"Apocalypse" (conclusion)

Plot: Apocalypse rises, having manifested out of the body of the formerly delusional Sinister, for some dark purpose that isn’t quite clear. The X-Men have their hands full dealing with him, until Jean gets mad.

Comments: This is Kirkman’s last issue, and also mine. I haven’t been excited about this title in quite some time. I know Kirkman is an amazing writer in other venues (Walking Dead, Astounding Wolf-Man), but this title never seemed to really click for him. It wasn’t terrible, but it hasn’t been top-of-the-pile material, and the developments impending when Vaughan left weren’t picked up on or fully explored.

Instead we got distracted by too early introductions of Bishop and Cable and the pitiful Morlocks, and were far too plot heavy to afford much focus on the X-Men themselves. Yet another Xavier death (he was faking) just felt formulaic, and the musical artists Kirkman was saddled with (Larroca was probably the best; he turns in a great cover this issue in fact) didn’t help maintain a tone, either. No lucky pairing with Finch or Immonen for Kirkman.

That said, he also didn’t muck things up, and he succeeded in keeping the team atmosphere of the book alive, something that really blossomed under Vaughan’s tenure. These did feel like a younger, wilder version of the 616 X-Men, and that wildness is still evident this issue in more than a few ways.

One is the extreme physical damage suffered by both Apocalypse (gross!) and Wolverine (who just can’t heal fast enough for what happens to him). And the other is the unleashed power of the Phoenix, which doesn’t manifest like the old version did when it possessed / replaced the Jean we knew at the time.

This Phoenix is a glorious golden goddess, and she’s fully in possession of her faculties and her powers. Seeing old Pocky-Lips sneered at and humbled is pretty fun, and though her ascension is also rather formulaic, it makes for a fresh change-up on the events of old (when that Jean Grey was so often befuddled and overwhelmed). Like a lot of newly risen gods in sci-fi stories, she departs, but not before leaving a final boon.

The art choices made by Tolibao are rather strange this issue; his figures have an extreme look that fits the story, but recalls Igor Kordey’s unusual characterizations and compositions on New X-Men. Still, the Phoenix / Apocalypse battle is intense and full of passion, and a later splash-page featuring the entire motley crew currently at Xavier’s institute is a nice reminder of the current state of things. Next up is drug addiction and gay lovers, but it’s really the Dell Otto covers that are going to keep me away. My X-Men have a different adjective in front of their name.

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