Marvel’s latest “versus” comic has begun, and we’ve got a triple-threat: Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals are about to throw down (or try to stop the others from throwing down). The comics have been building up to this for a while, so now that the event is underway, how does it go?
Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Valerio Schiti
Colored by Marte Gracia
Lettered by VC’s Clayton CowlesIN THE LAND OF THE RIGHTEOUS…The X-Men claim they’re the planets’ new gods. The Eternals know that position is already filled. The Avengers are about to realize exactly how many secrets their so-called friends have kept from them. Years of tension lead to a volcanic eruption as two worlds burn. Who has leaked the X-Men’s secrets to their latest foes? Why is Tony Stark abducting an old friend? And who stands in judgment over the whole world? Judgment Day from Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti is the apocalyptic emotional event to define the summer.
Marvel has a tendency to give us big “team vs team” or “heroes fighting heroes” comics. We’ve had “Civil War,” “Avengers vs X-Men,” another “Civil War,” the list goes on and on. And frankly, most of them aren’t received that well. Whether they have to come up with false dichotomies or forced conflicts to make the heroes fight each other instead of actually talking, or make heroes act completely out of character to label one side as right and another as wrong, there’s a lot that can go wrong with those types of comics.
So can Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti take on the challenge and actually give us a comic where heroes fight each other, and it’s actually good?
In the hands of any other writer, I’d be worried. But considering Kieron’s track record, I went into “A.X.E.: Judgment Day” with optimism.
First off, one thing that makes this comic work is how the conflict and plots around it are the natural result of where the various teams’ comics have been headed.
On the X-Men side, we’ve seen the cracks forming in the mutant nation of Krakoa, and the various forces working against them – especially now that the world knows about mutant immortality. The fact that it is a fragile immortality, dependent on “The Five” to carry out revivals, adds a level of tension. So everything is incredibly precarious on the mutants’ end.
For the Eternals, the comics have shown how their core group has been trying to break apart from Eternal society, given the cost of their rebirths. But we’ve also seen the shifts in said society as Druig takes over, and we learn more about the purpose of the Deviants and their own mutations.
Meanwhile, the Avengers are caught in the middle, trying to be a force for peace and address the conflicts on all sides. But the fact that their current base is in the body of a Celestial (which are literally gods to the Eternals) means they’ll have a larger role to play whether they like it or not.
So already, that’s three teams whose storylines are woven together in such a way that the conflict feels like a natural progression.
Secondly, the comic wisely doesn’t try to present the conflict as a matter up for debate. In this case, the Eternals are clearly the aggressors, as Druig plots and stages the attack on mutant-kind in a bid to cement his own power. Yet we can still root for the main group of Eternals, as they’ve left their society behind and are not involved in Druig’s schemes. That allows us as readers to connect to the characters even as the conflict begins. And it also shows how Druig is controlling the narrative and shaping how the world at large views the Eternals and their assault, allowing for in-story debates.
And of course: Kieron Gillen brings all his wit and creative skill to the story. The dialogue is snappy and smart, while the characters even acknowledge that they’ve actually been through this sort of thing enough times to recognize the patterns, talk to each other, and even acknowledge their own mistakes. (Yes, that’s right, this is a “versus” comic where characters actually talk to each other!)
Continued belowThen when the action starts, boy does it ever start. The stakes are high, there are attacks on every imaginable front, and without spoilers, let’s just say that the consequences and damages are very real. It becomes very clear that this isn’t an event where things will quickly return to the status quo once it’s over, no matter how many characters can be revived.
And that’s just on the story front. Let’s talk about artwork, because frankly, Valerio Schiti and Marte Gracia are on the absolute top of their game in “A.X.E.: Judgment Day.”
Characters are well-defined in their positioning, expressiveness, and body language to add a ton of voice and personality to everything they do. The settings and backgrounds are detailed and filled with personality, and even the way characters are framed during conversations adds a lot to each moment.
Speaking of that, let’s talk about just the use of lighting and how characters are framed in the panels. Valerio’s artwork does an incredible job placing the characters in such a way that makes them feel larger than life, using a variety of angles across the pages, but primarily with upwards shots that make them look even bigger. All the while, the way lights and shadows are used casts an even more impressive visual effect, making them all the more impressive.
For two good and contrasting examples, we can look at how Captain America is framed in one page, and Uranos in another just a few pages later. When Captain America enters, he’s lit by the light of a hallway behind him as he enters a darkened room. This creates a halo-like effect, literally illuminating him and making his entrance feel like a sign of hope, while the way he’s framed has us as readers looking up at him as if in admiration. Two pages later, we have a similar moment as Uranos steps out of his chamber, but while the angle is similar, he’s cast entirely in shadows, with just a pale illumination behind him for a far more menacing effect. Of course, none of this would work nearly as well without Marte Gracia’s color work, which adds to the effects immensely.
And that’s just the start of what Valerio and Marte do in “A.X.E.: Judgment Day.”
When the actual conflict starts, the artwork gets absolutely gorgeous. We get astral battles on a mental plane, highly-detailed Eternal soldiers dropping from the sky, and huge, expansive shots across Krakoa. We get scenes of devastation and enormous creatures rising from the depths – just trying to describe it all won’t do it justice. This is one of the most visually stunning comics out right now, and it’s got the writing to match.
If you’re skeptical about another Marvel event comic where different groups of heroes fight each other, I don’t blame you. But Kieron, Valerio, and Marte have managed to surpass every expectation, and “A.X.E.: Judgment Day” #1 will turn any skeptics into believers.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Kieron Gillen’s writing, Valerio Schiti’s artwork, and Marte Gracia’s colors make this Marvel’s must-read event comic.
