AvX has come to the Jean Grey School for Gifted Youngsters! Well, it has been…but now the Avengers are on the run! And guess who’s hunting them down? Rachel Summers! Oh man!
Written by Jason Aaron
Illustrated but Chris Bachalo
- Kid Gladiator goes after the Avengers single-handedly!
- The X-Men from Wolverine’s school see the events of AVX and have a choice to make…
I can honestly say I have not been a fan of the event “Avengers vs. X-Men.” The main event has been wildly uneven and I haven’t connected with much, except in the tie-ins to the events. They’ve been a lot more interesting and make the event itself much more compelling (aside from that ugly header on EVERY comic.) because the humanity for nearly every character is missing from the main story, and instead it’s in the books set up to fill in the gaps. Some of the best stories are coming from the tie-ins, and this book is no exception.
The lead in this issue happens to be the former Phoenix herself, Rachel Summers. Her past as a Mutant Hunter in the future (time travel is always a trip) was featured prominently in the book, as she was tasked with looking for Hope to bring her home. It brings her to Southeast Asia, where she, along with a squad of X-Men that includes part of the Phoenix Force 5 Namor, encounters some Avengers intent on protecting Hope from the X-Men.
This book works on so many levels because it respects past continuity while also giving emotional resonance to the reader when they step into Rachel’s shoes and letting us see how this “war” between the Avengers and the X-Men affects her, a person who was raised in a world where mutants were hunted to near extinction. She’s attempting to make sure that reality never comes to pass, but is running into opposition with the Avengers opposing her and the X-Men at every turn.
Aaron’s talents with the small moments as well as the big ones help underscore the reason he’s such a diverse writer who can tell a superhero story and it would still affect one as much as his creator owned books do. His talents also lie in his ability to merge two (or three!) separate plot threads and not let it get too confusing or rushed. He’s at his best with a large cast, and possibly the best since Joss Whedon left Astonishing X-Men. He even ends the book with a showdown you never thought you were looking forward to, and it’s not between an Avenger and an X-Man. Let’s just say…daddy’s here for back to school night (I would wager there’s no secret who shows up, but I want to be coy).
I’ll also take this opportunity to say I’ve been wrong. I never admitted to being a fan of Chris Bachalo’s art for whatever reason, it never stuck with me. But his run on “WatXM” has converted me to a fan. His dynamic action scenes in this book make a good book even better and he knows how to hit the right emotional notes Jason Aaron is going for when telling the story. He even finds ways to give simple action scenes that same resonance, and intersperse it with humor as well. There’s a delicate balance in this book, and somehow, Bachalo and Aaron as a team not only find it, they make it look easy.
To put it as plainly as possible: this book is so good, it should be criminal. If you’re a fan of the AvX event, you’re going to enjoy this, and even if you’re like me, and are just turned off by the whole ordeal, you might find yourself surprised as to how good it really is. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
Final Verdict: 8.5/10- Buy
On a slightly different note, can I just say how much I appreciate Marvel adding to the value of their books by giving their $4 books an additional digital download? It’s a great idea I wish more publishers would institute.
