Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #6 of 12 (2012)

Avengers vs. X-Men has been a chaotic mess of inconsistencies, and a mish mash of Marvel Architects. Thus far, there have been few glimmers of hope, but overall Marvel has continually lowered the bar. However, after reading issue six of Avengers vs. X-Men, the glimmer seems to be sparkling a bit brighter now. Jonathan Hickman dives into the narrative with this issue, and manages to piece together the odd turn of events from last issue’s finale. He pushes the plot forward with a wonderful bit of finesse, while straddling the line between the old and the new. Also, this issue marks the passing of the art baton as Romita, Jr. hands it over to Olivier Coipel, resulting in some slick splash pages and magnificent panels.

Avengers vs. X-Men #5 concluded with the Phoenix Force being splintered and siphoned into five prominent X-Men characters due to a failed attempt to stop the Phoenix Force by Tony Stark’s wannabe Transformer. Hickmanpicks up from Fraction’s awkward ending and begins the issue by finally formerly introducing Xavier to the events of Marvel’s Avengers vs. X-Men. Hickman cleverly uses Magneto to bridge the gap between the story arc and the inclusion of Xavier.The rest of the issue unfolds in two parts like prior issues. One half showcases the Phoenix Five as they transform the world in their image. Some spectacular panels and splash pages penciled by Coipel detail the Phoenix possessed X-Men as they transverse the globe in a dash of reformation and peace. The other half depicts the Avengers and Iron Fist as they desperately try to piece together legend with prophecy in a last ditch effort to stop the Phoenix Five from world domination disguised as peace.

I found Jonathan Hickman’s writing to be in fine form here, and it was as-if I were reading one of his stellar Fantastic Four/Future Foundation arcs. The Iron Fist lore is incredibly appropriate and timely; I was glad to see a little more Iron Fist, especially in such a large-scale comic book event.

Olivier Coipel’s art is a welcome relief. Normally I applaud John Romita’s work, but I was disappointed with his pencilings in the first couple issues of the series. In particular, I loved Coipel’s Iron Fist pencilings. Coipelcaptured the essence of Iron Fist perfectly. Along with his excellent character models Coipel also created some brilliant splash pages for the issue—two pages specifically come to mind: one focusing on Magneto when he first greets Xavier, and another depicting Colossus standing atop a freefalling missile amongst dozens of other falling missiles. Olivier Coipel has definitely started off with a bang, and I am incredibly excited to see where he takes his artwork next.

I give Avengers vs. X-Men #6 four-and-a-half stars out of five. This has been the best issue by far, and I am incredibly hopeful that the rest of the run will finish off phenomenally. 

(SOURCE: Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #6 of 12 (2012))

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Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #5 of 12 (2012)

Avengers vs. X-Men #5 is by far the worst issue to be released in the series. It tries to be edgy and on the cusp, but unfortunately it dives into the weird and starts to bend continuity to the breaking point.

I thought that the opening was just as stellar as the prior issue, but it was all down from there. It was definitely a great throwback to X-Men: Schism and seeing Wolverine burnt to a crisp (yet alive) is both wrenching and a testament toLogan’s awesomeness.

Continuing with last issue’s moon battle the (now standard) duels have carried over while the Phoenix Force speeds towards them. In traditional Stark fashion Tony has ‘hopefully’ devised a way to stop the Phoenix Force via a technological innovation. As a writer, this avenue is logical and fits fairly well into Stark’soverall character.

However, Stark’s invention looks incredibly like an early Transformers' Autobot. I found it an unusual path to take considering that within the world of science there were so many other possibilities that would have been more viable. Also, this precludes another contention: Where is Reed Richards during all of this? He would be the perfect asset to assist Tony Stark and would have been more than willing to help evade a world-destroying event, yet he is mysteriously absent. His expertise and knowledge are practically unrivaled, and it is disappointing to see him omitted from the plot line.

As the Phoenix Force appears, key individuals are depicted throughout the globe being affected by the God-like energy. Interestingly enough Charles Xavier (Professor X) and his son are shown within a single panel. It was out of place, and I hope that he has a larger role in the issues to come; otherwise he’ll become just another plot inconsistency.

SPOILERS

The issue concludes with Tony Stark’s Transformer splintering the Phoenix Force into five separate energies, resulting in the force possessing Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor, Colossus, and Magik. I am curious as to why the Colossus and Magik were chosen to be apart of the ‘Phoenix Five,’ when considering that there are other more prominent members of Cyclops’ X-Men such as Magneto. Overall, this plot twist is grossly unexpected and (yet again) redefines the entity known as the “Phoenix Force.”

