Age of Apocalypse Part 32
X-Calibre Issue #4
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Ken Lashley
Inks by Tom Wegrzyn
Lettered by Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Open With:
Recap page; ah this the only book in the entire Age of Apocalypse that uses a recap page.
Continue with:
Nightcrawler, Mystique, Damask, and Switchback are all standing over Dead Man's body; as a narrator gives us a brief rundown of each character. Then Switchback uses her mutant power to fix some unknown headache. Her power allows her to travel 10 seconds into the past; which startles Mystique and she threatens the young mutant.
Mystique then tells everyone that they should head back to the village and check on things from the blast that Dead Man sent last issue. They start to head back when Nightcrawler takes Damask to the side; and questions her about what other backup Apocalypse might send their way.
Damask tells him that she doesn't know, and leans in close to Nightcrawler and acts like she is going to kiss him. Instead, she rubs her cheek against his and feels his blue fur. She makes a comment about its softness. They both then head back to the village to join Mystique.
Cut To:
Avalon is partially on fire from Dead Man’s attack from last issue; and several people are wounded. Doug, the adopted son of Destiny, is attending to the injured. Mystique walks by him and one of the injured; and makes a comment to the young mutant about the man currently screaming in his arms. Doug snaps at Mystique to be more compassionate, and walks away her; only to be stopped by Switchback.
Switchback explains to Doug their situation and how the world has made many people jaded but Mystique is on a mission in the hopes of fixing it all. However, her conversation is interrupted by a large explosion of light on the other side of the village. The three mutants go to investigate.
Cut To:
On the other side of the village, a young female mutant has lost control of her powers and appears to be killing some of the local residence with some type of electricity. Mystique gives a quip about shooting the girl, but Doug stays her hand by telling her that he can "hear" a second set of thoughts coming from the mutant girl.
Suddenly, we learn that the thoughts and the narrator are one in the same, the telepath Shadow King. A villainous telepath that resides in the Astral Plane. Mystique actually blasts the young mutant girl in hopes of killing the Shadow King. Mystique believes that it's over and she has saved the day; only to be informed otherwise by the newly arrived Damask with Nightcrawler.
Damask tells the group that the Shadow King can not be killed by a simple gun. Which is a cue for Shadow King to take over the rest of the residents minds surrounding our heroes; with Shocking results.
Just then Destiny arrives to see the group being attacked by the Shadow King, and thinks to herself that Apocalypse has managed to destroy her village without even stepping foot on it’s soil. Then a mutant under the Shadow King's control is foreced to taunt Destiny.
This allows Damask and opportunity to attack the Shadow King by using her telepathic powers to slice through the possessed mutant. Her attempt to cut the villain from the boy's mind is effective, but leaves the boy comatose.
Destiny’s “Son” sees this and calls Nightcrawler and Damask animals. Nightcrawler in turn replies to Doug to shut up and to grow up. The world they live in is hard and isn’t idealistic with the proper morals. Just then Shadow King makes a play for Mystique and the shapeshifter shouts in pain. She then morphs into the x-man Sabretooth.
Needless to say the plan works; and Damask manages to neuter Shadow King in the astral plane and frees the rest of the villagers. The three mutants manage to come back to the real world and see that everyone is free of Shadow kings influence. However; one last mutant is still under his thrall to shoot an energy blast at Destiny as one final death throw from the incorporeal villain.
Taking Nightcrawlers advice; Doug throw himself in front of his mother and saves her life. Destiny is distraught and agrees to helping Nightcrawler if it means taking down Apocalypse.
To be continued in …. X-men Omega.
THOUGHTS ON THE STORY: Warren Ellis tells a great tale and has a great understanding of dialogue to move a story and feel natural. However, this particular chapter feels more formulaic, plus the two characters that were introduced three issues ago finally have their powers revealed in this issue to only be the ones necessary to overcome the big bad. On a positive note we are given the driving force that makes the character Destiny show up in the final issue of the Age of Apocalypse storyline.
ART: Ken Lashley’s art at the start of the book looks less refined than in the second half of the book. Where the second half has detail and clean lines the front matter looks heavy with hatching and a rushed look. I definitely preferred the back half of the book’s art.
All in all I give this book a:
Score 6 out of 10
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