Earth X Trilogy Omnibus: Alpha

Earth X (Collected Editions) #1-3

by Alex Ross

Comic art master Alex Ross offers his dark vision of the Marvel Universe's future - together with writer Jim Krueger and artists John Paul Leon and Doug Braithwaite! The saga begins in a world where everyone has super powers - and Reed Richards sets out to cure a calamity he fears he may have caused. Meanwhile, a battle-weary Captain America struggles to defeat a horrific new enemy of freedom - and Celestial forces beyond comprehension threaten a fate that only the Watcher suspects. Could it be that Earth itself is doomed - or can a new generation of heroes, including the legendary Mar-Vell reborn, save humanity? Be here for bold reimaginings of the Avengers, X-Men, Inhumans, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and more!

COLLECTING: EARTH X 0-12, 1/2, X, EPILOGUE, SKETCHBOOK; UNIVERSE X 0-12, X, 4, SPIDEY, CAP, BEASTS, IRON MEN,
OMNIBUS

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Action, Collections

1304 pages, Hardcover

Published September 4, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[James]

Well ladies and gents, it has finally happened. The first time I DNF a book 🤦🏾‍♂️. I swear Krueger had to have been being paid by the letter. This book was over the top wordy. Then to top it off, each issue has 5-6 pages of straight prose at the end. Like, gee wilikers Batman. They had a pretty good idea/concept but it was moving at a glaciers pace. The Celestials planted a ‘seed’ in humans that would awaken in the far future. This was to help humans protect the earth which had a celestial growing inside similar to the Eternals movie. Galactus ate planets containing these growing Celestials to keep the balance. Making sure there weren’t too many Celestials. The seed germinated early with the release of the terrigen mist. Now everyone in earth had powers and were essentially Inhumans. I made it a little past the halfway point. There was about three or four 49 page issues that stopped having prose at the end and I thought I made it past all of that. Then the next 12 issue series started up and the prose at the end of each issue returned. I just gave up at that point. The book was feeling like more of a chore than enjoyment and I found myself forcing my way through it. Enough was enough.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earth X is a brilliant take on Marvel mythos and lore, combining and devilling into many areas and characters from Marvel history to create a story in the not too distant future. It feels like a dense read at times, but it's an enjoyable one.

Unfortunately, the follow up Universe X isn't quite as good, and seems to slog along more, with a plot that isn't as interesting. Like it's predecessor it goes a lot into Marvel history, but it it's just never quite as good.

[Hal Incandenza · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Il distacco fatalista di oggi unito alla gloria senza macchia dei primi albi Marvel”
(Dall’introduzione di Joss Whedon)

Ho estrapolato questa frase di Whedon perché penso che descriva alla perfezione Terra X (e Universo X).

Questa è la storia Marvel definitiva e io ne ho amato ogni singolo istante.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally got around to reading this as I had picked it up pretty cheaply a while ago and got to thinking I should probably read it 'someday soon.' I think if I had not 'just' finished DC's Trinity maxi-series, I might have liked this one more. I am not saying it is 'the same story' as DC's bold endeavor to recapture the "magic" of its 52 storyline, but the two stories strongly reminded me of each other. The narrative in this story is quite slow; I kept wanting it to be over about halfway through 'each series' collected in this single volume. The character development is different; because the story begins immediately 'in the future,' the reader is somewhat informed through 'backstories' as to what has taken place and why the Earth and its inhabitants are in their current condition. The artwork is decent; it was interesting enough to keep me reading. I do not know that it has as many 'splash pages' as DC's Trinity had, but the focus of the two stories is a bit different, though, and would account for this (I guess I have gotten used to there being 'splash pages' in Ross's various works, but he did not do the artwork in this story, though, otherwise I am sure there would have been at least some for the reader to enjoy).

I do not know if it has to do with 'so much taking place' around the planet, off-planet, and in other dimensions/realities, but it really felt like 'too much was going on' to be able to take it all in, to process everything. Also, with so much going on, it slows down the pacing of the story. The 'beginning' of each 'chapter' (comic) is where the most backstory takes place to bring the reader 'up to speed' as the chapter progresses onward from that point. The story jumps around constantly, bouncing around between the Moon and different points on the Earth that are 'important nodal points' for this story. That constant jumping around breaks up the narrative even further and prevents the reader from fully engaging in the story, from really caring about any of the characters.

