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How to secretly sign that you're a Marvel mutant, according to Uncanny X-Men writer Gail Simone

One of the architects of Marvel's X-Men revamp is showing one of the tricks of the trade.

Midnight Mark
Image credit: David Marquez (Marvel Comics)
Chris Arrant
Features by Chris Arrant, Editor-in-Chief
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After years as the dominant lifeform on Earth, Marvel's mutants are once again the underdogs - and in the line-wide revamp fo the X-Men starting this summer, they're invented a way mutants can discreetly signal to one another even in a crowded space with flatscans - that is, non-mutants.

This Marvel hand-sign, called the 'Midnight Bark,' premiered in Saturday's Blood Hunt Free Comic Book Day special, and now the sign's creator, Uncanny X-Men writer Gail Simone, is explaining how to make the sign yourself - as well as an alternate name for it, the 'Midnight M.'

"The key is looseness, it’s not supposed to be immediately noticeable to observers. So fingers, wrist, and thumbs are loose," writes Simone. "Basically, you make the Ditko web-shooting shape, BUT hand hangs down loose at the wrist. Thumb is out, fingers loose. Thumb is loose and doesn’t connect with middle fingers, unlike Spidey. Fingers make a hanging ‘M’ shape."

Simone goes onto say that it isn't just an identifying sign, but also a question.

"That’s it, that’s how you can signal other mutants. It is an ‘are you okay’ signal and ‘are you one of us’ and ‘do you need help’ sign," Simone explains. "Now you can find others like you!"

Look for the sign to re-appear in the upcoming new X-Men series, including Simone's Uncanny X-Men.

Keep up to date on Popverse's Marvel coverage, with these highlights:

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant: Chris Arrant is the Popverse's Editor-in-Chief. He has written about pop culture for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel, Newsarama, CBR, and more. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. (He/him)

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