X-Men: Emperor Vulcan

X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #1-5

by Christopher Yost (Writer), Paco Díaz (Illustrator)

It's brother versus brother and the outcome could decide the fate of billions. Uncanny X-Men's Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire continues here.
Vulcan is the Shi'Ar Emperor and Havok is leading the revellious Starjammers. But who is really right and who is really wrong?

Collecting: X-Men: Emperor Vulcan 1-5

Genres: Comics, Marvel, X Men, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Comic Book

120 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2008

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christopher Yost steps into Ed Brubaker's shoes and gives us a third part in the Vulcan saga, following 'Deadly Genesis' and 'The Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire'.

To be honest, it's more of the same; a reasonably entertaining X-Men-in-space story (although, technically, none of the characters here are actually active X-Men during this story).

Frankly, though, this Vulcan business is starting to feel stretched out. Conclusion and closure required in the next volume.

[Tiag⊗ the Mutant · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this one, I still liked this team, but the characters in this book didn't felt as unique as they did when Ed Brubaker was writing them, Christopher Yost wrote them as clones of the original team, Havok was Cyclops, Solaris was Storm, Marvel Girl was Jean Grey and Korvus was Wolverine, and Vulcan was even more of a douche with a godlike complex, something was clearly missing, but it was still a very entertaining read.

[Subham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Havok and the Starjammers must go after Vulcan and the Imperial guard and they do fight but the hostilities cease when they are under attack by Scy'ar Tal and well we see their connection to the Shi'aar and their target - M'krann Homeworld and well more people will die but before that they have to be stopped and so the two ally, but who will win in the end - Starjammers or Imperial Guard led by Vulcan?!

Its an interesting volume and deals with the inner turmoils and political things and the war between the brothers and throws a third rate villain into the mix but its so boring and sometimes a chore to read through and some panels are just so boring. But then again its connected to the war of kings saga.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not an expert on the X-Men universe, but I thought it was pretty fun.

[Adam Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think there was any saving this thread from Brubaker's run on Uncanny X-Men. The characters aren't interesting, the space opera plot is bland. Yost seemed to be doing his best just to move everything in place for the next Vulcan storyline.

Art-wise, the faces were inconsistent, and I kept getting distracted by cross-hatching, which is something that rarely happens.

If you're invested in the third Summer brother story, or you want the lead-in to Kingbreaker/War Of Kings, then you should pick this up. Otherwise, it's completely skippable.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 5 issue limited comic series picks up immediately after the events at the end of the Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire. The story follows the exploits of the heroes (Havoc, who has become the leader of the Starjammers due to events in the aforementioned story line, the Starjammers, the disposed Shi'ar Emperess, her military advisor, and the X-men who stayed behind with Havoc) as they try to fight against and take down Vulcan and what he has become. And this is all while a previously unknown threat to the Shi'ar arrives to eradicate them.

Christopher Yost does an excellent job of picking up where Ed Brubaker left off, and does such without the reader knowing the distinction. The story flows very naturally from the Shi'ar events. Mr. Yost has done a very good job of maintaining the feel of the story and keeping the 'voice' of the characters both the same to what Mr. Brubaker setup and to what us X-fans expect of these characters.

The art of Paco Diaz is not disparate enough from Billy Tan to visually disjoint the story from the previous arc, and is enjoyable of itself.

The story does a great job of wrapping up elements left from the Shi'ar arc, yet also make new ones that can, at some future date, be appropriately addressed.

If as the old adage goes, "Always leave them wanting more", then Mr Yost and Mr Diaz have succeeded. I'm nearly chomping at the bit to find out what happens next with our heroes and the state they are left in at the end of the story.

I would recommend this story only to those X-fans who have already read the Deadly Genesis and Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire stories, and only if they, as I do, like the characters in question in this series. I say this as this story is isolated from the rest of the Marvel universe and as such is not required reading.

[Arturo · Rating 4 out of 5]

After X-Men: Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire, Half the X-Men and Starjammers, join Lilandra's Rebel Army to fight against Vulcan, who now has the throne thanks to Deathbird, and has the Imperial Guard at his command. A new race of aliens whose name means 'Death to shi'ar' complicate matters.
I never cared much for inner turmoil drama. But this did a good job at bringing up Rachel Grey's problems with the Shi'ar. How the entire Grey family was wiped out by the Shi'ar sending the Death Commandos in the 'End of Grey's ' story. And her feelings for Korvus. Added bonus. I always wanted to see another artists rendition of the Death commandos since Bachalo's art can make things look too cartoony.
The story ends with the feeling this is just filler for a continuing story. Which does make sense. I guess no happy ending makes the story seem disappointing.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Corsair was killed, the new Starjammers are led by Havok. They are determined to stop Vulcan, the self-declared Shi'Ar emperor. The latter still controls most of the Shi'Ar fleet, though he is losing ground to the resistance led by Lilandra. Another faction joins the battle, apparently against both sides. They call themselves the Scy'Ar Tal - 'Death to the Shi'ar'. Their first volley of shots destroys Vulcan's flagship.

