Avengers #7

(w) Jonathan Hickman     (a) Dustin Weaver

The White Event is here. The machine is broken.

Jonathan Hickman's universe-altering storyline in Avengers is elegantly chaotic. While the world is literally changing around them, Earth's Mightiest Heroes attempt to keep pace with their heroic responsibilities while trying understand and analyze the transformation affecting their world. In both cases, Hickman's tale of a universal reckoning is graceful, smooth, and damn near poetic in it's exploration of new ideas. If you know your obscure Marvel history, you'd know the White Event is an element of the New Universe -- a comic book world concept in the late 1980s -- that Hickman is reviving for the first time since Warren Ellis' short-lived newuniversal series in 2006. Fortunately, Hickman keeps things interesting even if you're not boned up on Marvel minutiae.

Hickman's a master of long-form storytelling, as evidenced by his epic runs on both Fantastic Four and FF. Guiding Marvel's First Family would prove to not be enough, as it seems. Early on, Hickman promised his volume of Avengers would be bigger and greater than any iteration before it. Little did we know he meant each issue would get progressively bigger and more expansive. Seriously. Every single issue of Avengers has expanded the franchise in unique and exciting ways. The first arc, "Avengers World" showed us that there were universal machinations in play that pointed to even bigger ideas. We've seen the origins of Hyperion and the all-new Smasher, while Hickman's Captain Universe has become a surprisingly awesome deus ex machina that's more than what she seems.

Avengers #7 is the true beginning of something new. Hickman is pushing the concept of the Avengers into brand new territory and it's utterly fascinating.

GRADE
9/10

Review: Avengers #5

(w) Jonathan Hickman
(a) Adam Kubert

The first three issues of Jonathan Hickman's Avengers showed just how big this team has become. While that air of grandeur still persists after the completion of "Avengers World", Hickman has narrowed his scope with the two issues following that arc to focus on Hyperion and Smasher, respectively. This is still the same narrative from the first three issues, just told through different lenses. Avengers #5 introduces Izzy Dare, a small-town Iowan that the randomly inherited the armor of a Shi'ar Imperial Guardsman, Smasher classification. While Izzy's turn-for-turn journey to the Shi'ar homeworld to learn about her new abilities is uncannily similar to becoming a new Green Lantern, Hickman manages to make the whole issue natural and organic enough for it to feel fresh and interesting. 

One of the biggest complaints I have about comic books, in general, is that an overwhelming number of characters experience little to no shock or mental anguish over gaining a power/mutation/ability/etc. This problematic habit is even more prevalent in comic book movies, where someone goes from normal life to aliens and starships without so much as flinching. It doesn't matter who you are: the concept of having abilities beyond normal human capacity is a psychological bomb that no person would be immune to. This isn't to say we'd all have nervous breakdowns, but some sort of reaction. Hickman somehow manages to balance his pace of storytelling with Izzy's utter disbelief at what's going on around her and it's just plan fun to read. Izzy is tough (she grew up on a farm), so she's taking it all in strides, but there are moments when her total wonderment shines through and those moments are golden.

Flash forward to the present day, and the Shi'ar Empire has come under sudden and mysterious invasion. Izzy gets an automatic distress beacon -- even across half the cosmos -- and brings her own reinforcements, the Avengers. During the flashback sequences, Izzy's Smasher suit gives her the breakdown about the Shi'ar Empire and it's standing in the universe, giving a nice framework for the present day battle and the various Shi'ar Imperial Guardsmen zipping around. It's becoming increasingly obvious that Marvel is moving to the stars for fresh storytelling ideas, and making Izzy the first human Shi'ar Superguardian is another move toward that end. 

Pushing the Avengers beyond Earth means pushing the definition of the team as Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Avengers #5 introduces a new female Smasher to the Marvel universe that already shows a lot of promise. She's got major leadership potential, and her ascension in the ranks of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard is another example of human influence reaching farther into space. Avengers #5 succeeds as a stand alone issue because of it's self-contained focus on Smasher, but also serves Jonathan Hickman's greater narrative that spans Avengers and New Avengers and the greater Marvel universe.

GRADE

9/10

FEATURED REVIEW: NEW AVENGERS #1

(w) Jonathan Hickman
(a) Steve Epting
(i) Rick Magyar

It took a relaunch of a series during a line-wide retooling with a brand new creative team for Marvel to get me to notice Black Panther, and by golly, it worked.

I've never been a Black Panther fan -- he's a character who has simply never appealed to me. That being said, I've never disliked Black Panther, either. Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting's New Avengers #1 changed all that with a stellar interpretation of T'Challa that highlights his intellect and grace while simultaneously kicking off an intricate new narrative that brings the Marvel Illuminati back together for the first time since before Secret Invasion.

