they are reforming the X-Men. They're taking an unusual approach, allowing the mutants of Krakoa to elect the latest iteration of the X-Men.
And Marvel has extended this approach, allowing fans to choose the final member in an online poll. The candidates are mostly third-stringers, with the most notable names being Banshee - a member of the Second Genesis team - and Magneto's daughter Polaris. More exotic choices include the likes of Marrow and Tempo, two former mutant terrorists.
And the fans are going wild, delightedly campaigning for their favorites on social media. So far, it's all been good fun, with some making serious points and others just enjoying themselves campaigning for the more unlikely mutants. Take, for example, the character of Tempo - who most fans can be forgiven for having forgotten about. She's a former member of the Mutant Liberation Front who's never seen much development before. Whether she makes it onto the new X-Men team or not, hopefully she'll get enough votes to tell Marvel there's interest in giving her a moment to shine.
Of course, Tempo isn't the only option who has sadly been lacking in development. Marrow has had her moments in the spotlight - say, for example, during Simon Spurrier's tremendous X-Force run - but to many fans, she undeniably deserves a lot more.
Boom-Boom fans have been particularly creative, with their campaigns including some stunning fan-art - and hilarious shares of some of her past moments from the comics.
Some artists have been unable to resist producing mock dirty ads against other characters, purely in the name of fun of course, and even tying it in to real election vocabulary.
But we mustn't discount some of the older, established heroes - including ones who've been in the X-Men before now.
It hasn't escaped the attention of many readers that some of these characters are already appearing in other books. Polaris is a major figure in the X-Factor team, while Armor is essential to the operation of the Peak. SWORD artist Valerio Schiti couldn't resist chipping in to insist Jonathan Hickman can not have her for his X-Men book.
The most amusing fans, however, are those who are bewildered at all this because they're assuming the X-Men vote is something to do with the MCU. This one's definitely for the comics - although it would certainly be hilarious to one day learn one character proved so popular in the X-Men vote that they wound up in a movie because of it. So comic book fans - don't miss your chance to vote on the Marvel website and have your say in the future of the X-Men. The last word has to go to Marvel themselves, who are clearly delighted at all this.
