The Official AGE OF X

Third Eye Comics Checklist

I haven’t seen this much anticipation for an X-Book since back before SECOND COMING began. And, it’s well-deserved, because AGE OF X just sounds plain freakin’ cool. Let me back up before I go any further, and tell you guys that I may be a bit biased by this because I’m a huge, huge fan of alternate universe-style stuff that ties into the 616 Marvel Universe. AGE OF APOCALYPSE was the comic that got me into going to the comic shop every week when I was a youngun, so I have a soft spot for these kinds of things.

Now, that being said, AGE OF X looks freakin’ off the chain rad. This one brings back some strong memories of AGE OF APOCALYPSE, for sure, and it also gives us a hint of 1602 in the way it’s being shaped.

What is AGE OF X? AGE OF X is a crossover storyline that begins in AGE OF X ALPHA one-shot this Wednesday, and then will run through X-Men Legacy and New Mutants for the next few months. The story takes place in a world that has never known the X-Men, in which the X-Men never came together as a team, and a mysterious, and enigmatic being known only as X ties everything together. What this means is we’re going to see all the X-Men characters we know, and love in an alternate history setting where they’re using their powers in different ways, forming different relationships, and heck, some of them might not even be the good guys they are now, and vice versa. From the very start, the enemies of the mutant species have been organized, and without an X-Men to band them together, they have not been. The whole world is a very hostile territory for mutants, and the only safehaven is a fortress where all the surviving mutants are welcome to hide. However, unlike UTOPIA in the regular realm of X-Books, this fortress is surrounded by enemies, and the area has been devastated by years of conflict. In other words, the battle is right at their front door.

How Does It Tie Back To The Continuity of the 616 Marvel ‘verse? AGE OF X is set up with a strong mystery kind of angle to it, and that mystery is a big part of how it ties to the 616 Marvel world. Writer, Mike Carey (you may know him from LUCIFER and the UNWRITTEN) explains how he and the creators behind AGE OF X will be revealing the mystery backwards, stating that the conclusion will show why things have been done this way.

Why Is It Going To Rule? Folks, any time they do something that’s kind of alt-history or alt-universe with the X-Men… it’s intense, and very good. We’re going to see characters cast in different lights. Bad guys are good guys, good guys are bad guys, and the life paths of characters have changed completely.. you know, the whole nine yards. Plus, the story sounds fantastic, and who doesn’t love a good mystery?

There’s also the fact that we’re going to see some of our favorite characters getting some limelight that they haven’t gotten in a long time. Magneto will be playing a pivotal role, and acting almost as a General like figure. Rogue will also be getting one of the best roles she’s had in a series in a long time, which is pretty kick-ass, alongside Gambit, who we haven’t seen used this well in a while.

THE CHECKLIST

JANUARY

CHAPTER ONE: AGE OF X ALPHA ONE-SHOT

FEBRUARY

CHAPTER 2 X-MEN LEGACY #245

CHAPTER 3 NEW MUTANTS #22

MARCH

CHAPTER 4 X-MEN LEGACY #246

CHAPTER 5 NEW MUTANTS #23

CHAPTER 6 AGE OF X UNIVERSE #1

APRIL

CHAPTER 5 X-MEN LEGACY #247

CHAPTER 6 NEW MUTANTS #24

CHAPTER 7 AGE OF X UNIVERSE #2

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