X-Men/Avengers: Onslaught Omnibus

X-Men/Avengers: Onslaught #1-3

by Scott Lobdell, Jeph Loeb, Terry Kavanagh

Onslaught is here! The fury of Magneto plus the psionic might of Charles Xavier equals very bad news for the Marvel Universe! Now, discover how this mental monster came to be — and the full extent of the havoc he wreaked on the X-Men, the Avengers and pretty much everybody else! As the truth slowly dawns about the nature of the evil they face, how much are Marvel’s greatest heroes prepared to sacrifice to save the world?

COLLECTING: Cable (1993) 32-36; Uncanny X-Men (1981) 333-337; X-Force (1991) 55, 57-58; X-Man (1995) 15-19; X-Men (1991) 53-57; X-Men Annual '96; X-Men Unlimited (1993) 11; Onslaught: X-Men (1996); Onslaught: Marvel Universe (1996); Onslaught: Epilogue (1997); Avengers (1963) 401-402; Fantastic Four (1961) 415; Incredible Hulk (1968) 444-445; Wolverine (1988) 104-105; X-Factor (1986) 125-126; Amazing Spider-Man (1963) 415; Green Goblin (1995) 12; Spider-Man (1990) 72; Iron Man (1968) 332; Punisher (1995) 11; Thor (1966) 502; X-Men: Road to Onslaught (1996) 1; material from Excalibur (1988) 100, Fantastic Four (1961) 416

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

1296 pages, Hardcover

First published July 14, 2015

About the author

Scott Lobdell (born 1960) is an American comic book writer.

He is mostly known for his work throughout the 1990s on Marvel Comics' X-Men-related titles specifically Uncanny X-Men, the main title itself, and the spin-off series that he conceived with artist Chris Bachalo, Generation X. Generation X focused on a number of young mutant students who attempted to become superheroes in their own right at a separate school with the guidance of veteran X-related characters Banshee and Emma Frost. He also had writing stints on Marvel's Fantastic Four, Alpha Flight, and The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix mini-series with artist Gene Ha. He wrote the script to Stan Lee's Mosaic and an upcoming film from POW Entertainment featuring Ringo Starr. He also participated in the Marvel Comics and Image Comics (from Jim Lee's WildStorm) crossover mini-series WildC.A.T.s/X-Men.

Reviews

[Molly™☺ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Onslaught is one of the most ambitious crossover events of its time with its far spanning tie-ins and team ups that culminates in an epic showdown with a world-ending threat. Even by today’s standards, there is a feeling of magnitude that radiates from within this story. However, the weight of such a hefty cast is also this story’s biggest problem. There are a plethora of side stories running throughout which serve only to bloat rather than add, and the pages dedicated to small players within the overarching narrative means that more important figures are given less time to shine; more focus on the Fantastic Four would have added to the emotional investment. There is no doubt that this is epic in both scale and iconography, and whilst it can feel like an uneven read at times, the overall package is one that impresses and lingers in your mind.

actual rating: 3.5 stars

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Onslaught was perhaps the biggest Marvel crossover of the '90s, running across all the X-Men and Avengers titles, with stops in Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and others. (The Infinity Gauntlet is the other contender.) Despite that, it took a decade for it to be collected and almost twice as long for a nice omnibus to appear. The reason? It's really not that great.

The main problem is that it's structured poorly, holding up particularly badly when compared to core X-crossovers of the era, which did a much better job of figuring out how build critical inflection points and revelations into their events. Onslaught pretty much has one reveal: the identity of Onslaught. And it has pretty much one inflection point: the attack of the Sentinels.

The dual-purpose of this crossover as the farewell to a variety of Marvel heroes (who were about to be handed over to the sweet mercies of Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee) also caused problems. Some comics such as Iron Man didn't take advantage of this at all, while others such as Thor and Fantastic Four offered rather dreadful recaps or illusionary fights with classic villains. This causes a lot of wheel-spinning in the overall series, especially when read in this big omnibus.

