AVX: Vs #6(of 6)

Okay, here's a comic that I wished I hadn't read...  Why?  Well, let's dig into it.

AVX: Vs #6

Summary: If you haven't read Avengers vs X-Men #12, then you probably shouldn't read any further........  Still here   Cool.  This one starts off with Hope vs the Scarlet Witch from AVX #12.  Wanda is more skilled, while Hope swipes Wanda's power and tosses it back at her.  Eventually Captain America and Iron Man walk over and Cap tells them to cut it out.  Wanda shakes Hope's hand, which leads to Hope punching Wanda out to "win" that fight...  Oh the hilarity...  My sides are splitting...  Ha.  Ha.  Yeah.  And then?  It got WORSE!!!  After that "battle" we get 8 other battles.  Cyclops and Cap argue(written by, who else, Bendis!) in what I guess was supposed to be funny, while all the scientists from each side battle to a stalemate(apparently).  Havok beats Cap in a splash page because, "the X-Office put this book together."  Next up Domino defeats Rulk with her probability powers, while Jarvis defeats Toad after knocking him out of a window with a punch.  Hawkeye then fantasizes about Spider-Woman fighting Storm, Emma Frost and Psylocke, followed by Iceman defeating Iron Fist with a hailstorm, because he's Storm now...  Finally something awful happens between Pixie and Squirrel Girl, but since I hate both characters, I'm going to ignore THAT one.

Thoughts: Humor, my friends, is a very subjective thing.  What one person may find funny, another may find childish and unbearable.  This comic?  For me?  Was not funny.  AT ALL.  It was obviously meant to be funny, but it sucked.  NONE of the humor connected with me, except for maybe the Hawkeye story, 'cause it was something I could see Hawkeye doing.  As for the main story?  It was what it was.  I hated Hope prior to reading this issue, and I hate her after reading this story.  It changed nothing.  Instead of doing the mature thing and shaking hands after her little skirmish with Wanda, she cheap-shots her.  Why would I ever like a character like that?!  One who starts a fight, while the Earth is being destroyed, and then punches an unsuspecting woman in the face?!?  Cue the Hope fans saying that she had to punch Wanda because... I don't know, Wanda is a jerk.  Anyway, this comic was awful, and doesn't compliment the main AVX book in the least.  My best advice is to save your $4 and skip this one.

Score: 2 1/2 out of 10.

Sure, the reasoning may be asinine, but the picture is pretty awesome.

Avengers vs X-Men #12(of 12)

Alright, this will be a total knee-jerk reaction review for me, because as I'm typing this intro up, I haven't opened this comic up yet.  Once I finish reading it, I'll just let loose with whatever I have in my head.  So, without any further ado, the final chapter of AvX.

Avengers vs X-Men #12:

Summary: The combined forces of the Avengers and X-Men have one final, desperate plan left against Dark Phoenix Cyclops, get the Scarlet Witch and Hope to combine their forces against DPC(yeah, I'm not gonna type Dark Phoenix Cyclops through this entire review!) since Wanda's hex bolts have been the only thing to hurt DPC and Hope can mimic those powers.  With that, the combined A+X group attacks DPC, but really get nowhere against him, at least until Nova(!) slams into DPC, driving him to earth, where the A+X team, as well as Hope and Wanda can lay into him.  During the battle, DPC flips out and lashes out with a massive amount of flames, at which time a woman shrouded in shadows walks over telling DPC it was time for this all to end...  DPC immediately realizes the woman is Jean Grey, and she promises him that it doesn't hurt...  With that, Hope and Wanda hit the distracted DPC with everything they have, forcing the Phoenix Force out of his body and into the air, where it locates it's originally intended target, Hope.  Hope gains the power of the Phoenix and flies off, with Tony Stark trying(unsuccessfully) to keep up.  However, Phoenix Hope flies around undoing the damage DPC had done to the world.  After doing that, Hope comes back to the A+X team and tells them that she was going to be the White Phoenix, doing good deeds and the like.  Wanda tells Phoenix Hope that she was chosen by the Phoenix because she was the one person who could let the power go, due to her strong training by Cable and Iron Fist.  With that, Wanda and Phoenix Hope combine their powers and say "No More Phoenix", sending the Phoenix Force out of Hope, where it bounces around the planet before vanishing.  However, it appears that the Phoenix Force did indeed do what crazy Lord Summers had hoped for, as several people around the world begin to gain mutant powers(YES!!!!!!).  And now, it's epilogue time!  Cyclops has been locked up where he's still acting oddly smug about his whole role in this mess, since the mutant race did seem to experience a bit of a rebirth, even though, you know, Professor X and several civilians died, along with the X-Men being torn apart in the process.  Captain America tells him that the other Phoenix Five X-Men were wanted for their actions in this mess, but that Cap has come to realize that the Avengers hadn't done enough to help the mutant population, something he intended to change...  That brings us to Wanda and Hawkeye, who are looking to put together a joint X-Men/Avengers team.  Iron Man acts as if he knew all of this would lead to a mutant rebirth(?!), while Thor offers Nova a slot on the Avengers(YES!!).  Wolverine has nothing to say to Lord Summers, while Hope flies away, having accomplished her goal of being the mutant messiah(I guess).

Thoughts: The bottom line is this...  There was ONE thing and ONE thing only I wanted out of this series.  And that would be the reversal of that idiotic, "No More Mutants" garbage.  That one line handcuffed so many X-Men writers since they had no way to add new members to the team, nor any way to give them new mutant enemies.  So, as a long time X-fan, I am overjoyed to see new mutants popping up, hopefully leading to some great new characters and storylines(not involving an endless supply of Sentinels and William Stryker!).  Now, onto the meat of this issue, and series.  I don't get why Professor Xavier was killed off, especially since Lord Summers seemed kind of unfazed about it when he was talking to Cap at the end.  He was like, "Well, if I could take his place I would, but I can't, so I won't!"  On top of that, Hope is still around...  I don't get that at all.  I'd have bet good money that she either dies here, or would have left Earth with the Phoenix Force...  Instead she's just kind of around...  With nothing to do...  I don't get that at all, but whatever.  So what did I make of this series?  I think it was full of missed opportunities   I think it could have been told way better, in a way where the X-Men didn't turn evil once they got the Phoenix powers.  I'd have liked to have seen the X-Men more shades of grey instead of deciding they'd rule the world, "for it's own good..."  However, you always remember the last thing that happens in an event like this, and for me, this event will always be remembered for bringing back mutantkind for me, so for that?  I'd call this series a win.