Rachel reaches out to the Scy'Ar Tal leader who calls himself the Eldest. He reveals that the Shi'Ar almost wiped out the Tal, so now they want revenge and their wirkd back, the M'Kraan crystal which the Shi'Ar consider sacred. Though they seem to retreat from the battle, they leave behind a weapon named Finality that destroys the nearby planet by teleporting a star into it.

Vulcan reaches out to Havok against their common enemy. Their combined fleet is still no match for the Scy'Ar, but Vulcan and Havok's attack on the Eldest is successful. Vulcan severs tge Eldest's psychic connection to his followers which throws them into disarray. With victory in hand, Vulcan turns on Havok. He orders his Imperial guard to use Finality to destroy the Scy'Ar fleet. Havok prevents it from firing, but Vulcan's decision turns even Lilandra's faction to his side. The Shi'Ar civil war is over, Vulcan has effectively won and can begin a brutal galactic expansion, while the Starjammers are imprisoned.

[Shivesh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this one as floppies in a local dollar bin, which I always prefer to a collected book. This volume has flashes of excitement, but it never quite becomes the story it seems to promise. The artwork is easily the strongest part of the experience. For a book from this era of Marvel cosmic storytelling, the visuals still hold up well—dynamic action sequences, bold character designs, and a sense of scale that gives the Shi’ar Empire the grandeur it deserves. The art team clearly poured energy into making the cosmic setting feel alive, and that effort shows.

The story, though, struggles to keep pace. What should feel like a tight, escalating conflict instead wanders from beat to beat without a clear emotional or narrative throughline. Vulcan’s arc feels more sketched than explored, and the supporting cast drifts around him without much purpose. Plot threads appear abruptly, resolve quickly, or simply fade away, leaving the whole thing feeling strangely weightless despite the high stakes.

There are moments where you can see the outline of a sharper, more focused cosmic saga, but the book never settles long enough to develop it. In the end, strong visuals can’t fully compensate for a story that feels meandering and unfocused.

A decent-looking read, but not a memorable one.

[Judah Radd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really awesome space drama involving some mutant former X-Men and the Shi’ar that continues the story told in Dead Genesis and Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire. It’s Havok, Marvel Girl (Rachel), Polaris, Lilandra and the Starjammers versus Vulcan and Deathbird.

So far, that’s all a big fuck yes, compounded by the fact that it’s told by Christopher Yost, who pretty much rocks everything he does. Furthermore, the art is incredible. Paco Diaz is a magician, and he completely captures the feel of Rise and Fall.

So why just four stars? Frankly, it just wasn’t enough. These 5 issues felt like a rush to get the story out, and it didn’t really leave things much different than they were before. It was a skirmish. A highly entertaining skirmish, but a skirmish nonetheless. It was largely inconsequential, and the biggest story related takeaway was some interesting history related to the M’kraan crystal.

I wanted more.

I liked it a lot, and I wasn’t bored. I definitely do recommend this. I just wish it was more significant for the characters involved.

Perhaps War of Kings will remedy that.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Continuing the great x-read of 2017/18...

Let me say in advance that I'm just not that big of a fan of the space side of the X-Men stories. Lilandra, the Shi'ar... That space opera side of the story has never been my favorite. So adjust the stars as necessary if you are a fan of that type of story.

And this isn't bad. It's just very slow. The plot of these two volumes so far are stretched out to the point of making it hard to care. If Havok and Polaris weren't in here (and Rachel too though she doesn't exactly seem like Rachel to me...), I would say it was worth passing by altogether.

The end is a cliffhanger, so I guess the story continues at some point. Not sure that I care at all, though. Not my favorite bit of this read so far (but as I often say - there are far worse volumes that I have read).

