EdwardKnoxII 0 Report post Posted December 21, 2004 http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23816 RETURNING TO THE AGE OF APOCALYPSE by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean In 1995, shockwaves were felt throughout X-fandom when Marvel cancelled their existing X-Men titles, only to replace them with all-new, all-different X-titles for four consecutive months. In place of Uncanny X-Men, the adjectiveless X-Men, X-Factor, Wolverine, Generation X, X-Force, Excalibur and Cable, x-fans were introduced to a group of radical mutants in a world gone chaotic in titles such as Astonishing X-Men, Amazing X-Men, Factor X, Weapon X, Generation Next, Gambit and the X-Ternals, X-Calibre and X-Man. Professor Charles Xavier was no longer the leader of the X-Men. His son, Legion, had traveled back in time to kill the X-Men’s sworn nemesis and Xavier’s friend Erik Magnus Lensherr before he even became a villain we know him today as Magneto. However, things went horribly wrong… Xavier sacrificed himself to save his friend’s life just as the former’s future son was about to deal the killing blow. And the X-Men was never formed by Xavier in the new continuity. With Rogue by his side, Magneto became the leader of a new group of X-Men, one that involved Sabretooth, Wild Child, Blink and Morph where the various teams battled the oppressor that was Apocalypse. This was the Age of Apocalypse. And Marvel is celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the Age of Apocalypse with another event in March 2005. On board for the anniversary event are some of the creators involved in the original Age of Apocalypse event. Scott Lobdell, Larry Hama and the Kubert brothers, Adam and Andy, are joined by Akira Yoshida, Tony Bedard, Tony Daniel, Mark Brooks, Paco Medina, Talent Caldwell, Roger Cruz and Kia Asamiya in X-Men: Age of Apocalypse One-Shot, a 48-page, $3.99 comic with a wraparound cover by Bryan Hitch. Stories told in the one-shot include the origin of Generation Next, the first meeting of Sabretooth and Wild Child, Weapon X’s first run-in with Mariko Yashida in Japan, as well as the revelation of how the AoA world survived the nuclear holocaust that threatened it at the end of X-Men: Omega. The anniversary celebration continues in the X-Men: Age of Apocalypse mini-series by writer Akira Yoshida and artist Chris Bachalo (the original Generation Next artist). The first five of six issues are expected to be out in March, followed by the concluding chapter in April. According to Marvel, this isn’t a restart, and doesn’t ignore what has come before. The solicitation for the miniseries reads: Apocalypse has been destroyed; the end of the world has been averted. Or has it? Sinister has just unleashed a massive force unseen, unrivaled, and unbeatable. Magneto and the X-Men’s only hope lies in tracking down a retired Weapon X!” Also available in March is the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Age of Apocalypse 2005, written by Mike Raicht and includes in-depth bios on more than 40 characters from the Age of Apocalypse with an all-new cover by Mark Brooks that is digitally painted by Justin Ponsor. And - for those who missed it the first time around, March also sees the release of X-Men: The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic Book One TPB, collecting X-Men Chronicles #1 and #2, Tales from the Age of Apocalypse: By the Light, X-Man #-1, X-Man ’96 Annual, Tales from the Age of Apocalypse: Sinister Bloodlines and Blink #1-#4 in a massive 360-page collection with a $29.99 cover price. March also sees Blink and Sabretooth, both characters from the Age of Apocalypse timeline, returning to the AoA world together with their Exiles team members in the two-part “Son of Apocalypse” arc in Exiles #60 and #61. “In Exiles #59, the team arrives on a world they've visited before, but Heather Hudson, aka Sasquatch, mysteriously does not arrive with them,” writer Tony Bedard told Newsarama. “The world they're on is one where they left behind the AoA Sabretooth to raise a powerful young mutant to adulthood, making sure he doesn't turn into the tyrant he's destined to be [last seen in issue #13]. This is a world that Blink had been sent back to during her previous absence from the team. We end up learning what happened to her during that absence -- a shocking revelation that alters her relationship with Sabretooth and with her boyfriend, Mimic. By the end of the issue, Sabretooth has joined the Exiles team to replace Sasquatch, and the team has a confrontation with the Timebroker which gets them sent to the AoA reality, not as a reward, but as a punishment. “The two-parter has the Exiles arriving in the AoA reality at the same time the AoA event is happening. The Exiles arrive in the AoA reality at some point after the new AoA Event has already begun, which is a year after X-Men: Omega. By this time, AoA Sabretooth has joined the Exiles team, so both he and Blink consider this place home. Unfortunately, the Timebroker has commanded them to attack and kill Magneto and his X-Men. He's also put none other than Holocaust on the Exiles team to make sure they carry out this mission. “Of course, things don't exactly unfold as you'd expect. What's more, this story pretty much stands apart from the Big Event. It really does more to move the Exiles' current struggles against the Timebroker forward and it sets up an epic four-parter in which the Exiles finally discover the hidden truth behind the Timebroker and the whole operation that sends them on their reality-hopping missions to begin with. So if you like AoA, you'll really enjoy this story which features three of the AoA heavy-hitters, along with an appearance by Magneto and his X-Men. But you don't have to read this in order to enjoy the AoA Event itself.” Once again, the universe as we know it ends March 2005… So – running it down again, an AoA checklist: AoA Checklist March X-Men: Age of Apocalypse One Shot X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Part One of Six X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Part Two of Six X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Part Three of Six X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Part Four of Six X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Part Five of Six Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Age of Apocalypse 2005 Exiles #60 Exiles #61 April X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Part Six of Six Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steviekick 0 Report post Posted December 21, 2004 This seems interesting and all but I'm not excited in the least bit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2004 Hey, maybe Bedard's Exiles run will finally get above the "blah" level. But Exiles aside, is there any need to revisit AoA? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Young 0 Report post Posted December 23, 2004 Hmm... Ever since I found my old comics last December, I've been wanting to get back in. This seems like the perfect time since I stopped collecting comics in late 1995 after the AoA storyline. I don't even remember why I quit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sass 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2004 Hey's it's 1995 all over again. ... That's not like a good thing. Talk about going back to the well... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steviekick 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2004 I really didn't think that people actually still cared about AoA stuff. Go figure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
