The Age of apocalypse
X-Calibre #1-4
Writer: Warren Ellis
Pencils: Ken Lashley, Roger Cruz, Renato Arlem, Charles Mota, & Eddie Wagner
Inks: Phil Moy, Bud LaRosa, Tom Wegrzyn, & Harry Candelario
Colours: Joe Rosas & Digital Chameleon on colours
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Editors: Suzanne Gaffney
Original publication date: 1995
Welcome, to the Oh Gosh, Oh Golly, Oh Wow! Podcast, the podcast where we talk about the Marvel comics event Age of Apocalypse, and nothing but Age of Apocalypse, every week from now ‘til eternity. This week, your regular hosts Dr. Michael Hancock, Dr. Sam Langsdale, and Dr. Kalervo Sinervo slash and burn their way to Avalon while being super into sexy dominatrix mothers as they peel back the gold foil cover to tackle the miniseries X-Calibre, starring iconic teammates Kurt Darkholme, Mystique, Switchback, and Damask. Featuring cameos by Dr. J. Andrew Deman of “The Ellis Run” Twitter account and Dr. Christopher Maverick (under protest), plus a surprise visit from Kurt Darkhome’s Very Official PR Manager.
On personal histories:
“Growing up, the only Age of Apocalypse comic book I had was Amazing X-Men #4. We had no idea who the characters were or what was happening. But it was for sure the coolest thing we’d ever read.” -Michael
On AoA and collecting:
“Age of Apocalypse not only got me into Marvel Comics, but also a brief period in my life in which I was obsessed with the idea of collecting comics.” -Kalervo
More first impressions:
“You know that emoji with the really big eyes and red cheeks? That was my initial reaction to reading X-Calibre.” -Sam
On mommies dearest:
“Mystique has always been tough and cunning. But to have her be this Sarah Conner-esque, ‘mommy will take care of it’ character in this apocalyptic world—that’s new.” -Sam
On tone:
“If this was later in Ellis’ writing career I might interpret this as a satire of grimness. But in 1995, it fits the tone of the line.” -Michael
On parenting:
“It’s neat to see Mystique nurture and exercise a kind of protectiveness over Kurt, things that in all my years of reading X-Men comics outside of the Age of Apocalypse, I just didn’t see anywhere.” -Kalervo
On emotional depth:
“You don’t need a lot of character motivation in this world. For most of them, the motivation is—live. But having Kurt and Mystique’s relationship as a motivating factor for action helps this story feel more engaging.” -Sam
As usual:
You can find Michael on Twitter (@PersonofCon) and at the Three Panel Contrast podcast.
You can find Sam on Twitter (@s_langsdale) and at her website.
You can find Kalervo on Twitter (@kalervideo) and at his website.
Enjoy!
-GGW Team