[jorge · Rating 3 out of 5]

A direct continuation of 'Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire' which was pretty average at best. I was expecting more out of the story and not a cop-out where another alien race gets introduced.
The story starts with the Starjammers ambushing Vulcan and his Imperial Guard. The battle starts out fierce but the sudden appearance of an alien race startles Vulcan as they destroy one of his vessels. It later turns out that the alien race are the original occupiers of the Shi'ar homeworld, where they worshipped the M'Kraan crystal for thousands of years before being ousted by the Shi'ar. Despite both being enemies of the Shi'ar, the Starjammers, and the M'kraan aliens find no commonality with the latter threatening to destroy them along with Vulcan's forces. After this, Vulcan allies with Havok and the Starjammers to destroy the aliens. They defeat them but Vulcan then betrays Havok. Ugh, so repetitive. Anyways, with the Starjammers captured, the Shi'ar declares a new era for the empire in which Emperor Vulcan rules! Oh, and the aliens weren't really the original worshippers of the M'kraan crystal, as shown in the epilogue. I wonder how it goes from here..

[Nate]

Another X-Men space opera. This comes after Brubaker's Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire, with Havoc, Polaris, and the Starjammers trying to take down power-mad Vulcan (I'm sorry, but all those names are kind of ridiculous). It plays out pretty much how you'd expect: lots of fighting, shifting alliances, a showdown between the brothers, etc. I guess this leads into the War of the Kings saga, which I'm on the fence about reading. Cosmic Marvel isn't really my thing.

Okay for what it is but unmemorable in the grand scheme of things.

[Judith Groen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay story, the tension was good and it was fast paced. I am starting to like Havok more and more. He is pretty bad ass! I like Vulcan as well, he is a good villain with ties to the team and he is so ruthless. He makes a great emperor for the Shi'Ar, he is willing to go to extremes to protect it. The battle between the brothers was awesome.
I did not really care for the artwork, but it was not bad.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christopher Yost took what should have been a kick-ass, 48 page Annual and padded it into 5 issue limited series. Still, this was a satisfying if a tad too decompressed read for my tastes. I dislike the fact that Vulcan is yet another Summers relative. Isn't Cyclops, Havok, Corsair, Cable, Phoenix II/Marvel Girl II enough? Vulcan could have just been some evil guy, but they just had to add backstory to something that didn't require it.

[Terry Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two Yost-penned stories back-to-back.

One was an absolute scorcher. This one...not so much.

A muddled, confused story that had some mediocre pencils to go with it.

I honestly just pushed through it so I could move on to the next stage of the story.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Typical X-Men space story.

[TK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone who hates this is wrong.

[Thomas Crawford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feels overlong, even for a five issue mini. Also pivota to what seems like an anti-Palestine message at the end to justify a textual genocide? Don’t love that!!

[violetDelights · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty mid, kind of a filler story in the war of kings storyline. nothing is really changed at the end
★★★☆☆☆☆

[Hrishi · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I took a quick dip into (sort of) the 'main' 616 universe story-line as part of my read-through from Annihilation through to The Thanos Imperative. This volume covers the consolidation of the despot that is the Shi'ar Emperor Vulcan - the third Summers brother, apparently - who knew?!

It felt very much like the in media res fragment that it is, as it connects the events of Uncanny X-Men: Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire: Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire# v. 1 (which I haven't read) with the upcoming War of Kings (a Shi'ar vs Inhumans event that I do intend to read). Still I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The awesomely named Scy'ar Tal make an interesting foe, and their racial enmity with the Shi'ar reminded me of the look and general feel of Star Trek: Nemesis. Yes, I know it isn't fashionable or safe to mention that movie on the internet - but it did :) I loved the art, which is suitably grand. I also thought the big bad weapon concept was pretty cool. There is an under-current of poignant tragedy to the racial enmity between the Shi'ar and Scy'ar Tal (which means "Death to the Shi'ar"). This enmity becomes the reason for (yet again) two opposing super-powered mutant factions led by a Summers brother (Vulcan and Havok) to unite against a common foe. The fate of the Shi'ar empire hangs in the balance... and is resolved unexpectedly quickly.

I probably missed a lot of the nuance from the soap opera of the Summers family, as well as some of the intricate sub-plots and Easter eggs. Admittedly I was bewildered by the many characters that were active in this story. However the bones of the story were there - and I suppose I got the the most important takeaway:

Vulcan is kind of a dick.

Message received - now let's see what his opposition looks like before they throw down in War of Kings!

[Homewood Public Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picking up right after the events of Uncanny X-men: The Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire, this graphic novel follows the X-men left behind in another galaxy to deal with Vulcan, the third Summers brother, now ruthless Emperor of the Shi’ar Empire. He’s not the uncontested Emperor, however. Professor X’s old flame, the dethroned Lilandra, is still alive and leads those rebel Shi’ar loyal to her, the Starjammers, and the X-men, including Vulcan’s own brother Havok.


