Uncanny Avengers, Vol. 2: The Apocalypse Twins

Uncanny Avengers by Rick Remender

by Rick Remender (Writer)

The future begins in the past! It's an 11th century clash of the titans as Thor batt les Apocalypse! The Avengers' ancestors are being hunted, with Rama-Tut and Kang pulling the strings, and only a young Thor can save his future companions! And in the present, the beginning of the end looms as the Apocalypse Twins debut! Why are they targeti ng the Celestials? What is their connection to Kang? And how is Thor responsible for their mighty power? Apocalypse's Ship attacks S.W.O.R.D., a Celestial meets a shocking fate, and the Four Horsemen of Death are unleashed! And as the Twins' new henchmen shatter the Uncanny Avengers, Wolverine discovers the Midnight City - and immediately wishes he hadn't! When all hope dies, Ragnarok begins! Plus: Kang and the Apocalypse Twins enter the Age of Ultron!

COLLECTING: UNCANNY AVENGERS 6-11, 8AU

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, X Men, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 23, 2013

About the author

Rick Remender is an American comic book writer and artist who resides in Los Angeles, California. He is the writer/co-creator of many independent comic books like Black Science, Deadly Class, LOW, Fear Agent and Seven to Eternity. Previously, he wrote The Punisher, Uncanny X-Force, Captain America and Uncanny Avengers for Marvel Comics.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

So on re-reading this it's a lot less confusing, ultimately a rather out-there idea that doesn't really make sense - the core idea that time travelling villain Kang set everything in motion to rid the world of mutants before the Apocalypse twins hi-jacked the concept for themselves. Anyways there were too many Uncanny Avengers, and too little little character building outside of Wonderman's peacenik-ism. The first half is at least interesting as the team struggles to stay unified but the second half descends into the convoluted mess that I remember the first time around! 6 out of 12, fading Three Star read.

2018 read

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one wacky story.

Thor disobeys his father and creates a weapon to destroy Apocalypse (a long time ago), but the decision eventually comes back to bite him in the ass.



{fast forward lots of years}

Kang has tortured trained a couple of kids to becoming the Apocalypse Twins, in the hopes they will do something in the future.
*just go with it*



There's a group called Unity made up of Avengers & X-men in an attempt to unite both groups.
It works out really well...



The (now) evil siblings have grown up, stolen a bunch of Kang's weapons, and are hell-bent on the destruction of humanity. Oh, and taking out Kang's timeline.

I have no idea what is happening!
Hopefully, things will get clearer in the next volume?

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first issue in this collection is really strong, a young Thor tale that wouldn't be out of place in Aaron's Thor: God of Thunder. It feels very lost in this book, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a nice piece of work. The rest of the book... I don't know. Maybe it's because it draws heavily on things that happened in other books. Remender's own X-Force, it seems. Which I have not read. I felt lost for much of the book, until I gave up on trying to fully understand what was going on. Maybe if I did have the proper background, this would have done something for me. But I don't, so it was basically a total loss. I'm trying not to judge it too harshly. Just because it wasn't the right book for me doesn't mean that it isn't good or worth reading in general. It just wasn't for me.

[William Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is turning out to be the stone cold disaster that everyone feared it would be from its inception. Even in Remender's capable hands, it's an absolute mess.

First two issues of this arc, the team is MIA. Nowhere to be found. Instead, there's 40 pages of backstory to set up what Remender has been harping on since he started Uncanny X-Force- the Apocalypse Solution. I wish to god he'd just put it to rest. Instead, we have all sorts of garbled time-travel nonsense going on with Kang, Thor and Warren Worthington's children (???). By the third issue of the arc, we get the team back with a hell of a lot of arguing and tension that seems unnecessary. I enjoy the personal drama of the Avengers and X books, but Remender has very little idea how to handle it. He's not Busiek and he's definitely not Claremont. These petty interludes just help muddy an already nearly incomprehensible story line and do nothing to further te narrative, which is exactly Remender's strength in other books.

So not only do we get Kang, but Kang's other incarnations, and a whole bunch of strangely resurrected horsemen for the new Apocalypse. There's just too damn much going on, none of it linear, all of it muddy waters and hard to follow. Remender just can't get a grip on anything here, there's no hook, there's no meat. We as the reader find it extremely hard to care about this team, even though I was excited as all hell to see the addition of Wonder Man, who has always been a favorite of mine. If only Marvel would let Remender bring back Jack of Hearts. Sigh.