But the crossover had other problems, the greatest of which is the villains. Onslaught is a faceless megalomaniac the whole time. There's no characterization here, just goatee-tugging laughter. If you want to find out about his motives, you need to go read some of the background material (which is fortunately also collected in this omnibus). Then, when you thought the villains couldn't get duller or more faceless, a bunch of Sentinels are dumped in New York, mainly to give the heroes something to do.

The motives of Onslaught aren't the only muddiness in this series. It's muddied further by the inclusion of other major X-foes like Apocalypse and Mr. Sinister, who just don't serve must purpose. Dark Beast and Holocaust are a little better, because they're in service to Onslaught and give him a bit of a public face. But overall, it's too much.

When the crossover does shine, it's only at the edges. The early issues of X-Men leading into the crossover are strong. The '90s Lobdell era of X-Men has often been derided, but the more I read and reread it, the more I realize that even if his storytelling was sometimes turgid, he did a great job of characterizing the X-Men, and his era was actually stronger than some of the X-writer in the '10s, post Secret Wars. The ending is also strong: Mark Waid writes a touching finale that's better than any of those scattered "End of an Era" comics, and then we get a few final good character-driven X-Men (but also some mediocre stories by Larry Hamma). Still, the start and end of this volume are the best.

This volume also amusingly gives us the horrid excess of the '90s scattered across the Marvel Universe. We get to see a bit of bug-girl Wasp and teen-Tony Iron Man and hair-metal Thor. (Marvel would silently reboot all of these atrocities in Heroes Return.) And of course you can read another omnibus, Avengers: The Crossing, if you want to see more of that silliness.

And finally, the core decision to darken Xavier and then remove him from the X-Men is a sound one. Too long, the team had been shadowed by his presence, unable to emerge with their own agency. Not only did darkening Xavier destroy some of his authority, but removing him gave the X-Men an opportunity to really become their own people, something that had only happened occasionally in the past (such as during the infamous dead-in-Australia period). In fact, this decision has been so good, that X-writers have repeated it again and again, removing, delegitimizing, or killing Xavier after Deadly Genesis, Messiah Complex, and AvX (and hopefully the X-writers aren't going to walk back this plot point, as they have every other major change in recent years, as the dynamics of the X-teams are much better for it).

But Onslaught Omnibus overall: meh. I guess I'm glad it's collected in omnibus form, but I don't expect I'll be rereading it much (and next time I do, I expect I'll skip most or all of the Marvel Universe crossovers, which added very little to the comic).

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the summer event for Marvel comics in 1996. This book includes the prologue, event, and some aftermath. I can't say it has every since related issue but it sure feels like it does. It even has a Punisher issue or two. The book is well edited and well constructed for it's size. It's one of the largest Marvel omnibus volumes so far. By page count I think it is the longest but the slimmer pages mean there are a couple that have a similar thickness.

As to the quality of the event, they connected the dots between teams and characters very well. The danger/villain raised was significant and there are a few good introspective moments along with the fisticuffs. For organization I give them an A, creative villain genesis is an A, but overall story is probably middle of the pack for me (subjective opinion). Because there were so many different books, writers, and artists the pacing was not always even and there is a little story bloat as they tried to work in nearly the entire Marvel universe. Not a book I would recommend to every Marvel comic reader. But, if you want all the big Marvel events or all the X-men/Avengers in oversize volumes, this is a must buy.

[Michael Jandrok · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Onslaught Epic was one of Marvel's big crossover events of the '90s, following as it did the Age of Apocalypse storyline. There are connections between the two series, but this can certainly be read as a standalone book without much knowledge of the Age of Apocalypse timeline.

So first off this a BIG book, as in 1000+ pages. It's a massive tome, heavy and well put together. The binding is tight and the presentation pretty much works, unless you make a habit of hauling this thing around. The pages are on on decent stock and the colors leap out at you.