During the latter half of his tenure as Avengers head writer, Brian Michael Bendis' multiple Avengers titles started to bleed together in terms of narrative structure and character choices -- each series seemed to feature the same cast of heroes, only shuffled around depending on the arc and/or team. Really, there wasn't much of a difference between how New Avengers (Vol. 1-2) read and how Mighty or Secret Avengers read. Hickman has killed two birds with one stone with his Avengers/New Avengers one-two punch by reigning in the number of Avengers titles while also providing two unique storylines, each with a narrative flow distinct from the other.

After a brief introduction and history of the group known as the Illuminati (including a rather ominous monologue about death from Mr. Fantastic), New Avengers #1 takes us to the jungle of Wakanda as a trio of young adventurers have come to the end of their quest to be new Makers. While Hickman doesn't come out and tell us what 'Makers' are, per se, context clues can lead us to assume that the title is important in Wakandan culture, and that it has something to do with bettering society as a whole by venturing out past the national borders. Without skipping a beat, Hickman delves right into the situation that will bring Marvel's most powerful figures back together: our universe is about to collide with another.

Knowing ancient Sumerian will be a boon for anyone reading this issue, as the language is used rather liberally throughout the story. T'Challa discovers that an alternate Earth is hanging above ours. How and why this other Earth can't be seen by the naked eye doesn't really matter at this point. What's important is stopping whatever's happening from happening. To complicate things even more, a band of militaristic soliders descends onto our Earth, from the one hanging in the sky, speaking Sumerian like everyone should know what they're saying. It turns out they can speak English too, but they seem to prefer to talk amongst themselves in the ancient tongue, and that's got to be more than just a coincidence. Without breaking a sweat these new enemies quickly dispose of Wakanda's new Makers, leaving T'Challa to fend for himself and stop the destruction of Earth. Who does one call in for back-up for a task such as this?

Jonathan Hickman's approach to the Avengers is mesmerizing. In one hand with Avengers, he's building the biggest, most expansive Avengers team to date, while in the other hand with New Avengers, he's telling the story of the most hidden and shadowy group of 'Avengers' ever. New Avengers #1 bucks the pitfalls of a focused first issue, as well. For a team book, starting things off by only focusing on one character is usually a big mistake. Focusing on a less popular/mainstream character such as Black Panther is equally risky. Similarly, using a rather narrow and specific plot points (the Illuminati) from embedded continuity can also repel new readers. In all of these instances, Hickman masterfully trumps the missteps by providing effective explanation through showing rather than telling. It's okay that Black Panther is the focus of this issue because he's a surrogate for the reader in terms of understanding what's going on. We're given basic exposition, then it's all about the well-paced storytelling.

New Avengers #1 is exciting. It's subtle and underscored to juxtapose the grandiose and larger-than-life Avengers. Less is more with Jonathan Hickman. Instead of spreading himself thin by penning three, four, five Avengers titles, he's consolidated down to two series that are already show a whole world of promise Bendis could never achieve. This is how the Avengers should be, and Jonathan Hickman is providing it in spades.

GRADE

9/10

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

NEWS: MARVEL NOW!

On Wednesday, Marvel announced it's plans to 'revamp' it's current line of titles starting in October under the banner 'Marvel NOW!' While stressing this is not a reboot, 'Marvel NOW!' will bring about new series and revamp current series that will reflect the major changes to the Marvel universe as a result of the events of Avengers vs. X-Men. In the few short days since it's announcement, 'Marvel NOW!' has been given a bit more substance through a number of interviews with high-ranking executives at Marvel. 


Instead of mirroring DC and simply launching all it's 'NOW!' titles in the same month, Marvel has opted to launch new or relaunched titles from October through February 2013. An odd move for sure, simply due to the fickle nature of comic book fans who can make a decision on the entirety on 'Marvel NOW!' based on impressions of the first month's worth of content. It seems as though Marvel is taking the safe road, not only in their insistence that 'NOW!' is not reboot, but also in the extended release schedule. DC took a gambit and though it hasn't proved to be the breakout success everyone was hoping for, longtime fans have praised the company for changing damn near everything for the sake of creative freedom and more mass appeal.

New series already announced include Uncanny Avengers, All-New X-Men, and a relaunched Avengers. Confirming what months of rumors have speculated, Marvel is switching up it's creative teams with 'NOW!', giving seasoned writers a chance to explore new franchises. Brian Michael Bendis is leaving his Avengers post that he's held for nearly nine years to pen All-New X-Men, Jonathan Hickman will end his stellar runs on both Fantastic Four and FF to focus on the relaunched, bi-weekly Avengers, and Rick Remender pens the new crossover title, Uncanny Avengers. Of course, these three titles and creative switches are just the tip of the iceberg. Already, it's been leaked that New Avengers will be a part of the 'NOW!' initiative, possibly getting a relaunch and team roster.

