Al Ewing returns to Arakko in an X-Men: Age of Revelation roundup

Welcome to the Age of Apocalypse! I mean X! I mean X-Man! … Ah, screw it.

Amazing X-Men #1 is written by Jed MacKay, drawn by Mahmud Asrar, colored by Matt Wilson and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Binary #1 is written by Stephanie Phillips, drawn by Giada Belviso, colored by Rachelle Rosenberg and lettered by Travis Lanham.

Laura Kinney: Sabretooth #1 is written by Erica Schultz, drawn by Valentina Pinti, colored by Rosenberg and lettered by Cory Petit.

Longshots #1 is written by Jonathan Hickman and Gerry Duggan, drawn by Alan Robinson, colored by Yen Nitro and lettered by Ariana Maher.

World of Revelation #1 is written by Al Ewing, Steve Foxe and Ryan North; drawn by Agustin Alessio, Jesus Merino and Adam Szalowski; colored by Wil Quintana and Cris Peter; and lettered by Lanham.

Tony Thornley: “Age of Revelation” hits the ground running this week with FIVE titles. What an overload.

Adam Reck: And I thought covering Uncanny every other week was tough! This is a LOT of content to drop on fans in the coming months. I can’t imagine many folks are gonna buy all of it. I just have to hope it’s not another complete and utter mess like “X-Manhunt.” 

Austin Gorton: Just remember, Adam, Marvel doesn’t need everyone to buy everything; they just need everyone to buy something! And what better way to make that happen than throw a million titles at the wall and see what sticks? 

Armaan Babu: It’s nowhere near as exhausting as that crossover was, but man, Marvel has not made it easy on us poor reviewers this week. There’s only one way to cover it all — COMICSXF TEAM, ASSEMBLE!

On the Run (Amazing X-Men #1)

Tony: Picking up exactly where X-Men: Age of Revelation Overture #1 left off, Cyclops and Beast are on the run from Wolverine with a seemingly ragtag group of X-Men (who we learn are actually remarkably competent). It’s a pretty typical quest format, with slightly more urgency because Wolverine gonna stab them all.

Austin: This is the plot-iest of the books this week, in terms of progressing the ur-narrative of the event, and that at least gives it some momentum.

Tony: There’s a few things in play in this issue for me. Mahmud Asrar’s art is VERY good. The story is tough for me to get into. By having modern Cyclops and Beast as the protagonists, there’s some significant edges sanded away from the story to the point that it doesn’t feel like there are any stakes. Of course they’re going to save the world, because OUR Cyclops, OUR Beast are right here.

But I do like what went on with Wolverine here. Basically showing that Logan is not a willing collaborator is a fantastic touch.

Armaan: I think that MacKay’s playing with the stakes in an interesting way. Yes, we know Cyclops and Beast are going back in time to undo this entire timeline, and yes, it’s painfully obvious (especially to those who read the #0 issue) that future Cyclops and Beast weren’t turned into babels; their minds were fully functioning when they were replaced by the minds of their past selves.

Austin: I clocked that in the Overture issue, and am very glad the discrepancy is a plot point and not a case of sloppy writing/editing.

Armaan: The question then is — why the lie?

Have future Cyclops and Beast been eradicated? Is the only mystery here that they were sacrificed for a chance of saving the past? Or have their minds been swapped, like in “Days of Future Past”? Are future Cyclops and Beast now in the minds of their past selves, and if so, why hasn’t all this been changed already?

Tony: Yeah, and I think that might be my problem with it. Are these plot holes? Or is it part of the plan? And if it’s the latter, why is the plan so damn complicated?

Armaan: I enjoyed the book. I feel like it’s going to pick up more steam in the next issue. As an issue #1 that has two prologue issues behind it, it’s got the unenviable task of trying to introduce new readers to as much as possible without rehashing what we’ve read before.

Asrar’s art adds a lot to how much I’m enjoying this book. Pale Beast looks especially great on page — there’s a mournfulness to him, even though the more sprightly, younger Beast is the one in his mind. Poor Beast, really. This is the second time jump into a different body and a darker future that he’s been forced into, and at some point you really have to wonder how much hope he’s still holding onto.

Wolverine is tragic as well. You can see just how much he wants to resist what he’s become — and just how completely Doug’s powers take hold when they do. It makes his appearance in Laura Kinney: Sabretooth that much more chilling. He’s the very weapon he’s fought all his life not to be.

Amazing X-Men is the flagship book for this crossover. I’m looking forward to getting a tour of this future through the book, and am very intrigued by the situation going on in Magik’s neck of the woods. The reveal of the Darkchylde is no big surprise, but I’m a lot more intrigued by whatever’s going on with Juggernaut and Psylocke.

