Long Box Review: Spring Time Reading Assignment Age of Apocalypse

X-men alpha - one shot

Written by Scott Lobdell, script by Mark Waid

art by Roger Cruz w/Steve Epting

inks by Tim Townsend w/Dan Panosian

editor is Bob Harras

editor in chief is Tom Defalco

The age of Apocalypse, a time of great despair for anyone not born a mutant.  In an alternate timeline created by the death of Charles Xavier by a time traveling mutant known as Legion and who is also the son of Charles Xavier and Moira McTaggerate. Mutants are the people in power led by the great En Sabah Nur or Also known as Apocalypse.

X-men Alpha introduces us to the new norm, a dystopian present where humans are killed on site by a police force called the Infinities. We are introduced to this world by a masked stranger who is on a mission in Seattle. The masked stranger runs into a human girl who is being chased by the police force lead by a more wicked version of Unus the untouchable.  We learn that the masked stranger is a mutant as well but seeks to have peace between humans and mutants.  After fighting with the group, he is saved by a group of mutants familiar to us in another timeline. The Amazing X-men.

A team lead by Magneto,who has taken the Charles Xavier role. They quickly dispatch the enforcers that where persecuting the small child and the masked stranger. As Sabretooth is questioning the masked stranger, his face is revealed to be Bishop from our timeline. After a small confrontation with Magneto, Bishop passes out and the x-men grab him and brings him with them.

All of this occurs to set up the world for the coming of the comic series.

The book then continues to show us other Mutants within this new timeline. A version of the beast that is darker than our love able blue genius. He, Cyclops, and Havok work for Mr. Sinister in a warped and twisted x-factor.

The story begins to set up other members of the classic x-teams in the world of the age of apocalypse.

Along setting up the characters it continues the storyline of Bishop and the overall story of taking down Apocalypse as his main goal and resetting the present to what he knows and loves.  

The art for this book is done in the classic 90's style. The cover is done by Joe Madureira, who's style is clean lines square and angular jaws. Characters are clearly defined the style is very action orientated with the characters running into the foreground and ready for action.

The interiors are just as impressive Roger Cruz and Steve Epting convey that this is a broken down world in just the first few pages the characters a clearly defined. The art is similar to the feel of the cover. The storyline works well with the art style, there is a clear direction to the layout and the transitions are smooth from location to location and from page to page.  

All in all this is a great start to an event. We have questions asked, characters revealed, and protagonist established. Which makes one look forward to the next chapter in the story.

Now the direction of the event is rather clever. All the x-titles at the time had a face lift and changed the titles for the main books. So instead of four issues of Uncanny X-men; we get the Amazing x-men. Those giving us a different world feel to the entire story.  

Personal note, why can't Marvel do something like this now. Instead of renumbering, just release a special set of books the resume the numbering after the event.  

This particular issue gets a 9 out of 10.