This week, the Age of Apocalypse begins to fall apart in X-Men: Book of Revelation #3. We also check in on The Amazing Spider-Man: Tone #2, Battleworld #4, and Black Panther: Intergalactic #1. And more dispatches from the Age of Apocalypse with RogueStorm #3!
X-MEN: Apocalypse #3
X-MEN Apocalypse #3
Screenplay: Jed McKay
Penciler: Neso Diaz
Inkers: Sean Parson & JP Mayer
Colorist: Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
Letter: Clayton Cowles, VC.
As a note, contains mild spoilers for the events of Age of Revelation.
After two months of alternating future shenanigans, existential side stories, and just plain weird storytelling choices, we finally learn more about Revelation’s big plans in X-Men: Book of Revelation #3. This plan was first revealed in the pages of writer Jed McKay, but in another Age of Revelation title, Amazing X-Men #3, Book of Revelation #3 focuses not only on explaining Apocalypse’s plot to become a living planet, but also on protagonist Elbekah’s journey from the planet Arakko to Apocalypse’s inner court.
Too often, cartoonists make big reveals into boring chores that often read more like encyclopedia entries than stories. But Jed McKay keeps the issue engaging while ably explaining Apocalypse and Elbekah’s plot. The reveals and explanations are snappy and don’t go too deep into details. The problem arises from the plot itself. I hinted during my review of Amazing X-Men #3 that Revelation’s grand plan was to become an alter ego. The reveal (sorry for the pun) of how Doug came to this grand plan explains where Warlock disappeared to, which solves one of my lingering questions, but also makes Ego’s plan even more random.
Art: Neso Diaz
Why can’t the events of X-Men go beyond the whole “villain striving for godhood” plotline? Back in Krakoa, Powers of X worked because it was novel, and in Sins of Sinister, the story was largely built around themes laid out by Hickman. Age of Revelation’s central plotline (hidden from the reader for two of the three months of the event period) is not reminiscent of ideas from the Krakoa era. Heck, they even go so far as to use Technarch cells (RIP Warlock) to carry out the anabolic process. But instead we get an Ego-inspired plot in what can only be described as an effort to move the current era away from Krakoa. Despite the fast pacing and Ozymandias’ “I did that 35 minutes ago,” the underlying plot is stupid. To be clear, this doesn’t mean you’re smart because you’re dumb, you’re just dumb.
Problems with the story itself aside, McKay’s character work is excellent, as we see a truly evil Doug Ramsey monologue and show how far he’s fallen in his misguided quest to carry out the mission Apocalypse has given him. Artist Netho Diaz The page layout complements the script very well and helps maintain the brisk pace of the issue. Throughout the series, I’ve been vocal about how grid-like panel layouts, while interesting, are often an unnecessary visual distraction. Here Diaz works by frequently changing the shape of the grid squares to emphasize certain important details on the page, such as the seeds on Arakko’s door or the dagger in the back. The different grid shapes and orientations help provide the energy and dynamism needed for the main topic of this issue.
Art: Neso Diaz
Overall, Revelation #3 lays bare Revelation’s grand plan to achieve true survival of the fittest. This issue is full of energy and interesting character work, but some X-fans may have a hard time getting over the absurdity of the plot. I’m generally enjoying Age of Revelation overall, but there’s definitely a reason they kept Revelation’s machinations a secret for so long.
Final Verdict: See
rapid rundown
The Amazing Spider-Man: Tone #3 The Amazing Spider-Man: Tone #3 continues the spicy Spider-Man melodrama that some fans, myself included, have been wanting to see for a long time. It combines great, hilarious action sequences with heartfelt emotional analysis of Peter’s mindset. Screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski shows in the touching scenes between Mary Jane and Aunt May how well he understands Peter and his character’s flaws and strengths, making Mary Jane feel like her own character who can separate herself from Peter. This is a highlight of the issue, and The Amazing Spider-Man: Tone #3 is worth reading on its own, and there’s no doubt that this issue delves deeper into what makes Peter Peter.