So if you're reading this review I am going to assume that you have a working knowledge of the Marvel Universe and it's various characters. In short, Professor Xavier, venerable leader of the X-Men has gone insane....his physical and mental capacities having been taken over by a composite being known only as Onslaught. Onslaught is one big, evil dude. Onslaught appears to be close to omnipotent, exhibiting massive psionic powers and immense physical strength. It will take the combined might of the various X-Men teams in cooperation with The Avengers and The Fantastic Four, among others, to take Onslaught down. Tremendous sacrifices are made as the story unfolds, leaving the reader exhausted and overwhelmed by the time the resolution comes.

The Onslaught Epic was a complex, well-thought out story that maybe got a little bit too bloated for its own good. It was difficult to collect all of the single issues that were part of the event at the time because there were just so many books that this crossed over into. In that sense, having the omnibus is great, as you can read the story line in chronological order. There is a bit of uneven pacing, and more than a few loose ends. Overall, though, the Onslaught Epic was a huge success, setting the stage for a whole host of stories and characters to come in its wake. I will say that Marvel took great care to ensure that they maintained continuity throughout all of the interconnecting pieces of this gigantic puzzle. A less well thought out story arc could easily have ended up being chaotic and confusing to a point of utter despair.....and yes, I'm looking at YOU "Crisis on Infinite Earths."

All that said, Marvel did itself a huge disservice in the aftermath of the Onslaught epic by restarting a number of their key titles, seemingly from scratch. I guess that was interesting to some degree, at least in the sense of giving younger readers a change to go back and revisit origin stories and such, but the overall experience of the jump was too jarring. Things got put to right eventually, but I was not a big fan at all of the revisionist histories that were put out there in the aftermath of this huge event.

I do have to dock this book a star, though. First off, it's just too darn big. It would have been a better call to split this into two volumes. As it is, it's difficult to put on a bookshelf, and it's really bad if you try and lug this thing around with you. Second off, there is a lot of expositional material at the end of the volume that is printed in super-small text. So small in fact that I needed a magnifying glass to be able to read the panels. This includes comic outtakes and mock headlines from the inimitable Daily Bugle, NYC's finest imaginary newspaper. The whole addendum could have been more fun and useful if it weren't for the microscopic print.

Definitely worth reading if you were like me and missed out on a lot of the crossover issues when they came out at the time of original publication. Just be prepared for some heavy lifting.

[Judah Radd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet baby Jeebus

This really feels like the capstone event that wraps up every X thread starting with the first inception of the X-Men back in the 60s. It’s all been building to this moment (even if Lee, Kirby, Wein and Claremont had no idea at the0 time)

The scale is enormous. A story that seemed peripheral in the leadup issues all of the sudden becomes an Avengers and Fantastic Four problem, in addition to being an X problem. There are too many climaxes to list, but keep your eyes open for the Avengers vs Holocaust fight and the moment when Hulk really (and I mean really really) Hulks out on the titular antagonist.

It’s these types of “holy shit!” moments that make me love comics in the first place.

It really boggles the mind how well constructed a story this large it. With crossovers occurring across all X books and even extending into the Avengers, Hulk, Iron Man, Spiderman and even the goddam Punisher... somehow it all seems important, deliberate, and cohesive.

This gigantic omnibus does hold up on it’s own... but the more X-Men (and Marvel in general) you’ve read before hand, the better your experience will be. It draws most heavily from Fatal Attractions and Age of Apocalypse, but like I said... you can jump in and still have fun.

The emotional hits keep bullseying all the way up to the epilogue, which left me almost speechless. These characters have always meant something to me, but I don’t think they’ve meant quite so much to me until the last couple issues of this tome.

Art wise, I mean... yeah. We’re talking about the best era for comic art (mid 90s) with the title known for the best art. I could throw around names, but basically it’s outstanding. You really can’t not love it.

Newbies, long time fans... it doesn’t matter. You will love this story. I recommend starting with the “Road to Onslaught” collected editions, but if you (unlike me) have a life, jump right in with the Omnibus and have at it.

Nuff said.

