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Generation Hope # 3
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X-23, the female Wolverine clone, first appeared on the children's television show X-Men: Evolution. Her first comic book appearence was NYX #3. - Submitted by Cycolossus

Runaways


READ ORDER

Author : Peter Luzifer and Binaryan

Last Modified : Oct 18, 2005

THE AGE OF APOCALYPSE
Introduction
Read Order
History
Chronology / Crossover Description
Character Overview
Character Glossary
Aftermath / Lasting Effects

Involved issues :
For four months the entire X-Titles were replaced by new titles that composed the Age of Apocalypse crossover :
X-Man #1-4 Cable - X-Man #1-4 Cable
X-Calibre #1-4 Excalibur - X-Calibre #1-4 Excalibur
Next #1-4 Generation X - Generation Next #1-4 X
Astonishing #1-4 Uncanny X-Men - Astonishing X-Men #1-4 Uncanny
Weapon X #1-4 Wolverine - Weapon X #1-4 Wolverine
Factor X #1-4 X-Factor - Factor X #1-4 X-Factor
Gambit & the Tnals #1-4 X-Force - Gambit & the X-Ternals #1-4 Foc
Amazing #1-4 X-Men - Amazing X-Men #1-4
Chronicles #1-2 X-Men Unlimited - X-Men Chronicles #1-2 Unlimited

Besides, there are some one-shots and later released issues that were retrospectively added into the timeline :
Age of Apocalypse: The Chosen
Blink #1-4
Exiles #60-61
Tales of the Age of Apocalypse #1-2
X-Man #minus 1
X-Man Annual ‘96
X-Men Age of Apocalypse One-Shot
X-Men Age of Apocalypse #1-6
X-Men Alpha
X-Men Omega
X-Universe #1-2

Basically you can read it as Alpha, all #1s, all #2s, ...., Omega but sometimes the events of one title effect another, and some characters like Magneto, Apocalypse, the Shadow King, Jean Grey and Bishop hop through many titles. The most important cross-references can be seen in the flow-chart diagram below. The suggested read order is for some parts based on assumptions. It works, but surely some issues could be placed in another, also working order.

To comment on the books that are set in before X-Men Alpha, the "real" start of the crossover :
X-Men Chronicles and the Tales of the Age of Apocalypse deal with important turning points and backstory of the X-Men and other important characters of the event. Same can be said about the first three short stories of the X-Men: Age of Apocalypse One-Shot. The X-Men’s first battle with Apocalypse, the death of the Scarlet Witch, Logan and Jean Grey leaving the X-Men, Corsair returning to Earth and meeting his sons, Colossus and Shadowcat quitting the X-Men to start Generation Next, and Sabretooth taming Wild Child are among the addressed episodes.

X-Man #minus 1 is a flashback of X-Man's creation in Sinister’s labs; X-Man Annual '96 has Nate going back to the AoA but there he arrives in the past and witnesses a fateful meeting between Forge and Magneto. Both issues were released much later than the original crossover when X-Man already had his own series set in the regular Marvel Universe.

Not really needed for the crossover are :
X-Universe #1-2 deals with the non mutant characters. It only helps to answer questions why none of the other Marvel heroes interfered with Apocalypse.

Age of Apocalypse: The Chosen is a book of files about what Apocalypse thinks of the other characters. Kind of comparable to Stryfe's Strike File around the X-Cutioner's Song crossover.

Blink’s own four issue limited series takes her amnesiac into the Negative Zone, from which she later returns after encountering Blaastar and Annihilus. The last three pages of issue #4 flash forward to the end of the Age of Apocalypse and show Blink getting teleported away from the timeline shortly before it was apparently destroyed.

Suggested order to read the AoA

01) X-Men: AoA One-Shot [3rd story]
02) X-Men Chronicles #1
03) X-Men Chronicles #2
04) Tales of the Age of Apocalypse #2
05) X-Man #minus 1
06) X-Man Annual '96
07) X-Men: AoA One-Shot [2nd story]
08) Tales of the Age of Apocalypse #1
09) X-Men: AoA One-Shot [1st story]
10) Blink #1
11) Blink #2
12) Blink #3
13) Blink #4

14) X-Men Alpha

15) Generation Next #1
16) Astonishing X-Men #1
17) X-Calibre 1
18) Gambit and the X-Ternals #1
19) Weapon X #1
20) Amazing X-Men #1
21) Factor X #1
22) X-Man #1

23) Amazing X-Men #2
24) Factor X #2
25) Weapon X #2
26) Gambit and the X-Ternals #2
27) X-Calibre 2
28) Astonishing X-Men #2
29) Generation Next #2
30) X-Man #2

31) Age of Apocalypse : The Chosen

32) Astonishing X-Men #3
33) Factor X #3
34) Amazing X-Men #3
35) X-Calibre 3
36) Weapon X #3
37) Gambit and the X-Ternals #3
38) X-Universe #1
39) Generation Next #3
40) X-Man #3

41) Astonishing X-Men #4
42) Generation Next #4
43) X-Calibre 4
44) X-Man #4
45) Factor X #4
46) Gambit and the X-Ternals #4
47) Amazing X-Men #4
48) Weapon X #4

49) X-Men Omega
50) X-Universe #2
--) Last three pages of Blink #4

51) X-Men: AoA One-Shot [4th story]
52) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse #1
53) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse #2
54) Exiles #60
55) Exiles #61
56) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse #3
57) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse #4
58) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse #5
59) X-Men: Age of Apocalypse #6

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