Welcome, X-Fans, to another uncanny edition of X-Men Monday at AIPT!
The world of the X-Men may have changed drastically following the end of the Krakoan Age — both on the page and behind the scenes — but at least one element has remained the same: Luciano Vecchio continues to contribute stunning visuals. In addition to being part of the rotating art team on Gail Simone‘s Uncanny X-Men, Luciano created several new designs for X-Men: The Hellfire Murder, which goes on sale July 22, 2026.
Ahead of the one-shot, which Luciano also illustrates part of, the artist agreed to return to X-Men Monday to discuss his designs, as well as his next Uncanny X-Men arc and more. Let’s see what he has to say.
AIPT: Welcome back to X-Men Monday, Luciano! You’ve designed looks for Hellfire Galas, a Hellfire Vigil, and now you’re creating costumes for a Hellfire Murder. So before we dig in deeper, what can X-Fans expect from the X-Men: The Hellfire Murder one-shot?
Luciano Vecchio: I think this one is unlike any other Hellfire special that came before. Sebastian Shaw is hosting an invitation-only gala for the mutant elite, and the framing is closer to classic Hellfire Club roots. A murder mystery involving many mutant key players — Wolverine and Jubilee take the lead as investigators, while everyone is looking stunning.
I did the cover and five of the interior pages, written by my Uncanny X-Men partner Gail Simone.
AIPT: OK, let’s talk about those designs. When we last spoke, ahead of the release of X-Men: Hellfire Vigil, you said, “To me, it resembles a Drag Race or Project Runway challenge. You have to come up with a design that encapsulates the character’s iconography, personality, and powers, and make it wearable fashion.” The Hellfire Murder looks are quite different in that it’s about the mask — not who’s wearing it. What can you share about how you went about creating these costumes?
Luciano: That way to approach the assignment still holds, but in this case, the masquerade aspect was the most challenging. Coming up with looks that reflect the character but also the theme of their mask, steering away from their classic color schemes and visual constants, and making some of them more obviously recognizable and some more ambiguous to keep the fun in guessing who’s behind the mask.
I also wanted to create a dress code that can be followed by the other artists when creating their own costumes, something that instantly reads as classic Hellfire Club fashion with a modern post-Krakoan twist. Hellfire Club etiquette used to be XVIII Century suits for men and leather and fetish gear for women, but here, those elements are mixed up for everyone with diverse results.
AIPT: What’s the creative process like for one of these costumes? Is there someplace you go for inspiration? Are you bouncing ideas back and forth with the story’s writers or editors?
Luciano: Yes, it was bouncing between writers and editors. I was brought in earlier to draw the cover and do the designs included in it. I focused first on defining our leads, Wolverine as The Wolf and Jubilee as The Star, and created a system from there. I was given a list of characters and their mask themes.
My mood board includes classic Hellfire Club pages from “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” the (British) Avengers episode it took inspiration from, and masks, suits, and gowns designs from everywhere (theatre, fashion, music videos, Venetian carnival, Club Kids), spiked with some goth/vampire aesthetic that always makes the opulent and decadent unnervingly sexy. Rocky Horror Picture Show was also in my mind, I must admit.
AIPT: Of all the looks, do you have a personal favorite? And is there one you’re dying to see someone cosplay? (Because you know it’s going to happen!)
Luciano: I know of some cosplayers’ plans already, and it always gives me life! Can’t wait to see.
My favorite is Jubilee as The Star, but I want to see cosplays of Wolverine and of The Hound. For science.
AIPT: As a creator, what’s it like to not only design all these fantastic costumes but then see so many talented artists, such as Tony S. Daniel, Federica Mancin, and R.B. Silva, immediately draw them in a single one-shot?
Luciano: That’s always incredible, and it never gets old! It applies to any time another artist draws one of my designs; my brain goes “Hey, that’s me!” And I also love seeing what other Hellfire costumes they come up with; seeing how another artist approaches the same assignment with different results is always a fun surprise.
AIPT: Switching gears to your other current X-work — it’s been great to see you flexing your artistic muscles in new and exciting ways in Gail Simone’s Uncanny X-Men run. I’m curious, after some truly phenomenal work at the close of the Krakoan Age in Resurrection of Magneto, Rise of the Powers of X, and X-Men #35, was there anything you were looking to try or experiment with artistically in this new X-Men era?
Luciano: Thank you! I’m having a blast drawing Uncanny X-Men.The main thing I’m experimenting with is working with Gail as a team in an ongoing run, which gives us the chance to actually connect and grow with every issue as collaborators, and I hope it lasts forever because it keeps getting better.