Although he's got big ideas, as usual, and his stories remind me of the good old days when comics went big and left subtlety out of the equation, homages to the late 60s and 70s styles, he just isn't winning me over on this book. I wouldn't e surprise if it comes to an end after 20 or so issues, especially if it keeps on this tack- with little coherence an no cohesion. It's a problem when the writer doesn't care about the characters. It's clear Remender has his darlings- Wolverine and Cap- here, but cares little to nothing for anyone else, except Wanda and Simon for some sort of upcoming shock factor.

Inconsistent art, sloppy coloring both mirror the lack of coherent storytelling on Remender's part.

Writing: C-
Art: D

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really most excited about the second collected volume of Uncanny Avengers because the writer Remender finally began his continuation of his celebrated Uncanny X-Force run. It's in this volume that Wolverine has begun to reap what he sowed when he ran his covert wetworks team. Unfortunately, his sins may break the newly-formed Avengers Unity squad before it found its feet.

This is certainly one beautifully illustrated volume. Remender really took advantage of having the artist Acuña for his second arc.

This is not a perfect volume though. If the reader were only to follow read this title, he may miss out a lot of the back story. Not only is Remender's Uncanny X-Force required reading to get the most of the story. This book is steeped in recent Marvel continuity, both Marvel NOW! and pre-Marvel NOW. A casual reader may feel intimidated but the visuals will encourage him to read on and research the back story afterwards.

I am truly excited at the prospect of Remender furthering his story after all the hints and teases he gave up in the first volume.

[Jesse A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first volume of this series but this one felt insanely confusing and disjointed. Disappointing.

['kris Pung · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little better then the first volume but still way to wordy/preachy for my liking.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this for the most part. Remender has a good characterisation for each individual character. He's good at giving each one their own time and something to do. I thought an Avengers book with Captain America in were he's not in charge of the team would be weird, but it's not. The team is still trying to find its footing, and there's still a tension between Mutant and human.

It's the story that loses me a bit though. Feels like a lot has been leading up to this. A lot that I've missed out on because I've not read Uncanny X-Force. Takes away from the enjoyment of the book a bit.

It's cool how much he's fitting in here, with Jabajorn (Thor's axe that appeared in Jason Aaron's God of Thunder) and the negative versions of characters that have died. It's just almost too steeped in marvel continuity.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little heavy-handed, but so good. One of my favorite Marvel books currently out there. And I'm becoming a fan of Remender. He consistently puts out great stuff.

[Ｆｒａｎｋｈ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing to say except:

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uncanny Avengers volume 2: The Apocalypse Twins. Another reread.

In the wake of Avengers vs X-Men a new team was formed that combined elements of both. The team consists of: Captain America, Havok, Thor, Wolverine, Scarlet Witch, Rogue, Wasp, Sunfire, and Wonder Man. The human/mutant tensions put to the test in this volume.

This volume references other stories and events in the Marvel universe. Mostly ones written by the other of this series - Rick Remender. There are references to Captain America’s time in Dimension Z, and Wolverine’s antics with X-Force. You don’t need to have read those series, but Uncanny X-Force in particular has storylines and elements continued.

After the previous volume, the Red Skull has disappeared. There is no rest for this squad of Avengers though as the series is affected by the events of Age of Ultron.

The new main villains being the titular Apocalypse Twins. Time travelling mutants that also have connections to Kang the Conqueror. Things get wibbly wobbly, timey wimey.

My personal highlight from the volume was the early issue with young Thor. This felt like it could have come directly from Jason Aaron’s Thor run. We find a young, brash Thor clash with Apocalypse. This having implications on the future.

This volume overall asks more questions than it answers. At this early stage in the series that isn’t a bad thing. Bonus points for the artwork being fantastic throughout.

[Derrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow. I really liked Uncanny Avengers, Vol. 1: The Red Shadow. Great art. Great villain.

This one, not so much. The art is still lovely -- I really liked Rogue and Thor, especially. And the first issue (Uncanny Avengers #6) -- a Thor tale that lays the backstory -- is really engaging. Finally, I am fascinated by Simon's pacifism. For those reasons, I give the book 2/5 stars.