Score: 8 out of 10.

"More mutants."?!  Oh god yes!!!!!

Avengers vs. X-Men #11

Hey turkeys, Today's review is the penultimate issue of what seems to be an everlasting comic book, Avengers vs. X-Men. I honestly can't wait for this series to end, I feel like it's been 10 issues so far and nothing noteworthy has happened. Well something has now, but is it enough?

Avengers vs. X-Men #11

Summary: This issue starts off with Captain America and his cohorts recruiting The Big Green Smashing Machine, The Incredible Hulk. Hulk agrees to smash for them, and after every other mutant jumps sides since Scott and Emma are being bat-shit crazy. Emma and Scott meet and Emma says she knows Scott is thinking of defeating her and taking her powers to have the full Phoenix Force, but Scott denies it, saying she must be thinking of it. Emma says she thinks they should destroy the world and start all over again, as she's pretty much fully consumed by the Phoenix. Scott is preoccupied by Charles Xavier, who basically tells him that he's shutting Scott down, Scott denies it but doesn't even realize he's been subdued until he tells Charles to get out of his head, and Scott sees he's in the middle of a giant fight between the Avengers and the other mutants vs. Scott and Emma. After a giant fight, Scott decides he needs more power and attacks Emma, then drains her of the last bit of Phoenix power. Charles pleads with Scott to stop but Scott decides to blast Charles, killing the X-Men founder. Scott says Charles made him do it, as he cries a few tears. Wolverine has Hulk "Fastball Special" him at Cyclops but cyclops burns him up before he can even hit him. The issue comes to a close as Cyclops becomes the Dark Phoenix.


Thoughts: Well... they needed to kill someone I guess? That... weird decision aside, this storyline has been horrible. In the beginning the X-Men were the underdogs, and each team were making valid points, there were no bad guys really. Just different opinions, then they decided to make the "Phoenix Five" into villains for no apparent reason. Anyway, this issue seemed so... odd. It seemed rushed... yet eleven issues into a twelve issue mini-series, you'd think they wouldn't NEED to rush things. Yet, the whole thing with the mutants siding with the Avengers, Charles and Magneto confronting Scott and Emma, the fact Colossus, Namor and Magick are basically just gone as far as this storyline concerns, and the whole thing this issue was built up to be, Scott vs. Emma for the last bit of Phoenix power, barely lasted TWO PAGES! I just don't get it... and now they've made Scott the Dark Phoenix with one issue to basically have him defeated, de-powered and humbled. Sigh... Between this and the last DC event I read (Brightest Day) I'm about to swear off the company events.

Score: 4/10 

Hulk: Yes. Hulk will smash for you.

JT's Take: Avengers vs. X-Men #10

Hey everyone, today we're gonna check out the most recent issue of the seemingly never ending Avengers Vs. X-Men saga. And since I have nothing of importance to say here, let's do it!

Avengers vs. X-Men #10

Summary: We kick things off with Cyclops showing up for Hope, the Avengers try to fight him off but Cyclops quickly dispels of them since he has half of the Phoenix power. Meanwhile, his better half, pun intended, is making her fellow mutants bow to her and reading the minds of the one's who oppose her, then basically scaring them into bowing to her. Magneto tells Emma she's going too far but Emma shows Magneto that she's got the power and he'd best remember who's in charge. Back on K'un Lun, Hope and The Thunderer attack Cyclops using a dragon by the name of Shao Lao, the carrier of the Iron Fist energy and apparently once defeated The Phoenix according to legend, but since this is a weaker, younger dragon, Cyclops is able to take it down. Cyclops gets read to take Hope but surprisingly she blasts at him with The Dragon's power, which scares her. She runs to Scarlet Witch who tries to protect her but her powers are useless against Cyclops. Hope somehow absorbs Scarlet Witch's powers as well and is able to temporarily depower Scott, then punches him so hard she knocks him to the moon, Honeymooners style. Once Scott recovers he realizes he needs more power, and heads to find Emma, hoping to take hers. The issue comes to a close as we see Magneto, saying to Xavier via his mind that they need his help, and that Scott and Emma are losing control.


Thoughts: Well, I thought this issue was okay. It was cool seeing Scott get blasted and everything, and I like crazy, tyrannical, super bitch Emma. But this story seems like it's lasting WAY too long which has really hurt my enjoyment of it. I mean, the next issue kind of has to be filler until the big fight when hopefully something huge (Jean Grey return) happens that makes this seem worthwhile. The issue itself was nothing special, and we didn't get many answers either.

Score: 7/10 

The Watcher: In space, there is no sound. But Scott Summers hears himself screaming. It takes an hour to recover enough to stand.

JT's Take: Avengers vs. X-Men #9

Hey guys, today we're gonna check out the most recent issue of Avengers vs. X-Men, which seems like it's been lasting forever! With this issue, we're one step closer to the ending, which seems like it can't come fast enough at this point.

