X-MEN: THE BLOOD OF APOCALYPSE
November 27th 2008 00:27
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Production Team: Peter Milligan – writer, Salvador Larroca – pencils/inks/washes, Aron Lusen & Jason Keith – colours & Cory Petit (Virtual Calligraphy) – letters.
Cost: US $17.99.
With the demise of Magneto, leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, father of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, a vacuum of major antagonist to the X Men would be one result amongst many of this characters demise. Fear not though there is someone who seems is more than capable of filling these rather large shoes in more ways than one and that is (cue drum roll please)….Apocalypse. Having been a fan of the X Men since the eighties I do have to question the demise of Magneto and his subsequent removal as an active player within mutant affairs in the Marvel universe, still it seems that the big wigs in the Big Apple have decided to run with this particular angle. So who the heck is this Apocalypse?
Well on the surface he is this big blue dude in blue armour with some truly tremendous firepower, scientific knowledge and a back-story that literally spans millennia. Naturally there is a little bit more to the character than just being blue, large and aeons old, he has frequently popped up as an antagonist to the X Men and their various allied groups (X Factor, X Force etc) down through the years doing the usual super villain thing; take over the world, destroy humanity etc. His agenda has often seemed rather enigmatic and he always has a rather biblical slant on things, his efforts are often aided via the means of Horsemen ala the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse and they are often named for those particular entities and have abilities and powers commensurate with their name. Thus Pestilence is able to cause the spread of disease, Famine causes hunger… you get the picture.
Actually its rather interesting that Apocalypse should take this particular slant on things considering that he was initially born in the days of pre historic Egypt, we’re talking pre first dynasty here, in fact probably even before the first known kings and major settlements. So he’s a very old and long lived individual but essentially one shaped in part by the culture into which he was born, so adopting a Biblical slant is slightly odd to say the least. Originally called En Sabah Nur the individual who would later become Apocalypse translated certain unusual writings that allowed him access to technology far in advance of the current era. With this technology he was able to construct the Sphinx, which was in essence a vast ‘living’ spaceship. Of course such treasures did not come without a cost as En Sabah Nur would later find out…
The big problem with this tale of Apocalypse, the character and the impending doom he brings to human and mutant civilization, is that the story really goes nowhere and has no real discernible focus. In fact after reading it I wondered realistically what was the point of it all, super villain shows up proclaims himself as the Messiah of mutant kind, attempts to slaughter ninety per cent of humanity in order to level the playing field between humans and mutants and generally causes a swathe of destruction. Not much new there, not even the fact that he has managed to turn two of the vaunted X Men into his Horsemen - it has been done before with Wolverine; along with the old shtick of having some amongst the remaining mutant population think along the lines of “Well hey maybe what Apocalypse is saying is on the money”.
It seems to me that ‘The Blood of Apocalypse” was nothing more than a pastiche of various elements that have been used in so many other X Men stories and issues down through the years. And as far as super villains go Apocalypse is a little bit two dimensional when it comes to some bite, sure he’s got the firepower to go toe to toe with the best and strongest, he’s got a spaceship that can travel anywhere and no doubt anytime but in reality its all just smoke and mirrors. And don’t get me started about the whole love triangle between Rouge, her lover Gambit and the new guy trying to win her heart at the urging of her mother Mystique. Granted it has some bearing on pushing Gambit over the edge but not much, there seemed to be other issues than just solely that making him become the fourth and final horseman; Death.
Another triangle exists between Bobby ‘Iceman’ Drake and Alex ‘Havok’ Summers and Lorna ‘Polaris’ Dane which seems to have little real bearing on this story but on future developments that are hinted at in this particular tale but not covered. Tacked on to this emotional angst and chest beating is the tension between the X Men/Xavier Institute for Gifted Students and the Office of National Emergency (O.N.E) that exists as a result of actions which have occurred in the past. O.N.E is ostensibly protecting the mutants although the mutants themselves feel more like they are being monitored and imprisoned rather than protected – which makes some of them eager to take up the claims of Apocalypse and follow his banner. And of course it couldn’t be complete without the villainous henchman who decides to betray his master to his greatest adversaries.