[Cristhian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic. One of the best X-men's (90s).

The main storyline is 5/5

[Myrmidon · Rating 2 out of 5]

La saga di Onslaught è un accattivante puttanaio.
Ora, devo dire, ho messo due stelle, il che potrebbe sembrare che mi abbia fatto schifo... E in parte è così, ma in realtà le due stelle sono dovute principalmente: in primis, al fatto che una stella è un voto che preferirei non mettere mai (a meno di trovarmi una schifezza di rara caratura, tipo, boh, il Deathstroke di Rob Liefeld: roba che in confronto questo è Watchmen di Alan Moore); in secundis, 3 stelle non me la sentivo, per i motivi che a breve approfondirò.
Partiamo dalle cose positive, in primo luogo il fatto che la premessa del crossover riesce ad incuriosire, con un concept discreto: sostanzialmente, Charles Xavier (il professor X degli X-Men), sviluppa una sorta di lato oscuro/personalità negativa, dovuta al mescolarsi dei suoi desideri più reconditi (e da sempre soppressi) e all'influenza del subconscio di Magneto, che Xavier, nel crossover Attrazioni Fatali, ha telepaticamente lobotomizzato, rendendolo catatonico (una decisione estrema che sicuramente ha contribuito a far emergere il lato oscuro di Charles); il risultato è così Onslaught, un'entità psionica (qualunque cosa voglia dire) che combina i poteri e, soprattutto, le ambizioni più perverse di entrambi, nonché gli aspetti più abietti delle rispettive personalità.
Fin qui tutto bene: il topos della "metà oscura", di un personaggio buono che diventa cattivo è vecchio, ma ben collaudato; anche se, va detto, più che essere un alter ego maligno di Xavier, Onslaught è quasi un'entità terza, a sé stante, dotata di una propria individualità.
Comunque, gli X-Men sono ovviamente i primi a cui Onslaught si manifesta, rivelando i suoi piani di schiavizzare gli esseri umani per favorire la supremazia della razza mutante (checcarino, ha preso tutto da papà).
Gli X-Men, per fermarlo si troveranno a dover unire le forze con i Vendicatori e i Fantastici Quattro, specialmente perché Onslaught intende imbrigliare i poteri del piccolo Franklin Richards, mutante in grado di manipolare la realtà, al fine di raggiungere i suoi scopi. Per lo stesso motivo, cercherà di rapire anche Nate Grey, un mutante proveniente dalla realtà alternativa dell'Era di Apocalisse, i cui poteri superano persino quelli di Xavier.
Insomma, la saga di Onslaught è un evento di rara magnitudine, che coinvolge sostanzialmente tutta la continuity Marvel, numerosissime testate e altrettanti personaggi: e pensare che in origine era stata concepita per rimanere circoscritta agli X-Men, ma a quello ci arriviamo...
Probabilmente uno dei più grossi difetti di questo crossover, almeno per il mio gusto personale, è che è eccessivamente lungo, e coinvolge davvero troppi personaggi: tutti gli episodi aggiungono dei tasselli alla trama facendola man mano progredire, ma poi, salvo quei dettagli rilevanti, si ha l'impressione che servano a poco, come fossero delle mere parentesi. Poi, certo, ci sono anche delle storie che riescono ad essere più interessanti, questo va detto.
Nonostante la lunghezza ciclopica della trama, questa riesce comunque a fare il suo: c'è un buon build up, che man mano porta Onslaught a divenire una minaccia sempre più grande finché non si arriva, dopo alcuni tentativi poco riusciti di fronteggiarlo, alla battaglia finale, con tutti gli eroi (e anche alcuni cattivi) a unirsi contro di lui.