END OF SPOILERS

Matt Fraction’s dialogue was acceptable, but the plot points are muddled, and the general direction of the series is blatantly disregarding the Marvel Universe’s continuity.

Even with all of the narrative splices, John Romita’s artwork takes the leap in, and represents some of the best work that he has produced for the series. The cover is also incredibly apropos and appropriately sums up the intrigue of the issue. Jim Cheung and Justin Ponsor have really outdone themselves and created some spectacular covers for the series, and I am excited to see what they have to offer for future issues.

Avengers vs. X-Men #5 receives a flat three-out-of-five stars.

(SOURCE: Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #5 of 12 (2012))

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Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #4 of 12 (2012)

Avengers vs. X-Men #4 is very much a filler issue. It is nothing more than a transition comic from one major plot point to another. It does not stray too far in either direction plot-wise, so all-in-all the comic serves its purpose.

Starting off where the last issue left off (almost to the panel) Wolverine is depicted trudging through the snow with a newly adorned Polar Bear for warmth. All of a sudden he finds a can of beer protruding from the snowline, then another, and another, and so on and so forth. Eventually this trail of ‘Wolverine candy’ leads to an awaiting Hope Summers, who is interested in employing Wolverine’s aid in an effort to get to the Phoenix Force before the others. All of this is on the promise that if things go awry Wolverine has Hope’s permission to slay her like he always intended to do.

Personally, I thought the opening sequence was great!John Romita’s artwork really shone during the introduction, and the narrative was humorous, but still on point.

The issue then segues into the various skirmishes across the globe that are occurring between the X-Men and the Avengers. I loved the action sequences, and the battles presented really showcase Romita’s talent, but a lot of the material seems to have been recycled from the Avengers vs. X-Men companion series, Versus. I would rather have an extra four or so pages of battle sequences in the main series and Versus cut entirely, or have the panels that are already represented in the Versus run to be stricken from the core cannon and replaced with a little more exposition and narrative to iron out the inconsistencies in the plot.

Essentially, the issue splits into three (almost four) different narratives that all tie-in at the end in a finale that takes place on the moon. Several pages are devoted to following the Avengers and/or the X-Men, others follow Hope and Wolverine on their trek to the moon to receive the Phoenix Force, and the last plotline follows Thor and company as they try to thwart the Phoenix Force’spath towards Hope and subsequently Earth.

I do not want to divulge too many plot points, but I found Wolverine’s actions to be very contradictory to his prior rhetoric. A more thorough transition from one school of thought to another would have been much appreciated. I feel as if Wolverine backtracked a bit, and then dived further down the rabbit hole with his whole handling of the Hope situation and resulting journey to the moon.

Overall, the story was solid, but nothing momentous came to fruition. Jonathan Hickman’swriting is admirable, but very un-Hickman-like; it is as-if he were following a strict outline or guide, so very little of his style bled through in the final product.

The art was phenomenal at its high points, such as Romita’s introductory panels with Wolverinetrudging through the snow with a newly slain Polar Bear upon his back. But, for every high…there was an equal low. I thought Thor’s blood was incredibly fake-looking, and several pages in, there is a shot with Quicksilver running over the crest of the hill that is so horribly skewed it looks like he is a little person jogging. Jim Cheung’s cover was slick, and appropriately held the tone for the issue.

I rate Avengers vs. X-Men #4 a middle of the road three-and-a-half stars out of five.

(SOURCE: Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #4 of 12 (2012))

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Review - Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus #2 of 6 (2012)

 *This review DOES contain spoilers in so far as revealing the winners of each match-up in Marvel’s Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus limited series.

Issue #2 of Marvel’s Avengers vs. X-Men brawl series pits Gambit against Captain America, and Colossus against Spider-Man.  It’s not as awe-inspiring as the first issue, but it still packs a punch, and gives readers a couple of curve balls and twists for good measure. 

Round 3

Gambit vs. Captain America

I would have been surprised if Cap didn’t win this one, andMarvel appeased fans through-and-through having Gambitbattle America’s super soldier.  Gambit begins by tossing several of his trademark kinetically charged playing cards leaving Captain America to dodge the sudden explosions.  He quickly bounces back and follows up with his trademark move: the shield toss.  However, mid-flight Gambit snags the shield, charges it, and hurls it back at Cap in an even more devastating explosion. 

Now, the two can battle one-on-one.  Cap with his superior training gains the upper hand, snapping Gambit’s staff in half with his palm, but even pinned to the tree Gambit has one last trick up his sleeve.  In a move that would have felled most men Gambit charges Cap’s suit creating a fiery explosion, which rockets Captain America backwards in tatters.  At the end of the day, however, Cap wins in a shield rush and a knockout punch to the jaw that leaves Gambitunconscious. 