Avengers vs. X-Men #9

Summary:  After starting things off in K'un Lun where Spidey is giving advice to Hope about training and how every Avenger has their time to step up and save the day, we see that each time the Avengers face The X-Men, they lose a teammate in battle, most recently Thor, and things aren't looking good for the Avengers. We then see Cyclops and Emma talking, with hints that the Phoenix Powers are corrupting Emma Frost, but before Scott can realize, he heads off to find Hope when Emma mutters that she knows Hope is at K'un Lun. From there we see Emma is just going around killing people in cold blood that have killed mutants, even if it was by mistake. Over on Wakanda, Storm tries to talk to Black Panther as he cleans the ruins of his land, but she's told the X-Men are enemies of Wakanda now, and he's annulled their marriage. A hurt Storm then gives Black Panther a tip on where the Avengers can grab the people they have that were taken by the Phoenix Four. The Avengers move in to save their people and get Thor, Thing and the rest but are attacked by Colossus and Magick. Spider-Man decides his time is now, and webs his allies back and causes a cave in to trap him with Colossus and Magick. Spider-Man tries to buy his friends time but is beaten to within an inch of his life by Colossus. When asked why Colossus won't just kill him by his little sister, Magick, she states he's becoming weak. Spider-Man stirs the pot by saying they should relax because if they fought, one could take the other one's powers, and no one wants that. The Avengers finally regroup and go back to save Spidey but find him barely standing about the unconscious bodies of  Magick and Colossus, having tricked the two into defeating one another. But before the celebration can begin, an even stronger version of Cyclops appears before the Avengers, and tells Hope that it's time to come home, as this issue ends.


Thoughts: Now, this was a pretty great issue. I loved seeing Spidey get the spotlight, and he's the kind of character that you believe could trick the amped up brother-sister duo into fighting one another. Also, I was surprised to see T'Challa and Storm's divorce I guess in this issue, that definitely caught me by surprise. I'm wondering if Cyclops is going to have to be the one who stops Emma's rampage or if this inevitably leads to Jean Grey returning to take on a evil, Phoenix-fueled Emma Frost. Either way, this issue built a lot of questions I can't wait to see the answers to.

Score: 9/10

Spider-Man: Did I do good, Uncle Ben?

JT's Take: Avengers Vs. X-Men #8

Hey everybody! (Hi, Doctor Nick!) Sorry, Simpsons humor. Anyway, JT here with the first review of the new comic week, as requested by a few of you, including Trobb, Avengers vs. X-Men #8. The last issue left off with Namor about to destroy Wakanda, so let's see the fallout, shall we?

Avengers vs. X-Men #8

Summary: We start off with Namor just wrecking Wakanda as The Thunderer and Ironman escape through the portal to K'un-Lun and join Wolverine and Hope. Back at Wakanda, The Avengers all attack Namor and take it to him, but he manages to snap Red Hulk's arm, causing the bone to pop out (Gory and awesome!) and give the Phonix powered Atlantean mounts a comeback, until Namor comes up against Scarlet Witch. The Two have a powerful battle that ends with Wanda and Namor losing consciousness. The remaining Phoenix Five show up and Namor's Phoenix powers leave him and go to Magik, Colossus, Emma Frost and Cyclops, making them even MORE powerful. How... is Colossus getting stronger? He's Colossus...he's The Juggernaut... and now he has EVEN MORE Phoenix power! Anyway, the Avengers escape through a portal that Cap opens thanks to a device Ironman gave him, as the Phoenix Four discover that they are stronger and will continue to be stronger everytime one of them falls in battle. Cyclops is then telepathically reached by Professor Xavier, as Prof X tells him to stop and that this has gone too far. Cyclops tells Prof X he has no right to order them around but Prof. X tells them this is their last warning, stop or he will stop them. Over with the Avengers, they discuss that it took everything they had to take down Namor, and they've just made the rest stronger. Everyone looks towards Captain America wondering what the plan is, but Cap looks like he's all out of ideas as this issue comes to a close.


Thoughts: I had mixed feelings about this issue. I liked the stuff with Namor fighting everyone, how much it took to take him down and the stuff with Cyclops and Prof X, but the ending seemed weird. It wasn't really a cliffhanger as much as a very abrupt ending... I am wondering how Namor will feel now that he's lost his Phoenix Powers, as well as what the Avengers can hope to do against the even stronger Phoenix Four. And I gotta know what's Prof. X has under his sleeves as well...

Score: 7/10

Spider-Man: We finally got a lucky shot and all we did was make the other ones more powerful?!

The Thing: So even when we win we lose.

Spider-Man: And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is exactly how it feels to be me... every day of the week.

JT's Take: Avengers Vs. X-Men #6

Hey guys and gals, AVS part two starts with this issue, Avengers vs. X-Men #6, and after the last issue's Debut of the Phoenix Five, to say this comic should be a game changer is a bit of an understatement, so let's get right to it.

Avengers vs. X-Men #6

Summary: This issue starts off ten days after the last issue, with Magneto welcoming Charles Xavier to the new and improved Utopia. Magneto leads Charles to Cyclops, and they speak about the Phoenix Five, (Cyclops, Emma, Colossus, Magik and Namor) scaring society because they have so much power. Cyclops mentions that they've done nothing with their powers but make the world a better place, not just for mutants but humans as well. Xavier says this world is like cheating, and it cost nothing, but Cyclops says this is Xavier's dream world, and he's given it to him. Next we check with the Avengers and see that Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Soder-Woman were in a fight with the Electric Legion and in danger of losing, until Colossus showed up and saved them by talking to the villains, and convincing them to power a large portion of Eastern Europe. During the fight, we do hear Iron Fist saying that when Colossus showed up, Danny's hands started burning. From there, Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, Beast and Wolverine have a conversation about stopping the Phoenix Five. Black Panther states they've done nothing wrong and are advocating a world without war, and Beast says he's done trying to help them think of ways to hurt and/or kill his friends when they've done nothing wrong. On Utopia, Cyclops tells Hope she can leave if she likes, and offers her the power of the Phoenix, which she says she wants, he then rescinds his offer, saying she didn't want it before and she doesn't deserve it now. After that we see Lei Kung meet up with some old dude and asks for the Book of the Fallen, which reveals that in 1596, the Phoenix was defeated by Iron Fist, and tells Lei Kung he needs Iron Fist. From there we see a vision of the Avengers, with Ironman, Ant-Man and Wasp (?!) killed by the Phoenix Entity. We then see Scarlet Witch sweating and saying "This is what comes next." From there we see that the Avengers hope to use Hope as a weapon against the Phoenix Five, so break into Utopia to rescue/kidnap her. They are stopped by Cyclops and Emma Frost, who blast them all away, except Iron Fist who manages to block the blast by mistake with some kind of force field. Cyclops destroys Stark's suit and is about to take down Thor, until Scarlet Witch shows up and says this is over, and the Avengers are leaving, and also that she's taking Hope, since Hope wants to leave with her. Cyclops grabs Scarlet Witch's arm but releases her immediately and states that he "felt that." The Avengers, Hope and Scarlet Witch leaves, as Scott states to Emma that people will keep fighting what's good for them as long as the Avengers are around as their "Heroes", so he states that from now on it changes, No More Avengers.


