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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