Review: X-Men - Age of X

The X-Men are no stranger to re-imaginings. Since their inception, they have been taken to alternate realities and adapted into movies and cartoons (which are never even remotely close to being like the comics). In 2011, Mike Carey tried his hand at re-envisioning the X-Men with his X-Men: Legacy/New Mutants crossover Age of X. In a world where Professor Xavier never formed the X-Men, mutants have dwindled down to a small army who fight for their lives every day against the humans who hate them.

As far as alternate realities go, Age of X is one of the more interesting ones. The cast of characters is large and features almost every notable X-Man. Their new designs are fresh and exciting, some better than their canon counterparts. Jubilee and Dazzler, for instance, are brilliantly designed and would translate well into the official 616 universe. Carey makes a valiant attempt at making the readers care about the characters. Basilisk (a re-envisioned Cyclops) is among the standout characters. His narrative is harrowing and he is the character with the most depth. Likewise, Carey does interesting things with Frenzy. In this reality, she is a hero and is Basilisk's lover. As can be expected from anything written by Carey, Rogue (named Legacy in this crossover) gets her fair share of panel time as do Gambit, Magneto and Cannonball. While it's easy to empathize with Rogue in this particular reality, not enough is done to flesh out her background and she lacks the depth Basilisk has. In fact, this is the most common issue with Age of X. Carey fails to develop the vast majority of the characters and this storyline is entirely dependent on people's knowledge of the characters from the canon universe. He spends too much time on the generic characters (namely his pets Rogue and Gambit) rather than focusing on the more interesting dynamics he had at his disposal. Storm and Namor are lovers in this reality but this pairing is relegated to background status. Similarly, much is made of Basilisk and Frenzy's liaison early on but it is dropped in favour of focusing on Carey's pets. In fact, there is a constant shifting in terms of where he places his focus so the reader never fully settles on a character to root for. He transitions from character to character without ever resolving any of their plots. Even more unfortunately, the entire crossover is resolved by a deus ex machina-style plot device. It's neither interesting nor surprising. Overall, the uneven tone and lack of focus buried the potential Age of X had.

Age of X has its moments of brilliance. The premise is fresh and the various pairings Carey works into the narrative are actually quite fascinating. The designs created for this reality are to be commended and the overall tone was satisfying. Unfortunately, Carey's favouritism towards certain characters and the relative shortness of the crossover squashed the true potential of this alternate reality. Age of X is a decent crossover to be read in an afternoon especially for those who are fans of Rogue or Cyclops. If neither character does anything for you, you may want to skip it.

Grade: C