The series will begin in November, be drawn by Ryan Sook and feature familiar characters like Jamie Madrox (of course) Strong Guy and Wolfsbane, and other characters will join the X-Factor investigations team.

David explained that Madrox is expanding the business after winning a million dollars on a gameshow like “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” by using his “lifeline” to call a duplicate who was organizing a group of 20 other duplicates all on Internet connections looking up information he needed.

X-Factor Investigations will be headquartered in District X. David said for fans to think of it as “Marvel’s mutant universe meets the X-Files, but it’s not going to be long and boring and without a point,” an obvious but humorous dig at the former FOX series.

The team will investigate both small cases and small cases that are just the tip of the iceberg for larger cases.

David described X-Factor Investigations as a “dark and scruffy agency”, and that they’ll run into the “Singularity Investigation Agency”, which is sort of a Marvel’s version of Wolfman & Hart (from the Angel TV series), a detective agency to the stars with its own dark secret.

PAD gave major props to editor Andy Schmidt for getting both Madrox and X-Factor rolling and keeping things exciting for him at Marvel.

- In other Peter David news, he also announced that he will not continue on the Hulk ongoing series indefinitely. He has one more issue after his HoM tie-in arc ends, and then he leaves the series.

David explained his run was originally slated to be one year and that this increasing workload is the reason he’s not remaining with the series, a workload that includes Fantastic Four and Wolverine original novels by Simon & Schuster along with his various comic book projects like Fallen Angel, Red Sonja, and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

The panel actually began with fans asking some very familiar questions and getting some familiar responses.

- Asked when Thor was coming back, Joe Quesada said, “You’ll be a happy man in 2006”. Quesada reiterated they’re taking time with Thor to get a new series right.

Also asked if Thor was coming back in House of M, Quesada said, “No, but I have been known to lie”.

- No plans for a Wolverine MAX series and if any one ever does get planned it will have to be a story that can only be told in a MAX book.

- Asked if dead characters that returned in HoM would stay around after the storyline is over, Quesada said anything is possible, once again reiterating Marvel’s promise of huge changes to the Marvel Universe as a result of HoM.

- Regarding the extent of those changes, Quesada said (for example) Peter Parker won’t be going back to high school, but that there will be changes to Peter’s like “probably more tragic than Spider-Man has seen in a while”.

- Scarlet Witch appears in HoM #6.

- HoM: Fantastic Four writer John Layman said Brian Bendis has plans for Dr. Doom in the main HoM series.

- The cover to HoM #8 shows Wolverine standing over Magneto ready to gut him. Marvel said they couldn’t show the standard cover to issue #7, as it reveals a story detail like the cover to #4 did.

- Speaking about Colossus: Bloodline, Quesada said to expect news about David Hine in about a month, and reiterated that they’re concentrating on making solo X-Men series integral to the regular series.

- The upcoming X-Men/Black Panther 4-issue crossover will begin moving the latter series forward as Reggie Hudlin has been reintroducing the character and concepts up to now. Quesada promised an event in 2006 that the Panther plays a major part in and the crossover is the beginning of that.

- X-Men and Power Power is a 4-issue series beginning in October. Of the series Quesada joked, “Because you demanded it!”

- The often-deadpan Schmidt added sarcastically Marvel was trying to find more ways to showcase the X-Men and Wolverine and this one seemed like a logical fit.

- Sentinel returns in November, again with writer Sean McKeever and art by Udon.

- Asked if they’ll ever explain “Planet X” and Magneto returning in Excalibur, Marts said Bendis will shed some light on that in HoM.

- Marvel is ready to start giving some attention to the Inhumans. They won’t play a role in HoM but Quesada said Black Bolt is instrumental in the aftermath. Quesada said Marvel really likes the characters and they’re seen as “ripe for the picking” again.

- Asked if Marvel will definitely clarify if Magneto is a hero or villain, Quesada said there will be a “locking in” of Magneto’s status after HoM.

- Asked how the specials fit in with the changes occurring in HoM, Quesada reiterated that they specials are creator-specific (evidenced by two FF: The End projects by Alan Davis and Stan Lee) and not necessarily locked into Marvel Universe events or continuity.

- Aaron Lopestri has a new project that will be named shortly (but not today).

- Once again asked if Priest has any projects in the works, it was explained he’s working on a pitch but that nothing is currently approved.

- The panels silent partner Robert Kirkman has a few new Marvel projects coming, including one that will be announced at tomorrow’s Cup ‘O Joe panel.

- Asked if there were any plans for Hawkeye post-HoM, Quesada said laughing, “He’s dead”, adding that it would be a pretty boring series.

- Finally, Quesada looked to his editors when asked if there was any plans for Peter Milligan’s X-Statix characters and asked if he could say anything. The response was “not yet”, but that there was something X-Statix related coming down the road.

[Check out Newsarama’s continually updated 2005 SDCC News Index for all the con coverage from Newsarama and CBR].

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