AvX #4

This is the slowest chapter so far in the AvX hullaballoo. Jonathan Hickman’s work doesn’t always connect with me, and that’s the case again here. I know Cap split up the Avengers to look for Hope last month, but the separation and battles are so disjointed, I feel like I missed an issue. (In a 12 issue “epic” like this, we shouldn’t feel that way.) The random teams just show up, look around, pound their opponents for less than a page, then wander off. What the heck is the point of that?

I suppose the plot moves a bit forward when Wolverine and Hope link up to go up to the Moon. Once again, I find Wolverine’s allegiances to be mighty odd, and his choices this issue negate the great fight he had with Cap last month. Kind of pointless now.

And goodness, the X-Men have GOT to get some of their bigger names on the main battle team. Magik? I like her but she should NOT be on the main team. Hell, Colossus in his Juggernaut armor shouldn’t be there. Get the recognizable names like Rogue and Iceman there, and get Wolverine to switch sides. The X-Men have got NO CHANCE right now. It’s getting old seeing them get whupped.

It’s starting to feel like you can measure John Romita Jr’s interest by the page. Some of the pages are just gorgeous. Anything featuring Wolverine is fantastic, and Emma Frost looks gorgeous in the opening pages. Contrast that with any group shots of the Avengers or X-Men. Lumpy faces and blurry lines. Is it just me?

Average