Adam: Any flash-to-the-future story is going to be strengthened or flattened by the success of the current story’s foundation. AoR has a difficult task then, as the From the Ashes status quo has only been around for about a year and does not have the connective tissue or narrative prerogative to make playing in its future sandbox particularly interesting as a meaningful comment on the existing story.

Austin: Case in point, I’m pretty sure this issue does more with Graymalkin Prison than any story since the initial prison break crossover. 

Tony: And that sequence is far and away the highlight of what we see in this issue. It’s so good.

Adam: To get excited about AoR’s reveals so far, you need to be invested in what was happening with things like 3K or Graymalkin, concepts that are already mixed bags and still largely being introduced, which makes seeing a twisted future featuring their fate an odd hook. Likewise, how much do readers care about Deathdream? Even if he’s your fave, how much impact does his death have after he’s only been on three or four pages of this comic? 

Not to be a complete naysayer, but I’m always a big fan of a weird white Beast, and Asrar (much like Humberto Ramos in the zero issue) should be commended for doing the bulk of what I’m enjoying here.

Buy Amazing X-Men #1 here.

The World Outside (World of Revelation #1)

Tony: In six pages, Al Ewing did more for the Age of Revelation than anything else so far. The other two stories, though … eh?

Really, the opening story of this anthology was the highlight. The next two shorts were a mixed bag. I couldn’t care less about Foxe’s story, though it was competently done, and North’s was interesting at worst, and tragically intriguing at best.

Adam: Reading the short tale of Bei the Blood Moon’s message being relayed to Apocalypse while we get a decade-after update on Arakko by its architect Al Ewing and lovingly illustrated by Agustin Alessio felt at once like a warm hug from an old friend and a sad reminder of a lost status quo. It feels so strange seeing Krakoan creators pop up in the current era, especially when their work seems largely discarded and/or misunderstood by present editorial. Nowhere did I feel this more than Apocalypse lamenting he “should have chosen Rictor,” which works not only as a subtle rebuttal of the entire AoR event, but also as a critique of the clumsy handover between eras, and a longing for continuing Krakoan adventures we’ll never see. I’m choosing to concentrate on the (is it too soon to say nostalgic?) joy this brought me. 

As for our other two stories, it’s hard to say there’s a desire for a larger world of what’s happening during the current status quo as we’re still establishing what that is. In the original “Age of Apocalypse” event, X-Universe didn’t come out until 24 other AoA books had hit stands. I’m not sure readers want to know what’s up with Wiccan and Hulkling in this future. I’ll hand it to Ryan North, I thought his far-flung future Franklin Richards story was a cool standalone opportunity to do something spooky and radically different with the character. 

Armaan: For how little actually happened, Ewing and Alessio’s story was absolute magic. I think you put it best, Adam, because reading this gave me an ache for X-Men Red (Al’s version), and what a fascinating world Arakko is.

As much as I always enjoy Ewing’s writing, Alessio’s art is the real star here, and the format of the story. The side captions wandering down the panels give the story a dark, storybook vibe while still interacting with the captions, following the pace for a wonderfully engrossing story. It’s the perfect length, too — the Messenger is less interesting a character once you find out who he is, and the lone wanderer angle is great for a short story, but I couldn’t imagine reading a whole issue or two about it.

In these events, it’s always the smaller side stories that are of the most interest as compared to the main event. Some small obscure series, or a short story in an anthology like this, make the whole event feel worth it, and this one story is no exception. If all we get from the event is this, I say it’s worth it.

The other two stories bring less intrigue but more melancholy. The concept of babels is a terrifying use of Doug’s new powers, but in “Never Let Me Go,” we see the tragedy of it. The story requires you to suspend your disbelief a little — is there really nothing in all of the Marvel Universe that can undo a babel-ing? Is trying to reverse the X-Virus really the smartest thing to do in front of the person who is the most motivated to keep it around? Once you get past that, however, it’s a touching, heartbreaking tale of one of my favorite Marvel couples.

The art undercuts it slightly, especially immediately after Alessio’s more sedate, dramatic panels. Merino brings great action to the page, but when the strength of the story lies in loss and growing hopelessness, things are a little too bright, and too bold, for those feelings to hit as hard. That last page will stick with me, however. There have been a lot of dystopian futures where the Age of Heroes has been declared over, but this moment will stick with me. It’s going to be hard to top.

Ryan North comes in with Adam Szalowski for the bittersweet tale of the end of Franklin Richards. North has been playing around a lot with time over in the FF series — taking them away from familiar places, stranding them in times far from their own and figuring out who they are when they’re not the center of the Marvel Universe. We know that this entire timeline will be undone, but it does strengthen how much the story hits when you get a tale like this — one that extends many millions of years into the future, when all has fallen and civilization begins anew. 