But otherwise, this one is a real slog. I don't care for Kang. I don't care for Apocalypse or Horsemen or any of it. I am exhausted by the humans vs mutants conflict. I tolerated it in the first volume, but I am already burned out.

I am going to be hard-pressed to finish the story in the next trade or when the issues show up on Marvel Digital Unlimited.

[Zack! Empire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this series. It's got some amazing art, and I love the storyline with the Apocalypse twins. I'm glad to read a story where you can easily see where the "villain" is coming from.
One thing I don't like is that this storyline seems to be a continuation of the storyline from Uncanny X-Force that Rick Remender also wrote. I have read some of that, but not all of it. I would read those books before you get into this series if you can. It will really help a lot.
Sadly, the book ends on a cliffhanger, which really pisses me off. It seems like a lot of books by the big two are doing that these days.

[danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

im a bit confused but this was also insane? and having rogue, wasp, and wanda all together? the serve i didn’t think i needed till now

[mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This issue was pretty confusing, even with the help of Google... I see what they were trying to do, explain where they are going with the twins, but most of it made me more confused than anything. Some parts were still really cool (Thor's past for example) and overall it was an okay read.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book just pours on the weird like brandy on a trailer-park wedding cake.

This book just doesn't feel like any normal superhero tale.

This book just makes me wonder what kind of mind-focusing supplements Rick Remender is taking.

There's a lot of carry-over from Remender's Uncanny X-Force run, and that's pretty awesome - it's fun and rewarding to see previous storylines actually revisited after they're completed - and used as linchpins to the current story. So often they're just obliquely referenced - like an inside joke that few of us can really follow. Remender respects his readers enough to keep using great turning points as emotional fertilizer.

However, he's also doing something that I don't truly appreciate - spending a lot of time with the villains, who happen not to like each other, letting them monologue about their motives (as nuanced and not terribly easy to follow as they are, at least for this softhead).

What was it Kang really wanted to achieve by screwing with Archangel's kids and turning them loose on present Earth?

No matter, the ride's the thing, and Remender and Acuña create a shitbird-crazy doozy. Super-silly sci-fi terminology just oozes ("tachyon dams" and "hibernation sarcophagi" among many), cracking dialogue, painted and expansive scenery, whacky creatures and ships. Let me emphasize again: DIALOGUE:



And here with this collection of oddballs, Remender gets them too. They feel inhabited, *consistent* with their experiences and relationships. It's like they're being fleshed out by talented actors, which is saying a lot in a big team book like this.

This book builds to quite the climax and it doesn't stop here. Like X-Force, this keeps climbing, like I'm told Breaking Bad just kept going and unearthing more insane with each step.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This title quickly went from being about an Avengers Unity Squad (mixing mutants and "normal" super-heroes) to Remender tying up some story elements leftover from his excellent Uncanny X-Force run. While I appreciate a continuation (of sorts) to that story, this title seems to be having some kind of identity crisis. There's also very little "unity" in this unity squad, as their primary communication seems to be squabbling over the "mutants vs normals" a lot (and having the actual characters point this out doesn't excuse it). You'd think that would be sorted eleven issues in. It's weird, but I don't remember other heroes having so much trouble working with mutants in the past (pre-AvX) and now it seems to be the primary focus.
Some of the characterization seems off, too, especially Rogue. Her personality here doesn't seem in line with her appearances in other books, or even to much of her recent past. She's being cast as the moody and brooding type, always with her hood up, as if hiding. Contrast this to how she's portrayed in Brian Wood's X-Men, where she's her old, fun loving self, smiling and enjoying a good fight.
Also not too excited about the return of Sentry and Daken, even if they are in the forms they happen to be. Hope they don't stick around too long.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I read X-Force before this, because this is basically a solid followup.

Alot of the major points from X-Force are here again. Wolverine did some crazy batshit bad stuff in X-Force and now he has to pay. But his way of doing things might split the team once more. For multiple reasons including what Cap just went through on his own. On top of that you got the son and daughter of arch angel here and they aren't too nice. Will the new Uncanny Avengers come out on top or is it too late?

The team dynamic works real well. Besides the weird age of ultron crossover issue the rest was really good build up to the results of something terrible coming to the Uncanny team here. What I enjoyed the most was the team dynamic but also all the old throwbacks to Siege, X-Force, and more. It really tied it together nice. While this was some damn good time, it's also just part 1 of a 2 parter, and so it's a lot of build, I'm expecting the next volume to rock.

