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The X-Men may be afraid of sentinels, but they're not afraid to get meta from time to time. Just look at the X-Statix, the Mojo-verse, and all of Deadpool's attempts to become a Krakoan citizen. Now, artist Ryan Stegman is hopping into the writer-artist seat on X-Men Annual #1 to craft a new villain called the Creationist. And Stegman is bringing a gaggle of other artists along with him to pull it off. 

As per the Marvel solicits (via ComicsBeat), X-Men Annual #1 will depict the following: "When an all-new mutant menace known as the Creationist forces four artists to visualize monsters that tear through reality, the X-Men must survive an attack where imagination itself becomes the enemy. Now they have to stop the Creationist before his nightmare visions consume the world!" Now, who just might those artists be? The solicit notes that Stegman will be joined by artists Sanford Greene, Steve Skroce, "and more." Take a look at the cover by Stegman below. 

I know I am always thinking about the New Mutants somewhere, at any moment, but the conceit and visuals for the Creationist (if we're to believe that they're the creature - ha, creat-ure - on the cover) recall the way that Bill Sienkiewicz depicted the Demon Bear's powers in Chris Claremont's classic story. As the New Mutants are fighting the big bad bear, the Demon Bear quite literally tears through reality with one of its claws, directly into the operating room where Dani Moonstar was on the table. The Creationist sounds like a step beyond what was depicted in the New Mutants' fight against the Demon Bear, so there's a lot to look forward to here!

X-Men Annual #1 will be released in comic book shops on March 4, 2026. 

Get ready for what's next with our guide to upcoming comics, how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to Free Comic Book Day 2025.