Age of X-Man: Apocalypse & the X-Tracts #4 Preview

[Tycon]

That Silver Surfer comic was amazing!

Despite the negative reception this book is getting, it's still been better than Uncanny, which just feels so depressing it hurts. I mean, it's not even the fun sort of pain, just...pain.

At least here, you feel like there's some rhyme and reason to what's happening. For me, this event has been a ton of fun except for Uncanny.

Especially with Apocalypse, I can sort of see the story. Nate decided to let him keep his memories both as revenge-Nur knows exactly what his creation has taken from him-and for practicality. It's less work for Nate not to rewrite his memories constantly. It also feeds into Nate's desire tonplay the hero; if Apocalypse had his memories completely rewritten, then it would take away a lot of his agency and Nate would have to confront the fact that this was all on him.

Apocalypse was definitely hoping that he could use Omega Red's death powers to overcome Nate. He didn't get him, but now it looks like Evan is off the board. He also has some small access to cosmic power, which makes him rather dangerous given that this whole illusion is being held together by the stuff.

Actually, while we all feel like this event has been inconsequential, I feel like it's done a fairly good job of reintroducing Apocalypse. He's been gone for a rather long time and it's nice to see him be dangerous for not just how base powers, but his manipulation and callous intelligence.

okay, quick aside. tradd moore's art transcends the medium. i love art that captures action and movement so well and he's like the god of that. and the way he drew ***** <3 <3 <3

anyway

Uncanny X-Men has just been torture porn. There hasn't been a single happy scene that wasn't interrupted by some scene of loss or shock value death. There's a way to play a story out that deals with depression and suicide that isn't constantly beating the reader (ESPECIALLY one that could be dealing with that) over the head with death and despair. Reading the story just feels like a writer who's mad at the X-Men or something. Messiah Complex and Second Coming were able to play off that same "the X-Men are backed into a corner" feel while still having moments of uninterrupted victory. The X-Men need a win and they can't do it without someone dying in some odd way that usually goes against their powerset. Granted the story isn't over but is one or two issues really supposed to wipe away all the tragic and dark **** they've already gone through?

The thing is Age of X-Man is a big character study on the X-Men in these vastly different situations and environments that play on both their strengths and their flaws. It's been so fun seeing how Beast and Gabby reacclimate themselves in a prison system where their roles are so limited or how Bishop just couldn't adapt and ends up breaking it. But Apocalypse is on a whole other level. Even in Degeneration, we see Poccy being devolved into a neanderthal and yet he survives based on wit and cunning tactics. Even being Pinocchio-ed by Nate with a specific role to play in the world, he's fighting back in ways even X-Man can't fully predict. And from those secret covers and the revelation that the X-Men have been here for three months, Apocalypse has been playing this round for a long time. His influence has unknowingly spread to form an entire congregation and if Nate hadn't constantly been resetting the world and mind-wiping citizens, Poccy could've taken the world from him just like that. This event is great at not only showing how the X-Men never give up but that Apocalypse is one hell of a villain. And considering he's already been confirmed for HoX and Nate's nowhere to be seen, technically Poccy won.

[Rosebunse]

okay, quick aside. tradd moore's art transcends the medium. i love art that captures action and movement so well and he's like the god of that. and the way he drew ***** <3 <3 <3

anyway

Uncanny X-Men has just been torture porn. There hasn't been a single happy scene that wasn't interrupted by some scene of loss or shock value death. There's a way to play a story out that deals with depression and suicide that isn't constantly beating the reader (ESPECIALLY one that could be dealing with that) over the head with death and despair. Reading the story just feels like a writer who's mad at the X-Men or something. Messiah Complex and Second Coming were able to play off that same "the X-Men are backed into a corner" feel while still having moments of uninterrupted victory. The X-Men need a win and they can't do it without someone dying in some odd way that usually goes against their powerset. Granted the story isn't over but is one or two issues really supposed to wipe away all the tragic and dark **** they've already gone through?

The thing is Age of X-Man is a big character study on the X-Men in these vastly different situations and environments that play on both their strengths and their flaws. It's been so fun seeing how Beast and Gabby reacclimate themselves in a prison system where their roles are so limited or how Bishop just couldn't adapt and ends up breaking it. But Apocalypse is on a whole other level. Even in Degeneration, we see Poccy being devolved into a neanderthal and yet he survives based on wit and cunning tactics. Even being Pinocchio-ed by Nate with a specific role to play in the world, he's fighting back in ways even X-Man can't fully predict. And from those secret covers and the revelation that the X-Men have been here for three months, Apocalypse has been playing this round for a long time. His influence has unknowingly spread to form an entire congregation and if Nate hadn't constantly been resetting the world and mind-wiping citizens, Poccy could've taken the world from him just like that. This event is great at not only showing how the X-Men never give up but that Apocalypse is one hell of a villain. And considering he's already been confirmed for HoX and Nate's nowhere to be seen, technically Poccy won.

Yeah, this event has its problem, but if you like Apocalypse, it's a fun read and a fun look at what makes him so fun. And it's not even that he's playing Nate. No, it's that he's biding his time slowly taking advantage of what he can do to **** with Nate.

And I do feel bad for Nate. He really does want to make a better world, it's just still psychotic. I mean, I think this event will be remembered as a great little event. Not one of the greats, but something interesting and something that really gave it a good college try.