X-Men: Alpha, Age of Apocalypse: The Chosen, Astonishing X-Men # 1, Generation Next # 1, Gambit and the X-Ternals # 1, X-Calibre # 1, Weapon X # 1, Amazing X-Men # 1, Factor X # 1, X-Man # 1
We're in it now.
The "Age of Apocalypse" slips into high gear and things get better from the lackluster new history we were privvy to last entry. We settle into what will be the basic plot threads of the "Age of Apocalypse." These plot threads being: (1.) Magneto's attempt at restoring the timeline; (2.) the Summers clan; (3.) the X-Men's resistance against Apocalypse; and (4.) the Human High Council's war against Apocalypse.
Magneto's X-Men (the roster consisting of Sabretooth, Wild Child, Rogue, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler, Storm, Iceman, Morph, Blink, Banshee, Exodus, Dazzler, and Sunfire) are in Seattle, battling it out with some of Apocalypse's croonies (called Infinities), whom are being led by Unus. It's there they also encounter the time-lost Bishop, who the X-Men take in.
Meanwhile, Sinister leaves his post among Apocalypse's Four Horsemen, leaving Cyclops in charge of the EMF (Elite Mutant Force). Across the ocean, Weapon X and Jean Grey deliever some vital information to the Human High Council (whose ranks include Moria and Bolivar Trask, Brian Braddock, Emma Frost, and Mariko Yoshinda).
Back at the X-Men's base (aka the decimated X-Mansion), Rogue is reunited her and Magneto's son, Charles. Bishop then does a funky mind-meld thingy with Magneto through Rogue, showing him how the world is really supposed to be. This sends Magneto into a tissy.
As Magneto tries to figure out just how to set the world right, the X-Men learn from Blink and Sunfire that Apocalypse has planned another culling in Chicago (culling as in culling the weak from the strong). Rogue leads a team consisting of Sabretooth, Wild Child, Blink, Sunfire, and Blink to Chicago, where the odds are against them.
Magneto then approaches Colossus and wife Shadowcat in the hopes of getting them to lead their students (Chamber, Husk, Mondo, Skin, and new-comer Vincete) to Portland to rescue the long-thought-dead Illyana.
Magneto then goes after Gambit, talking him and his gang of X-Ternals (Sunspot, Jubilee, Strong Guy, and Lila Cheny) into going to the Shi'ar Empire to retrieve a fragment of the M'Kraan Crystal. Just how does Magneto know about the M'Kraan Crystal? Turns out Dr. Corbeau works for Apocalype, cultivating information from the remains of Apocalypse's former senient vessel, Ship. And conviently, Corbeau owes Magneto a favor. As the X-Ternals leap into a Lila Cheny created portal into Shi'ar space, Apocalypse's Mudir-Commandant Richter in tow.
The final piece of Magneto's plan is getting Nightcrawler to go Avalon (aka the Savage Land) to retrieve Destiny to confirm what has happened. Nightcrawler is forced to go on the Infernal Gallop, which starts with a Ghost Dance led by John Proudstar and ends with meeting Cain Marko. As Nightcrawler makes preparations to go (and to meet his mother, Mystique in the process), a woman named Switchback arrives in Avalon. And, Danielle Moonstar, Dead Man Wade (Deadpool), and Damask are hot on Nightcrawler's tail. No pun intended.
In the meantime, the Human High Council asks Weapon X and Jean Grey to take a Sentinel to Apocalypse off-shore defense platforms and knock a few of them out. This leads them into a battle with Havok, who ends up getting teleported back to New York City with a Sentinel hand, the two of them arriving in NYC merged. Weapon X and Jean do their duty, knock out the platform, which allows for Sentinels and Transports from Eurasia to come to Maine to pick up some humans.
On the other end of this operation are the X-Men, who are seeking to help the humans evacuate. The X-Men (Quicksilver, Storm, Iceman, Dazzler, Exodus, and Banshee) even create a computer virus that allows them to go undetected by the newly arriving Sentinals. This virus promptly screws up and Iceman gets blasted. And Apocalypse's forces are on the X-Men's butts.
Back in New York, the EMF tracks down some Mutant escapees (Artemis, Phantazia, Pyro, and Avalanche) from the Pens. After taking them down, the EMF break up for R&R. Havok and Bedlam Brothers (Jesse and Aaron) head to Angel's nightclub, Heaven. When they get back, Cyclops has them figure out where Sinister is, which turns into a bigger question when they discover his personal quarters have been destroyed.
Finally, a young Mutant named Nathan and his traveling troupe of Mutant entertainers and freedom fighters (being Forge, Toad, Sauron, Mastermind, and Brute) continue to move across the mid-west, helping out here and there. Among those they help is a train full of humans headed to a genetic processing plant. The gang blows up the train and Nate forces Forge to take in a young Mutant with a sonic scream named Terry. We also learn that Nate really has no memory of his past, is a very powerful psi-talent, and that Forge is his mentor. Apocalypse leans of Nate's existence from the Shadow King and he therefore sends Domino to go kill him.
Over all, a much better group of comics than last entry. There's far more substance and structure here. The effort on everyone's part (from the writers to the artists) to create a new world shines through.
Great art from Roger Cruz, Joe Madureira, Chris Bachelo, Tony Daniels, Ken Lashley, Adam Kubert, Andy Kubert, Steve Epting, and Steve Skorce really breaks away from their usual work, and brings them up several notches on the art-scale. A fresh breath of artistic creativity really energizes the pages. The redesigns are well-done, matching the dark setting that is the Age of Apocalypse. The look of New York, London, and all of the other familair places are well-done, dark parallels to their real life or 616 reflections.
The writing is suberb, creating just enough drama to keep the characters interesting and new. It's fun seeing these characters in new shapes and forms. Even the cameo appearances of Magma, Karma, Sebastion Shaw, and a few others are enough to excite interest. The core plots are strong and it's cool to see various storylines weave throughout the various titles, such as the evacuation of Maine, Sinister's disappearance, and Apocalypse's tracking of Blink's teleportation signature.
There are a few problems I do have with the Age of Apocalypse, chief among them being the same problems I had before. Such as why do these character have the same code-name as their normal versions? Why is Beast so evil and Sabretooth so good? Questions like these are flaws in an overall well-done story.
~W~
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