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X-Men: Dawn of the Age of Apocalypse
96 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1996
47 people want to read
About the author
Jeph Loeb
1,589 books1,378 followersJoseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an Emmy and WGA nominated American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a Co-Executive Producer on the NBC hit show Heroes, and formerly a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost.
A four-time Eisner Award winner and five-time Wizard Fan Awards winner (see below), Loeb's comic book career includes work on many major characters, including Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Hulk, Captain America, Cable, Iron Man, Daredevil, Supergirl, the Avengers, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, much of which he has produced in collaboration with artist Tim Sale, who provides the comic art seen on Heroes.
A four-time Eisner Award winner and five-time Wizard Fan Awards winner (see below), Loeb's comic book career includes work on many major characters, including Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Hulk, Captain America, Cable, Iron Man, Daredevil, Supergirl, the Avengers, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, much of which he has produced in collaboration with artist Tim Sale, who provides the comic art seen on Heroes.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 28, 2015
This is a must-read for anyone to get an understanding for the Age of Apocalypse and how it started, but that can be accomplished simply for picking up X-Men: Alpha. If you're a diehard AoA fan, though, this is a great book to pick up, since it includes Age of Apocalypse: the Chosen -- a set of brief biographical files that Apocalypse had stored on his allies and enemies -- those that he believed were chosen to survive, and those that were destined to be forgotten. The Cable issue that occurred after the main X-Men Legion Quest story is the prologue to this, but it feels just a little bit disconnected to the rest of the story since it doesn't take place directly in the Age of Apocalypse. X-Men Alpha is definitely the best part of the book, with great art by Roger Cruz. It was the perfect introduction to this very dark and very different world, where the X-Men were led by Magneto in the absence of Professor X, Apocalypse ruled over most of the planet brutally, and a lot of characters we know and love had switched sides. If you want to try out a story about the X-Men that doesn't require you to read another bazillion issues beforehand while giving you new, different takes on old favorites, then this may be the book for you.
February 22, 2023
The story was good. Art was okay. And I haven't found these 3 issues in any other collection. So, inaccessibility is a point against it
February 20, 2021
Reread in 2021... I used to be so helpful...
Original Review:
This book has three comics.
The epilogue to Legion Quest, Cable #20. Written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Ian Churchill. This is just an issue on final moments before the end of the world... Loves confessed, friends thanked, teachers praised, yada yada. Not great.
Next is X-Men: Alpha, which is an oversized issue that is the beginning of the Age of Apocalypse. Written by Scott Lobdell, scripted by Mark Waid, drawn by Roger Cruz. More on this below, as it is the meat of the book.
The other issue contained within is Age of Apocalypse - The Chosen. This is just a little intro to where all the familiar characters are given a brief little synopsis to where and who they are in this new-fangled age of doom and gloom. It has guest artists, etc. Potentially helpful, not a story in itself, obviously.
Alright, so back to Alpha: in the aftermath of Legion Quest everything is changed and an alternate dimension is created (uh-huh, alternate dimension, this is a comic afterall). Apocalypse rules the United States and it is a world of slaughter and destruction. Usually alternate futures in the X-Men books involve humans purging the mutants, in this case it is the reverse (though technically not a future).
The great thing about AoA, is that it is a wide scale event that you can come at with a pretty limited understanding of X-Men continuity, since all that gets thrown out the window. Characters are in different places, in some cases are very different themselves, and it is just a fun take on the characters you know. Though I should warn you, some heroes are villains, and some villains heroes. Depending on how attached you are to the fictions, you may not like some choices. Overall this is up there as one of the top crossover events I've read in comics, though mostly mindless fun.
Alpha gives you a brief look at all the different parts to this story as well as tells of a meeting between characters that will start the chief conflict for the series. It is what the title suggests, the beginning. Necessary? Umm, not entirely. If you read the other stories you'll get the handle on things, but it would certainly be recommended if you want to read the other AoA books.
Original Review:
This book has three comics.
The epilogue to Legion Quest, Cable #20. Written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Ian Churchill. This is just an issue on final moments before the end of the world... Loves confessed, friends thanked, teachers praised, yada yada. Not great.
Next is X-Men: Alpha, which is an oversized issue that is the beginning of the Age of Apocalypse. Written by Scott Lobdell, scripted by Mark Waid, drawn by Roger Cruz. More on this below, as it is the meat of the book.
The other issue contained within is Age of Apocalypse - The Chosen. This is just a little intro to where all the familiar characters are given a brief little synopsis to where and who they are in this new-fangled age of doom and gloom. It has guest artists, etc. Potentially helpful, not a story in itself, obviously.
Alright, so back to Alpha: in the aftermath of Legion Quest everything is changed and an alternate dimension is created (uh-huh, alternate dimension, this is a comic afterall). Apocalypse rules the United States and it is a world of slaughter and destruction. Usually alternate futures in the X-Men books involve humans purging the mutants, in this case it is the reverse (though technically not a future).
The great thing about AoA, is that it is a wide scale event that you can come at with a pretty limited understanding of X-Men continuity, since all that gets thrown out the window. Characters are in different places, in some cases are very different themselves, and it is just a fun take on the characters you know. Though I should warn you, some heroes are villains, and some villains heroes. Depending on how attached you are to the fictions, you may not like some choices. Overall this is up there as one of the top crossover events I've read in comics, though mostly mindless fun.
Alpha gives you a brief look at all the different parts to this story as well as tells of a meeting between characters that will start the chief conflict for the series. It is what the title suggests, the beginning. Necessary? Umm, not entirely. If you read the other stories you'll get the handle on things, but it would certainly be recommended if you want to read the other AoA books.
April 6, 2012
Cyclops confesses to Cable that he was his foster father "Slym" (why the y?) and yet Ian Churchill draws him as bulky and over-developed as any other generic hero. Churchill's women also have these weirdly elongated and tilted pelvises. And no stomachs or other internal organs in those pelvises.
November 3, 2009
I'm still trying to figure out just how Magneto managed to impregnate Rogue, and then how she carried Charles to full term...
August 1, 2011
Mostly a pin-up book, the Apocalypse files serve to offer images of the changed X-Men and their status in this new world. The art is great, but this is really not a substantial volume,
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews