So, for the second time in two months, I only picked up 4 comics in one week. As such, I’ll just write 4 reviews and not bother with my first impressions post. You can tell that Secret Wars is starting to wind down. Even though the main event still has 4 issues left, many of its minis are nearing their end, and All New Marvel is set to begin next month. Age of Apocalypse saw its second last issue today, and it feels like the first half of the conclusion.
Age of Apocalypse 3 ended with Apocalypse breaking open a canister with the legacy virus, sending it out to all the mutants in his domain to test who is truly fit to survive. This issue kicks off with the immediate aftermath, with one of the X-men dying very quickly from the mutant killing disease. The rest of this comic is split into two parts. The first part is the main fight between Apocalypse and pretty much everyone else, who have now realized what a madman Apocalypse truly is. Several characters face an emotional death scene during the fight, most notably Magneto. Of course, he lives long enough for Apocalypse’s plan to backfire horribly.
The other part of the comic features Wolverine, Cyclops and Sunfire hunting for Jean Grey, and in the process they find the man responsible for the virus itself. This part of the story is also well written, and gives the comic some much needed slowdown with the all-out fight happening in the streets.
The art by Iban Coello won’t be for everyone, but it’s good. It takes on a very 90’s style, with exaggerated character builds, sharp angles and 90’s hairstyles. There’s a lot of detail though, and facial expressions do a great job at expressing emotions. Emma Frost’s look after she eases Magneto’s death is especially good. The best looking page is Apocalypse’s death though. The colouring by David Curiel is nothing short of fantastic. Everything’s bright and colourful, with great shading effects too.
Fabian Nicieza is the perfect writer for this series. Not only did he write part of the original Age of Apocalypse story, but he’s one of the few writers who rose to fame in the 90’s and can still write well. He keeps with the themes of the original story, while still creating something new and utilizing different characters. Fans of the original should make sure to pick this up; you might never get a better tribute to Age of Apocalypse.
healed1337 
For the record, Burner isn’t Sunfire. It’s Adam-X the X-Treme. Issue #3 strongly hinted at it. He cut Cyclops, exposing his blood to oxygen, so it could be ignited. Then, Burner found himself unable to actually ignite Cyclops’ blood – a reference to plans for Adam-X to be the Third Summers Brother. It’s Adam-X. Which is AMAZING.
As for this issue, it’s really good. The fight against Apocalypse is cool. I’m eager to see Doug get to save the day next issue.
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Guess I didn’t think of that because I haven’t read anything with Adam X in it. He seems to be one of those characters considered to be awesome by some, and a joke by others.
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