All in all it has too be said that “The Blood of Apocalypse” is stale and rank, there is the feeling that Marvel probably made a big mistake in getting rid of Magneto as Apocalypse when all things are said and done fill the shoes of major mutant evil mastermind. Lets face it Magneto had gravitas, he had history, he had a very distinct rationale behind his disdain for humanity; as being a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps he had seen mans inhumanity to his own kind let alone those who were mutants and in a way the measures of human society to ‘regulate’ mutants could be seen in his eyes as just the fore runner to future Final Solution. Sadly Apocalypse doesn’t have this kind of oomph to him; even his secret bargain with the Celestials is a bit ho hum. Blood might be thicker than water but in this case it’s completely without substance…
Production Team: Peter Milligan – writer, Salvador Larroca – pencils/inks/washes, Aron Lusen & Jason Keith – colours & Cory Petit (Virtual Calligraphy) – letters.
Cost: US $17.99.
With the demise of Magneto, leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, father of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, a vacuum of major antagonist to the X Men would be one result amongst many of this characters demise. Fear not though there is someone who seems is more than capable of filling these rather large shoes in more ways than one and that is (cue drum roll please)….Apocalypse. Having been a fan of the X Men since the eighties I do have to question the demise of Magneto and his subsequent removal as an active player within mutant affairs in the Marvel universe, still it seems that the big wigs in the Big Apple have decided to run with this particular angle. So who the heck is this Apocalypse?
The big problem with this tale of Apocalypse, the character and the impending doom he brings to human and mutant civilization, is that the story really goes nowhere and has no real discernible focus. In fact after reading it I wondered realistically what was the point of it all, super villain shows up proclaims himself as the Messiah of mutant kind, attempts to slaughter ninety per cent of humanity in order to level the playing field between humans and mutants and generally causes a swathe of destruction. Not much new there, not even the fact that he has managed to turn two of the vaunted X Men into his Horsemen - it has been done before with Wolverine; along with the old shtick of having some amongst the remaining mutant population think along the lines of “Well hey maybe what Apocalypse is saying is on the money”.
It seems to me that ‘The Blood of Apocalypse” was nothing more than a pastiche of various elements that have been used in so many other X Men stories and issues down through the years. And as far as super villains go Apocalypse is a little bit two dimensional when it comes to some bite, sure he’s got the firepower to go toe to toe with the best and strongest, he’s got a spaceship that can travel anywhere and no doubt anytime but in reality its all just smoke and mirrors. And don’t get me started about the whole love triangle between Rouge, her lover Gambit and the new guy trying to win her heart at the urging of her mother Mystique. Granted it has some bearing on pushing Gambit over the edge but not much, there seemed to be other issues than just solely that making him become the fourth and final horseman; Death.
Another triangle exists between Bobby ‘Iceman’ Drake and Alex ‘Havok’ Summers and Lorna ‘Polaris’ Dane which seems to have little real bearing on this story but on future developments that are hinted at in this particular tale but not covered. Tacked on to this emotional angst and chest beating is the tension between the X Men/Xavier Institute for Gifted Students and the Office of National Emergency (O.N.E) that exists as a result of actions which have occurred in the past. O.N.E is ostensibly protecting the mutants although the mutants themselves feel more like they are being monitored and imprisoned rather than protected – which makes some of them eager to take up the claims of Apocalypse and follow his banner. And of course it couldn’t be complete without the villainous henchman who decides to betray his master to his greatest adversaries.
All in all it has too be said that “The Blood of Apocalypse” is stale and rank, there is the feeling that Marvel probably made a big mistake in getting rid of Magneto as Apocalypse when all things are said and done fill the shoes of major mutant evil mastermind. Lets face it Magneto had gravitas, he had history, he had a very distinct rationale behind his disdain for humanity; as being a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps he had seen mans inhumanity to his own kind let alone those who were mutants and in a way the measures of human society to ‘regulate’ mutants could be seen in his eyes as just the fore runner to future Final Solution. Sadly Apocalypse doesn’t have this kind of oomph to him; even his secret bargain with the Celestials is a bit ho hum. Blood might be thicker than water but in this case it’s completely without substance…
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