Avengers vs X-Men #2(of 12):
Summary: Picking up from last issue, the X-Men and the Avengers fight... Considering the name of this comic, that should go without saying. As news of the battle breaks and the world news agencies report it, Quicksilver decides to join in on the side of the Avengers and asks the Scarlet Witch(wait, she was living with him?) to join him. However, Wanda remains behind and we see that she had been keeping a journal that says the world would end with the return of the Phoenix(or something along those lines). Meanwhile, Hope is starting to go insane due to the Phoenix getting closer and closer to the Earth. With everybody else battling outside, Wolverine(and Spider-Man) sneaks into the bowels of Crazy Mutie Island(Utopia) to capture Hope and book. However, Hope is now on fire(literally...) and burns Wolvie and Spidey, before walking across the Pacific Ocean. This issue ends with the team of Avengers that were sent into space finally coming across the Phoenix Force in all it's terrible glory.
Thoughts: If you're a fight scene fan, THIS was the comic for you! Even though I'm more of a story/dialogue guy, I still enjoyed reading this issue. What's not to like about two relatively evenly matched teams beating the hell out of each other. There were several moments that had my inner fanboy cheering, such as Quicksilver joining the fray on the side of the Avengers(and immediately attacking Magneto!), Iron Man standing up to Magneto(see, I said Tony would have built plenty of safeguards against Mags!), and Captain America slamming his shield into the arrogant face of Lord Summers. Storywise, the only thing of note was the fact that Hope seems to be getting more powerful(and crazier?) as the Phoenix draws closer, as she is presumably copying it's powers. Lord Summers is still acting off the charts crazy(which several people noted, including Luke Cage and Wolverine in a funny exchange), and the crazier he acts, the more I have to believe he's being influenced by Hope/the Phoenix Force/Emma/somebody, because his actions are just too irrational... On top of all that, we still have the Scarlet Witch in the background... What role will SHE play in all of this? All in all, this was a really good fight issue. Sure, I could have used a bit more story advancement, but with 10 more issues to go, I guess Marvel can afford to slow-burn the story here.
Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.
Captain America is so awesome it's painful...
Good Review, yes and i really am happy that even as he was kicking cyclops Ass, he was still trying to negotiate with mr loony toons for a peaceful resolution to this.
ReplyDeletewolverines line "maybe if you would pull your heads out of Cyclops's ass...." was beyond priceless.
while i royaly hate jrjr's artwork i think he draws a really good hope specialy when that bitch is on Fire!
Jason arron wrote this issue and while it wasnt as story, plot or character driven as the first, the inproment in the writing compared to Bendis last issue Really shows, the narration for the book was so epic
"The Lord of Alantis versus a Man from Harlem with Indistructible Skin, Either would sooner Die than Yield, Today Both will Bleed!"
WTF marvel why is hackbitch ass bendis on part of this book, arron could have wrote a better conversation between cap and summers in the first issue in his damn sleep!
on other matters
Avengers was very good this week
we get the Reunion between cap and Thor (its clear cap/avengers had seen that thor had returned already, but this is likley there fist meeting face to face sense his return) the conversation between cap and thor was well written i think, the rest of the issue is them taking down a hydra unit (on that was apart of osborns hammer, but dont worry this doesnt continue bendis's osborn obssession at all)
and we get a development with Protector thats interesting. my only complaint with it is the art (by walter simonson) is REALLY dated and 80s crappyness.
Lastly Red hood was really good, much of it you might not care about but there is a scene between jason and tim drake that is just Perfect!
Dude, right? I thought the dialogue here was perfect for the most part. And the narration was so smooth. Sometimes you just let the artwork tell a story, and that's what Aaron did for the most part. This issue revolved around the massive battle between the two teams, so Aaron let JRJR's artwork do the "talking" and didn't force any unneeded dialogue.
ReplyDeleteCool, Avengers is like #6 in my comic pile, so I should be getting to it pretty soon. As for Red Hood... While I'm hoping it turns out good, I have more hope that Bendis does a better job in Avengers than Lobdell does in Hood. THAT shows you what I think of Lobdell's work in that book!
I freaking love A v X already!!!!
ReplyDelete"Sometimes you just let the artwork tell a story, and that's what Aaron did for the most part."
A picture can be worth a thousand words and X you couldn't have said it better. I had to re-read it through it again because I completely ignored the words and looked at the pictures and they told exactly what was going on. I did have one moment of irritation, when Hope disobeyed Emma, and didn't stay in the room and ran off.