All three stories give a lot more heft to the world than the miniseries themselves manage to do. It’s a perfect event anthology. If I was recommending it, I’d have people read the zero issue and this and skip the rest.

Let’s continue talking about the rest, though, so you can judge for yourselves.

Buy World of Revelation #1 here.

What The–?! (Longshots #1)

Adam: When the solicits came out, this was the book I was most curious about. Given that it’s got former Head of X Jonathan Hickman co-billing with former X-Men scribe Gerry Duggan, what exactly would a book by the two of them look like under Brevoort? Especially a Mojoverse title, a subject we know J-HiX has a fondness for back from his Astonishing Tales days. 

Well, it turns out the answer is lots of “jokes” about lawyers being pigs. Aside from some fun meta-jokes about the publishing failures of past Mojoverse adventures and a good bit about Kraven using Rhino’s horn as an aphrodisiac, I wasn’t chuckling as much as scratching my head at the humor here. But I am not gonna begrudge Jon and Gerry if they are gonna get paid to make silly Bishop jokes, even if I don’t quite get what (or why) this is.

Tony: I kind of thought this was Duggan and Hickman taking the piss out of the event, but then it might have been trying to be a sincere follow-up to Longshot, but also a funny book. I didn’t hate it, but I can’t say I really liked it. And I think Robinson’s art was rough. Patsy Walker and Simon Williams looked 50 years older, not 10, but Bishop hasn’t aged a day? 

Armaan: Breaking the fourth wall is something Marvel does a lot, between She-Hulk, Deadpool, Gwenpool and, of course, Mojo, and there’s a very fine line between coming across as annoying and being genuinely funny. Duggan’s written a lot of work on both sides of that line. Hickman appears to be pulling Duggan back, just enough to make this collaboration genuinely enjoyable.

You’d think that with the high rate of jokes per panel it would get overwhelming, but the comic goes right up to the edge of that and never tips over. Whether they’re making fun of the event, Marvel Comics in general or just doing all they can to have a good time, I’m liking this a lot. Alan Robinson is perfect for this — you can imagine him doing good work in a more standard superhero story, but he goes just enough into cartooniness to sell the irreverence of everyone on the page.

Longshots should not work. I don’t think anyone could have predicted it would be one of the most enjoyable #1s to come out of this crossover, but I’m in for the ride, and delighted with what we’ve gotten so far.

Buy Longshots #1 here.

Hostages (Binary #1)

Tony: I like the setup, but I don’t love the execution of Binary.

Adam: Right away, I am confused as to why this book exists. It feels like publishing bloat, and the story doesn’t give me any reason to want to connect it to the larger world or its problems. 

Austin: This issue does that annoying thing a lot of TV shows and movies do, where they start with the most exciting thing, then jump back in time to do a lot of boring exposition that is largely unnecessary. Start with the exciting thing and go from there! We got the gist of Carol’s relationship with the town from the opening; we don’t need the town hall meeting to set it up again.

Tony: I really like the concept of “leader of the Avengers protects her hometown from the apocalypse but is hanging on by a thread.” The execution is weirdly busy, though. There’s too many characters we don’t get a chance to meet, too much exposition, and the not shocking twist on the last page just made for a generally unsatisfying read. But it did show how scary the Babels are, which is a point in its favor. 

I don’t quite get why the Phoenix needs to be in the equation either. It’s just another tick in the column of “too busy.”

I’ve liked other work from Phillips, but not her Marvel stuff. It really makes me wonder if it’s an editor problem, not a writer problem?

Armaan: This is going to be heavily dependent on what comes next, of course, but I don’t think this concept is worth a series, especially now that we’ve seen how effective some of these last-stand stories have been in World of Revelation. I like the concept, I just don’t think it’s got a lot of meat on its bones. We’ve seen Captain Marvel be the most powerful person around a number of times — having to deal with the Phoenix is definitely an upgrade to her powers, but is there a lot to explore that’s worth a miniseries?

So far, there hasn’t been. There’s a lot of page space dedicated to explaining why she’s going by Binary again, and a look at the situation she finds herself in. I did enjoy the interaction between her and the mayor, however, and it might be contradictory, but I would absolutely love to see more of their relationship explored in a longer series.

The coloring is amazing, though. Rosenberg’s work shines especially strongly when Carol powers up to her new Binary form. I am hoping, though, that we get at least one issue that flashes back to just how Jean Grey died, and how the Phoenix went to Carol as its next host. That, at least, is a story I’m a lot more interested in — though if I had to guess from that last panel, it looks like Madelyne Pryor is interested in finding that out, too.

Of course, we’re not explicitly told it’s Madelyne, but honestly, who else could it be?

