AVENGERS vs. X-MEN #12 of 12

(W) Jason Aaron

(P) Adam Kubert

(I) John Dell, Mark Morales, and Adam Kubert

So that's it. Avengers vs. X-Men finally comes to a close after six months of nearly non-stop melodrama, crazy battles, cosmic death gods, and general mayhem. And while the event - as a whole - had its missteps along the way, it managed to right the boat and finish strong with Scott Summers' ascension as the new Dark Phoenix, the death of Charles Xavier, and the incredible new developments contained in the pages of Avengers vs. X-Men #12.

It's do or die time at the opening of the issue: Cyclops has totally flown the coop and has become the Dark Phoenix, corrupted by absolute power. Flash back 72 hours, and Tony Stark is giving one of the most candid (yet still somehow snarky) speeches of his life because he finally doesn't know what to do. Science, in all it's know forms and manipulations, has failed, and now the Iron Man cites 'faith' as the next step for the Avengers. I'm usually critical of religious overtones bleeding into mainstream comics, mostly because it's often done clumsily and awkwardly, but Jason Aaron's decision to give THE man of science a sense of belief in a higher power is spot on. The Avengers have been waging a literal war against a cosmic god (in whichever of it's forms) with no real plan, no way of actually knowing what they're doing, of if it will work at all. In a world where a mortal man (however evolved) can make decisions that could literally change the face of the planet, faith doesn't seem like such a nonsensical idea. But is it Tony's faith in his plan? Or his faith in Hope Summers and Wanda Maximoff? Perhaps it's faith in faith itself.

The first big moment of the issue is when Hope and Wanda attack Dark Phoenix directly. Wanda's chaos magic is the only thing that can harm the Phoenix, and Hope can mimic that power, meaning that for the first time since the Phoenix came back to Earth, the Avengers have a fighting chance. Soon, Scott breaks through the Phoenix power, begging the Avengers to kill him before he's consumed once again. It doesn't happen, and the Scarlet Witch and Mutant Messiah go H.A.M. on Dark Phoenix until it leaves Scott. Of course, it immediately sets its sights on Hope. For the short amount of time Hope wields the Phoenix force, she undoes all that Cyclops has done to ravage the world, setting out fires, calming volcanoes, extinguishing the ocean, and generally making sure the entirety of humanity wasn't swallowed by it's own planet. It's remarkable, even in it's inevitability. This is when the second big moment hits.

Hope is in full control: she's seen what the Phoenix is capable of in the wrong hands, and with the life she's had, Hope understands the need to keep the power of a death god on a tight leash. "No. That wasn't why you were chosen," explains Wanda. "It's because you're the only one with the strength to let it go." Hope's destiny, ironically, is completely shaped by the events of Avengers vs. X-Men, as opposed to being the cause or the result of. Without seeing what the Phoenix could actually do when it's host is corrupted, Hope would never have had the strength or the wisdom to withstand the power. In the end, she let's the Phoenix force go. Then, as the fire bird dissipates into space, Hope and Wanda take things one step further. They send the bits and pieces of the Phoenix down to Earth and use it to create new mutants all over the globe.

While I usually see these things coming, I'll admit I was taken aback by "No More Phoenix". It shocked me before it made complete sense: Avengers vs. X-Men is the bookend to an era at Marvel that began with House of M when Wanda declared "No More Mutants", decimating the homo-superior population down to less than 200. And while I seriously enjoyed this issue from beginning to end, I felt a bit unsatisfied by the event as a whole.

My main issue with Avengers vs. X-Men - one I've had since it started - is that the Avengers are the real bad guys here, and no one wants to admit it. What if the Phoenix Five were right? What if Captain America had just laid off a little bit, watched what happened with unbiased eyes, and seen the beauty that came from the power of the Phoenix? Instead, Marvel was content with making Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Namor, and Magik all out to be mastermind criminals who simply decided that they would become dictators. Nowhere is there underlying subtext that hints at the Avengers being the symbolic destructive force that unleashed the literal destructive force.

If Marvel had made more of an effort to include layered meanings throughout Avengers vs. X-Men, the entire event would have been damn near perfect. In reality, it's still one of the best crossovers of the past decade, but without more than surface-layer meanings and forced misunderstandings, everything just seems silly in the end. But I try not to think like this. I try to see this story for what it was; a narrative intended to bring years of resentment and anger to a close with a conflict that tore them apart, both literally and symbolically.