I love everything about this comic. And as relatively new reader to Marvel, especially Avengers and X-Men, I felt VERY comfortable seeing all these different characters in such a high action situation. I didn't feel like I had to have a Marvel encyclopedia with me to figure out who was who and read their bio.
Also before I go, that panel where Quicksilver was sitting watching what was going on and asked who we now know is Wanda to come with him was unexpected lol. And that shot of her Dream Journal...ahhhhh I'm spazzing out over this comic. lol. I love it. This is my first time catching a major Marvel event take place as it happens so I'm giddy, lol please excuse me lol.
Yeah, in an issue like this? One that's totally action driven? The artist can easily give you all the story you need. Especially an artist as talented as JRJR. You don't need all those words cluttering the pages. Like you said, Lisha, a picture is worth a thousand words. Although with Bendis I believe the saying is a thousand words is worth a thousand words... :/
ReplyDeleteI'm thrilled for you that you're enjoying this series! :D Seriously, especially since this is the first Marvel event you're following real time, I'm so happy it's bringing the awesome. Imagine if it was like Brightest Day!? You'd be soured on Marvel forever! :D And since it's featuring so many top level Marvel characters, by the time it's over you should have a good feel for so many of them.
So pumped to read this when i get out of work! I will whole heartedly agree with cap being awesome, but that should come as NO surprise. Just from the scan you posted I can tell that I will like the art more in this one than the first. Reason being is because JRJR is made for action shots in my opinion. He is losing some luster in the "just people standing around and talking parts." The characters become stiff and almost card board cut out like. But his action always delivers! Anyway, I will be back with my thoughts. I picked up about 9 books this week! for me that is INSANE haha. Also, I know you said you would look for it, but avenging spider-man #5 with the cap and spidey story is excellent! Has anyone else on this blog read it? It is probably my favorite single issue of 2012 thus far. You will not be dissapointed!
ReplyDeleteI guess i should be more specific with the awesomeness. Its a one and done story that shows how cap and spidey interact. How they are alike and how they are different. If you are a fan boy (and I know you are!) you will feel crazy amounts of emotions. I read it thruogh twice back to back because of how perfect it spoke to the inner fan boy in me! Also, it made me think that i should be picking up avenging every month!
ReplyDeleteDude... this was amazing. The match ups, the magnetic fastball Special, the way each fight was described and set up, the line about the most expensive punch in history, shit I loved this comic. The only thing I didn't like was Hope taking out everyone off screen, including Wolvie and Spidey, but the rest was great. And Cage & Logan's back and forth about Cyclops being crazy was funny.
ReplyDeleteI actually had a nice, long response typed up, but my internet crapped out on me AGAIN, so I lost it... So here's what I can remember typing... I didn't actually go to the comic shop this week, JW, my brother went for me since I was stuck working late. He only picked up the books that were pulled for me, so I didn't get the chance to get Avenging #5. But when I go this Wednesday, I'll def be looking for that and Avenging #4. If I can't get 'em there, I'll put 'em in one of my online shopping carts.
ReplyDeleteYeah, JT, this comic book was awesome. This issue actually got me REALLY psyched to get the VS mini-series that should be dropping soon. It's basically a book of fights, so it should expand on the awesomeness we got here. Should be great.
Nice, I didn't know about that so I'm definitely looking forward to it now. First the X-Men seemed SO unmatched but this fight has been pretty well done so far.
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY! I figured the Avengers would walk in and SQUASH the X-Men, but no, the fight has been REALLY even. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree w/Cap Von Trapp: READ AVENGING #5. As a Cap and Spidey fan, it's the issue of the year. You have to get over a continuity point, but otherwise it's so good! (I ask you about the continuity problem on my blog, but don't read that entry until/unless you read "Avenging" #5 first.) I'm also campaigning for you to read "Scarlet Spider," though, so I'm glad someone is doing the "Avenging" work for me.
ReplyDeleteI loved this issue. For me, the only thing I need to see at some point is either confirmation that Hope has been manipulating Scott or some sort of confirmation that he's crazy. I feel like we're going to see one or the other at some point, because, when Phoenix arrives, I feel like some of the X-Men are going to put aside their anger over being treated like second-class citizens (an anger that Aaron really highlights as a motivating factor here) and think, "Um, maybe we shouldn't have followed Scott in the first place." I'll be disappointed if we end the series just being left to believe that Scott thought it was totally reasonable and sane to trust Hope with the Phoenix Force.