After cosmic-scale stories like the ones you mentioned, drawing Uncanny X-Men feels like coming down to Earth and living the mutant experience from a human perspective. This is X-Men as a Home, and I get to really invest myself emotionally and over the long term in the story, focusing on characterization, nuances, clothing, and details. My page compositions are less flashy, and my attention shifts to handling a large cast and making them feel alive in stories that are very character- and dialogue-driven. I try to channel inspiration from legendary X-Men artists like John Byrne, John Romita Jr, Paul Smith, Alan Davis, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Jim Lee, and also the visual vibe of X-Men ‘97, while adding my personal twists to the mix.
AIPT: Is there a newer character from Gail’s Uncanny X-Men run you’re especially enjoying illustrating at the moment?
Luciano: It’s hard to pick! I’ve grown fond of all the Outliers, but Deathdream’s awkward detachment is very fun to “act.” Mutina in a New Mutants costume was a blast, and last week I had the chance to focus on Marcus and Alice St. Juniors for a few scenes, and I really enjoyed connecting with the non-mutant supporting cast element that I feel was absent from X-Men stories for a long time.
AIPT: Those mutant-eating Sentinels in “Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed” were horrifyingly awesome, and I need Hasbro to make a Marvel Legends Build-A-Figure version ASAP. Are you a fan of horror as a genre? The mix of classic X-Men storytelling and sudden horror elements has been a high point in this current Uncanny X-Men run.
Luciano: That’s funny. As an audience member, I like horror but don’t watch much because it stays with me and I don’t enjoy being physically afraid for no reason. But at the same time, I love drawing horror and producing that effect. In that sense, this volume of Uncanny X-Men feels related in tone to classic New Mutants or early Generation X, with that horror element mixed into the mutant experience. Gail often mentions references from classic cinema or manga horror master Junji Ito, and I find that very inspiring.
AIPT: You’ll be joining Gail on the upcoming “Wild Ride” story arc, which looks to be leaning into more horror as Gambit continues to transform. What can readers expect from your upcoming visuals?
Luciano: The unnerving aspect is dialed up indeed! Gabriel the Devil-Hunter is a guest star, so I did a deep dive and took inspiration from Marvel’s Haunt of Horror, where he first appeared in the ’70s.
We’re also introducing a new character who is a mutant exorcist, Repent, whom I had a great time co-creating with Gail ahead of time, and I’m excited for his debut. And there’s another new character I can’t mention yet, but they stole my heart right away.
AIPT: And you can see the eXclusive design for Repent above, X-Fans! Finally, Luciano, in a recent X-Mentions spotlight, you mentioned you’ve been reading all of X-Men from the beginning on the Marvel Unlimited app. So I have to ask — first, is there an issue or story you had never read that’s become a new favorite? And second, is there a character you’ve developed a newfound appreciation for while on this X-reading journey?
Luciano: Indeed! I’m currently reaching the Brian Michael Bendis era post-AVX, which almost brings me full circle because that was a jump-back-in point for me when it first came out.
I think I connect more with character arcs than specific stories or issues, and reading all in order like this, connecting the missing dots and putting everything in scale and perspective, I’d pick the years framed by Kitty Pryde’s presence in Chris Claremont’s Uncanny X-Men (and New Mutants) as the defining era for me. From “The Dark Phoenix Saga” to “Mutant Massacre,” there were many chunks I hadn’t read before, and the ones I had felt like a whole new experience when reading them in context.
I also adopted Magik, Rachel Summers, and Dani Moonstar as my bond characters, and I noticed how happy it made me whenever they came back in the decades after they were in the spotlight, even if it was full-mask-sexy-red-suit Moonstar. That’s love.
AIPT: And on that note — Luciano, thanks for stopping by X-Men Monday!
Remember, X-Fans, X-Men: The Hellfire Murder is on sale this Wednesday (July 22, 2026). You can read the one-shot’s preview here.
Then, “Wild Ride” kicks off in Uncanny X-Men #33, which goes on sale August 5, 2026. Here’s an early, eXclusive look at three of Luciano’s unlettered pages from the issue.
Just a programming note — in last week’s edition, I mentioned there’d be a second X-Men Monday interview today with Chris Claremont discussing Gambit: Wanted. As of this writing, that installment is unfortunately delayed. But hopefully, I’ll have updates for you soon!
Until next time, X-Fans, stay eXceptional!
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