GRADE

A

AVENGERS vs. X-MEN #11 of 12

STORY: Brian Michael Bendis
ART: Olivier Coipel and Mark Morales

It's emotional gut-punch time! Over the past eight years, Marvel has made it pretty standard to kill off a major character at the end of major events. For Avengers: Disassembled, it was Hawkeye and Ant-Man. During Civil War, it was Captain America, and for Avengers vs. X-Men...you didn't think I'd spoil it this early in the review, did you? No, I'll give that little gem a bit more time.

Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel helm Avengers vs. X-Men #11, bringing the event ever closer to it's conclusion and segue into 'Marvel NOW!' starting in October. Ever since Cyclops and the other four X-Men took control of the Phoenix Force, it's been an obvious downward spiral for the Children of the Atom, and in this issue, that fact becomes all the more apparent once Rogue seeks asylum amongst the Avengers along with the rest of the disenfranchised mutants once loyal to Cyclops. Oh, and Charles Xavier is now in the mix for good. This just got real.

This is an issue filled with emotional and physical confrontations. With a huge new contingent of mutants at their side, as well as Xavier - who explains that he knows "what must be done" - the Avengers lay siege to Utopia, all while Professor X keeps Cyclops occupied in his own head. It's harrowing to see Cyclops, a cosmic god, bending to the will of a mere mutant. Of course, it's not just any mutant, and we get to see Charles Xavier unleash the full extent of his power against Cyclops as a legion of X-Men and Avengers descend upon Emma Frost to keep her occupied. Hell, they even manage to get the Hulk to help out. A lot of these pages are dedicated to the big fight. But Bendis is such an adept writer, he organically balances the fighting with the intervention-style confessionals by the likes of Iceman, (somewhat) Storm, Magneto, and - obviously - Xavier himself. Each one of them has a special connection to Scott Summers, and each has some words for the leader of the X-Men who's become a megalomaniac.

The opening pages of Avengers vs. X-Men #11 show Cyclops and Emma arguing over the fate of the universe, something that doesn't carry a lot of weight at first, but soon becomes the catalyst for Scott's eventual betrayal of Emma and his subsequent power play. It's telling how these two characters can chat about rewriting the universe without questioning why they should. Sure, both want the best for mutantkind, but the strain of the Phoenix obviously has taken away perspective (as seen more eloquently in Avengers vs. X-Men #6 Infinite). By the time Cyclops attacks Emma so he can acquire her power, it's pretty much expected. Bendis foreshadows this inevitability, but then acts like it's a big surprise once it happens. We all knew it would come down to Scott, it just became a question of when.

Scott feels violated. He's moved mountains, saved countless lives, and changed the world for the better, and now all his friends and family stand against him. He is a leader without a nation, a shepherd with no flock. It's a tough position to be in, but with interstellar powers at your fingertips, that grief can turn into suffering pretty quickly. And so it goes, Scott and Charles duke it out. In the end, it's Xavier on the ground and Scott floating above the corpse in a perfectly haunting fashion.

A lot of this issue's merits come from the emotional ramifications of the one of Marvel's Golden Children falling into darkness. Cyclops has been a mainstay in the Marvel universe since he was introduced. He's been in a leadership position throughout most of it, and he's been at odds with Charles Xavier only a handful of times that didn't have nearly the same ramifications as this disagreement. The fact that Charles feels he must force Scott to stop means there could never have been a positive outcome for either party. Scott loses the strongest father in his life, and Charles loses the son he always wished he had. It's beginning to look like no one will win this war. Usually, these mega-events don't have meaningful boundaries (i.e. - death is meaningless, changing alliances, etc.), so I hope Marvel sticks to it's guns for a while and keeps Xavier down. It was a truly shocking moment (though it was expected), and I'd hate for that emotional nuance to be squandered by resurrecting the good Professor.

GRADE

B

AVENGERS vs. X-MEN #10 of 12

STORY: Ed Brubaker
ART: Adam Kubert and John Dell

For the last five months, Avengers vs. X-Men has broken the Marvel universe into two factions (not dissimilar from 2007's Civil War), pitting friends against one another, driving wedges through once-solid relationships, and generally airing dirty laundry from years of rising mutual resentment. In many ways, AvX lives up to it's goal of bookending eight years of stories that started with House of M: it includes all five of Marvel's biggest creators, it focuses on some of the company's most popular franchises, and it's the culmination of a near-decade's worth of events that have compounded upon one another to create the high levels of tension, envy, and mistrust necessary for a major crossover event such as this. Unfortunately, we're getting to the end of the road for Avengers vs. X-Men. As we hit this issue ten, Marvel has already been spilling details for weeks about the upcoming 'Marvel NOW!' initiative that hopes to start a fire under the House of Ideas by bringing fresh voices to accomplished series to not only attract new readers, but also to see how various creators handle different characters and what that means for the future of the Marvel universe. More and more, the focus is shifting away from the fight between Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the Children of the Atom because we know it has to end. It would be silly for Marvel to not plan for the future, but the barrage of advertisements for it's post-AvX world feels like they're leaving their current event behind...the one that's happening right now.