Thoughts: So, I'm not gonna lie. The first time I read this issue, I didn't enjoy i, but reading it again for my review, it was much better than I remembered. Xavier showing up was kind of a waste, I'd like to say they were planting seeds, but they did so much of it, with Iron Fist's force field, Scarlet Witch hurting Cyclops, and the stuff with Lei Kung, that Charles showing up was kind of forgettable. I also liked the scene with Beast saying each day he and Wolverine seem to be closer to not having a home, since they're stuck in the middle of both camps. While this issue wasn't as big as I expected, and was very dialogue heavy, it set up a lot of questions, and another war, this time with the X-Men on offensive, which will be interesting.

Score:  7.5/10

Cyclops: But you turned it down. It was yours... and you rejected it. And now I know that you don't deserve it.

Avengers Academy #31

Nope, your eyes aren't deceiving you, ol' Vampire X is really doing ANOTHER full review! Madness! I actually enjoyed typing up the AvX #5 review, so I figured I'd do another full review right now(after work) and try to do another one tonight BEFORE work. After that though, most likely I'll do two posts talking about the other books from this week, that is unless one of them really impresses me. Anyway, let's get this show on the road so I can go to sleep!

Avengers Academy #31(AvX tie-in):

Summary: Tigra gets in touch with Hazmat to warn her about Sebastian Shaw being on the loose and that the Avengers Academy staff feared Shaw was planning on killing the X-kids. Hazmat attacks Shaw, which leads to the X-kids defending him, which naturally leads to the Avengers cadets brawling with the X-kids. Eventually Tigra, Hercules, Madison Jeffries and Dr. Rao arrive on the scene and we find out that Shaw wasn't planning on killing anybody, he simply wanted to help the X-kids escape. X-23 decides to side with the X-kids, stating that they should be allowed to join into the Avengers vs X-Men festivities because they had been in lots of battles before... So that means they should fight the Avengers... Who are known heroes... Um, why? Basically everybody is swayed by X-23's argument(?!) so Tigra stages a mock battle that sees the X-kids “defeat” the Avengers and their allies, leading to them “escaping.” X-23 decides to stay, even though she sided with the X-kids because she had made friends with Finesse. And that's pretty much that.

Thoughts: Uh-huh... That was... something. I don't get why X-23's argument seemed to sway everyone myself. So the X-kids have fought against Sentinels, Purifiers and other assorted villains. I get that. But they were brought to the Academy campus for their safety, as well as the safety of the Avengers on the field. With the X-kids there, they wouldn't be getting their heads bashed in by Red Hulk or Thor. So Tigra let's them leave, at which point you'd have to assume they went off to fight the Avengers. That's a horrible thing to do, not only to the X-kids, but to the Avengers as well! Like I said, the fact that I didn't agree with the main argument to let the X-kids leave was why I didn't enjoy this issue nearly as much as I usually enjoy this series. But for those of you who did agree with X-23, I'm sure this issue was a lot more enjoyable to you.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Hercules' “death” scene(s) actually saved this issue for me.

Avengers vs X-Men #5

Okay, this is supposedly the big one, so I figured I'd give it a read and review while eating my dinner before I head of to work. Here's hoping this issue lives up to Marvel's hype.

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

Summary: With the Phoenix looming and Hope losing control with a devastating pyrokinetic blast, she begs Wolverine to kill her to end this since she no longer wanted to join with the Phoenix. Wolverine decides she was right and moves in for the kill, but is stopped by an optic blast from Lord Summers. Once again, Captain America attempts to reason with Lord Summers, but he is too far gone in the throes of madness to listen and simply attacks Cap and Wolvie. However, Iron Man and Hank Pym have one last ditch plan, to attack the Phoenix Force with some gigantic Iron Man suit that had been supplied with the data the Avengers Space team had collected. Iron Man heads up for what seems to be a suicide run and blasts the Force into nothingness(!!!)... Or so it seems... In actuality, the Phoenix Force has bonded with Lord Summers, Namor, Emma Frost, Colossus and Magik, and has decided to wait for Hope to be recovered enough to accept the Force into herself, even though she had decided she no longer wanted to take that path. Cap tries to talk the Phoenix Brotherhood into giving Hope up once more, but they simply laugh at him, take Hope and head towards the Earth, ending this one.

Thoughts: Um, so the Phoenix Force didn't actually bond with one person in this issue, as expected, it bonded with the entire Brotherhood... That was a swerve that I didn't see coming, and one that I didn't necessarily like. I guess that leaves the Force more beatable, since it spread it's powers out, but why does the Force have to “prepare” Hope to take it? Why not just possess her and be done with it? On the plus side, the X-Men have now officially gone to the dark side, so we seem to have clear cut lines coming out of this issue, the Avengers are the good guys, the Phoenix possessed X-Men are the bad guys. You can tell by the insane way they were talking and their, as Cap put it, “scary voices.” Also, the X-Men can be redeemed after this, as whatever evil actions they do going forward can be blamed on the Phoenix Force. It'll be interesting to see what Lord Summers meant when he said he was now more than a mutant and was bringing “tomorrow”. Even though I didn't love this issue, I'm still looking forward to the next issue in two weeks.

Score: 8 out of 10.

Oh no, it's the Dark Phoenix Corps!

Avengers #26

Yup, it's time for Bendis and his Avengers madness... All I can really hope at this point is that I can get through this comic with my sanity intact...

