X-men Age of Apocalypse Epic: The Complete Epic Book 2

The Age of Apocalypse satisfies the inherent "What-If?" cravings that most readers are prey to: what is professor Xavier had died and his dream along with him? The Age of Apocalypse answers this questions in the most dramatic way possible. First off, the technical issues: as mentioned, although this is labeled Book 2 by Marvel, it is in fact "Book 1", with the actual Book 1 containing one-off or self-contained stories that are not continuous in the main storyline. You may pick up this book without the previous one and not feel like you just jumped in midway. ... assuming you are already familiar with the X-Universe. There are at least 50 Characters in this Graphic Novel, almost all of whom are modified versions of existing characters in the mainstream Marvel Universe. As a casual comics reader (I'm 30, so my comics peak was in the late 80s) I could follow the connections between most of the characters, but Wikipedia came in handy on more than one occasion. True X-book readers will get more out of this one than I did, as I'm sure there are a ton of Easter Eggs lovingly planted for the long-time fans. You're certainly getting good bang for your buck with this comic: it's almost 400 pages, about twice the length of ordinary graphic novels that retail for about the same price, and the art is beautiful. The story is also engrossing and not for the faint of heart: a genocide being perpetrated on non-mutant humanity is not a tale for small children, and the relationships between the characters are complex, even more so because they often subtly refer to the relationships between their mainstream counterparts. Readers uninterested in the Marvel Universe should stay away: there are much more accessible superhero comics out there that are more unified, such as Alan Moore's Watchmen. But for anyone who enjoys Mutants and world-shattering storylines, it's hard to beat the Age of Apocalypse. On to Book 3!

Premetto che considero una piaga, per il fumetto popolare americano, l'abuso di statagemmi (o meglio mezzucci) narrativi quali universi paralleli, viaggi nel tempo e stravaganze di tal fatta. Questi espedienti ammorbano la vita degli X Men sin dai tempi di Dyas of Future Past, dove però Claremont e Byrne l'avevano risolta con classe e discrezione. Anche il prologo dell'Era di Apocalisse risulta quanto meno pacchiano: un viaggio indietro nel tempo di Legione, folle figlio di Xavier che nel tentativo di uccidere Magneto finisce per assassinare il genitore; il cristallo M'kraan che cristallizza tutta la realtà... In un mondo dove Xavier, morto, non ha potuto addestrare giovani mutanti l'immortale En Sabah Nur, alias Apocalisse, ha avuto buon gioco nel sottomettere l'intero Nord America e nello sterminare gran parte della popolazione civile in campi di concentramento. Il suo credo, la "legge del più forte", è portata alle più estreme conseguenze, ma rimangono dei paladini alla causa dell'umanità: gli X Men addestrati e riuniti da un Magneto che, in questa realtà, lotta per il sogno di integrazione genetica propugnato da Xavier. L'atmosfera è cupa come non mai, gli eventi spesso eccessivi ma assolutamente giustificati dal clima di terrore e disperazione che si respira sotto il guanto di ferro di Apocalisse. Di gran livello il lavoro di scrittori quali Lobdell, Loeb, Nicieza (giusto per citarne alcuni) e di disegnatori in ottima forma, tra cui spiccano i Kubert e uno Ian Churchill in una forma a mio avviso smagliante. Che si tratti di una delle saghe più importanti degli ultimi anche risulta chiaro anche dal "Ritorno all'Era di Apocalisse" (per la verità assai meno intenso e interessante del suo predecessore) proposto dalla Marvel per festeggiare i dieci anni dell'evento. Qualche nota sul confezionamento: l'intera saga è raccolta in quattro corposi volumi di cui il primo consta di qualche racconto autoconclusivo, di una miniserie e di un prologo tutt'altro che imprescindibili per la comprensione degli avvenimenti. Il cuore del racconto si sviluppa negli imperdibili volumi 2, 3 e 4, ma se avete qualche soldino da parte e siete collezionisti con la C maiuscola dubito vi farete sfuggire anche il primo tomo. Insomma, secondo la mia umile opinione si tratta di uno dei lavori più interessanti degli anni '90, che va assaporato per la drammatica parentesi che rappresenta più che per il suo apporto a una continuity mutante assai barcollante e priva di idee realmente innovative.

Of all the stories in the Marvel universe the Age of Apocalypse is one of my favorites. I highly suggest that everyone who enjoys the x-men read it.