At the end of the day…

Captain America Wins

Round 4

Colossus vs. Spider-Man

Spider-Man and Avenger compatriots hit the streets of Latveria looking for Hope when a portion of the X-Menambush them leading to the Colossus and Spider-Man in a battle for keeps.  Spider-Man begins by keeping out ofColossus’ reach and web slinging his way into tripping up the unstoppable mutant, as well blinding him.  However, theColossus thinks quick and claps; this successfully shatters all of the glass in the surrounding area and sends Spider-Mancareening.

Spider-Man then falls into the clutches of the Colossus and is forcibly tossed into one of the many stone corridors ofLatveria.  As Spider-Man tumbles against the walls, Colossusnabs up a Doombot, splits it in half, and throws at Spider-Man to finish him off.  Spidey dodges, grabs the destroyedDoombot with a web and redirects towards Colossus.  Being the Colossus/Juggernaut hybrid that he is though, he merely punches it creating an explosion that leaves the Colossusunscathed, but unfortunately sends Spider-Man backwards (yet, again!).

At the end of the day…

Colossus Wins

This issue of Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus was on par with its series counterpart, but it does fall short of its predecessor.  It doesn’t further the plot like the first, but it has some great action sequences that supplement the core series nicely.  If you get a chance to check it out I would highly recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of the Avengers vs. X-Men series. I give Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus #2 three-and-half-stars out of five.

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Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #3 of 12 (2012)

In the closing panels of the second issue Hope channeled the power of the Phoenix quickly eviscerating Wolverine into a seared heap.  Avengers vs. X-Men #3 begins with a scorched Wolverine rebuilding his muscle tissue and charred skin under the supervision of Spider-Man.  A couple quips are exchanged, with Spider-Man as the catalyst, before the two rush out to regroup with the rest of the Avengers.  Unbeknownst to Captain America and the rest of the team the Avengers are being duped by a Doctor Strangedoppelganger, but with the arrival of Wolverine and Spider-Man Wolverine sniffs out the imposter spoiling Cyclops’ruse. 

At this note, the X-Men disappear in a flash and the two groups are once again separated, except this time with the common of goal of finding the Mutant Messiah, Hope.  With the narration now split three ways (between the X-Men, The Avengers, and Hope) the story is beginning to unfold as the three jockey amongst each other waiting for the return of thePhoenix.  The X-Men are now on the run (but hold an ace within the heart of Wolverine’s school), the Avengers take a tip from the very same defector and scatter about the globe to search for Hope in five possible locations, and using specialty tech Hope has masked her trail and is hiding out till the Phoenix Force returns.

Due to Wolverine’s subordination of Captain America’s orders during the battle of Utopia (in the first two Avengers vs. X-Men issues) Captain America questions Wolverine’s motives and trust as the Avengers’ jet flies over Antarctica en route toHope’s possible location.  Their argument escalates untilCaptain America and Wolverine windup battling till Wolverinegets thrown out of the jet into the snow below.

The script is slowly getting better as the issues wane on, but thus far Avengers vs. X-Men is still pretty shallow.  TheAvengers vs. X-Men: Versus crossover miniseries often reveals more pertinent plot details than the actual AvXcomics.  Nevertheless, the run has been consistent, and the quality (rather than needlessly fluxing) has gradually improved.  John Romita’s artwork shines even with the lack of action, and yet as the tension builds and finally erupts between Captain America and Wolverine the art takes off and climaxes with a literally steaming Wolverine shaking the snow from his battered body.

I give Avengers vs. X-Men #3 four-out-of-five stars; check back here for my future reviews on Avengers vs. X-Men, as well as its counterpart series, Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus.

(SOURCE: Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #3 of 12 (2012))

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Review - Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus #1 of 6 (2012)

*This review DOES contain spoilers in so far as revealing the winners of each match-up in Marvel’s Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus limited series.

Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus is the Avengers vs. X-Men’sgritty, brawler step-cousin.  It combines the Marvel Universe with a smidgen of Palahniuk’s Fight Club to create a story-stripped six-part limited series that focuses on two, one-on-one battles between an Avenger and X-Man.

Issue one of the series pits Iron Man against Magneto, andThe Thing against Namor the Submariner.  Each battle is penned by a different Marvel Architect and drawn by a different artist.  It’s nice touch; because it varies up the ‘feel’ of the comic and makes sure that the outcome is more diversified than if the same writer wrote both battles.