Avengers #26(AvX x-over):

Story Points:
-The Space Avengers are bummed that Beast's anti-Phoenix device didn't end the threat of the Phoenix and that the space bird was still headed towards Earth.
-However, Protector realizes that Thor's hammer managed to absorb some of the Phoenix's powers, which ends up leading to a Plan B for the space team...
-Thor heads out against the Phoenix, ALONE, and attacks it with his hammer.
-Shockingly, he actually harms the Phoenix to the point of it retreating, but is absolutely thrashed in the process...
-But with the retreat of the Phoenix the Space Avengers at least have SOMETHING to hang their collective hats on, as well as some new data collected from the battle between Thor and the Phoenix.
-Unfortunately, Protector turns on the team, proclaiming that he had to take all of the Avengers data on the Phoenix and send it to the Supreme Intelligence, who he was secretly working for.

Thoughts: Wait, did my eyes deceive me, or was Bendis's name on the cover of this comic!? This was EASILY one of the best Avengers issues he's written since the early issues of this series(say issues #1-6 or so). I mean wow, Bendis didn't do all of the things I usually complain about in this one... The dialogue WASN'T out of control, and DIDN'T take away from the artwork, the story DID make sense, and none of the characters annoyed me with their constant chattering... Maybe THIS is the team of Avengers Bendis should stick to writing, because he did a fantastic job!

Score: 9 out of 10.

Avengers Academy #30

Okay, first review I'm typing up at work this week is the comic that very easily could have been my Pick of the Litter, and on a normal week would have been, Avengers Academy.

Avengers Academy #30(AvX x-over):

Story Points:
-This issue mainly revolves around X-23, who is in the unique position of knowing the X-Men kids who were being held at Avengers Academy, as well as being a part of the Academy.
-Also of note is Sebastian Shaw, who broke free last issue and was lurking around the sewers of the Academy.
-X-23 talks to many of her fellows in the Academy trying to figure out her stance on the whole AvX thing.
-As for Shaw, he takes down Tigra, Hercules and Madison Jeffries, who were hunting for him.
-In the end, X-23 decides that the Avengers were probably right about the Phoenix being bad news...
-But she disagrees with Wolverine's decision to force the younger mutants on Crazy Mutie Island to stay at the Academy, and as such sides with them, demanding their freedom.
-This one ends with Shaw appearing before all of the kids, telling them that he agreed that they shouldn't be forced to stay on the Academy grounds.

Thoughts: Really good stuff here. Whiz Kid actually brought up the whole Japanese internment camps argument, just like Alien did here at the blog last issue, so kudos to Alien for picking up on that. I really have no complaints about this one... X-23 gave pros and cons for both sides, and in the end she kind of agreed with different mindsets from both sides. It was nice to see X-23 actually, you know, think for once.

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.

AvX: Vs #2

Check me out, here's another review being posted a day earlier than I had expected! Bah, see that, a full time job and I'm STILL managing to keep this blog somewhat up to date!

AvX: Vs #2(of 6):

Story Points:
-The first story is drawn AND written by Steve McNiven, which should give a big hint at who's winning. Btw, the first fight is Captain America vs Gambit in the Savage Land.
-Cap spends the beginning portion of this fight talking to Iron Man, thus pissing Gambit off.
-Gambit manages to snag Cap's shield, charge it up and throw it back at Cap, narrowly missing him.
-Cap manages to get his hands on Gambit, but Gambit proceeds to charge Cap's UNIFORM, blowing it up, at which point he figures he'd won the battle...
-In actuality, all he's done is managed to get Cap's undivided attention, at which point Cap thrashes Gambit, adding another victory for the Avengers.
-Next up, Spider-Man vs Colo-naut in Latveria.
-Spidey tries to use all of his old Juggernaut strategies against Colo-naut...
-That goes poorly for Spidey as Colo-naut is a way more skilled fighter than Juggy was.
-There's literally nothing Spidey can do to stop Colo-naut's barrage.
-In the end, DD arrives and tells a battered Spidey that Hope wasn't in Latveria, at which point Spidey and DD take off, leaving Colo-naut victorious, and giving the X-Men their first win.

Thoughts: Again, much like the last issue, I really love this concept. No stories, no real thought, just a full-on fight. So this issue puts the Avengers up 3-1, as well as making my guesses 3-1 as well(damn Namor/Thing fight...). I liked the way the Cap/Gambit fight went, because, let's face it, the only way Gambit had a chance was if Cap was distracted, and once Cap wasn't distracted? Game over. Now, I WAS a bit surprised that Spidey took the loss to Colo-naut... Spidey is probably the most popular Marvel character(if not the most popular character in all of comics), so while logic dictated that he should lose to Colo-naut, I wasn't sure if he'd find a way to emerge victorious. Honestly, I'd have been fine if he did win, but with that said? The more powerful character definitely won. Much like after reading issue #1, I'm eagerly anticipating the next issue.

Score: 9 out of 10.

Wolverine and the X-Men #10

Hey look, it's last week's Runt of the Litter! I'm expecting nothing from this issue, so here's hoping it surprises me... In a good way!

Wolverine and the X-Men #10(AvX x-over issue):

Story Points:
-Wolverine returns to his school after the initial skirmish with the Brotherhood on Crazy Mutie Island.
-Lord Summers and the rest of the Brotherhood soon arrive at the school and Lord Summers assures Wolvie that he only wanted to talk.
-While strolling through the school grounds, the two discuss who had the better idea for the X-Men...
-As well as the destructive/healing attributes of Phoenix Force...
-In the end, neither man budges from their stance.
-With that, Lord Summers and the Brotherhood leave.
-This one ends with the Shi'ar Death Commandos arriving on Earth to kill Hope before the Phoenix arrived.

Thoughts: Well, if you love debates, then THIS was the AvX comic for YOU!! I'm not really sure why I gave this comic the score I did... I'm typing this post up about 4 days after I read this issue, and it doesn't seem to deserve the score I gave it... Maybe I was sleep-deprived or temporarily insane or something after I put this one down... Regardless, I seemed to think this comic wasn't that bad(four days ago). Looking back though, I don't see what I found so interesting about it... I don't know, maybe I'm forgetting something awesome that I really enjoyed. Or maybe I secretly love debates... Who knows.

Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.

