AvX #2

Wow. Jason Aaron loves laying out the cheese in this one. This is chock-full of panels, trying to set up the X-Men/Avenger conflicts as something out of legend. Sometimes the captions work (like keeping count of concussions in the conflict) but some don’t (like constantly pointing out how far away punches are audible). I really want to like this story.

Everyone online says the story is review-proof, and it really is. If you want to see the biggest names in the Marvel U fight each other, and I assume you do, then this book delivers! There are tons of great fights in this issue.

• Red Hulk vs. Colossus
• Iron Man vs. White Queen
• Quicksilver vs. Magneto
• Black Panther vs. Storm
• Cage & Thing vs. Namor (underwater)
• And best of all: Captain America vs. Cyclops.

The problem is that many of the best X-Men are not here. Rogue, Iceman, Gambit, Cannonball, and more are all off at the Westchester academy, and if they don’t show up, the battles are going to seem awfully one-sided. Warpath and Magik just don’t carry the same street cred as Angel or Deadpool.

Let’s face it, Wolverine needs to be with the X-Men here, they need the power to stay competitive. I’m still holding out hope that those guys show up here soon. The other place where the story is lacking is in the actual conflict. The X-Men and Cyclops just don’t have a leg to stand on. Cap is being reasonable, and he’s trying to protect everyone on Earth. I understand Cyclops bristling at turning Hope over, but clearly that’s the correct and moral choice. I hope the writers can come up with some way to muddy the waters soon.

John Romita Jr. turns in another solid effort. There are some very odd panels (Red Hulk’s back-of-head punch to Colossus for one) and choices, but nothing too distracting. I also get the impression that JRJR likes drawing Spidey and Wolverine more than the other characters who show up in this comic.

I’m curious if Scarlet Witch is going to appear in the mini-series or in a tie-in. I do think that was her hanging out with Quicksilver for a moment. I’m still enjoying this, because I like seeing top names fight each other. But I’m going to need a bit more plot soon, or this is going to feel mighty long at 8 issues or whatever it is. For now, the fights are enough for a rating of

Good