It was funny; Uatu has always struck me as a pompous prig, but the authors make him a complete and utter @$$ in this story. He 'abducts' Machine Man in the very beginning to make Aaron Stack (X-51 aka Machine Man) Earth's "new" Watcher as Uatu has been blinded for about ten years and cannot see. I did think that was an interesting development (in terms of the race of Watchers and how it affected Uatu), but Uatu trying to convince X-51 to take the place of Uatu's eyes and describe to Uatu "everything that is happening" got pretty old, pretty quick. Uatu kept trying to convince X-51 that it was nothing more than a machine programmed to have emotional responses and an internal system of morality; Uatu kept trying to convince X-51 that there was no such thing as "good and evil," that these concepts are merely artificial constructs created by lesser beings trying to cope with and grasp reality. He kept trying to get X-51 to become an "amoral" being with no sense of 'moral rightness,' no sense of 'right and wrong.' It got REALLLLLLY annoying, pretty quick, and I found myself wishing the authors had ended that whole "wannabe mind-trip" a lot sooner than it did. I mean, really? Who was Uatu to tell another being that there was no such thing as 'right and wrong,' that there are no true moral values, that there is no morality in the universe. It merely sounds like Uatu is trying to force his viewpoints upon X-51 and do more than "just watch things as they transpire."

I did think it was an interesting concept/idea to have the Celestials implant planets with a "Celestial embryo" that required vibranium in vast quantities before it could "hatch/be born," before it could come into existence. I also liked the idea that Galactus was the cure for the Celestial disease; the authors postulate that Galactus did not actually consume or destroy the planets themselves; he merely removed the Celestial seed/embryo from its stasis at the planet's core and devoured that Celestial seed. The problem came in after Galactus left the remains of the planet behind; with it's 'central core' removed from the planet, it had a very short time left 'to live' and the inhabitants of the planet either had to evacuate or die. Most of them died.

I thought it was an 'interesting take' on the Asgardians, that they were alien shapeshifters who visited Earth's distant past and took on the identities of the beliefs of a group of Norsemen; they became Asgardians and members of the Asgardians' pantheon/world because of "belief." If anybody ever stopped believing in the Asgardians, then they would all supposedly die as a result. Also, if they stopped believing in themselves that they were who they believed themselves to be, then there was a chance they could also die from their 'unbelief in themselves' (or so it seemed). There was an 'odd moment' where Loki convinces Surtur that he is not truly a 'fire demon' who has to destroy everything, including Asgard. Loki then eggs Thor on with this information, but nothing ever comes of it, so it really made me wonder what the whole point was for this 'mini-event' to have occurred. It really seemed like a waste of space in the story since it was never used again, and other such diversions usually had some kind of part to play in the overall narrative.

There were other interesting theories scattered throughout this omnibus, such as: Thanos's mother was actually a Skrull and not a member of the race of Eternals who settled on Titan, the Black Panther's holding a Cosmic Cube in safekeeping for Captain America indirectly allowed the wildlife of Wakanda to become sentient creatures and "Ani-Men" in their own right. I have already said that Uatu was blind and needed somebody to 'watch' for him. Black Bolt was the one who blinded Uatu. Limbo is actually Doctor Doom's time machine used multiple times and creating a 'hole' in the space-time continuum. Black Bolt was the one who released the Terrigen Mist Bomb in order to mutate all humans and any Inhumans hiding amongst humanity so that all of humanity would be mutated and would stop singling out those who were different based on appearances alone. Creel was able to absorb Ultron's 'abilities' and computer-mind which allowed him to then kill all of the Avengers who were opposing him. Vibranium is not the 'wonder metal' it was always believed to be; it was both terraforming the Earth to prepare for the hatching (birthing?) of the Celestial Seed/Embryo and infecting humanity in order to transform humanity into additional food for the Celestials (kind of reminding me of the Eternals mini-series a while back with JRJR being the artist, where the Celestials perceived the Deviants as 'food' and ate them wholesale). Because of the Terrigen Mist being released, no more babies can be born. I was surprised to learn that Galactus had been turned into a star by Reed Richards and that Franklin Richards had taken the place of Galactus, becoming Galactus in the process. Now THAT was a shock to the system!

I did find the "issue" that focused on Nick Fury to be funny, in a sad sort-of-way. I thought it truly was Nick Fury who had infiltrated the Skull's group and was preparing to take the Skull out, but it turned out to be an LMD. I was not expecting that to happen, so the 'last page' that revealed the truth behind Nick was a bit of a shock. It was well-done, that being the case, as I had no idea that was about to happen! Skull's comments on that last page were pretty hilarious to me, too, to be honest. I found myself laughing at his voiced displeasure over the LMD and that it was talking 'out loud' and revealing its plans to everybody.

