Comic Zombie Podcast #29: X-Men: The Age of Apocalypse!

Issue 29: X-Men: The Age of Apocalypse!

“I am the rocks of the eternal shore: crash against me and be broken!” -Apocalypse 

In this solo episode, Chris goes deep into Marvel comics lore to gush about another famous (infamous?) 90’s X-Men story-arc: “THE AGE OF APOCALYPSE”! 

(Episode edited by Chris Carroll and Erik Slader)

Check out our blog at ComicZombie.net for more, including Erik’s recent reviews of Frank Miller’s Sin City graphic novels!

Follow us on Social Media: 

Instagram: @ComicZombiePodcast

Twitter: @ComicZombie2

Network Info

This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network. Follow us below to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts – including: Epik Fails of History, 2 Young 4 This Trek, and Podcasters Assemble!

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Comic Zombie Podcast #21: “X-Cutioner’s Song”

Issue 21: “X-Men: X-Cutioner’s Song”

Chris goes solo to talk about another one of his favorite Marvel comic book story arcs from the 90’s: the 12-part X-Men crossover that was “X-Cutioner’s Song”!

Check out our blog at ComicZombie.net for more – including Chris’s original “X-Cutioner’s Song” article in Part 5 of his X-Men Crossovers series, as well as the first part of our Top 100 Villains Countdown! 

(Episode edited by Chris Carroll)

Follow us on Social Media:

Instagram: @ComicZombiePodcast

Twitter: @ComicZombie2

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Comic Zombie Podcast #9: Ranking the X-Men Movies!

COMIC ZOMBIE – Issue #9: Ranking the X-Men Movies!

Chris and Erik try and rank all the X-Men movies (so far!)

  • X-Men (2000)
  • X2 
  • X-Men: The Last Stand
  • X-Men Origins: Wolverine
  • X-Men: First Class
  • The Wolverine
  • X-Men: Days of Future Past
  • Deadpool
  • X-Men: Apocalypse
  • Logan
  • Deadpool 2 / Once Upon a Deadpool
  • X-Men: Dark Phoenix

*Note: when this episode was recorded (several months ago), we hadn’t yet seen “New Mutants”, but we reviewed it on the previous episode (Issue #8). We also discuss Tom King’s “Mister Miracle”, Chip Zdarsky’s “Spider-man: Life Story”, our initial thoughts on “The Three Jokers”, and speculate about the Snyder Cut (see Issue #7 for our review on that one).

(Episode edited by Erik Slader)

For more random shenanigans, check out our blog at ComicZombie.net – including our X-Men Movie articles!

*Also listen to us on Podcasters Assemble!

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5 Coolest Moments From… X-Men: Age of Apocalypse

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We’ve covered the awesome X-Men event that is Age of Apocalypse more than a few times, most notably here and here, and on the podcast here. Top to bottom one of the coolest events in Marvel’s history, it’s nearly impossible to select just a few moments from the list. Each of the titles had something going for them, and all had at least a handful of fanboy moments, awesome action, great character moments, or just something you’d never seen before in an X book.

It’s likely we will revisit this one with another 5 coolest moments, because there certainly aren’t any shortages. But, for now, the 5 coolest moments from the Age of Apocalypse are…

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Top 50 Moments from “Events”

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Both Marvel and DC (and really most publishers) from time to time will throw a lot of their characters (sometimes nearly all) together for a really big story. These have been dubbed ‘event’ titles. Books like Final Crisis, Blackest Night, Metal, Civil War, Spider-Verse, and many, many others have their fans and detractors, but you can’t deny that they provide some of the coolest, most intense, most unforgettable moments in comics history.

Everyone has their favorites, but here are 50 of the best moments (in no particular order). If you have any favorites that we neglected to include, sound off in the comments.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

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The X-MEN movies (Part 3: First Class – Apocalypse)

Last time in Part 2 we tackled all three Wolverine movies and Deadpool, this time we’re taking a look at the new (and far better) X-Men trilogy – First Class, Days of Future Past and Apocalypse!

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Michael Fassbender (Magneto / Erik Lensherr), James McAvoy (Charles Xavier / Prof X), Jennifer Lawrence (Raven / Mystique), Kevin Bacon (Sebastian Shaw), Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne), Nicholas Hoult (Hank McCoy / Beast), January Jones (Emma Frost), Lucas Till (Alex Summers / Havok), Oliver Platt (CIA agent), Zoë Kravitz (Angel Salvadore), Caleb Landry Jones (Banshee), Jason Flemyng (Azazel), Edi Gathegi (‘Darwin’), Rade Serbedzija (Soviet General), Michael Ironside (US Navy Captain), Don Creech (Stryker Sr.), and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine cameo).