E anche la "boss battle finale" è tutto sommato discreta, non nascondo che in alcuni momenti riesca anche ad emozionare: il problema è che viene rovinata dal fatto che, per una ragione totalmente arbitraria (leggasi: un elemento che è nella storia perché DOVEVA esserci, non perché avesse senso ai fini della storia o fungesse da plot twist), a sacrificarsi per distruggere Onslaught sono i Vendicatori, i Fantastici Quattro e gli Inumani (Crystal, quantomeno).
All'indomani della battaglia, dunque, gli unici eroi superstiti sono gli X-Men, l'Uomo Ragno e Hulk separato da Banner; gli altri sono apparentemente morti.
Ma, in realtà, sono stati trasportati in una realtà alternativa all'interno di un universo tascabile, creato inconsciamente da Franklin Richards affinché potessero sopravvivere: proprio in questo universo saranno ambientate le storie del ciclo "Heroes Reborn" che la Marvel avrebbe pubblicato (appaltandone la realizzazione a Jim Lee e, ahimè, Rob Liefeld) nel corso dell'anno successivo.
Perché penso che questa cosa abbia rovinato una trama altrimenti passabile? Facciamo due conti.
Quali sono le testate Marvel (o meglio, i personaggi) che storicamente non hanno mai avuto problemi di vendita? Su tutte, Spider-Man e gli X-Men.
Uh, che coincidenza, gli stessi personaggi che sono sopravvissuti.
Quali erano, invece, le testate che all'epoca arrancavano nelle vendite, e che Marvel cercava da tempo di rinnovare? Beh, tendenzialmente Avengers (incluse le testate dedicate ai singoli personaggi) e Fantastic Four.
Uh, che caso strano, gli stessi fatti "sacrificare" per fermare Onslaught.
Quindi, in buona sostanza, il climax di questa saga (siamo generosi e non diciamo la saga nella sua interezza, in origine concepita come evento riguardante i soli X-Men) è stato strumentale al rilancio delle testate allora meno di successo, che la Marvel ha così cercato di rinnovare senza però dover effettuare un reboot, cancellando o riscrivendo decenni di continuity precedente (come invece aveva già fatto, e avrebbe ripetuto in futuro, la DC Comics).
Regà, è marketing, questi devono vendere: siamo d'accordo che non ci sia nulla di male in questo; solo, magari, aver confezionato il tutto un po' meglio e non in maniera così spudorata non avrebbe fatto schifo.
Questo è il mio problema principale con questo crossover: non è che non mi abbia intrattenuto, non è che non ci siano dei momenti interessanti; però, se consideriamo che è un troiaio pazzesco, che è eccessivamente lunga, che i disegni non mi fanno impazzire (e questo è puramente soggettivo, ma sant'iddio se trasudano "seconda metà degli anni '90"), il fatto che alla fine ti schiaffino in faccia questo plot-twist che non è tale, ma piuttosto un pretesto per dare il via a una operazione di relaunch come Heroes Reborn (Heroes Reborn, capito?? Che potresti cancellarla dall'esistenza e nessuno se ne accorgerebbe), è stata la proverbiale goccia che fa traboccare il vaso.
Di buono c'è che i due numeri che fanno da epilogo, con uno in particolare dedicato a Xavier, svolgono un buon lavoro nel riaccendere l'attenzione del lettore sul futuro dell'Universo Marvel e degli X-Men in particolare.
In definitiva, non so quanto consiglierei di leggere la saga di Onslaught, di certo rimasta, nel bene e nel male, una delle storie più rappresentative e iconiche di quegli anni (se non altro per il design dell'antagonista, altro aspetto che salvo senza problemi): se si hanno manie di completismo, oppure si ha voglia di leggere un crossover (non solo) tra X-Men e Vendicatori senza nutrire troppe pretese... Beh, accomodatevi. Però vi consiglio di recuperarvela nel modo più economico possibile, ad esempio su Marvel Unlimited oppure comprando qualche edizione economica, o ancora prendendola in prestito (ma per Dio, che non vi venga in mente di aprire un mutuo pur di leggerla).

[Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one heck of a big volume. It's very comprehensive, taking in almost every detail of Onslaught's uprising. Obviously different bits are of different qualities being by so many authors and artists but overall it is pretty entertaining.

[Cameron H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading through X-Men chronologically starting with the mid-Seventies relaunch with "All New, All Different" and I have to say, while the early Nineties had their issues, this is the first collection that has been a bit of a disappointment.

I cannot imagine how annoying this event must have been for people at the time. While I felt Age of Apocalypse was a bold experiment, by putting the entire X-line on hiatus to tell an epic story, Onslaught puts the entire Marvel line on hold...and then just kind of spins its wheels FOREVER. It felt like it was just issue after issue of Sentinels standing in New York harbor just kind of...being there.

That's not to say it's all bad. It just kind of over stays its welcome.

Overall, I liked the concept, some of the individual issues are a lot of fun, and when the climax finally does come, it absolutely lives up to all the hype. The Epilogue issues are really well done as well, but I'm a sucker for "reset" comics. I just wish the story had felt tighter. I also wish the quality of the issues were consistent. The ratio of good to bad is just not great.

So 3 stars, although I could probably be convinced to bump that up to four simply out of the sheer audacity of what Marvel was doing.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's certainly uhhhh.....comprehensive? It's not as bad as the "Mid-90's Marvel Event" descriptor would lead you to believe. X-Men #53 is probably the standout to me, with Onslaught confronting Jean. I really enjoy the new angle the issue takes after the reveal, fun stuff! I will never care about X-Man but I ate up all the Joseph/Rogue stuff. All of this is weighted near the front of the book, I think once Onslaught is making moves the event becomes a lot less interesting. The final battle is lacking a certain oomph, which is odd considering it's a change that was supposed to stick.

This certainly isn't for everyone, and many would call this era the creative nadir of the X-Men, but at least it's an entertaining low.

[Alejandro Montero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-reading this now is a bit weird. It is very much so a product of its time, specially the art, and while at several points it is a mess, all I can say it's that it is a fun read. A classical story, that eventually led to an awful decision in marvel (cough heroes reborn cough), I do think it does an amazing job with the X-Men (who always have been my favorite).
A fun, entertaining read.

P.S. With the retcon of Moira done in Powers of X, it is weird going back and reading her in these comics.

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know what? This was a fun read. It wasn't game-changing (maybe it was back then?) but I enjoyed reading it.

I don't think you need to read the three Road to Onslaught books before it because a lot of them don't go into the main plot here.

Like most huge crossover events, some titles have major plot points in their issues (Fantastic Four) while others are just How did Punisher beat a Sentinel (Punisher).

Read if you want to re-live 90s X-Men stuff, otherwise, you'll be ok to skip it.

[Michael Barltrop · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an exciting blast from the past. It introduced issues that I wasn't aware of thirty years ago when I was first reading it.

It will never be the greatest story ever told, but it was still an event that holds up in the great events of Marvel history.

I had forgotten that it brought to and end the Bishop storyline that was handled differently in The Animated Series.

[Klaus · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a crazy ending! There was some filler in the middle with basically a bunch of different people fighting sentinels for several issues, but the plot concept was amazing, and at times the execution was, too.

[Jimbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun rereading this old story from 1996. I didn't remember all of it, but still, it was worth the time.

Omnibuses are BIG and take time and heavy, but still beautifully done and all.


Go for it!

[Jameson · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the comic book events with the worst reputation for a very good reason, though there is some good stuff buried in here. The problem, mostly, is that it’s a story with a premise and a climax with nothing in between. It’s bafflingly bad storytelling.

[Iliyan Iliev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't age as well as I expected but still an entertaining read.

[David Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This appeals to the 13 year old in me. I'd read portions of this collection but it was good to fill in the blanks. Enjoyed it alot. Will keep an eye out for Onslaught Vol 2 in Dec.

[Toby Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sure the 90s are strong in the art, but the story is well constructed and the tension builds well.

[Seamus O'Keeffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this, u remember reading the individual issues back in the 90s. Perhaps not the best written but it does make me nostalgic for the times when the X-Men were the major players in the Marvel Universe