As if this weren’t conflict enough, an unknown race named the Scy’ar Tal enters the fray, and they want _all_ the Shi’ar dead. Needless to say, this prompts a realignment of alliances to deal with the Scy’ar Tal -- just the first of many. This book is chock full of double crosses, shifting alliances, and unexpected surprises on a grand scale. Like Star Wars, it’s a glorious and entertaining space opera and yet, it has the intimacy of a family drama, as siblings (Havok and Vulcan, Lilandra and Deathbird) square off against each other.


And most the characters, in a very large cast, are fully realized with their own understandable, if not entirely agreeable, motivations, adding yet another layer of depth. I’m still fascinated by the new character Korvus, even if we don’t get to see as much of him in this graphic novel. And I’m a little disappointed in the smaller role Polaris plays, as I’ve always thought she was interesting character, but there’s always the next book.


The art is suitably grand for the tale. Luque may not have the dynamism of Tan, or the clean lines of Henry, but he delivers a nicely polished panel and conveys the space battles in a cinematic manner. I haven’t seen his work before, but I’ll definitely watch for it now.


I won’t spoil it, but it turns out that the Scy’ar Tal aren’t entirely unknown, just forgotten. Nor does the fun end here, with one side triumphant, but we’ll have to wait for things to be resolved in the next big event at Marvel, War of Kings, later in the year.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curse these sudden yet inevitable betrayals in space.

[David Edmonds · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to make a confession here early on in the year... I like X-Men comics. I've been reading them for years (since the mid-80s sometime). It's a real guilty pleasure for me. My interest waxes and wanes periodically, but I always end up coming back to them. I've recently been picking up the collected editions of the comics after a long wave of not reading them, so you'll just have to bear with me as I feed my inner geek periodically. I'm not going to review these really at all, because to be honest, if you haven't been reading right along over the last 20-40 years, you're going to be lost. Hell, I've been reading for 20-30 years and I get lost every once in awhile! So, there it is. My early year confession to a geeky guilty pleasure!

Emperor Vulcan picks up right where The Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire left off, with the X-Men who were stranded in space having to form an uneasy alliance with Vulcan to repel the advancing attack of the Scy'Ar Tal, a race bent on the destruction of the Shi'Ar Empire. Not a very satisfying ending, as it's not really clear what happens (are the Scy'Ar Tal destroyed, where did Marvel Girl go?), but I guess it's leaving enough questions open for the follow-up series, Kingbreaker, and the larger War of Kings series.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Followup to Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire. Kinda forced characterization moments. Feels like a little in between story that tries too hard to be epic, though it has one important effect. Rachel's present attitude doesn't jive with the end of Claremont's work on her, though Brubaker started this dilemma.

Mostly this is just building up to bigger things. I still enjoyed myself, but mostly because of Alex, Rachel (though she didn't have any good moments in this one), and Ch'od.

Vulcan is still Vulcan. Hopefully Kingbreakers has some better content, but it'll probably just be a bridge series for War of Kings. Oh well. I'm still liking the new look Starjammers.

Some weak panel transitions left the reader assuming things to fill in the gaps.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a darn good read, wasn't expecting to blitz through it in one sitting. It's easy to forget how good the X-Men are at space opera stories, but this was a well-done story. I've been nominally aware of some of these goings-on (having read a lot of Marvel's more cosmic stories over the last few years). I hadn't read as much of where the X-Men were involved. If they're all this good, I might have to fix that. Yost does a great job of moving the action along without sacrificing characterization. And Paco Diaz remains (for my money) a very underrated artist who does the big and small moments in the story equally well.

[Matt Piechocinski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Any space opera book you'd think would be inherently good ... especially if it has the Starjammers and the Shi'ar, both of which I've loved since I was a kid. Not only that, Christopher Yost isn't that bad of a writer, but this ... this was an exercise in boredom. Havok's over dramatic soliloquies, coupled with his self doubt got really old after a while, and Vulcan is one of dumbest characters to come a long in a while. You think since he's of the Summers lineage he'd have more grit ... but he's kind of a big old baby.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually a lot better than I anticipated. On the negative side, it's very busy, a lot of characters all over the place and very few outside of Vulcan and Havok given much air time. The Starjammers and Imperial Guard are firmly pushed to the back to allow the central conflict to play out. That said, Yost does a good job of getting his point across, and writes some nice dialogue. The art is polished and well suited to convey the almost constant conflict, fighting and moving.
Well worth a read, though maybe a library visit rather than a bookshop.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main conflict from Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire, Havok and the StarJammers versus Vulcan and the Shi'ar, would've been enough for a miniseries, but Christos Gage figured that throwing in a new mysterious, evil alien race would spice up the story. But, it just makes things more confusing, yet more formulaic. Havok and Vulcan are forced to team up, but as expected that doesn't last. Adding in more aliens also takes page space from character development.