Age of Apocalypse, the revolutionary '90s X-Men crossover, is reborn this September in X-Men of Apocalypse, a six-part event series from writer Jeph Loeb, one of the architects behind the original event, and Eisner-nominated artist Simone Di Meo.
Today, Marvel Comics has announced that Joe Madureira, another superstar creator who brought Age of Apocalypse to life, will illustrate a variant cover for each issue.
Madureira transformed the look of the X-Books throughout the '90s with his distinct and innovative art style. Now, the highly influential artist returns to the franchise for the first time in decades with glorious depictions of the very characters he defined: the iconic X-Men of the Age of Apocalypse.
"I am beyond excited to be dipping back into this corner of the X-Men universe," Madureira shared. "I was literally a kid when I drew the Astonishing X-Men—it feels like several lifetimes ago, and I want to bring something new to these characters on my covers. Hopefully I can do justice to Simone’s incredible, explosive pages!"
"I met Joe Mad during the original 1995 Age of Apocalypse," Loeb added. "His style and storytelling brought a revolutionary look that is still influential today. When Marvel and I first started talking about this project there was no way we couldn't ask Joe to do his distinctive, incredible covers (pencils, inks, colors) to the book."
"We were so thrilled when he said 'Yes!' I should point out that despite our friendship/partnership and overlooking his role in designing these characters, his real reason for joining was he's a huge fan of Simone Di Meo! Uncanny!" the writer concluded.
Taking place in the direct aftermath of the original crossover's explosive finale, X-Men of Apocalypse reignites the mission of this iconic reality's X-Men as they journey here to ensure their universe’s survival. This desperate mission will take them into the main Marvel Universe, where they will come into conflict with their classic counterparts, forever impacting both teams' destinies.
You can see Madureira's cover below. Hot Toys recently revealed a 1/6th scale figure based on the version of this costume worn by Hugh Jackman in Deadpool & Wolverine. Check it out here.
THE X-MEN OF APOCALYPSE CRASH INTO THE MAIN MARVEL UNIVERSE! A dystopian future created when Charles Xavier was killed in a tragic time-travel accident, AGE OF APOCALYPSE is home to a wartorn group of X-Men led by Magneto. In order to free their Earth from Apocalypse's cruel reign, they were willing to sacrifice their very existence—or so they thought! The main timeline was restored, Apocalypse was defeated, but their world lived on!
X-MEN OF APOCALYPSE ALPHA #1
Written by JEPH LOEB
Art and Cover by SIMONE DI MEO
Variant Cover by JOE MADUREIRA
On Sale 9/3