Round 1

Iron vs. Magneto

You would think that Magneto would have this battle in an cinch, because after all he’s fighting a man in an iron suit; however, Tony Stark is more than just a man in an iron suit.  He has counter measures set in place that negate Magneto’smagnetism.  The two trade potshots—Magneto by tossing something large and metallic, and Iron Man by using something technological and extravagant.  

The battle suddenly shifts gears and takes to the stars.  The tide abruptly shifts as Iron Man begins to siphon off power from Jupiter’s magnetic field to fight fire with fire in one of the coolest Iron Man powers presented in a long while.  Magnetotries to fight back by pulling out all the stops, but in a character expanding moment Magneto feels the death of star and is suddenly humbled by the power of the Phoenix Force.

At the end of the day…

Iron Man Wins

The Thing vs. Namor the Submariner

In the beginning of Avengers vs. X-Men #1 Namor and theThing trade blows as a Colossus destroyed Helicarrier lists and sheds its metal into the sea.  The two warriors fall into the ocean where Namor believes he has the advantage overBen ‘Clobbering Time’ Grimm, but the Thing stands in deviance to the sea and thus to Namor. 

Namor uses his power to nab a sea monster and toss it towards the Thing expecting to finish the battle in one fell swoop.  The Thing grabs a hold for the ride and ends up pulling out the creature’s fangs and using them to trap Namorto the sea floor ending the battle.

The Thing Wins

Overall, I was incredibly impressed with Marvel’s AvX: Versusseries—at times it was better than the core series, and even though the plot was highly minimal it often revealed plot clues and details that were otherwise omitted.  I give Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus #1 four-and-half-stars out of five.

(SOURCE: Review - Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus #1 of 6 (2012))

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Comic Book of the Week (4.2.2012)

Avengers vs. X-Men #3 and Dial #1

Prior Comics of the Week

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Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #2 of 12 (2012)

Avengers vs. X-Men #2 is the issue that should have started the event.  It’s action-packed and dives into the inherent beat ‘em up nature of the plot that should have presented itself in the opening comic. 

Issue #2 begins right were the first one left off as theS.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier descends upon the island of Utopia.  Already some of the dialogue hints at the X-Men’sdissatisfaction with Cyclop’s decision to antagonize theAvengers, but as Namor points out “The time for talk has ended.”  On that note, Magneto assists Colossus in an attack upon the Helicarrier and all hell breaks lose. 

From here forward many of the Avengers and the X-Men pair off (akin to the Marvel promotional posters).  The Red-Hulkclashes with the Colossus so that the Helicarrier doesn’t collapse into the sea, The Thing and Luke Cage square off against Namor, Captain America meets Cyclops on the shores of Utopia, and Iron Man and Quicksilver tag teamEmma Frost and Magneto.

The plotline is a bit light this time around, but in all honesty it is what I wanted.  The Avengers vs. X-Men is designed to be an all out brawl amongst Marvel’s mightiest, and this issue delivers on those promises.  There are some panels that are a little rough in the art still, especially in the facial expressions, but overall John Romita’s artwork is amazing.  Several panels, such as when the Red-Hulk grabs Colossus,Luke Cage cracks Namor in the jaw, and when Hope tangles with Wolverine, are stunning.  In an issue the centers around iconic characters in a battle royal Romita does an amazing job showcasing the characters powers in believable match-ups. 

I still think that Marvel is using an uncredited fill-in artist (perhaps several) for certain panels, but like I mentioned it was fewer and farer between then last issue.  In a panel towards the end of the issue, Wolverine’s facial expression is ridiculous at best.  The look appears to be trying to convey a feeling of enamoredness, but it instead looks like a 1950’s male cartoon character seeing an attractive female character.  It’s very unlike Romita’s style and testifies to the fact that a fill-in artist has been used to meet deadlines.

I enjoyed this issue better than the first and due to its improvement I am giving Avengers vs. X-Men #2 four-out-of-five stars.

(SOURCE: Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #2 of 12 (2012))

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Comic Book of the Week (4.18.2012)

Batman #8 and Avengers vs. X-Men #2

Prior Comics of the Week

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Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #1 of 12 (2012)

Marvel marketed their Avengers vs. X-Men event to ridiculous proportions, but the payoff was substantial for the Walt Disney subsidiary.  After a quarter million issues sold the quality of the comic is all but moot. Whether it is the most God awful comic ever created or an Eisner contender…Marvel wins.  With sales yawning in the black no reviewer, or comic book of the moment can detract, except for maybe the Walking Dead TPBs but that is an entire article on its own—perhaps several.