Avengers vs. X-Men is a fun story. It's just that simple. No matter how much nitpicking I do as a journalist, or how much complaining about exact chronological continuity a comic book fan does, crossover events are meant to be fun and at the end of the day, comic book companies sell fun. With that being said, Marvel has it's five biggest writers and some of it's best artists working on this series, so I'm going to fine-tooth-comb this issue. I'll start with the easier stuff.

One of the major problems with a rotating crew of creators is that each of these writers has their own style and voice, and a change of voice from issue to issue can be at best disconcerting and at worst frustrating and unjustifiable. This happens because with unique voice also comes a certain mood and feel of the story, which in turn can affect the pencilling and shading. Ed Brubaker has been writing Captain America in one form or another for the last 10 years. In that time, Steve Rogers has become somewhat reclusive, opting to grimace instead of smile, and undertaking secret assignments more akin to black ops than the battlefront he was used to. And while this worked well for the Sentinel of Liberty, Brubaker's understated style doesn't quite fit with the grand scope of Avengers vs. X-Men. At many points throughout the issue, I found myself somewhat bored, uninterested in why things were happening. It has to do with Brubaker's pacing, more than anything, as this series is meant to be high-speed, or at least quick-moving, yet there's no sense of that in Avengers vs. X-Men #10.

Similarly, a constantly changing creative voice can warp characterization quite quickly if not kept in check. Take Magneto as an example in this issue. Erik Lehnsherr is one of the most brilliant, innovative, driven, motivated, intelligent, powerful mutants on the entire planet, and Brubaker tries to tell us readers that he can't escape Emma Frost. I'm sure some may say he doesn't want to leave Utopia, this series is about fun, but having the Master of Magnetism - no matter how 'good' he's become - bend over for the likes of Frost flies in the face of his years of history. Of course, the absolute power being wielded by Cyclops and Emma Frost has struck fear into the hearts of humans and mutants everywhere, even subduing the most brash of X-Men, such as Cannonball, in a scene that shows how the power of the Phoenix amplifies the host's natural tendencies. Scott's uses his power to bring about peace, not matter what the cost - it's a perverted interpretation of the lessons Charles Xavier taught Scott years ago. Likewise, Emma Frost is vain and egotistical, leading to her monarchial stance and holier-than-thou attitude when it comes to everyone that isn't her (including, I'm gathering from issue 11 promos, Scott). She uses her power less to hurt people and do physical damage, and more to make those she deems lesser-than know their place.

As much as I've enjoyed Adam Kubert's pencilling and John Dell's inking over the past five three issues, Kubert's pencils are starting to show their age. He's been drawing Phoenix Nightwing for a least the past 90 days, and still Scott looks like an old man from time to time due to the overuse of facial lines. Really, I love the Kuberts and their work. Joe Kubert passed this week (R.I.P.), and it was a great loss for the entire comic book community. His sons have done an excellent job over the years maintaining their father's quality, and they look to continue to do so going forward. So it's a little disappointing that this issue feels rushed.

At the end of the day, this is issue ten. It's not the first issue, and it's not the halfway point. It's not even an act change. Very much so, Avengers vs. X-Men #10 is like the prelude to the end. With only two issues left, we know there's got to be a big reveal, a big death, and some choice words for a few of our favorite characters that will leave them reeling in disbelief. Unfortunately, none of those things happened this week.

GRADE

B

(COMIC) AVENGERS vs. X-MEN #6 of 12

STORY: Jonathan Hickman
ART: Olivier Coipel and Mark Morales

In the last issue of Avengers vs. X-Men, the Phoenix was fractured into five pieces which bonded with Cyclops, Colossus, Magik, Emma Frost, and Namor. I was a bit skeptical as to Marvel's intentions with the 'Phoenix Five' - their appearance seemed to precipitate an even bigger fight between the Avengers and the X-Men. The kind of battle that levels cities.

Instead, Jonathan Hickman brings us into Act II of Avengers vs. X-Men with a somber overview of the new world order. This issue picks up ten days after the confrontation with the Phoenix on the moon. In those days, Cyclops has led the other Phoenix Forcers in reshaping the world into a better place. With the power of gods split between five benevolent beings (the possible exception being Colossus and his Juggernaut power, which hasn't been brought up yet), the X-Men personify the 'rebirth' part of the Phoenix omens, the part where this force can be one for major positive strange.