Plot: Realizing that they should have hired Matthew Vaughn for X-Men 3 like he wanted, and that there was nowhere to go with the franchise after Brett “that smell on my thumbs is my ass!” Ratner ‘Batman-and-Robin’d-it’, Fox reboots the franchise with re-casted characters. Magneto hunts for Sebastian Shaw, a mutant that was in charge of the concentration camp he grew up in, while Charles Xavier works with agent Moira Mactaggert and the CIA to gather a team of young mutants. They must team up to stop Shaw from starting World War 3 while learning how to use their powers and accept themselves.

Erik Smash: Following the unbelievably terrible X-Men: The Last Stand and even worse X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Fox finally gets it right with director Matthew Vaughn! “X-Men: First Class” is a back-to-basics prequel / reboot that tells the story of how the X-Men were first formed by a young Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto!

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Top 25 X-Men

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The X-Men have had a lot of members over the years. A LOT. Especially when you consider all of the spin-off teams, like the New Mutants, X-Factor, X-Force, and Excalibur. There have to be around 100, maybe more. But if you aren’t overly versed in X-Men history, how are you to know your Josephs from your Rogues? Your Skins from your Storms? Well, I’ll help you out a bit and give you the 25 best members of the X-Men and their ancillary teams.

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X-Men Crossovers Part 5

X-Cutioner’s Song

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Took place in: Uncanny X-men 294-296, X-factor 84-86, X-men 14-16, X-force 16-18

Written by: Peter David (X-Factor), Scott Lobdell (Uncanny X-Men), Fabian Nicieza (X-Men, X-Force)

Art By: Jae Lee (X-factor), Brandon Peterson (Uncanny X-men), Andy Kubert (X-men), Greg Capullo (X-force)

Characters Involved: Havok, Polaris, Multiple Man, Wolfsbane, Quicksilver, Strong Guy (X-Factor), Cannonball, Sunspot, Boom Boom, Rictor, Shatterstar, Feral, Warpath (X-Force), Storm, Iceman, Archangel, Jean Grey, Bishop, Cyclops, Wolverine, Beast, Jubilee, Gambit, Rogue, Psylocke (X-Men), Cable, Apocalypse, Sinister, Stryfe

imagesStory: Hoo boy. This story is 1990’s X-Men at its peak, for better or worse. If, like me, you were reading all 4 of the titles involved in this crossover, then this was awesome. But if you were a causal fan, or just reading one or two of the books, this was a damn disaster. The story begins in Central Park, at a free concert by mutant musician Lila Cheney. At one point in the concert there is a break, and Professor X gives a speech about tolerance and how mutants are just like normal people, blah blah. Attending the concert are Storm, Bishop, Rogue, and a disguised Archangel. So a woman that can control the weather with her thoughts, a time-displaced militant mutant with the ability to shoot lazers from his hands, a woman that can kill you with a touch, and a flying cutlery drawer. Yeah, they’re just like us, Charles.

Sadly for the Professor, he is suddenly shot in the chest by what appears to be Cable! Before the X-Men can react he teleports out, leaving Charles for dead. This stuns the mutant world, as Cable has been affiliated with X-Force and before that the New Mutants, and is part of the X-family, albeit not directly. This ESPECIALLY stuns X-Force, who have not seen Cable in months and a) can’t believe what he’s done, and b) know that they’re going to be everyone’s first stop on the ass beating train.

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Top 10 X-Men Villains

The X-Men have one of the widest ranging rogue’s galleries in all of comics. A ton of them are really great villains, and a ton of them…. not so much. Anyway, here are my top 10 X-Men villains.

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X-Men Crossovers Part 2

In part 1 I briefly looked at the X-Men’s first foray into the crossover: the Mutant Massacre, which saw Angel get his wings destroyed, Wolverine fight Sabretooth, Psylocke join the X-Men, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Shadowcat leave the X-Men. Not normally known for resting on their laurels when they find something that resonates with the fans, Marvel got with the X-office and told them to do another big summer crossover. They ended up giving us…

 

The Fall of the Mutants

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Took Place In: Uncanny X-Men 225-227, X-Factor 24-26, New Mutants 59-61

Written By: Chris Claremont (Uncanny X-Men), Louise Simonson (New Mutants, X-Factor)

Art By: Marc Silvestri (Uncanny X-Men), Walt Simonson (X-Factor), Brett Blevins (New Mutants)

Featured Characters: Colossus, Dazzler, Havok, Longshot, Psylocke, Rogue, Storm, Wolverine, Forge (the X-Men), Cyclops, Beast, Phoenix, Iceman, Caliban, Archangel (X-Factor), Cannonball, Cypher, Magik, Warlock, Sunspot, Mirage, Wolfsbane, Magneto (New Mutants), Avalanche, Blob, Crimson Commando, Destiny, Mystique, Pyro, Spiral, Stonewall, Super Sabre (Freedom Force), Apocalypse and his four Horsemen, Cameron Hodge, the Adversary

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