Avengers vs X-Men #4

Hey, I have about an hour or so before I have to go to work, so I figured why not do a post for this week's Pick of the Litter tonight instead of waiting until Friday?! So here we go, the forth issue of Avengers vs X-Men.

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

Story Points:
-Hope hunts down Wolverine in the Antarctic(where Cap tossed him) and asks for Wolvie to trust that she could control the Phoenix. Wolvie is dubious, but the two decide that Wolvie would stick close by and that if Hope DID go out of control, Wolvie would end her. With that, the two decide they needed a spaceship and Hope takes a nap...
-The Avengers and X-Men battle in the five different locations they thought Hope was at but come up empty.
-Using Cerebra, Emma manages to gain access to Captain America's mind(damn her!) and learns that the Avengers had discovered where Hope was going.
-Wolvie and Hope knock over an AIM base and steal an AIM spacecraft, heading to the blue area of the moon with it.
-Upon arriving, Hope can sense the Phoenix drawing closer, but is shocked to find the Avengers waiting there for her. Wolverine reveals that HE contacted the Avengers while Hope was napping and told them where she was headed.
-However, the X-Men arrive as well(since they learned of Hope's whereabouts through Cap's mind) and demand Hope as well.
-The two teams skirmish again, at least until Thor comes crashing to the moon...
-The two teams look up and sure enough, the Phoenix has arrived!

Thoughts: This issue was interesting... It was all about getting us to the cliffhanger, with everybody on the moon and the Phoenix arriving. Really, nothing else mattered. Well, Wolvie and Hope teaming up was pretty important, but the rest of this issue was just a bunch of random fights. Now I DID have one little problem with this one... Cap tossed Wolvie out of the plane last issue because he didn't want Hope murdered, just taken into protective custody, right? Wolvie and Hope meet up in this issue and Hope takes a nap WITH Wolvie flying her plane... If Wolvie really wanted Hope dead, since that was probably the surest way to make sure the Phoenix Force DIDN'T possess her(if that's even it's intention), why didn't he simply kill her while she slept? He easily could have, AND nobody would have known a thing... That was really strange to me... I guess Wolvie's actions here have now and forever firmly planted Wolvie in the ranks of the Avengers, because he not only didn't kill Hope, he took her right to them. Bottom line, this issue was a set-up issue. Now the next issue? That should be FULL of fireworks!

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.

New Avengers #26

Okay, Bendis gave us some really strange story last issue about a girl with red hair and Iron Fist's mystical city. It all had something to do with the Phoenix(I guess...) so let's see how Bendis ties last issue and this one to the greater AvX event.

New Avengers #26(AvX x-over... Supposedly...):

Story Points:
-I don't even know what to say here... Stuff happens in Iron Fist's mystical city before his time.
-Leonardo Da Vinci is involved for some reason.
-The Phoenix has always had a thing for red heads apparently.
-Da Vinci build something to keep the Phoenix away from the random red head...
-This issue was weird.


Thoughts: That cover? The one on this issue? Ignore it, because neither characters appear in this one... As a matter of fact NO Avengers, New or otherwise showed up here... God does Bendis hurt my brain at times... I have NO idea what to give this issue score-wise... I mean it wasn't terrible, but what the hell did it have to do with AvX?!

Score: 5 out of 10.

Avengers Academy #29

Damn is it late... Damned hockey game... Anyway, the last review of the night is what would have been my Pick of the Litter for the week if AvX #3 hadn't dropped. Let's see what's up with my favorite series of 2011.

Avengers Academy #29(AvX tie-in):

Summary: The Avengers drop the kids/teens from Crazy Mutie Island off at the Academy since they didn't want to leave them alone on Crazy Mutie Island with Lord Summers and the Brotherhood out searching for Our Lord and Savior Hope... Man, I have nicknames for everything... Very annoying... Madison Jeffries and Dr. Rao have come with the Crazy Mutie Island kids to the Academy and have agreed to try to keep the peace. On the Academy side, Tigra and Hercules are staying behind to watch over things. Oh yeah, Sebastian Shaw is there as well, and has been locked in a cell that absorbs his kinetic energy. All Shaw asked for were a few books to help him pass the time... More on that in a bit. The kids mainly get along, although a few of them, namely Velocidad and Surge, are more militant and unwilling to cooperate with Academy staff and students. Several hours pass and Shaw has managed to build up a ton of energy by banging a book into his head(AWESOME!!!), which he uses to smash a hole through the bottom of his cell. Tigra and Jeffries discover what he's done and this one ends with the two realizing that they'd have to head into the sewers to catch Shaw.

Thoughts: This was a comic that had some good moments and some meh moments. The scene at the beginning with Hercules and the Academy students was good, dumb fun, and I enjoyed the interaction between X-23 and Finesse in the training room. Quicksilver's small parts in this one also pleased me. Other than that though, this issue was kind of a lot of filler with no real substance. Oh yeah, this issue also helped push forward what we got in AvX #3 with Cap not exactly acting as perfect as we've come to expect him to. All in all this was a pretty good comic, but wasn't great, as this series oftentimes is.

Score: 8 out of 10.

The facial expressions of the students MADE this scene.

Avengers vs X-Men #3

First up tonight? You guessed it, this week's Pick of the Litter, the third issue of the Avengers vs X-Men series. Last issue Hope went all Phoenix-y and bugged out, we'll see what kind of effect that action has on the brawling heroes in this one.