I was really impressed with the way Aaron laid out everyone's reactions and justifications, because they all made sense to me. From Tony knowing that he had to take down Emma immediately (and offering her dinner later) to Quicksilver without hesitation assuming his father was on the wrong side, Aaron really managed to give everyone his or her moment. As you said, I particularly liked Cap trying to reason with Scott throughout their fight, partially because it helped us see how effing crazy Scott is. Good stuff!
Actually, JW, tomorrow when I get to the comic shop I'm going to drop Defenders and add both Scarlet AND Avenging, as well as try to pick up the back issues I missed for both series, so no more campaigning needed!
ReplyDeleteAs for Scott... Yeah... This issue really highlighted just how crazy he's become... There HAS to be an explanation coming some time soon to explain his actions... There just has to!! Maybe the loss of his wife, father, most of mutantkind, brother(s), coupled with his mentor betraying his trust all in a row was too much for him? Maybe Emma HAS been in his head since New X... Maybe Hope and/or the Phoenix has been manipulating him... But if this series ends with no explanation for Scott's irrational behavior, that will be a HUGE point of annoyance for me... This issue plainly showed us that there's something wrong with Scott. Something DRASTICALLY wrong.
Woo-hoo! The good news is that Yost still is lethal, but at least it makes sense in this context!
DeleteThey can always use the idea that the piece of The Void left in his psyche has been corrupting Scott Summers all this time, just in case they need to redeem Cyclops sometime. But I think that's a plot that the writers should delay using for as long as possible.
DeleteAh, I am going to be contrarian and say Scott has a point. Did anyone see that Wolverine went at Hope with claws drawn and looking to kill? If Cyclops had just handed her over to the Avengers, she'd probably have been snuffed by some Avenger (like Wolverine) who thinks she's too dangerous to leave alive.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention, mutants have always been hunted by the government as too dangerous. Sentinels, concentration camps, genocide and what not. Why should Scott hand over the most important mutant alive to the Avengers? Why aren't the mutants- Emma Frost, the Cuckoos, Rachel Grey, Xavier - more qualified to handle the Phoenix force than anything the Avengers have? What can the Avengers possibly do that the X-men can't besides execute hope wolverine style?
Also, given that Captain America brought a helicarrier loaded with avengers and soldiers to Utopia, I don't see why Scott is being painted as the aggressor or provocateur here. Yes, he's a jerk with a stick up his butt. But even if it was Professor Xavier in his place, he would have refused to hand over Hope and the Avengers would have attacked anyway.
That's probably the most effective argument for the X-Men's side I've heard, A.A. You make an excellent point about Logan and, to be honest, I think you're totally right about the weakness of the Avengers' argument being their lack of explaining what exactly they plan to do to hide Hope from the Phoenix Force (or, at least, do it any better than the X-Men could).
DeleteI think for me, though, it has less to do with the aggression and more to do with Scott's sudden belief that the Phoenix will save the mutant race through Hope. After all, the Scarlet Witch came close to undoing "M Day" in "Avengers: Children's Crusade." Plus, it was Wanda, a mutant, who decimated the mutants in the first place. Sometimes Scott seems to act like humanity imposed Decimation on the mutants, when it was one of their own who did. As such, to me at least, his single-minded belief that someone with even MORE power than Wanda had at the time -- particularly a 16-year-old girl with some serious anger issues -- is going to magically solve all of mutantkind's problems strikes me as uncharacteristically optimistic of him...which leads me to think it's Hope or someone else manipulating him. After all, how can Scott, of anyone, think of the Phoenix as anything other than destructive?
JW, I'd definitely agree Scott has lost credibility with his tunnel vision and antagonism towards humans. This might be a case of him doing the right thing - protecting Hope - for all the wrong reasons. I think he's have earned a lot more sympathy, if he'd spoken of Hope as a child who should be protected by people who care for her, rather than all the "mutant savior" and "racist humans" business.
DeleteAlso, I found it annoying that Logan was telling his fellow x-men "You've just got your heads up Scott's ass". For instance, Storm was also adamant about not simply handing Hope over to government authority. She's always been ready to argue with Scott's policies, so was she just following his orders out of blind belief and meek obedience?
Would Logan have executed Idie if the Phoenix force came for her? There is some inherent hypocrisy here in his position, and while I understand his "greater good" argument, it's ironic that it's similar to Scott's position during Schism.
I do think it's possible Scott is being manipulated, but let's see. His character has definitely headed to the schizophrenic and militant almost to the point where he has to turn villain, or reconsider some viewpoints.