With the tenth (that's right, tenth!) anniversary of Marvel's epic X-Men storyline, the Age of Apocalypse, Marvel has released three massive volumes of the various issues released in that time. Volume 1 featured various one-shots, mini-series, and the X-Men Chronicles issues, and wasn't worth your time unless you're an AoA completist. Volume two however finally gets some things right by featuring the first couple issues of the various series' as well as the jump off point X-Men: Alpha (Vol. 3 will contain the concluding issues and the ending X-Men: Omega) that introduces the readers to this dark, alternate world where Charles Xavier never lived long enough to form the X-Men, and the evil Apocalypse rose to power and conquered most of the world. X-Men: Alpha introduces us to Magneto's team of X-Men: his wife Rogue, son Quicksilver, as well as Sabretooth, Wild Child, Storm, Nightcrawler, Sunfire, Banshee, Morph, Iceman, and Blink. The team is split up in the issues of Astonishing X-Men and Amazing X-Men as they take on various forces of Apocalypse. Weapon X introduces us to the one handed Logan and his lover Jean Grey as they unite with the Human High Council to save the world. Factor X gives us a glance at Apocalypse's main mutants; Sinister, Cyclops, Beast, and Havok. Gambit & the X-Ternals introduces us to the heroic thief and his team of mutants (including Jubilee, Lila Chaney, and Strong Guy) as they begin their quest into space to retrieve a piece of the M'Krann Crystal. Generation Next finds Colossus and Shadowcat training a group of young mutants and leading them on a mission to save Colossus' lost sister. X-Man (written by Jeph Loeb) introduces us to Nate Grey (this universe's version of Cable); the genetic offspring of Cyclops and Jean Grey, and he's the most powerful mutant on the planet. X-Calibre finds Nightcrawler going solo to find the msyterious mutant Destiny. All the storylines are great, and Generation Next, Astonishing X-Men, and X-Man are the absolute best. The only downside is that if you've never read any of the AoA material before, you are going to be left hanging a lot, and you'll be salivating to see how it all ends. The art throughout is excellent, and the stories are surprisingly gripping; something that is shocking to say the least considering that this is 90's X-Men we're talking about. All in all, the AoA storyline was a masterwork, and while how this TPB is collected isn't perfect, it's certainly better than Volume 1.

First a plea to any new readers who might have been hoodwinked into purchasing the first volume of the AOA-Epic: PLEASE forget that cruel marketing trick and give this one a shot, this is the true (beginning of the) Age of Apocalypse, the crown jewel of the 1990s X-Men run that was so astounding that it took nearly a decade before another worth-while X-Men story would be written again. In the Early '90s the X-Men reached their zenith of popularity, and although there were certainly low points in the early '90s run of the X-Universe (followed by an abysmally unreadable period of just under 10 years) it is unquestionably one of the time periods that justified the X-Men's place as the consistent top-seller, then and now. The Age of Apocalypse was the culmination, and the bristling climax, of one of the greatest eras in the X-Men's existence. Synopsis: Forget volume one, everyone else but the marketing flunkies at Marvel did (or the poor saps who paid money for a collection of B-level story lines that leeched off of the glory of a truly well done comic book masterpiece). Here we are taken into a world that throws the importance of Xavier's dream right into our faces, a world where that dream was aborted and replaced with a blood-drenched nightmare. The Dark Lord Apocalypse threatens the globe, from his base from what was once America, with the aid of his Four Horsemen (Sinister, Holocaust, Abyss, and Mikhail Rasputin) and his mutant elite (including Cyclops, Havoc, and Beast). In Europe, humanity is meekly defended by a Human High Council (Brian Braddock, Emma Frost, Moria MacTaggart and Trask) that ratters a saber in the form of an army of Sentinels and nuclear missiles. The only true source of salvation lies with Magneto and the meager yet potent network of mutant resistance that he has thrown up against the genetic supremacist régime of Apocalypse that makes mass genocide and blasphemous dark science everyday occurrences. Despite their best efforts, Magneto, the X-Men and other heroes of this Dark Age are fighting a losing battle, and the hordes of the Dark Lord begin to crush even the most stalwart of spirits; and then one man, Bishop, delivers them the glimmer of hope needed to march on in their defiance of seemingly omnipotent armies of evil. In another world Xavier's dream was made real, and Apocalypse never rose to power. This dark incarnation of the X-Men's' world is thoroughly explored in-depth, and the characterization is so well done that it even gives invaluable insight to the characters as they appear in the main-stream world of the X-Men. Some who were heroes break under the evil that has infected their world while others turn from their own paths of darkness when shown the extreme consequence of blind self-serving ambition. As death and horror flow in Apocalypse's wake and the leaders of humanity grow intent on mimicking his evil to feed their own thirst for revenge, Magneto and the X-Men will fight to the bitter end to save their