I'm actually pretty impressed with Marvel's decision to make this turning point one of growth instead of conflict. There's an obligatory stand-off at the issue's end, but it's only real purpose is to start the slow burn to the next big fight.

Avengers vs. X-Men #6 is all about the change being created by the Phoenix Five. Magik and Colossus are fertilizing once barren land, Namor has tamed the Aleutian Trench to provide fresh, clean, free water for the world's people, and Emma Frost has created a machine in the Gobi Desert that provides sustainable, renewable, clean, free energy for all. Oh, and Utopia is now a freaking paradise of technology and peace. Even the Avengers are a bit awe-struck by the X-Men's sheer force of good.

In this issue, Jonathan Hickman had to usher in a second act to the biggest Marvel event of the year, introduce a new status quo for the Marvel Universe, dedicate quality pages to both sides of the conflict, all while pushing the narrative forward. It's a big task and one that Hickman masterfully handles.

The mini-story dealing with the Electric Legion is a gem that sits right in the middle of this issue. The Avengers set out to stop the Legion from a rampage when Colossus shows up and talks it out. With the Phoenix powers, Pyotr just learns to speak Electric and brokers a deal for the Legion to power half of Europe. Iron Fist's disbelief starts a domino effect of disapproval with the Avenger's strategy to stand against the X-Men. Beast and Black Panther both see the Phoenix as a source of good that has only helped and improved the world since arriving. Wolverine, of course, stand by his convictions and Captain America, but many Avengers have begun to doubt.

Again, I want to emphasize the scope of Hickman's job here. Wanda Maximoff arrives at the end as the Avengers execute their covert operation to acquire Hope from Utopia. Cyclops is on the verge of taking out every single Avenger when Wanda's chaotic powers interfere with the Phoenix Force. Obviously, it's a sign that the Phoenix isn't omnipotent - it has a weakness.

And of course, Cyclops declares, "No more Avengers" on the last page, which is what we've been waiting for since Act II's announcement. Here goes nothin'!

GRADE

A

(COMIC) AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #3 of 12

STORY: Ed Brubaker
ART: John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna

After what amounted to a pissing contest followed by an issue of little-to-no plot, Avengers Vs. X-Men is finally on-track to deliver a cohesive story. Ed Brubaker takes the reigns for issue three, and he does a fantastic job raising the level of discontent between the two warring factions.

Wolverine acts as the audience surrogate, waking up hours after being cooked by Hope Summers at the end of issue two. Spider-Man informs Logan that the X-Men have surrendered and Captain America is trying to get everything in order again. Logan immediately knows something is up and attacks Cyclops, which turns out to be a mystic projection from Magik masquerading as Doctor Strange. This scene is the first of two important ones dedicated to piling on the distrust between the two sides. It's worth mentioning the press release given out by the X-Men's publicist in the pages of Uncanny X-Men #11. In it, Cyclops explains how the Avengers - and the US government, by proxy - considers mutants to be 'less than' even after everything the mutant community has given back to the world, and waxes poetic about being treated like property instead of people. It's a powerful element of this event that I'm quite surprised wasn't included in the main series. Either way, Magik's fake-out serves as a proverbial smack in the face to all the Avengers. Add in an argument between Iron Man and Captain America about the legitimacy of the Avengers' mission, and you've got a great first part of the issue.

The second important scene is between Captain America and Wolverine onboard a Quinjet discussing Logan's rogue behavior on Utopia. Cap believes Logan is too involved, too close to the situation to make rational and logical decisions. Wolverine, on the other hand, knows the Phoenix force better than most and feels he has to do anything in his power to stop it. After a quick fight, Cap orders the jet's cargo doors open and throws Wolverine out. It's quite obvious that the Captain had this planned all along, that he's had a contingency for Wolverine in place for quite some time. Seeing this side of Captain America is a little chilling - he's (only somewhat) turning into a Batman-esque character who has a coordinated plan of attack against any of his fellow Avengers...just in case.

So far, it seems like Brubaker has the best hold on the plot of this series. It's difficult to express discord between friends in a comic in a meaningful way. Fortunately, Avengers Vs. X-Men #3 made up for a lot of the pitfalls I saw in the first two issues. If Marvel can keep the narrative moving as smoothly as the giant, orchestrated fight sequences, this series might just be amazing yet!

GRADE:

A