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

Summary: We get started with Wolverine waking up after being fried by Hope last issue. Spider-Man tells Wolverine that the X-Men had surrendered peacefully to Captain America and the Avengers(?!), which Wolvie realizes doesn't sound right at all... Iron Man and Cap are trying to figure out what to do with the mutants, with Cap considering all sorts of steps that would “keep them out of the way”... Tony RIGHTLY tells Cap that he was sounding A LOT like Tony during Civil War(in an AWESOME little piece of dialogue) as Wolvie storms over yelling that Cap had been fooled... It turns out that Magik had defeated Dr. Strange in Limbo and used a spell to make the two look like one another, which allows the X-Men a head start in finding Hope. Meanwhile, Hope is running around San Francisco, acting kind of crazy. Both the X-Men and the Avengers realize the best bet at finding Hope was Cerebra, and the only active Cerebra unit was at Wolvie's school in Westchester... Cap and Wolvie contact Rachel Grey and she tells them that she was getting five different coordinates showing Hope's whereabouts. After she's done talking to Cap and Wolvie, Rachel contacts Lord Summers mentally(!!) and gives him info on where Hope may be, warning him that the Avengers were already on the trail... TRAITOR!!! Cap splits his forces into five groups and sends them to the five locations Rachel gave them(Wundagore Mountain, Tabula Rasa, Wakanda, Latveria & the Savage Land), taking himself, Sharon Carter, Hank Pym and Wolvie with him to the Savage Land. While on the plane, Cap pulls Wolvie aside and bitches him out for going lone wolf back on Crazy Mutie Island and causing Hope to run. Wolvie comes right out with it and tells Cap that he had already seen the Phoenix destroy people he loved and knew that Hope had to die, as there was nowhere Cap could take Hope that the Phoenix couldn't locate. Seeing that Wolvie wasn't going to play by his rules, Cap attacks Wolvie(!!!!) and the two brawl in the back of the plane. The fight is pretty evenly matched, but before we get a definitive winner, Pym SMASHES Wolvie in the back(!!!!), allowing Cap to down him with his shield(!). From there, Cap tells Sharon to open the hatch and Pym kicks Wolvie out of the plane(!) allowing him to plummet several thousand feet to earth. With Wolvie out of the way, Cap instructs the plane to continue onward to the Savage Land. This issue ends with Wolvie emerging from the snow stating that it(saving the world) was all up to him.

Thoughts: Well holy shit, I didn't see THAT one coming! And yes, I realize that I used A LOT of exclamation points in that review, but that Wolverine/Cap battle NEEDED them! See, I'm STILL using exclamation points! I can't stop myself!! Okay, let's start at the beginning here... This issue actually did something I didn't expect, it made Cap look... well, it made him look kind of bad... Iron Man pointing out that Cap was starting to sound like him from during Civil War was a masterstroke from Ed Brubaker(who did the scripting here), because, in a way, it was true... During Civil War, Iron Man truly felt that he was doing the right thing, and that by locking up his friends and teammates, he was saving America. In this issue, Cap wanted to save Hope and the world, even if it meant locking the X-Men and up... That was a very nice comparison. That, coupled with the Cap/Wolvie battle actually has me thinking that for once Cap may not be 100% in the right... So yeah, that Wolvie/Cap fight... I hate to say it, but Wolverine? He's the only one who seems to see the big picture here... Lord Summers is living in a fantasy world where the Phoenix Force will restore mutantkind to their proper place on the evolutionary charts, while Cap seems to think that he can hide Hope from the Phoenix... A cosmic force... Quite frankly, and as much as it's gonna rub people the wrong way? The ONLY way to prevent the Phoenix from bonding with Hope? You have to kill Hope. And only Wolvie seems to have the stomach to do that. So that leaves me in an interesting position... The first two issues I was FIRMLY in the Avengers camp. This issue? I'm kind of leaning towards Team Wolverine, which currently consists of... well, of Wolverine and nobody else. Lord Summers is crazy, Cap is naïve, but Wolvie? He's practical. To wrap this up, this issue was pretty interesting... The beginning dragged a bit for me, the X-Men didn't really do much and I was a bit annoyed by Rachel going double agent. But the fight at the end more than made up for the slower beginning and middle. So for a score, I'm gonna go with an...

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.

Yup, this fight right here is what got this issue such a high score... Plain and simple.

Ect... Week of April 25th.

And now for a new feature! We'll see how long this feature actually sticks around, as I have a tendency to get bored with new features rather quickly... Just look through the annals of this blog for proof of THAT fact! First, a bit of a backstory... Recently, due to my abject awesomeness and all, my job offered me more hours AND much higher pay, but for some genuinely sucky hours... I naturally took the promotion, but that's going to lead to less time spent on the blog as well as me possibly altering my blog posting/commenting schedule... It also means that there's NO way I'm going to be able to do more than 14 reviews a week(2 a night)... Hell, I may have to cut back to 7 reviews(a review a night) depending on how things go. Luckily, JT told me if that were to happen, he'd pick up the slack, 'cause he's such a swell guy and all. But we haven't reached that point yet. Anyway, there are some weeks(such as this week) where I pick up MORE than 14 books... For those weeks? There's this new feature. Basically I'll tell you guys what I read, what I thought about it, give the score, post a scan, and move on to the next book. That way if you read the book and want to chime in with something, you can. As with any new feature, I'm more than willing to change the format and listen to any suggestions on how to make this post better. But for now, this is what we have. Now, on with the show!

Uncanny X-Men #11(AvX tie-in):

Thoughts: I have to say, I enjoyed this issue way more than I expected to. Well, allow me to rephrase that... I enjoyed the Jugger-Colossus vs Red Hulk portions of this issue and wasn't all that fond of the rest. I thought the way the Jugger-Colo/Rulk battle ended was smart, and didn't really hurt either character's standing. Jugger-Colo had the upper-hand for most of the battle, especially while he was in full on Juggernaut mode. When he switched to Colossus mode, he was defeated. Plus he WANTED to lose, so again, no gripes about the way that fight went down. I felt Jugger-Colo could beat Rulk, but that Rulk could beat Colossus. The rest of it, especially Cyclops's ridiculous letter? I hated it. What a weird way to end this one... In the end though, this issue did give me some hope(gah, I hate even using that word now!) that these issues of Uncanny won't be all that bad.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.

Huh, I'd forgotten that Hope told Wolvie to kill her!


New Avengers #25:

Thoughts: This comic wasn't THAT BAD! That's probably the biggest compliment I can give to an Avengers title, written by Bendis, with this team... Yeah sure, the only member of the Avengers in this book to show up was Iron Fist, and he only popped up on one page, but hey, it didn't suck! I'm not really sure where we're going with the revelation here though... Iron Fist turns on the Avengers to join with the X-Men? But what of Luke Cage??? The Bromance EXPLODES!!! Actually, that could be epic if we get Luke acting like a jilted lover when/if Iron Fist's duplicity is revealed... Eh, regardless of the outcome, at least I can always point to this issue and say, “See that, an issue of New Avengers DID score higher than a 6!”.