Avengers vs. X-Men #1 lands smack dab in the midst of middling in tone, plot, and artwork.  The first issue credits pretty much all of the heavy hitters for Marvel Comics (Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, and Matt Fraction) as composers of the script.  The premise for Avengers vs. X-Men needs to stay firmly grounded in brawl territory.  It is not the coup de grâce of plotlines.  At this juncture I am not pining for a deep political adventure that wades me through satire and intrigue—I am looking to read a brains off, all out skirmish between Marvel’s toughest.  I want a no-holds-barred slugfest between Cap and Cyclops, Iron Man and Magneto, and Wolverine and…well, everyone else.  The issue takes it self too seriously.  There is absolutely no reason to gather the heavies to compose a script that anyone one of them could have completed on their own.  A slugfest with a sprinkle of comic history is all that was necessary. 

Critiques aside, and holistically speaking, the plot was cohesive as well as solid.  It progressed naturally, peaked at the appropriate moments, and wrapped up with an ‘oh snap’ moment, so even with my distaste for the story’s more complex origins I have to admit that the plot was executed properly.

Artwork that I'm guessing was
completed by a fill-in

The art by John Romita, Jr. should be top notch; he is a superb artist who is consistently excellent.  However, there are several panels where it is fairly obvious that an unaccredited, touch-up artist filled in where he left off (probably to make deadlines).  This inevitably twists the unity and consistency of the art.  There are several panels that are very twists—eye candy all the way--but then there are other panels that looked rushed and awkward.  The opening of the issue begins with Iron Man and several other Avengers conversing at the Avengers Tower.  Iron Man’s stance, during this scene, is effeminate.  Later, towards the end of the issue, Cyclops has a very similar stance whilst conversing with Captain America on the shores of Utopia.  Personally the effeminate nature of the pose is not what bothers me it is that the stance is uncharacteristic of these two characters, which in turn distracts from artwork and credibility of the artist.  Many characters also have either odd or very bland facial expressions; this is very contrary to Romita’s style and lends more credence to an unaccredited fill-in artist.  On the flipside of that there are several panels, such as the introduction of Nova that are absolutely stunning and match the tone of the story perfectly. Overall, the artwork is riddled with gems of excellence as well as lumps of coal.

With their larger and newer runs, Marvel Comics has been providing digital copies of their issues for the past several months, and Avengers vs. X-Men #1 is no exception.  The oddity that presents itself though is that two editions are not identical as you might think.  The UK’s Bleeding Cool ran an interesting article pointing out the main difference between the two editions of Avengers vs. X-Men #1.  Plainly, the digital copy is in error, but it begs the simple questions: Why?

Check out Bleeding Cool’s more in depth article on the subject by clicking here.

Also, one of the other gimmicks that Marvel employed with Avengers vs. X-Men was the use of an Apple/Android app marvelously titled the, “Marvel Augmented Reality App.”  Essentially, you use your camera-enabled phone to view specially marked ‘AR’ pages.  The nifty part is that the app provides you with character bios, sketches, and voice commentary to the issues that directly matches to what you’re reading.  At first I thought the Augmented Reality App was going to be trivial at best, but in all actuality it is a fun way to go back through the issue and see a little bit of the creative process as you read.  It is definitely a cool idea to foster more interaction between the readers and the creators, and it completely came out of left field for me.

At the end of the day, I rate Avengers vs. X-Men #1 three-and-half stars out of five.  It lies directly between fair and excellent, but readers definitely deserved a better quality product for the price and the hype.

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(SOURCE: Spokane Comic Book Examiner - Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #1 of 12 (2012))

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Vertigo Comics relaunch recap

Vertigo Comics is a more sophisticated and gritty imprint of DC Comics, and throughout the month of March they released four new titles: Fairest, Saucer Country, Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child, and The New Deadwardians.  

After perusing through the pages of all four titles and composing a review for each I would have to say that theVertigo Comic relaunch was fairly successful.  Vertigo may not be a sales juggernaut like DC and Marvel, but personally I find their comics to be of a higher quality than the big two.

Vertigo opinions aside, here is my list of the new Vertigo titles in order of highest to lowest rating with an attached link to my review of the title.

1. The New Deadwardians - 5/5 Stars
2. The Fairest - 4/5 Stars
3. Saucer Country - 4/5 Stars
4. Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child - 3/5 Stars

Thanks for taking a tour with me as we explored the indie comics' world with the Vertigo Comic relaunch, and I hope everyone will tag along as we dive into Marvel's summer event, Avengers vs. X-Men!

(SOURCE: Spokane Comic Book Examiner - Vertigo Comics relaunch recap)

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