Austin: Honestly, it better be, because the promise of Maddy showing up — especially in a book about someone who is not Jean being Phoenix — is the single most exciting thing in this issue. 

Tony: And see, I think it being Jean is a much more interesting twist than Maddy, because Maddy is the more obvious storytelling choice. The fake-out is baked into her appearance, so let’s NOT have it be a fake-out. But again TOO BUSY.

Buy Binary #1 here.

I Think I Get It Now (Laura Kinney: Sabretooth #1)

Tony: This is the book of the week. Amazing is clearly the book that’s driving the plot of the event. This issue though actually does more for the worldbuilding, character changes and more than anything else so far. Right here, we get an idea of the conflict within our heroes — Laura has had a heel turn thanks to Doug, but she’s still Laura Kinney. You even see cracks start to form in her loyal acolyte facade (like when she sees her heavily brainwashed dad). 

Schultz quietly wrote one of the best books of From the Ashes, and I think that continues here.

Armaan: It’s funny you say that, Tony, because for this week this was the weakest “Age of Revelation” book for me. I enjoyed the strange, bitter family dynamics, for sure — the book really sold me on where Akihiro and Gabby are at this point in time — but I’m not sure I’m entirely sold on the person Laura’s become. Then again, 10 years is a long time, and a lot can change in a decade.

Austin: This book has the one thing most of the other books this week are lacking: emotional drama. The core conflict here is ultimately driven by the relationships between Laura, Gabby and Akihiro, with all the alt-reality trappings supporting that. It also does the “lovers are enemies! Families torn apart!” alt-reality trope better than most because while we don’t know all the details, there’s a specific cause to the schism between Laura and Gabby beyond “things are weird in alternate realities, amiright?”

Armaan: I will say, of all the books, this is the one that did the best job of portraying what intrigued me about the zero issue. “Age of Revelation” is a warped, twisted attempt to recreate what the mutants had on Krakoa. Mutantkind once again has a safe space for themselves, but this time, it’s come at a terrible cost, led by a man who will turn loved ones against each other in what is meant to be a paradise. Laura’s at the center of all that — bitterness between her family on one side, and a distance from Logan, who, as we’ve seen, has been completely turned by Doug’s mind-controlling influence, on the other. 

Austin: It also helps that Laura feels like an actual person here. She chose to side with Revelation because she thought he would be best for all mutants, but she’s not acting like a brainwashed cultist. There’s nuance to her actions compared to say, Psylocke or Kid Omega, who just seem like willingly gleeful Revelation lackies. 

That said, nothing in this issue sells me on an in-universe rationale for her adopting Sabretooth’s schtick (with the actual rationale being it’s an attention-getting hook when the titles were announced).

Tony: Yeah, exactly. She feels real and genuinely like herself, even if you know she’s not, thanks to Doug’s manipulations. But her rationale for using Sabretooth instead of Wolverine — loving a husband who’s also a yet-unknown but now dead child of Victor Creed — is incredibly thin.

Armaan: I like the implied history that this book has. There’s been a lot of thought as to what’s happened in the intervening years, and how much of the pain from it still lingers in the present. I think that once I get used to this version of Laura (and she’s certainly a LOT better written than she’s been in, say, New Avengers), I can sink my teeth more into this book and the kind of story it’s exploring.

Buy Laura Kinney: Sabretooth #1 here.

X-traneous Thoughts

• The recap blurbs keep talking about a “gene bomb,” and all I think of is the naked Jean Grey “Jean bomb” from Rob Liefeld’s “Invasion!” parody in Uncanny X-Men #245.
• Jen Starkey is called “Anamalia” here. I don’t think she’s used that name yet in the present. 
• It’s weird though that Beast doesn’t seem to recognize her when he’s seemingly from the present, where he’s already in the early stages of a romantic relationship with her.
• I like that when Revelation gives Wolverine new clothes his shirt already has tattered sleeves.
• Given this is meant to be a commentary on Krakoa, I’m curious how the average mutant feels about this world. Cyclops seems to think that Doug’s villainy aside, it’s not terrible for mutants, but is he right? All we mostly see (aside from exception cases like Illyana and Binary’s fiefdom) are typical low-tech dystopian settings (albeit heavily wooded ones). Are there cities in the Revelation territories where mutants who don’t hold some pseudo-biblical title in Revelation’s hierarchy just live normal lives, go to work, see movies, hang out with their families, etc.? Does Doug allow Netflix? Or is everyone just a brainwashed devotee? In “Age of Apocalypse,” it was pretty clear everyone but the mutant elite was living in Mad Max times, while in “Age of X-Man,” the world seemed pretty decent — if sexless and politely fascist — for most people. What’s it like for John and Jane Bystander in this world?

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