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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!
Collects Wolverine (1988) #133-149, Incredible Hulk (1999) #8, Wolverine/Cable: Guts and Glory #1.
Collects Wolverine (1988) #133-149, Incredible Hulk (1999) #8, Wolverine/Cable: Guts and Glory #1.
487 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2017
About the author
Erik Larsen
962 books78 followersAs a child growing up in Bellingham, Washington and Albion, California, Erik Larsen created seveal comic books featuring versions of a character named 'Dragon.' He eventually published a fanzine, which led to his doing professional work on a comic book called Megaton for creator Gary Carlson. It was here that he introduced the Dragon, a super powered superhero, to the comic-reading masses.
After a multitude of mailings, showing his work, Erik became aquainted with Jim Shooter, who was, at that point, Marvel's Editor-in-Chief. Erik eventually met Jim at a convention in Chicago and Jim was impressed enough with Erik's work that he consented to co-plot a story with him on the spot. That story was a battle between Marvel Comics characters Hulk & Thor. Although it wasn't actually published until years later, it did impress a variety of Editors enough to get Larsen some more high-profile work in the funnybook field.
Erik jumped around various books in this part of his career. He did an Amazing Spider-Man fill-in story at Marvel, a few issues of DNAgents for Eclipse, and he eventually took over the art chores on DC's Doom Patrol. Soon afterwards, he left DC and moved on to the Punisher for Marvel. Five issues of that book was about as much pain as that poor Minnesota boy could stand. Erik wanted to write and when a Nova serial was given the thumbs up to run in Marvel Comics Presents with Erik as the writer/artist, he gladly left the Punisher. But it was not to be! The powers that be had other plans for Nova and Erik's yarn didn't fit in with the impending New Warriors series. Editor Terry Kavanaugh gave Larsen an Excalibur serial to draw for Marvel Comics Presents while the poor bastard waited for his big break.
When ever-popular artist Todd McFarlane left his artistic duties on Amazing Spider-Man, Larsen was chosen to be his successor. That run was astoundingly well-recieved, and included popular stories like 'The Return of the Sinister Six', 'The Cosmic Spider-Man', and 'The Powerless Spider-Man'. Although he was comfortable with his position as Amazing Spider-Man penciller, he was frustrated drawing other people's stories. Larsen found that his ravenous desire to write had only gotten stronger. He left Amazing Spider-Man, quite pooped.
By this time, the New Warriors was going full tilt and Erik tossed together a proposal for a Nova ongoing series. While he waited for it to get the nod, Todd McFarlane left the new Spider-Man title that he had launched. Erik was called upon once again picked up the torch - and he ran with it. Larsen created a memorable albeit brief run on that title, despite a traumatic event in his personal life - his house burned to the ground, destroying all of his childhood drawings and comic books.
After this period, creator Rob Liefeld invited Larsen to help found a new comic book imprint called 'Image' at Malibu comics, alongside notorious creators Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino. Erik's flagship comic book at Image (which soon left Malibu and became the third lagest comic book publisher in the United States) was an updated version of his childhood creation -- 'The Savage Dragon.' Larsen has been succeeding with his ideas ever since, through his creations Freak Force, Star, SuperPatriot and the Deadly Duo as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which he helped revitalize and bring to Image.
As of 2004, Erik Larsen became the Publisher of Image Comics and shows no sign of slowing down.
After a multitude of mailings, showing his work, Erik became aquainted with Jim Shooter, who was, at that point, Marvel's Editor-in-Chief. Erik eventually met Jim at a convention in Chicago and Jim was impressed enough with Erik's work that he consented to co-plot a story with him on the spot. That story was a battle between Marvel Comics characters Hulk & Thor. Although it wasn't actually published until years later, it did impress a variety of Editors enough to get Larsen some more high-profile work in the funnybook field.
Erik jumped around various books in this part of his career. He did an Amazing Spider-Man fill-in story at Marvel, a few issues of DNAgents for Eclipse, and he eventually took over the art chores on DC's Doom Patrol. Soon afterwards, he left DC and moved on to the Punisher for Marvel. Five issues of that book was about as much pain as that poor Minnesota boy could stand. Erik wanted to write and when a Nova serial was given the thumbs up to run in Marvel Comics Presents with Erik as the writer/artist, he gladly left the Punisher. But it was not to be! The powers that be had other plans for Nova and Erik's yarn didn't fit in with the impending New Warriors series. Editor Terry Kavanaugh gave Larsen an Excalibur serial to draw for Marvel Comics Presents while the poor bastard waited for his big break.
When ever-popular artist Todd McFarlane left his artistic duties on Amazing Spider-Man, Larsen was chosen to be his successor. That run was astoundingly well-recieved, and included popular stories like 'The Return of the Sinister Six', 'The Cosmic Spider-Man', and 'The Powerless Spider-Man'. Although he was comfortable with his position as Amazing Spider-Man penciller, he was frustrated drawing other people's stories. Larsen found that his ravenous desire to write had only gotten stronger. He left Amazing Spider-Man, quite pooped.
By this time, the New Warriors was going full tilt and Erik tossed together a proposal for a Nova ongoing series. While he waited for it to get the nod, Todd McFarlane left the new Spider-Man title that he had launched. Erik was called upon once again picked up the torch - and he ran with it. Larsen created a memorable albeit brief run on that title, despite a traumatic event in his personal life - his house burned to the ground, destroying all of his childhood drawings and comic books.
After this period, creator Rob Liefeld invited Larsen to help found a new comic book imprint called 'Image' at Malibu comics, alongside notorious creators Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino. Erik's flagship comic book at Image (which soon left Malibu and became the third lagest comic book publisher in the United States) was an updated version of his childhood creation -- 'The Savage Dragon.' Larsen has been succeeding with his ideas ever since, through his creations Freak Force, Star, SuperPatriot and the Deadly Duo as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which he helped revitalize and bring to Image.
As of 2004, Erik Larsen became the Publisher of Image Comics and shows no sign of slowing down.
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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