Just to be clear, anyone expecting the start of the next big event to hit the X universe could be slightly disappointed. Age of X: Alpha is more of a lead in than a beginning. That's not to say that it doesn't have merit. It's a decent read it's just a little disjointed at times and the the various artists do nothing to help the feeling of being bounced around.
The story here is about setting us up with some interesting takes on what has brought some of the characters to this point. We learn that the event that set everything in motion involved The Phoenix. Their are 4 stories related campfire style. The first is Scott Summers, now going by the name 'Basilisk', he was captured and forced to be the executioner of his fellow mutants by Arcade. Arcade cut off his eyelids and forced him to use his optic blasts to kill, he eventually escapes but not without taking out Arcade first. Cannonball and Husk, Sam and Page Guthrie, are up next. We learn that in the wake of The Phoenix event in Albany the authorities were not only moving against mutants but against their families, humans who didn't even carry the X-gene. We catch up with the Guthrie's as they attempt to hijack a transport that they think carries their family. Unfortunately their family has been killed and instead of allowing Husk to murder the cops Cannonball tells her they need to help the rest of the people, she agrees but not without vowing to never return to her flesh form until he weeps for their family.
Wolverine makes an appearance in the next story, told by Dr. Rao, he infiltrates a medical research facility where Dr. Rao has succeeded in creating a cure for the X-gene. Unfortunately her superiors plan to introduce the cure into water sources and not offer mutants a choice. Disagreeing with this she has been feeding information to the mutant resistance, which is what brought Wolverine to the lab. The only way for them to destroy the cure is to administer every dose of the cure to Logan so his healing factor can metabolize the serum and burn it up. The cure has the desired effect and cures Logan of the X-gene, this story ends with Logan dieing of adamantium poisoning and Dr. Rao trying to save him. It seems she succeeded but questions whether she saved him or destroyed him. Interestingly we don't actually get to see Wolverine himself in the present. The final story is Magneto's and we find out he is the general and leader of the resistance, he was thought to be dead but showed up in NYC and declares his intent to continue fighting. He then uses his powers to 'fly' numerous buildings, all presumably containing mutants, out of the city to construct what they call 'Fortress X'.
Overall it's not a bad book, writer Mike Carey is the only constant between the four stories and his writing is solid enough to hold it all together. I am not a fan of the ensemble art style, like I said earlier for me it creates a disjointed, jumbled feeling to the book. It does offer up some interesting possibilities going forward though, I think Scott Summers as the Wolverine-esque character could be cool. Of course we still don't know what is left of Wolverine himself at this point. The Cannonball and Husk story was the weakest link I feel, it seemed like they were using it to get the information across about just how bad the situation was, which is fine but the attempt at emotional impact with Husk's declaration fell flat for me. I honestly didn't much care that she would not go back to flesh, she is probably more useful made out of stone anyway. Age of X: Alpha is definitely an appetite wetter and it delivers some great prospects for the future of the series, I still can't wait for the official first issue.
Written by: Mike Carey
Art: Mirco Pierfedrici, Gabriel Hernandez Walta (Basilisk), Carlo Barberi (Cannonball and Husk), Paco Diaz (Wolverine) and Paul Davidson (Magneto)
Cover: Chris Bachalo and Tim Townsend
Letters: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
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