AvX #8

So in my opinion, there is no coming back for Namor after this. I know the Phoenix Force is influencing its five hosts pretty severely, but man, there is no way Namor can show his face with the X-Men or Avengers after he attacked Wakanda like this. I mean, he’s blasting tidal waves through the main streets and sending sea monsters to attack the populace. I don’t care if he’s mad at the Avengers for not respecting the X-Men’s new role in world power; this is a bad guy move plain and simple. I’m not sure if that’s Bendis’ take on the situation or the official Marvel direction, but I had been cheering for the X-Men until now.

Captain America says it straight out, with Namor’s attack, all support for the X-Men as good guys is basically gone. The X-Men have acted like tyrants, like the Avengers feared all along. The Marvel U populace and all the readers need to realize the Avengers are the protagonists here.

As for the actual fight, it’s nice and brutal. Red Hulk comes out of it the worst, with Namor handing out more damage than Rulk has ever absorbed. Bendis puts together a great team of heavy hitters to confront Namor. Beast, Vision, Rulk, Spidey, DD, Thor, Falcon, Thing, Dr. Strange, Valkyrie, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver show up to aid Black Panther and Cap. That’s one heck of a powerful lineup! Honestly, I could have read another 10 pages of these guys battling each other.

I’m intrigued at how Cyclops is reacting to this attack, since he clearly wasn’t aware of it. It seems Emma Frost is fine, but I’d hope at least Cyclops and Colossus are showing some remorse. It sure doesn’t feel like it when they show up and chase off the Avengers, though. As for the boost in power that the Phoenix Four now feel? I wonder if any of the remaining hosts might try to take out his or her peer to taste a little more power? Talk about a bad guy move…

Adam Kubert is a great artist, but some of this feels a tad rushed. Cap looks skinnier than normal in the panels where he’s running around fighting Atlanteans. My bigger problem is some confusion during the battle. Scarlet Witch and Namor are in a power-blast facedown, and the next panel has Vision flying away with Wanda. Was she hurt? Exhausted? What happened? That said, most of the battle is well-laid out, especially the bruisers’ moments. When Thor, Thing, or Rulk are going toe to toe with Namor, it looks nice.

Good