The Flash: Born to Run (Ultimate Edition) (1998)

$8.95 from Marvel Comics

Credits:

Written by Larry Hama

Pencils by Adam Kubert

Inks by Dan Green, Karl Kesel, Chris Warner and Mike Sellers

Colors by Joe Rosas

Letters by Pat Brosseau

Remember *Age of Apocalypse* , when Marvel’s mutant books took a trip for four months into an alternate reality? It was barely three years ago that every mutant book was suspended while the new continuity picked up, and the regular continuity only resumed after characters within the new timeline figured out how to wind their way back to the Marvel Universe as we know it.

How did this happen? In brief, Legion, the twisted and tormented son of Professor Charles Xavier, went twenty years or so into the past and killed Professor X before he formed the X-Men. Apocalypse, a god-like despot, took over the earth before most of the known super-heroes appeared. Now North America lies in ruins, while a Resistance made up of mutants and normal humans plots to take back the earth from the relative safety of Europe.

This was a marvelous idea, and the “Age of Apocalypse” twisted through no less than forty comic issues in its four months, allowing for the mutant writers to roll out a highly complex story. Reading it now, *Age of Apocalypse* has a gloriously epic feel.

Back when all of this was happening, I was looking in other directions, so it’s all new to me, and my only opportunity to read the *Age of Apocalypse* storyline has been in the collected reprints, which I suspect is a better way. Every story feels important, but like most good war stories, you never forget that equally important tales are rolling over in the next book. The war effort is huge, and you can only look at one group of warriors at a time.

*Age of Apocalypse: Weapon X* gives us yet another small chapter of the story, reprinting all four issues our Wolverine’s little pocket of this mirror universe. The plot is something torn not from today’s headlines but yesterday’s: Logan is resigned to take part in a massive air attack on Apocalypse’ North America, a nuclear attack that will result in the deaths of millions, but appears to be the only way to end Apocalypse’ reign. Jean Grey, no friend of Apocalypse, is intent on warning the people of North America that the attack is coming. The story plays out like a World War II movie on LSD-laced Marvel super-hero tattoos. There’s a genuine tension you don’t find often, because the characters know they might die at any time, and you, the reader, know that too, because this is an alternate universe.

If you missed *Age of Apocalypse* the first time around, read it. Now that it’s all over, the story’s completely contained. Marvel was rarely so rich a storyteller.

I can’t believe I missed this stuff the first time around and resolve to read the rest of *Age of Apocalypse*.