Score: 7 out of 10.

???


Avenging Spider-Man #6:

Thoughts: I can't say this issue really got me all hyped up for this Omega Effect storyline... I honestly feel that Punisher should stay FAR AWAY from real heroes such as DD and Spidey due to him being, you know, a criminal and all... Now don't get me wrong, I like Punisher, I just don't like him interacting with a character like Daredevil, who should be trying to take him in on sight. Methinks I chose the wrong issue of Avenging Spider-Man to start collecting the series...

Score: 5 out of 10.

Frank has definitely seen better days... Although in fairness, he's seen worse too...


Daredevil #11:

Thoughts: Ugh, this was pretty bad... So basically, the bottom line here was that we returned to the status quo? DD still has the Omega Drive, Punisher is still on his own, and Spidey is still Spidey... I just don't get the point of it all... On the plus side, at least I didn't waste my money picking up the Punisher issue of this x-over!

Score: 4 out of 10.

Don't worry, this is the nice Punisher, he's not aiming for kill shots!

Secret Avengers #26

Wait, did I really put the comic I chose as my Runt of the Litter THIS high in my comic pile... What the hell is that about?! I guess the AvX banner tricked me or something. Oh well, tonight, as opposed to Monday or Tuesday we'll take a look at this week's Runt.

Secret Avengers #26(AvX tie-in):

Summary: The space Avengers head out to capture the Phoenix in a cage Beast created that was based off of his earlier designs back from when Jean Grey was the Dark Phoenix. War Machine is the key to capturing the Phoenix, since the cage was attuned to his suit. The space Avengers(except for Beast who was calling strategy from inside the spaceship) end up getting trounced by the Phoenix(what a shock... and yes, that's sarcasm!), although Beast's creation DID seem to have some sort of effect on the Phoenix. With the Avengers mainly defeated, Beast calls for a retreat so that the team could alter their strategy a bit and try again later. Capt. Britain doesn't want to listen to that, since he figures the longer the Phoenix is out there, the more beings it would kill. Capt. Britain then takes Beast's device and tries to use it on the Phoenix himself, even though Beast is shouting that the machine was only compatible with War Machine's tech. Naturally, Capt. Britain gets defeated by the Phoenix, and the device is destroyed... After that, the space Avengers set course for Hala, homeworld of the Kree. Beast absolutely tears into Capt. Britain for being impulsive and costing the team their best shot at stopping the Phoenix in a great scene. Meanwhile, some crazy Krees do something involving Capt. Marvel's corpse and the Phoenix. Ms. Marvel and Protector speak outside the ship on Hala and Ms. Marvel reveals that she knew that Protector was secretly working with the Supreme Intelligence and that she was on his side. This issue ends with the apparently resurrected Capt. Marvel telling Protector and Ms. Marvel that the only way to ensure the Intelligence's plans was to kill the Avengers.

Thoughts: Ugh... This was awful! No wonder I had it pegged as this week's Runt! I should have followed my instincts and left this one at the bottom of my comic pile! The only thing I liked about this issue was Beast tearing into Capt. Britain. Seriously. I didn't like, nor at times, get, the story, and the apparent return of Capt. Marvel just annoyed me. If ever Capt. Marvel is to return to life, it needs to be in a better way than this! With Ms. Marvel taking up the Capt. Marvel name soon, I doubt this is the real Marvel, but still...

Score: 4 out of 10.

This page took Beast from simply great to flat out AWESOME!

AvX: VS #1

First review of the night? The first issue of the AvX: VS mini-series. From my understanding this mini is supposed to bring us the battles from the AvX event in more detail... So this should either be a great companion to the AvX event, or a serious waste of money. Let's hope it's the former and not the latter!

AvX: VS #1(of 6):

Summary: Well hot damn, this comic was EXACTLY what I was hoping it would be! One issue, two fights that took place during AvX #2. The first one gives us Iron Man vs Magneto. Now in theory, Mags should trounce Iron Man, right? WRONG! Iron Man has been able to counter Magneto's powers since the 1980's(yeah, for THAT long!), and this battle proves no different. Eventually, the two have to resort to a fistfight high above Crazy Mutie Island(since power-wise they were too evenly matched). Mags becomes distracted when he senses the Phoenix Force eat a planet(I'm not sure how, but whatever), and Iron Man brings the hammer down, defeating Magneto... Hell yeah baby!! Avengers 1, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants 0! Next up we have Namor taking on the Thing. The two combatants wind up plummeting into the water and Thing manages to pin Namor to the bottom of the sea with the teeth of a giant sea creature, defeating Namor yet again... Yeah, the FF owns the fish-man. That ends this issue with the Avengers 2, the X-Men nil.

Thoughts: Well hell, I LOVED this comic book! The Iron Man/Magneto battle was PERFECT. Jason Aaron had those two characters DOWN. The banter, the dialogue, the fight itself, I couldn't have dreamed up a better fight between those two. And yes, it ended the way I'd have expected it to end. Tony Stark is just too smart to be defeated by Magneto, and his massive intellect was the x-factor in that battle. On the other hand, while I enjoyed the fight between the Thing and Namor, I was fully expecting Namor to win... Yeah, the Thing is strong and all, but he was fighting Namor in Namor's element... On the land? Thing wins, hands down. But under the sea? I'd have expected Namor to pull out the win. So yeah, I can't say I agreed with that outcome. Regardless though, this issue, and this mini-series? It's an absolutely BRILLIANT idea! Seriously, I don't know why Marvel or DC didn't think of something like this before. Oh, and before I forget, they also had awesome little fun facts that were in caption boxes during the battles... Yes, they thought of EVERYTHING! I only have good things to say about this one, and you know what THAT means...

Score: 10 out of 10. Yep, it's the second perfect score of 2012! Huzzah!!!

Stark resilient all the way, baby!!!