Uncanny Avengers features a team of Avengers and X-Men after the fallout of Avengers vs. X-Men as they attempt to operate effectively while learning to get along. So far, the roster includes team leader Havok, Captain America, Wolverine, Thor, Scarlett Witch, and Rogue. Marvel hasn't given any reason behind the choice of characters, and making Havok team leader is a bit of a curveball, but it looks interesting nonetheless, and with art by John Cassaday of Astonishing X-Men fame, you really can't go wrong.

Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley's All-New X-Men is really the most odd of the newly announced series. Featuring the original five X-Men time travelling to the present, Bendis seeks to reintroduce the real, authentic Jean Grey back into the Marvel universe. When announced, the fan feedback focused on a single concern: is this a mini-series or ongoing? With such a specific and fragile set-up, many believed the premise couldn't be sustained for more than, say, six issues or so. Bendis has already come forth to explain that All-New X-Men is indeed an ongoing series and that the time-displaced X-Men are here to stay. Of course, this revelation has sparked the debate over Bendis' 'devil may care' attitude toward continuity and the generally agreed-upon rules of time travel. Then again, he thew Wanda Maximoff's powers to the wind for Avengers: Disassembled, so he may have some trick up his sleeve we don't know about yet.

Finally, the Jonathan Hickman-helmed Avengers will sport a cast of over 18 members and will be released bi-weekly as opposed to the normal monthly schedule. It's a move that I like, if only because a flagship title like Avengers should be more heavily focused on. Without a solid cast of characters yet, it remains to be seen Jonathan Hickman is up to the task of working in Bendis' large shadow. Though, Hickman's Avengers vs. X-Men #6 is the best issue of the series so far, so I'm not too worried.

Starting in October, "The Endless Reel" will be taking a look at each of Marvel's new series associated with it's 'Marvel NOW!' initiative. Only Uncanny Avengers is currently slated for an October launch, but more information will be surfacing in the coming months, so stay tuned to "The Endless Reel" for more information regarding 'Marvel NOW!' and it's coverage on the site. As more info is released, the more I'll endeavor to keep the Monthly Schedule up to date.

(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 #4 of 12

STORY: Jonathan Hickman
ART: John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna

Finally, finally, things are moving forward a bit in Avengers vs. X-Men, a series that has, thus far, shown little more concept than, "let 'em fight!" which may not be a terrible idea on paper, but stretching it out to a whopping 12 issues was silly, as I mentioned a few weeks ago for my review of AvX #3. Fortunately, Jonathan Hickman's turn at bat has proven a much better experience than any previous issue, and it's mostly because the actual conflict is in the background.

A few panels here and there are dedicated to giving the readers a little overview of where all the troops are for both sides. Fights have broken out on Wundagore Mountain, Tabula Rasa, in Wakanda and Latveria, and even into the Savage Land. The beginnings of these bouts are explained throughout various tie-in issues over the Marvel imprint. Uncanny X-Men #12 shows how Namor and Sunspot got to Tabula Rasa to fight the Thing and Luke Cage, etc. Compartmentalizing these fights has given Hickman more room to flesh ou an actual story, which is refreshing.

Last time, Captain America kicked Wolverine out of a Quinjet and into Antarctica. A polar bear skin-clad Logan follows a trail of frozen beer - in a nice moment of humor - to Hope Summers who has come looking for Wolverine, even though last time they met, he tried to kill her. After a little time to herself to comprehend the scope of the alien entity coming to possess her, Hope now understands why everyone is going ape-shit over the Phoenix's return.

While the various fights around the world are going on, Iron Man is attempting to build a Phoenix killer - a weapon with enough cosmic might to take down a god - and Emma Frost psychically uses Toad to interact with Cerebra at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning in Westchester. This shows not only Cyclops' disrespect for Toad, but also his desperation in technically stealing from Wolverine. Hope recruits Wolverine to help her get to Earth's moon, where she hopes she can connect with the Phoenix and learn to control it before returning to Earth. Seemingly impressed by Hope's logical thought process, Logan comes along for the ride. And then, all hell breaks loose.

The showdown between the Avengers and the X-Men is staged on the moon's surface as Wolverine informed the Avengers to Hope's whereabouts as soon as they met in Antarctica, and Emma was able to find Hope using Toad and Cerebra. Like most situations in this series thus far, this face-off feels forced. On the moon? Seriously? Then Thor crashes down and the Phoenix shows up. Like I said, this issue finally gets some plot going, but it takes us to the moon and that just seems silly.

