A new age is upon the Marvel Universe. Doug Ramsey has become the heir to Apocalypse. This new stat quo led him to the doors of the X-Men. Ramsey offered to join the group. After a vote accepted him into ranks, Cyclops was psionically attacked.
As he now wakes up ten years into the future, all has changed. Welcome to the Age of Revelation!
X-MEN: AGE OF REVELATION OVERTURE #1 by Jed MacKay, Ryan Stegman, J. P. Mayer, Edgar Delgado & Clayton Cowles debuts a volatile era in X-Men history.
Teaming up on this review are Megan (Vigilante Vibes podcast) and yours truly (Ken – NI Editor-In-Chief/ODPH Podcast). Let’s see how this introduction plays out. *** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
LET’S TALK STORY!
MEGAN: Starting off the new event, the new era, of the mutants with X-Men: Age of Revelation Overture #1, we’re taken to this new world, a shadow of the old civilization of America. Whether it’s a utopia or a dystopia depends on whether or not you’re an X-Men. The X-Men in this new life is what caused the downfall of civilization, and it was one of their own that started it all, Doug Ramsey.
With a few tricks up their sleeves and shooting from the shadows, the X-Men have brought Cyclop’s mind 10 years into the future. So, all of this world is completely new to Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops. While he has to wrap his head around it all, he doesn’t get too much downtime as the story is very active and the action is high all around. Besides Scott and the X-Men, we also get a good idea on what it’s like on the other side, with Doug Ramsey, AKA Revelation, and his team of mutants who have sworn themselves to serve him. According to Magneto, Revelation is more powerful than ever, and with the support he has, there seems to be no stopping him.
KEN: Much like previous “Age” storylines, taking risks on characters is always a gamble. MacKay teases all is not what it seems early. The picture of Ramsey’s Chorister visiting a ravaged territory is prime example. Readers watch as the scene turns deadly quickly.
It is a reflection of the struggle against tyranny. How we get to this stage is unclear. The audience does get answers via a time-displaced Scott Summers.
After the events of X-Men #22, Summers’ mind has been swapped into the future. The writing walks through the pivotal moments. As the writing shifts to Ramsey, there is a very familiar feel to his character. It is easy to see how power corrupted him. This pushes for extreme measures to be taken. Much like the alternate timelines do, characters get new stat quos.
CHECK OUT X-MEN #22!
One that remains the same is Ramsey’s enforcer. Readers watch as his ruthless attack leaves many bodies in his path. It leaves an definitive exclamation point on where this story is going. The closing page feels out of place as far as impact. It is solid for what it wants to say. Get ready for a dangerous fight on the horizon.
HOW ABOUT ART AND LETTERING?
MEGAN: With a creative team as stacked as this one, there’s no choice but to come out with high quality work, which is exactly what happened with X-Men: Age of Revelation Overture #1. The creative team, Ryan Stegman, J.P. Mayer, Edgar Delgado, and Clayton Cowles show up and show out for this new era for the mutants, and makes a very strong first impression.
There’s a notable sense of tension from the very first page of the comic that stays throughout the read. There’s some moments that have you reading with bated breath, and some that’ll have you reminding yourself to blink, and in all of these moments, the artists perfectly captured your attention and kept it hostage.
KEN: Stegman and the art team bring out the intensity of this new world. The opening sequence teases peace until a brutal death. A half page panel sets the tone for what lies ahead concerning that. This moves into Cyclops’ awakening in the future. His reactions mirror the questions arising in this land. The full page image of a destroyed United States territory explains much of this broken world.
Readers watch as Ramsey comes into focus as Revelation. His mannerism reflects the brash drive he’s trying to instill. There is a sense of “Joffrey of Game Of Thrones” to his body language. Even as more characters and action start unfolding, one stands out above the rest. Ramsey’s enforcer makes his way into the story via full page. It is all gas and no breaks from this point. There’s plenty of wild action as the bodies start piling up. One X-Man makes an extreme sacrifice to stop events.
The fallout is given a proper full page. This is followed by a strong image of more aftermath as all parties process what happened. The final page is more simple in delivery. It conveys Ramsey’s thoughts & provides a safe landing spot for concluding the opening round.
OVERALL GRADE: 8.5/10
MEGAN: 8.7/10. This was a pretty great start to a new era of X-Men. With the dark dystopian feel of the comic, the not holding back when it comes to violence, and the feeling of hopelessness after all Revelation has already done, this has my full attention.
KEN: 8.3 The latest X-Event starts off with a very familiar theme before switching into high gear. MacKay’s writing leans into the desperate fight for survival. Stegman and the art team construct fantastic action sequences that hold little back. How this ultimately plays out is anyone’s guess.
Let me know your thoughts on X-MEN: AGE OF REVELATION OVERTURE #1 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
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