I thought the second series focusing on Mephisto and how Mephisto, how evil, do not exist, was pretty weak. As it turned out, Mephisto was merely a "human sub-human" or something, some early version of humanity that had been super-evolved by the Celestials into 'becoming' Mephisto. I mean, I thought the whole 'theory' that Mephisto was using Doctor Doom's time machine to continue increasing the number of alternate universes and thereby preventing his being 'judged' at the end of time by the Creator and being punished to be an interesting concept/idea. Too bad the authors ruined it as the story progressed! In any case, I thought the whole 'shape-shifting beings-thing' became an overused trope as the story progressed. Anytime something needed to be explained, some 'powerful being,' the being and/or its power was explained away as being the result of some shapeshifter become what another being believed the shapeshifter to be. Mar-Vell having to find various items of 'significant power' as well as the 'lost pieces of Cosmic Consciousness' scattered throughout time and history became a very boring quest; I felt like the whole series could have been cut in half and still be the same story (or even better because of not having to wade through all of the extra 'stuff' thrown into the mix.

It just seemed idiotic to me to declare that 'good and evil,' that 'morality' and 'the Devil' are merely constructs of some sort that are irrelevant and having no place in reality. If that is the case, then why have 'lesser beings' have any kind of morality, any kind of moral values, at all? It would make more sense to say that no sense of morality would have evolved (at least, not beyond "you shouldn't take that from me! it's mine!") if there was truly no 'right and wrong,' no 'evil or good' in the universe, in this story's version of reality. Also, I wonder if "evil" should be matched up with "holy" as opposed to "good"; "good" and "bad" tend to be matched up together and seem a better pairing than "good and evil" as "evil" seems "a much stronger force" than good. Not only that, but to say there are no morals, no values, no inherent right or wrong, no good or evil, that any and all morality is merely some sort of construct(s) created by "inferior beings," would seem to devalue the acts of others who oppose what are evil acts or criminal acts. I really did not like 'that aspect' of the whole series, about morality, in general, and the view taken on Mephisto, in particular.

Now, I did like that Crusher Creel became a "hero" in the end and saved the planet. He did this by transforming himself into vibranium and other materials/minerals needed to replace what was taken out of the Earth's core when Franklin (Galactus) removed the Celestial Seed/Embryo for sustenance. I always liked this character, and I especially liked it when Thunderstrike (Eric Masterson) sought to 'rehabilitate' Crusher Creel and help him to become 'honest' instead of remaining a criminal. I have always wished that Thor or somebody else could have followed up (through) with Crusher and help he and his wife, Titania, to continue living a life of a law-abiding citizen and even becoming heroes in their own right, someday. It is like Marvel does not know what to do with various rehabilitated criminals (a la the Sandman) and thus has them return to a life of crime for no really good or apparent reason; just like Marvel seems to prefer to have various marriages end in divorce or cease to exist (or, not even take place!) (a la Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker, Jean Grey and Scott Summers, T'Challa and Orroro, and Hank Pym and Janet Pym, just to name a few). So, yeah, I enjoyed seeing Creel "reappear" and become the hero he always could have been by the end of the series.

I also liked that Ben Grimm married Alicia Masters and, after the "Terrigen Event," were able to have children. I guess they only had the two boys; for some reason, I thought they had more than just the two children. In any case, I was happy to see that Ben Grimm had settled down and embraced a married life, that he was "finally" happy and enjoying himself. I also liked that a part of Alicia's "mutation" involved being able to 'give life' and make things alive, which is what allowed her to 'become pregnant' and have children with Ben. That was pretty cool to see.

I also got really tired of the whole "thing" with Kyle Richmond and Isaac Christians. Somehow, for some reason, Mephisto gave Kyle a new set of eyes that allowed Kyle to see the future, and Isaac (the former member of the Defenders known as the Gargoyle) would write down what Kyle saw (foretold?) in journals that Isaac kept. It was very odd, because Kyle kept saying his visions were of 'the future' but then he started claiming he was seeing 'the past', instead, yet Mephisto was relying upon Kyle's visions of the "future" to enact some nefarious scheme on Mephisto's part in a vain attempt to continue 'escaping' his own personal judgment day. It was about as bad as the dialogues between X-51 and Uatu, although told from what I assume was supposed to be a different perspective(?). I think part of the problem was that it seemed like the two sets of characters kept repeating some of the same dialogue over-and-over-and-over, and it got really old, really quick. I just wanted them to move on, to get out of the way, so the story could continue.

