Apocalyptic X-Position
Overview
The gathered mutant forces tell stories as they wait for the human forces to attack. Each story becomes a flashback, giving an insight into how the world became warped beyond recognition.The Good
All of it. In all seriousness, the entire issue simply oozes quality! It's so rare that I enjoy an issue so much. Each element of this one-shot has been perfectly honed to fit together as a perfect work of art. Everything from the cover, art (internal & external), plot, characterisation all flow seamlessly.The Art
The bombastic Chris Bachalo cover rips the earth from underneath us, literally transforming the landscape of everything we know. Characters are recognisable, yet are warped dark reflections of the characters we know & love. A visual feast of rainbow colours in a dark never ending explosive night. This isn't a cover; it's a statement. A gateway into the Age of X.The internal art is provided by five different teams. Unlike most anthology volumes, the stories aren't segregated. Some stories start with the turn of a page, but others are blended more gently. Merging artists on the same page, but swapping duties on the next panel.
More often than not, I'm not keen on having different artists telling the same story. However, the chosen artists here seem to reflect the tone of the chosen characters. None more strikingly so than Gabriel Hernandez Walta's unique bleak style telling the story of how Basilisk escaped Alcatraz. The rough edges and flat colours suit the cold rough existence Basilisk is forced to endure as Arcade's executioner. Meanwhile Carol Barberi's smooth & rounded lines suit Husk's seductively simplistic (yet deadly) world view & Cannonball's clear cut morals. Paco Diaz's art is a little less enticing, but the rather stereotypical comic book art still captures the out & out stereotypical comic book violence. Paul Davidson's art is rougher than Diaz's, reflecting the rough experiences of the besieged mutants and Magneto's own physical state.
In some ways, the choice of artist seems to continually decline, yet this is a world that is constantly falling into the dark pits of despair. There is no light, and therefore the solo stories aren't beautiful to look at. Yet there is also the sultry painted style of Mirco Pierpfederici that cradles each individual story and holds the issue together. His use of colour reminds me of the Dark Deco technique that was used for the original Batman Animated series of the early 90's. Using a dark canvas, all the lighter & bright colours will shine out all the more, but also have a slightly gloomy undertone to them. His use of light & dark adds a visually enticing element, and really brings this issue to life.
The Writing
In the space of one issue, the Age of X has already become a shining example of why Mike Carey is so misplaced on a secondary X-Title, when he is more than capable of handling the flagship series Uncanny X-Men. This one-shot proves his ability to handle a large cast. He respects and know his characters with so much detail that although they have all been changed in a different reality they all feel like their regular Earth-616 counterparts. Or at least, he makes it believable that the characters we all know & love really would behave like this.The plot of this issue is virtually non-existent. There's no real action, at least not in the present day. All the action takes place in flashbacks that are woven in to the campfire scenario perfectly. So much so that the first few times I read this, I didn't realise that nothing was essentially happening. It's a steady, tense build up for the action that takes place in the first 'Chapter'.
