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Wolverine Epic Collection
Wolverine Epic Collection, Vol. 12: Shadow of Apocalypse
Wolverine takes on the Marvel Universe! First, an alien encounter pits Logan against the Avengers and a host of Earth's heroes! Then things get really cosmic as, kidnapped to outer space, Wolverine takes on the Collector and Galactus! He'll team up with Cable, Nightcrawler, Hercules, Alpha Flight and Nova, and face gamma-fueled battles against the Hulk and the Leader...but is the Wolverine we know and love acting just a bit out of character? Then, Apocalypse turns the feral X-Man's life upside down, transforming him into the lethal Horseman of Death -complete with the return of his adamantium claws! COLLECTING: VOLUME 12: WOLVERINE (1988) 133-149, HULK (1999) 8, WOLVERINE/CABLE
504 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2017
About the author
Leinil Francis Yu
835 books52 followersLEINIL FRANCIS YU was first recognized after winning Wizard Magazine’s Drawing Board Contest, his first published work. Years later, Whilce Portacio submitted samples of Leinil’s work to Marvel Comics, instantly getting a chance to work on one of the publisher’s hottest titles, Wolverine. He continued working on Marvel, moving on to the core X-Men title (which was being written by Chris Claremont at the time) before crossing-over to other comic book publishers, co-creating High Roads with writer Scott Lobdell for Cliffhanger, Superman: Birthright with Mark Waid for DC Comics, and Silent Dragon with Andy Diggle for Vertigo.
Leinil found his way back to Marvel, and was even named as one of the 6 Top Guns: RELOADED artists. His style, which he himself describes as "Dynamic Pseudo-Realism", brought life to Marvel’s Comic Event for 2008, Secret Invasion, written by superstar scribe Brian Michael Bendis. 2010 reunites him with long –time collaborator and friend Gerry Alanguilan, providing the visuals for the second storyline of Ultimate Comics Avengers, and Superior written by Mark Millar of WANTED and KICK-ASS.
(Taken from here.)
Leinil found his way back to Marvel, and was even named as one of the 6 Top Guns: RELOADED artists. His style, which he himself describes as "Dynamic Pseudo-Realism", brought life to Marvel’s Comic Event for 2008, Secret Invasion, written by superstar scribe Brian Michael Bendis. 2010 reunites him with long –time collaborator and friend Gerry Alanguilan, providing the visuals for the second storyline of Ultimate Comics Avengers, and Superior written by Mark Millar of WANTED and KICK-ASS.
(Taken from here.)
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 28, 2020
In issue 148, Wolverine and the fauxtastic four walk out of an exploding building and just as they turn around they are at a political victory party. The intro page of text said this was an alternate reality, but it is hard to believe that no one at the rally cared about an exploding building roughly 12 feet away.
This collection is almost entirely written by Erik Larsen, and it is not that inspired. I liked his Spider-man back in the day, but much of this was just babbling and punching.
First he has Wolverine fight the Marvel Universe, but really Wolverine is just possessed by a female Eclipso rip off who gets him involved in a modern feeling Guardians of the Galaxy story.
After that is some Alpha Flight stuff that takes too long to kill off a character and restore a status quo that probably should have happened in an Alpha Flight book, not here.
A boring Hulk fight with an odd continuity error.
Then there are several issues tying in to some larger Apocalypse vs X-Men stories (The Twelve and Ages of Apocalypse). Even with some full pages of recap text thrown in just for this volume, the issues here do not make much sense.
Finally a Cable one-shot with some fun and over the top Platt art.
Out of all this, I liked the alternate reality issues on principle, but their execution was boring.
Overall it is just a mediocre slice of '90s comics that is not offensive in its mundanity, but not enjoyable. The art makes it a solid 3 stars, up from a 2.5 plot standpoint.
This collection is almost entirely written by Erik Larsen, and it is not that inspired. I liked his Spider-man back in the day, but much of this was just babbling and punching.