Overall, it was an in interesting, if darker, take on the (future of the) MCU. As slow-moving as it was, I did find myself wanting to know how it ended, "what was going to happen next," and this kept me reading the book. So, the authors did a good job in creating a desire to continue reading despite my many annoyances I felt while reading it. I never had any problems putting it down if something else came up, but I did find myself easily picking it back up to continue reading (towards the end, it was more to 'get it done' than anything else). I am hoping the third part of the trilogy is 'better' and moves faster than these 'first two chapters' moved. The artwork is okay; I really enjoyed Alex Ross's pencils in each 'chapter's afterward' and the sketchbook that was included with this omnibus edition. I would have liked it more if the authors had included more on the 'why' behind the direction they took for the story. It seemed like there was 'more to it' than what they said, but neither of them was forthcoming or included any additional information to enlighten a curious reader as to why they took the tact they did. I would probably rank this somewhere between 2.6 and 2.9 stars, rounded up to 3 stars. In any case, I have been wanting to read this for a while, so I am glad that I finally got around to reading it. I just wish it was better than it turned out to be.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earth X. This book followed in the footsteps of Marvels and Kingdom Come and so it ended up being a bit of an "also ran", which is a pity because it's a carefully constructed story that puts one foot in the past and one in the future, combining the best aspects of its predecessors. It also unveils a delightful conspiracy underlying the Marvel Universe that feels like it *should* be true in 616, even if it isn't. The Inhumans, the Watchers, the Celestials, and the Asgardians all connected up together: it's terrific. (So much so that an element here or there has made it into 616, the movies, or both.)

Today, it feels a little bit long and a little bit wordy, but it's still a dense, interesting read. [5/5]

Universe X. Earth X was overly wordy, but otherwise a wonderful deconstruction of Marvel history. Universe X tries to do the same with demonkind and the multiverse ... and it's a mess. There's a lot of value in what Ross tries to do, he's just not successful. We get revelations that undercut themselves and that don't make sense. You can squint and see how some, like the nature of demonkind and Limbo, COULD have been good, they just aren't. Meanwhile, the plot is horrible. It just feels like it's being pushed along with no actual character agency, and most of it is just some infinitely long MacGuffin quests: destroy the torches, recover Creed, get some other stuff. Meanwhile, Ross gives us multiple narrators, dragging down the story even more. Could have been good, but whatever polish and editorial hand was present in Earth X is missing here [2+/5].

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A breath-taking and an astonishing wide swathe of revisiting Marvel history cannon with an eye bent towards a dark and twisted future. The story takes Marvel history cannon as if the original heroes of the Silver and Bronze Age had aged in real-world fashion and thus Reed Richards is, among others, a grey-haired old man. The Watcher has been blinded, the Earth is in peril. Ross gives us a scifi cosmic twist on what comes next. This is a complex, dense and highly original tale. Digging into the next omnibus already and will hold judgment until I've finished with the next volume.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have so many thoughts on Earth X and Universe X, and such a rollercaster experience reading it. It's ambitious beyond what I expected, turning into a "Grand Design" of the Marvel Universe, attempting to connect continuity and touch every corner in a massive explanation for everything. Some of it is compelling, some is totally up its own add. The art ranges from the sublime work of John Paul Leon to some absolutely subpar work on tie-ins.

The ideas are absolutely something you could turn into a good story.

If only Ross and Kreuger had done that, instead of ... this.

It's just SO badly written. Endless forced exposition handled truly clumsily, exhausting excuses for underbaked philosophy and metaphysics, and a r=complete lack of narrative cohesion. I got swept up in the world and the action often, only to come crashing down the next time I abrubtly jumped to another plotline. It's the mechanics, the overwriting, the scene-setting ... everything.

[Lucas Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une intrigue très très riche et impossible à résumer en quelques mots.

Mais un récit incroyable. Une épopée dans un univers alternatif mais qui rend hommage à l'univers Marvel du golden age du silver age, avec tout un sous texte très profond et qui posent des questions philosophiques (et métaphysiques) pertinentes et qui accentuent la qualité du récit.

[Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great extended what if story of a very tired future for the marvel universe a lot of ideas proposed hear either got canonized in 616 or are such prevalent head canons it doesn’t matter if they’re canon or not the various cover arts are gorgeous unfortunately this has problem of making the actual which is actually quite decent underwhelming in comparison has a surprising amount of focus for what it is everything is leading to something.