... Interview with Nick Lowe ...

Making Battle of the Atom Plans with Nick Lowe.

 Marvel.com: Since the All-New X-Men arrived, Kitty has served as a mentor to Jean Grey to a certain extent; do we see those dynamics end or increase in the midst of Battle of the Atom?

Nick Lowe: You’ll see them interact for sure, but things are never easy between those two. You’ll actually see Jean and Rachel Grey interact in a really meaningful way!

Marvel.com: The solicits for X-MEN #6 includes this tease: "Rachel Grey is the only X-Man qualified to defeat the mystery opponents!" Fans are always looking for strong female leads in their stories--how happy are you when you are able to edit a story that does just that?

Nick Lowe: I like to think that the books I edit have a lot of strong female leads, but you can’t beat editor Jeanine Schaefer on this front. You can really thank her more than me for the all-female X-MEN book. But it is really great to get some more Rachel Grey time in this story. She’s such a great character but sometimes gets overlooked because of the complexity of her backstory.

Marvel.com: How hard has it been on Rachel to have young Jean in the present day and does that dynamic have bearing on BOTA?

Nick Lowe: They only just met, really, in ALL-NEW X-MEN #15, but it can’t be easy. They have a few really nice moments in BOTA.

Marvel.com: Am I right in perceiving that Wolverine has come to rely on Rachel's skills in staying informed on the lay of the mental landscape when in the heat of a battle?

Nick Lowe: Rachel is one of Wolverine’s VIPS. You definitely see this in WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN. She’s the psychic powerhouse at the Jean Grey School, though Psylocke might have a thing or two to say about that.