GRADE:

B-

(COMIC) AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #2 of 12

STORY: Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, and Matt Fraction
SCRIPTS: Jason Aaron
ART: John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna

Marvel has a tendency to misjudge the length of it's major comic book events. 2006's Civil War seemed like a good length at seven issues, but spent the final three mulling around until reaching the final battle and standoff between Captain America and Iron Man that everyone wanted to see anyway. In 2010, Siege was a measly four issues when it should have been a more sprawling epic. And just last year, Fear Itself lasted seven issues, followed by a 12-issue aftermath series - Fear Itself: The Fearless - that only ended last month. Two weeks ago, Marvel proved us that the conflict between the Avengers and X-Men showed promise in terms of storytelling concept and execution. Unfortunately, Avengers Vs. X-Men #2 fails as both a follow-up issue and as a piece of the overall narrative.

I understand that the fundamental focus of AvX is supposed to be the fighting; Marvel has been advertising the hell out of the event on a platform of awesome one-on-one fights that stretch across the imprint. That being said, readers should still get quality storytelling from a premier event with issues at the four dollar price point. And that's where this issue falls flat. An omniscient narrator (I like to think Jason Aaron thinks in the same manner as he writes) explains the brawls happening throughout the issue in opaque and tritely metaphorical ways, attempting to seem dramatic when it only comes off as pretentious.

Now don't get me wrong: the fights are awesome. Colossus vs. Red Hulk; Namor vs. Luke Cage and The Thing; Iron Man vs. Emma Frost and Magneto - these are just a few of the bouts fleshed out in the pages of Avengers Vs. X-Men #2, but they all feel stunted, like there isn't enough space in the issue to fit in all the action. Of course, Marvel knew this going in and planned accordingly with Avengers Vs. X-Men: VS, the all-fight companion series that debuts next week.

Knowing about VS going into this event makes the scant storyline all the more obvious. I couldn't help feeling like a lot of the fighting in the main series could have been relegated to the pages of VS with little consequence. But then Marvel couldn't stretch this (somewhat inane) conflict between these teams out for a exhaustive 12 issues AND sell us the companion series, so...there's that. Hopefully the third issue can make up some time in the narrative department.

GRADE:

C+

(COMIC) AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1 of 12

STORY: Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, and Matt Fraction

SCRIPTS: Brian Michael Bendis
ARTWORK: John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna

It's finally here: the Marvel event fans have been demanding for years. Avengers Vs. X-Men signifies a major shift in the way Marvel is looking to structure their comic book universe. Pitting it's two most popular franchises against one another is a bold move, one that could make or break Marvel's financial year. If this crossover event isn't a hit, the House of Ideas has some problems.

So it's no surprise when Marvel announced the writer lineup for Avengers Vs. X-Men. All the big names are here to lend a hand, but Brian Michael Bendis takes the reigns with scripts that the others work from. Bendis' style is very prominent, but shades of Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, John Hickman and Matt Fraction are evident throughout the book. Similarly, John Romita Jr. has been brought in as the ringer on artwork. Romita Jr. has a very specific style that works for a variety of comic book fans. A few years ago, his work on Eternals and Kick-Ass were simply breathtaking, and he brings the same thick lines, sharp corners and gruff look from those series over to AvX.

Aaron and Bendis have done a fantastic job making Avengers Vs. X-Men attractive to new readers, and it's no coincidence that this crossover event will overlap with the nationwide release of Marvel's summer blockbuster, The Avengers. Unlike many (many) of their events over the past eight years, Marvel didn't release much 'build-up material'; the conflict between the Avengers and X-Men has been organically brewing for years in the pages of Marvel's many titles, and AvX is the natural endgame.

In this seminal first issue, good ol' Nova returns to Earth! Unfortunately, he's brought omens of the returning Phoenix force, the interstellar entity that possessed Jean Grey years ago. Meanwhile, Cyclops is going a little Mommy, Dearest on poor Hope Summers, the supposed 'Mutant Messiah'. After badgering her one too many times, Cyclops gets a face full of Phoenix. Hope's just as surprised as the rest of them before Bendis & Co. take us back to the Avengers (meeting with the President on Capitol Hill) who immediately sense the Phoenix energy signature.

The disagreement between Marvel's two most popular teams boils down to a lack of respect. The Avengers want to take Hope under their custody - especially after Nova's warning - while the X-Men believe that Hope's situation falls under their responsibility as leaders of mutantkind. Both parties have pushed the other around quite a bit in recent Marvel U history, so it makes sense that a fundamental issue like jurisdiction could be the catalyst to a massive conflict.

Being disappointed by Marvel events has left a sour taste in my mouth. Last year's Fear Itself was so lackluster I stopped reading after two months. Even 2010's Siege was half-baked at a measly four-issue main series. Apparently, Marvel took note with Avengers Vs. X-Men, giving readers a perfect-sized 12-issue main run, a six-issue VS. series dedicated to fights, fights, and more fights, as well as multiple tie-ins throughout the imprint.

GRADE:

A