The Rise of Apocalypse is a four-issue limited series

Limited series

A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....

 published in 1996 by Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

. The series was written by Terry Kavanagh

Terry Kavanagh

Terrence "Terry" Kavanagh is an American comic book editor and writer.-Biography:Kavanagh was a Marvel Comics editor during the late 1980s and 1990s...

, and drawn by Adam Pollina

Adam Pollina

Adam Pollina is an American comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comics' X-Force comic book.-Biography:...

.

Plot summary

5,000 years ago, a baby is found in the Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

ian desert by a band of nomad raiders. The child is raised and named En Sabah Nur by the tribe's leader, Baal

Baal (comics)

Baal is a fictional character from a comic book by Marvel Comics. He was the leader of the Sandstormers who found Apocalypse as a baby and raised him.-Fictional character biography:...

, who teaches the boy survival of the fittest

Survival of the fittest

"Survival of the fittest" is a phrase originating in evolutionary theory, as an alternative description of Natural selection. The phrase is today commonly used in contexts that are incompatible with the original meaning as intended by its first two proponents: British polymath philosopher Herbert...

. During the same time, Egypt is ruled by the Pharaoh Rama-Tut who, in actuality, is the time traveller Kang the Conqueror

Kang the Conqueror

Kang the Conqueror is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #8 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...

, who arrived from the future to claim En Sabah Nur as his heir, because of the fact that the boy will grow up to become one of the most powerful mutants

Mutant (Marvel Comics)

In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...

 and notorious villains in history; Apocalypse

Apocalypse (comics)

Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...

. Nur's tribe is destroyed by Tut's armies. Before Baal dies as well, he tells Nur that he is destined for greater things. Seeking revenge, En Sabah Nur travels to Rama-Tut's city where he hides himself as a slave and falls in love with Nephri, the sister of Ozymandias

Ozymandias (Marvel Comics)

For the Watchmen character, see Ozymandias Ozymandias is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in 1996 in Uncanny X-Men #332, and was created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Joe Madureira.-Fictional character...

, Tut's general. But Nur is eventually rejected by Nephri, upon seeing his disfigured visage. His mutant powers awakening, he enslaves Ozymandias while Rama-Tut flees. Having renamed himself Apocalypse, he now sets out to destroy the weak.

Collected editions

The series has been collected into a trade paperback

Trade paperback (comics)

In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...

:

• The Rise of Apocalypse (collects Rise of Apocalypse and X-Factor
  X-Factor (comics)
  X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
  
  #5-6, 160 pages, March 1998, ISBN 0-7851-0586-7)