First he has Wolverine fight the Marvel Universe, but really Wolverine is just possessed by a female Eclipso rip off who gets him involved in a modern feeling Guardians of the Galaxy story.
After that is some Alpha Flight stuff that takes too long to kill off a character and restore a status quo that probably should have happened in an Alpha Flight book, not here.
A boring Hulk fight with an odd continuity error.
Then there are several issues tying in to some larger Apocalypse vs X-Men stories (The Twelve and Ages of Apocalypse). Even with some full pages of recap text thrown in just for this volume, the issues here do not make much sense.
Finally a Cable one-shot with some fun and over the top Platt art.
Out of all this, I liked the alternate reality issues on principle, but their execution was boring.
Overall it is just a mediocre slice of '90s comics that is not offensive in its mundanity, but not enjoyable. The art makes it a solid 3 stars, up from a 2.5 plot standpoint.
May 31, 2018
Wolverine “shadow of Apocalypse” by Erik larsen. Wolverine is a graphic novel about the stories or adventures he goes on to become the ultimate and final version of him. In the beginning it starts out with him fighting in space. Wolverine takes on the Marvel Universe! First, an alien encounter pits Logan against the Avengers and a host of Earth's heroes! Then things get really cosmic as, kidnapped to outer space, Wolverine takes on the Collector and Galactus! He'll team up with Cable, Nightcrawler, Hercules, Alpha Flight and Nova, and face gamma-fueled battles against the Hulk and the Leader. In many battles he has to test his strengths and weaknesses.I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of marvel. It has many different scenes to it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2018
Fun as hell collection of late 90's Wolverine stories. This book has some really amazing artwork by several creators still relevant today, in particular Leinil Francis Yu, whose earlier work is on gorgeous display here.
Now, I will say though that the opening story arc is a good deal worse than the rest of the collection, so it is a bit of a rough way to start the book. The artwork by Jeff Matsuda can be overly simplistic and "cartoony" at times, and then too rough and scratchy at others. The arc is by no means terrible, but the first issue in particular has a really annoying example of one of my least favorite tropes in comics (One that has thankfully died down as far as I can tell, post 2000's), Which is when two characters need to team up, but first they must fight because of a misunderstanding or some other stupid contrived reason. What is even more unforgivable is that the conflict spills into the next issue, meaning that first part of the story is completely superfluous. It's like they bring in all these other characters that are otherwise completely unrelated to the story, just to pad out the conflict and make it seem more important or dire. I honestly wanted to throw the book when, after beating the shit out of Wolverine and all the other bozos that showed up (not to mention badly injuring Carol Danvers, back when that character was actually interesting), this rando pleads with Wolverine for his help, basically saying he is her only hope, because reasons. This set up for the story was idiotic; the first two issues should have been trimmed down to just one, skip dragging in fodder characters just to show how badass this other character is. We get it, if a character can take on Wolverine, that means they are pretty damn strong. WE GOT IT.
It's a shame too, because that first issue opens with a really good scene between Carol Danvers and Logan just hanging out in a bar and musing about their pasts. It's some decently impressive character work and dialogue from Erik Larsen (who writes the majority of the issues in this book), considering he was and always will be an artist first, not a writer. You could have still kept the scene as the opener, and then devote the rest of the issue to the conflict with the new character, and end it with them revealing that they need Logan's help. Instead that's how the second issue ends. Ugh. The rest of the arc is decent, but between Erik Larsen's very simple writing on the whole (very similar to all the other "super star" artists of the 90's who would eventually insist on writing too) along with Matsuda's very simple and oddly childish designs and page layouts (this is to some degree on Larsen's shoulders of course, I obviously have no way of knowing to what degree), this story feels like an all ages book for a lot of it. Which then becomes weird when something gory happens, although much of it happens in Silhouette or slightly off-panel. Like what the hell is with Wolverine being incapable of actually stabbing or directly cutting people with his claws (this is during the stupid bone claws era too, so of course the damn things break at some point because reasons) in these issues? Only furthers the feel of an all-ages title. Bleh. I have no problem with all-ages media, but it has its own place, and the tone, and especially the visual look and aesthetic of that opening story clashes really awkwardly with the entire rest of the book.