This one is a 3.5 but I'll boost it to a 4.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Apocalypse Twins (#6-11, 8AU). This feels very much like a continuation of Remender's X-Force, which is all for the good, as it allows him to expand upon the Apocalypse mythology that he created there. Meanwhile, it combines that with Kang's machinations to really create a Avengers/X-Men villain. Some of the characters feel a bit wooden, but Remender does a good job with Rogue, Scarlet Witch, and Havoc. All around, an enjoyable comic, albeit one that's mostly foundational: we meet the villains and their new Horsemen of Death and see the setup for their ritual ... and then it's "To Be Continued".

The preludes are also pretty intriguing. The Thor backstory (#6) is a great Thor tale that builds on the mythology of Jarnbjorn and also nicely plays with Kang's timey-wimeyness. The Ultron story (#8AU) does a great job of integrating Kang into the crossover event but otherwise is a somewhat dull fight. [4/5].

[Tesutamento · Rating 2 out of 5]

Öyle bir çizgi roman ki okuduğumu anladığımdan emin olamadım. Çok fazla laf salatası var. Sürekli sürekli açıklamalar, monologlar, inandırıcılıktan uzak fikirler, anlamsızca çözülmeyen tartışmalar ve dahası burada.

Bin yıl önce yaşanan hesaplaşmanın günümüze sıçraması fikri başta ilginç olabilecek gibi gelse de günümüzde yaşanan olaylar okuyucuyu sarabilecek gibi değil. Apocalypse ikizleri, Kang ve mahşerin dört atlısı derken hikaye iyice karıştı fakat kahramanlar birbirleriyle didişmekten önündekine bakamıyorlar. 50 yıldır mutantların bitmeyen faşizan görüşleri de iyice baydı.

Remender'in kimse tarafından sevilmeyen kitabı AXIS'i okumak için bu çileyi çekmeye devam.

[Judah Radd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gets wild! Definitely a step up in intensity from the first book. We already know something will happen involving Onslaught AND Red Skull, but shit is also very Apocalypsy and Wanda-ish.

The art is phenomenal. Really some of the of best. I love Remender’s writing, even if it’s a little out there sometimes. He’s definitely a guy who tries to forge new roads.

All in all, I’m very into this story and I’m excited to see where it continues.

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the art in the first one better, but the story is just as strong. The only problem I have with this series is how much the Uncanny Avengers fight amongst themselves. As a scarlet witch fan girl, I wish everyone would stop bothering her about the no more mutants thing and just let it go. 4.5 stars.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book with great art...and a plot that works only through the sacrifice of the characters’ personalities. (Worst to me was Jan/Wasp.) There are a few good moments but they’re lost among the minutiae.

[Michael Nash · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have tried to be patient with this set of Marvel revamp stories, and I have even liked some of them (including the first volume of this series), but this volume crystallizes a trend in all of them that has caused me to call it the last straw for Marvel.
These Marvel now releases are supposed ease in casual fans by providing stories that don't require an extensive knowledge of the universe's back story. The first volume of Uncanny Avengers managed to do that, concisely summarizing the events of whatever the last crossover event was called. In volume 2, however, they start right off the bat with a baffling array cosmic characters that I am assumed to recognize, apparently for the sake of having a lot of early explosions. The things I liked from the first volume (the interesting group dynamic, Havok getting some screen time, and the artwork) are all subsumed into an incomprehensible cosmic plot. Has the Marvel Universe raised the stakes so much and so often that their default peril level is "fate of the multiverse"? Because that seems to be where Avengers, New Avengers, Iron Man, and Thor are too, and frankly I want some smaller stories focused on character development rather than this cosmic shit. Maybe a hardcore fan who knew what the hell was going on with Warren Worthington's Children and Kang the Conqueror might have appreciated the subtleties of plot here; I could not.
I have a few more unread volumes of various Marvel Now! titles, and I will probably read them, but unless one of them really convinces me to come back I am done with Marvel Comics. There are just too many other really excellent comic series' out there that don't expect me to sift through 30 years worth of back story.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst this is a direct follow on from the events of Uncanny Avengers Vol 1, The Apocalypse Twins serves more as a follow on from Remender's run on Uncanny X-Force. There are an awful lot of revelations about Archangel, his children, and the killing of a young Apocalypse, which I'm loosely aware stem from said run. Having not read any of Remender's Uncanny X-Force to date, these reveals had minimal impact for me, but I could see them holding deeper meaning for long term followers of Remender's Marvel work.

Overall, this is an assured volume with a few negatives it can't quite get past. First is the slightly fragmented story, which takes in pieces of the Age of Ultron event, along with a flashback to Thor's past (which is actually quite good). Then there are the villains, who are massively powerful and yet slightly ineffectual--though they look to get their time to shine in the next volume.

On the plus side, the character dynamics are top notch. Seeing Cap get raw on Wolverine is a great moment, as is the danger room debate between Scarlet Witch & Rogue. Those two characters have real animosity toward each other, with diametrically opposite points of view, which is great fodder for this book to explore. We also see connections between Rogue & Thor, Sunfire & Rogue, and Wasp & Havok (though this last one is very brief and immediately cast aside).

There's a fair bit of otherworldly wackiness on display here, including micro universes and gamma pools on alien worlds, which was a bit all-over-the-place, with parts of it seeming needlessly complex. Ultimately I think this volume will be judged on how successful a stepping stone it is for Volume 3 - Ragnarok Now, which it sets up on a cliffhanger.

[Michael Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is still amazing. I don't understand what everyone has against it. It's not entirely new reader friendly, but it does a decent job of covering those basics. Keep in mind, though, that the necessary background reading is Remender's run on X-Force, which was excellent. It's almost a bonus that you would need to read it first.

I'll admit, I was skeptical. When I saw the designs for the Apocalypse Twins, I wasn't that impressed and expected to not really like them much, but they are fantastic villains. That's what's so interesting about this. Sure, you're watching the Unity Squad grow together as a team, but you also get a lot of background on the villains.

The squad development is great, too. Rogue does feel a little...off, but otherwise it's really enjoyable. There's attention paid to all of the characters, and they all have little moments to stand out. There's also some really great action moments. I was actually shocked by how visceral some of the moments were.

Then there's the art. Don't let the covers mislead you! I love Cassaday, but his covers here are just awful. Granted, Acuña isn't the same as Coipel, but it's still an excellent look for the story. There's a murky darkness that sets the tone really well right off the bat. It just looks great overall and I'm super excited for the story.

There's humor and action and intrigue here and it's all wrapped up in a pretty little package. I'm loving this book so far and I can't wait to see what comes in the future for this team. I'm completely sold on this book. If you enjoyed Remender's X-Force, this is more of the same great stuff. If not...well there's nothing I can do to help you.

[Jordan Lahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I read through this arc, I really didn't enjoy it. I had no idea what was going on or who 90% of the characters were. After introducing myself to comics with Civil War and then jumping into Avengers vs. X-Men, I assumed Uncanny Avengers was the logical place to continue because it seemed to spin out of AvX directly. In hindsight, I wasn't prepared for the amount of Marvel History I needed in order to understand this story. Having gone back to revisit this story after several years of reading other Marvel books, not only do I have a much better idea of what led to this story but I have a better idea of what it's leading to. The Apocalypse Twins plan to Rapture mutants away from earth makes much more sense knowing that Axis is coming up in the near future. I still need to go back and read Remender's Uncanny X-Force, but at least now I have a much better idea of the kind of epic story he is telling here. The theme of segregation vs integration in the face of intolerance is also very striking as I revisit this story.

Overall, very glad I gave this series another chance! Looking forward to catching up.

[Ryan Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible! I wasn't expecting much heading into this one, but it turned out to be an already classic story for me. Awesome lineup of characters (both heroes and villains), an epic storyline (so much at stake but still unpredictable) and some great fight scenes, which are actually few and far between these days. The best part for me was that Daniel Acuna's art has never looked better. And the Apocalypse Twins' story is not even over yet.
Can't wait for the next volume!

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit slow considering it builds up to the payoff in the following volume, but quite adept in how it builds on Remender's previous runs in other books and continues to highlight great, yet unexpected character interactions.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

No sé si leer lo siguiente, no estoy muy familiarizado con las tramas y siento que se complica demasiado leerlo.

Tal vez en realidad no me esté gustando tanto, aún así el arte es muy bueno en estos números, metas.