Yep, I think that's the only real argument there is for the X-Men, guys. Lord Summers feels that a) Hope is safer with him than the Avengers, and b) the X-Men have dealt with the Phoenix before, so they have more experience in that area. As for Wolverine, I don't think he set out to kill Hope, it seemed as if he wanted to capture her, I'd say his mind changed when he entered that room and saw that Hope was starting to flip out. He walked in the room, found all of Hope's friend's bodies on the floor and Hope on fire, and fearing a repeat of the Dark Phoenix Saga, I'd say Wolvie's actions were warranted. If Wolvie wanted to kill Hope, he had plenty of opportunities to do it before this issue.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't get, and what JW pointed out, is why Scott thinks the Phoenix Force will bond with Hope and everything will magically be okay for mutantkind... The Phoenix doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to bonding with mutant red-heads, I don't know where Scott is getting this idea that now things will be different... If anything, Hope is younger and WAY more immature than Jean was, and Jean(or a clone of Jean if you like) couldn't even wield the Force. It drove her crazy. Why does Scott see this time as anything different? It would be different if at some point during the Phoenix/Dark Phoenix Saga the Phoenix was shown as a force for rebirth/good. Really, the only thing it saved was Jean, and killed millions(billions?) of others. I'm definitely glad somebody is taking up the X-Men's side here though. It makes for a nice balance.
Good call, A.A., on Scott failing to speak about Hope as a child needing to be protected. I agree that, if he had been focusing on that argument, it would be a lot easier to sympathize with his position. I feel like it's part of his general mindset lately, where everyone, even children, are pieces in his chess game (just like the cover of "New Mutants" #10 depicted).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I've been over Logan for about 20 years, so I agree with all your points about the inherent hypocrisy of his recent "WOULD SOMEBODY THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN?" position. I thought the scene between Beast and Logan in "Wolverine and the X-Men" #9 went a long way to describing how Logan has been steeling himself for the moment when he'd have to kill Hope since she appeared on the scene. (In fact, I'm pretty sure one of the early issues of "Generation Hope" depicted a conversation between them along those lines.) It's part of why I find Logan generally insufferable, because he often makes these unilateral decisions that portray him as the only person willing to do the dirty work.
X, I totally agree on the insanity of the rebirth assertions. It's the part I definitely don't get. What rebirth, exactly, happened after the Dark Phoenix Saga? Are we just referring to the fact that Jean survived in a cocoon in the Hudson? If so, are we hoping that a reborn Hope would be powerful enough to restore the mutant race? Is that really all the X-Men have?
This is avenger love fest ... Cap is being a fascist is you don't agree ask you self Americans are mutants and cap is cyc and the island is America would he give up the minor then? Iron man beating mags gimme a break thing beating namor in the sea even worse ... All this is for the movie what a joke I have disliked it so much I've spent my last four bucks on it ,, did ya hear there is a movie ! Soooo sad
ReplyDeleteIf Scott is banking on Hope dying, only to be reborn and THEN save the mutant race, then he's crazier than I thought, JW! :D And the rebirth thing with Jean was sort of a mirage since the way the story went(iirc), the Phoenix was ALWAYS in a cloned body of Jean, and the real Jean was ALWAYS at the bottom of the Hudson! So in a way, Jean wasn't even reborn! I guess you could say the Phoenix saved her(probably out of curiosity), and then placed her in suspended animation... I don't get where Scott's coming up with the rebirth thing.
ReplyDeleteThe only bad thing I'll say about Cap is this, Anon... I don't get why he didn't see if there was some way the two teams could have worked together with regards to relocating/safeguarding/protecting Hope. But then, with how crazy Scott's been acting, maybe Cap figured there'd be no chance at a compromise. As for the battles, I sincerely believe that Iron Man beats Mags any day of the week. He proved that he could WAAAY back in the West Coast Avengers, and with years of upgrades, I have no doubt he could down Mags now. Thing and Namor? Agreed, no way Thing beats Namor underwater. No way.
Ok xman 75. Glad we agree on the thing fight that was sad... I also agree about is hope the real deal ect ect but why does cap "have" to take her why can't they just hang out there abducting minors is wrong . As for the iron man fight I think you aren't real taking in the sheer power mags has he moved the earth on it's axis! He could've took caps shied on squished ironmans head in it that easy or torn one of wolverines claws out and cut off ironmans head off or took the metal tower he dropped on him made it a ball around ironman and threw him into the sun realy realy think about just all mags "could" do think about in aoa how sentinels are made outta plastic but yet how many ways did mags find a way to win see that is the thing there mags isnt just all power he is extremely smart a great great leader .. Ironman is and always will be a second in command guy.. Just think this through=}
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