I honestly don't have too much to say about the rest of the collection, moving on past my problems with those initial issues. I know this entire review is me bitching, but that is only because I was so disappointed with that first story arc, especially now that I can compare the rest of the material collected here to it. The story is not terrible on its own (despite the unnecessary number of issues) and would be a decent read out of this context.
The rest of the collection is honestly just really damn solid. Excellent artwork, fast moving plot that doesn't feel dumbed-down, while not being the most complex thing in the world. Thoroughly fun and entertaining stories with good representations, both visually and personality-wise, of iconic characters beloved by many.
The last thing I want to touch on is that this collection is closed out by a One-Shot issue written by Joe Casey, staring Wolverine and Cable (who also appears some earlier in the book, and is actually done well and not stupidly like he was so much in the 90's), entitled 'Guts and Glory'. It is a really cool story that is a great, far more cerebral note to close the collection on. I think you could only really put this at the end if you are going to include it, because it would be jarring going to this story, and then back again into the more popcorn reading of the rest of the book. I adore Joe Casey, he is one of my all time favorite writers, and it is always great and really fascinating to see his takes on more mainstream characters, doing a more traditional (mostly) type of story. All in all, very enjoyable, I am glad I finally get to cross that issue off my reading list, and a great way to end a (on the whole) great collection. Highly recommended for Wolverine and X-Men fans who want to see a good example X characters done right in the 90's.
Now, I will say though that the opening story arc is a good deal worse than the rest of the collection, so it is a bit of a rough way to start the book. The artwork by Jeff Matsuda can be overly simplistic and "cartoony" at times, and then too rough and scratchy at others. The arc is by no means terrible, but the first issue in particular has a really annoying example of one of my least favorite tropes in comics (One that has thankfully died down as far as I can tell, post 2000's), Which is when two characters need to team up, but first they must fight because of a misunderstanding or some other stupid contrived reason. What is even more unforgivable is that the conflict spills into the next issue, meaning that first part of the story is completely superfluous. It's like they bring in all these other characters that are otherwise completely unrelated to the story, just to pad out the conflict and make it seem more important or dire. I honestly wanted to throw the book when, after beating the shit out of Wolverine and all the other bozos that showed up (not to mention badly injuring Carol Danvers, back when that character was actually interesting), this rando pleads with Wolverine for his help, basically saying he is her only hope, because reasons. This set up for the story was idiotic; the first two issues should have been trimmed down to just one, skip dragging in fodder characters just to show how badass this other character is. We get it, if a character can take on Wolverine, that means they are pretty damn strong. WE GOT IT.
It's a shame too, because that first issue opens with a really good scene between Carol Danvers and Logan just hanging out in a bar and musing about their pasts. It's some decently impressive character work and dialogue from Erik Larsen (who writes the majority of the issues in this book), considering he was and always will be an artist first, not a writer. You could have still kept the scene as the opener, and then devote the rest of the issue to the conflict with the new character, and end it with them revealing that they need Logan's help. Instead that's how the second issue ends. Ugh. The rest of the arc is decent, but between Erik Larsen's very simple writing on the whole (very similar to all the other "super star" artists of the 90's who would eventually insist on writing too) along with Matsuda's very simple and oddly childish designs and page layouts (this is to some degree on Larsen's shoulders of course, I obviously have no way of knowing to what degree), this story feels like an all ages book for a lot of it. Which then becomes weird when something gory happens, although much of it happens in Silhouette or slightly off-panel. Like what the hell is with Wolverine being incapable of actually stabbing or directly cutting people with his claws (this is during the stupid bone claws era too, so of course the damn things break at some point because reasons) in these issues? Only furthers the feel of an all-ages title. Bleh. I have no problem with all-ages media, but it has its own place, and the tone, and especially the visual look and aesthetic of that opening story clashes really awkwardly with the entire rest of the book.
I honestly don't have too much to say about the rest of the collection, moving on past my problems with those initial issues. I know this entire review is me bitching, but that is only because I was so disappointed with that first story arc, especially now that I can compare the rest of the material collected here to it. The story is not terrible on its own (despite the unnecessary number of issues) and would be a decent read out of this context.
The rest of the collection is honestly just really damn solid. Excellent artwork, fast moving plot that doesn't feel dumbed-down, while not being the most complex thing in the world. Thoroughly fun and entertaining stories with good representations, both visually and personality-wise, of iconic characters beloved by many.
The last thing I want to touch on is that this collection is closed out by a One-Shot issue written by Joe Casey, staring Wolverine and Cable (who also appears some earlier in the book, and is actually done well and not stupidly like he was so much in the 90's), entitled 'Guts and Glory'. It is a really cool story that is a great, far more cerebral note to close the collection on. I think you could only really put this at the end if you are going to include it, because it would be jarring going to this story, and then back again into the more popcorn reading of the rest of the book. I adore Joe Casey, he is one of my all time favorite writers, and it is always great and really fascinating to see his takes on more mainstream characters, doing a more traditional (mostly) type of story. All in all, very enjoyable, I am glad I finally get to cross that issue off my reading list, and a great way to end a (on the whole) great collection. Highly recommended for Wolverine and X-Men fans who want to see a good example X characters done right in the 90's.
August 30, 2018
Wolverine takes on Galactus kus its comics right 😁, meets the last survivor from the planet Dark Phoenix (Jean Grey) blew up back in the days & a whole bunch of other stuff i dont want to spoil. Now this specific volume might not be for everyone it can get a little bit ridiculous & sometimes even slapsticky so if thats not youre thing or you want a more serious Wolverine you might want to pass on this one but if you want a fun ride that catches the feel of what 90s comics were like this doesnt disappoint. I give this a 7/10
April 5, 2026
This was very mixed some stories were nonsensical but there were a lot of cool crossovers and Logan fought a lot of interesting characters. The events at the time really made this a confusing collection without having the context of what was going on. 1998-2000. 6/10
July 31, 2020
Great fun reading these stories I hadn't read before. Looking forward to getting to volume 13...
March 3, 2017
Epic Wolverine
Very good collection featuring Wolverine and several other Marvel superheroes.. one can get a glimpse of Wolverine's past and present relationships, as well as the turbulent times when he lost his Adamantium and then his mutant powers..
Very good collection featuring Wolverine and several other Marvel superheroes.. one can get a glimpse of Wolverine's past and present relationships, as well as the turbulent times when he lost his Adamantium and then his mutant powers..
Want to Read
February 9, 2017Had I been asked what Wolverine book I'd like to see next? It would have been this collection. This material is very high on my Most Wanted List.* Was close to searching out floppies. Didn't even realize what exactly this Epic Collection contained until it arrived upon my doorstep and I opened the book! What a wonderful surprise. Suspect it will be the best one from Marvel this year. As I usually pay a bit closer attention to what I'm buying.
Anyhoo... For me this is Prime X-Men years. Love this period and I love the Jeff Matsuda story in here. But it's a whopper. Much here unknown to me. Can't wait to dig in! Both to re-read and read for the first time.
*Well, this run collected here and a couple of years before and after it as well. Most never reprinted before if I remember right.
Anyhoo... For me this is Prime X-Men years. Love this period and I love the Jeff Matsuda story in here. But it's a whopper. Much here unknown to me. Can't wait to dig in! Both to re-read and read for the first time.
*Well, this run collected here and a couple of years before and after it as well. Most never reprinted before if I remember right.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews