin
As the end of the semester at both the Mons Esam Academy and Tranquility Gulch Preparatory approaches, the students set their minds to studying.
After all, even the Paragons and the Dark Riders are still students.
But one of them has something else on their mind…
Even after the Dark Riders defeated their rival Paragons, their leader Park Joon-ho, aka Deadbolt, is far from satisfied.
In fact, he’s furious.
He knows that several of his teammates have been fraternizing with the enemy. None more flagrant than Bling! with Cylobel.
Deadbolt won’t stand for it.
He has a plan, and has Pipeline put it into motion…
The next morning, the Paragons wake only to realize they’re one teammate short.
Where is Cylobel?!
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
Gallery[]