That’s not all we get to delve deep into Peter’s psyche, thanks to Pere Perez’s amazing art and facial expressions. Perez does a great job with the panel angles and character work to make it feel like there’s always movement, even in panels where people are just talking, which pairs well with the plot-driven panels involving Evangeline, whose likability as a villain improves thanks to her banter with Peter at the beginning of the issue. I also want to give a shout out to colorist Guru-eFX, who does a great job of making Peter’s Spider-Man costume pop in every panel. – LM Battleworld #4 This is the current Battleworld mini-series by Christos Gage and Marcus To is one of Marvel’s more surprisingly fun mini-series in recent times. Is it using the reputation from Secret Wars? True, but Gage has created a story that is more like Avengers Forever. He assembles an unlikely team of misfits from across Marvel history to fight the powerful Kolvac, who wants to know which timeline is more worthy of survival. By starring Hank Pym, one of Marvel’s most haunted characters, Gage is able to explore what heroism looks like in the Marvel universe through the prism of another hero. The book successfully incorporates its unique lineup of characters, including the recovering alcoholic Carol Danvers of the Busiek/Perez-era Avengers, a teenage Spider-Man who interacts with a World War II-era teenage Bucky, stormy days in the future past, and a modern-day Hank Pym. Artist Marcus Toh does a great job of matching the visual style of the characters to the era. Drawing Spidey is a different thing, but To doesn’t just make him look like a teenager, he gives him a busy Spidey costume from his Steve Ditko era. His Days of Future Past Storm looks like a John Byrne painting, but King Thor at least has the physicality of an Esad Ribic production. Marvel has been indulging in a little too much nostalgia lately, but at least series like Battleworld remind us just how fun (and wild) Marvel books can be. – DM Black Panther Intergalactic #01 Spun out of the events of Marvel’s space miniseries “Imperial,” author Victor LaValle was responsible for T’Challa’s return to the intergalactic empire of Wakanda. A complex Imperial plot set up Wakanda as a fall guy for the Inhumans to reassert themselves on the cosmic political stage, and once the plot died down, T’Challa was running things for Wakanda. And now he finds himself lost and having to survive on an unknown planet with no idea how he got there. Meanwhile, the rest of Wakanda is being rebuilt after the events of Imperial Forces and Side Empire War: The Story of Black Panther. To bring this new world to life, artist Stefano Nesi is a perfect fit for the story’s quirky, cartoonish approach to the action and color artist Brian Valenza’s vibrant color palette, who finds a way to not distract from the subject matter or environment. Given LaValle’s previous comic work, I knew when I picked up this issue that it would be a new take on the Panthers. There was politics, action, mystery, courtroom intrigue, and more, but when you combine it all and add Lost, this is a twist on Panther like we’ve never seen before. –GC3
Dispatch from the Age of Apocalypse
RogueStorm #3 I’m not sure I can adequately explain the plot of RogueStorm #3 in just a few hundred words. Author Murewa Ayodele weaves a complex and dense tapestry of stories featuring gods, mutants, clones, and multiple non-linear time jumps. Ayodele’s Storm run primarily focuses on the mythical aspects of Storm, and that’s no different here at RogueStorm. The mythology is rich and there is a sense that there is a larger world to the story. However, Ayodele’s non-linear approach to storytelling makes this a dense series that lasts month after month. Reading it all at once makes it easier to read, but as it stands, the constant jumping between timelines and different settings makes the book a headache to read. Gambit and Rogue Red’s character work is interesting, if not confusing, when incorporated into the Unbreakable X-Men story. However, this page has a subtle explanation of magic that I think does a good job of explaining it. The art by Roland Boschi is so visually interesting that Neeraj Menon, Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, and Rachel Rosenberg all share credit, and I didn’t even realize this was a jam issue for the colorists. Boschi’s compositions are rigorous and capture the scale of the moment. There is a painterly approach using gouache and perhaps watercolor as well. As for Age of Revelation, Rogue Storm is not important to the plot other than explaining why Storm’s climate change notes, which are inserted into each issue of the event, are on the map. The series itself has a labyrinthine narrative structure, but most myths are often like that. There’s something here, and if you like the current run of Storm, I highly recommend checking it out. That said, this is definitely a very strange and divisive book. –J.J.
Can’t wait for next week’s book? Check out past rundown editions!
Check out The Beat’s latest comic reviews!
Something like this:
Like loading…
