New Beginnings - Avengers And X-Men: Axis #1

by Matt Puddy

This week we have a new main arc from Rick Remender and Marvel – Axis – and aside from the ambigram of a title on the cover it’s a fairly hefty comic for a first issue. This is partially due to all that’s packed into it but also all the history that it pulls on as well.

As stories go this is one that you where you have to pay attention to keep up. First of all this issue alone has a massive cast combining X-Men, Avengers, the Avengers Unity team from Uncanny Avengers, and then a few extra people to boot. It also helps to be aware of current and impending events in the Marvel Universe. Wolverine is no longer in ANY team and the Captain America baton has been passed onto Falcon. Even the Hulk is now known as Doc Green (currently waging war on all gamma-powered individuals) seems to be subdued and part of the gang. 

Remender has also built from a wealth of Marvel stories from the archives. The original Onslaught saga is a huge reference given that Red Skull is now dubbed Red Onslaught, after firstly receiving Xaviers’ brain (and subsequently his psychic powers) and then being killed by Magneto. Which is also the main crux of the plot. 

In his more human form, the newly awakened clone of Red Skull was always driven by the same motivation to create a new Nazi-styled utopia with the Übermensch taking wait he saw as its rightful place at the top. I’m sure you can imagine that given the immense psychic prowess of both Xavier and Onslaught, it's going to prove quite a large problem and one that will bring all of mutantkind together to stop the threat trying to wipe them out.

All of this was sparked into action by the most powerful psychic outburst that any of them had seen, creating outbreaks of violent acts all over the world. The hate and anger simply pouring off Red Onslaught in waves prompts action from Steve Rogers, directing his team of heroes into action from his afar, now too frail to enter the field.

Red Onslaught is huge, imposing and deadly. Reacting quickly the Scarlet Witch is influenced and taken to his side as a vessel, which doesn’t help things (although it is a convenient loophole to remove the main threat from the fight for him), and so the battle begins. The introduction of the X-Men as well rounds the group off well, only to find that their troubles have only just begun. On top of gaining access to powers beyond his station, Red Skull also gained information. Information that Tony Stark held on them all in case he needed it, and now the Skull then weaponised it (very similar to another millionaire playboy from DC), leading them to face the most powerful and developed Sentinels the world has ever seen.

The story that Remender has written is fairly straight forward, but for all its length I kind of found it a little irksome. As well as taking stories and ideas to build on from the past, it seems that a certain style has also been lifted. The whole comic kind of felt that it was a flowing piece from one fight into another to a sub-fight past in-fighting and via petty, poignant or brotherly conflicts. There’s a lot of fighting in there and not a whole lot of character development.

Page taken from Axis #2

Artistically, to support the battlefield, you have Adam Kubert who is well known in comic book circles like his siblings and father. He has put a huge amount of work into this comic to live up to the energy level of the story. With so much going on and so many characters to maintain this can’t have been an easy task. A lot of referencing has to have been done too; whether it is the new Cap or the Mjolnir-less Thor, keeping a great sense of continuity across a universe of characters - so hats off to him!

The style results in being full of work, images and ideas, but that does mean on occasion detail does have to give way; that is kind of understandable. There is also a good use of dynamic frames, away from the more conventional layout system, which keeps your eyes working throughout without necessarily being overwhelmed by all the information.

Put all together and this shows some real promise, but I think it does need to calm itself down a little and not simply be a continuous running battle. Equally the rare moments of Walton-esque family gathering and heart strings being tugged need to have some tempering as well, but the premise is still a good one and kind of keeping in line with all the teasers of Marvel reviving a lot of past storylines in 2015 (for example Civil War and House of M) making this is a front runner for further madness.

Matt Puddy doesn't quite get the whole American obsession with Halloween stuff.

New Beginnings - Uncanny Avengers #1 (MARVEL NOW)

Marvel has certainly had a big event this year by pitting the X-Men off against the Avengers following an Omega level threat to the existence of everything.

For those who followed and read it Avengers Vs X-Men was certainly a game changer as it blurred the boundaries between what is good and essentially right. Both teams of heroes fought for what they felt was the greater and better ideal. The decision to stop or help Hope Summers and the Pheonix Force.

Now, in the ashes of the story, with Professor X dead and Cyclops held prisoner for the role he played in the whole mess, Rick Remender takes the reins to lead a new era in.

From the out I think it’s fair to say that Remender has headed straight into shock territory. Opening with a lobotomy performed by a mysterious surgeon on an unknown subject, a T+ is earned straight away. What I have liked is that instead of continuing in this vein there is then developed a sense of emotional turmoil through various characters as well as an almost political feeling to it as well with an act of terrorism. A prisoner who we have spent years seeing develop into mutantkind's strongest leader (Scott Summers) and the wake of the man who’s dream started it all.

Interwoven with this we have Captain America developing a new team of Avengers who he hopes will be spearheaded by Havok, Scott's brother Alex.

This is very much an issue set to establish a great many points. Firstly it revisits the mutant/human landscape and the old idea that mutantkind is growing and evolving whilst still feared is most definitely there. The frayed relationships and responsibility of those involved in AvX is also delved into with Rogue confronting the Scarlet Witch, although this in itself produces questions as we see them both as teammates on the cover. It is also the opening foray for Alex Summers to step up and become the leader of this team.

The architecture of the issue is really strong and gives incredibly firm grounding for the reader to build from right the way up to the entry of a rival team who are essentially the “bad guys” keeping your attention focussed on the story so much that I have to admit the stunning final page caught me by complete surprise. Surprised but very impressed as we are presented with an archetypal evil complete with xenophobic intentions.

On the whole the writing is good but, for the first time in ages, I actually cringed when Thor commented on going for a latte.

John Cassaday is the artist for the issue and he has certainly tried to leave his mark as well. There are creative flares shown when he is defining how to imprison Cyclops and also a clean respectful feel to when all are mourning but the thing that struck me most is that characters we all know well have been “tweaked”. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I can see exactly who is portrayed but something just doesn’t feel right. It’s almost a little too polished in the faces without the fine detail and yet at other times, like when Earthquake releases his attack, the detail is present. I found things a little confusing on the eyes.

As an issue to open it is a great start. However, it builds on a huge event and if you haven’t read it then you will be left asking questions.

Remender has always been a strong writer so I can see him taking this and developing it well. Where it goes though, especially in the light of the final page, is an open and interesting discussion just waiting to happen.

Matt Puddy thinks Scott Summers lost it because he finally saw red.

New Beginnings - AvX Versus #1

A couple of weeks ago I reviewed Avengers Vs X-Men issues #0 and #1. Now the fun has started. With the miniseries underway the fight to decide who is “right” is now underway. Issue #2 was recently released as well, delving further into the story. So it’s now the Avengers fully against the X-Men without holding back just to prove a point.

Spreading out across the Marvel Universe the fighting begins, but not everyone will want to know the stories. In an interesting move marvel have created a six issue mini-series dedicated to just the fights too. Even the opening which describes itself as “the FIGHTINGEST book you’ve EVER READ” is aggressive in its own nature.

This issue takes on two fights, Iron Man against Magneto and The Thing versus Namor. Each has been given their own creative team to match.

Iron Man and Magneto have Jason Aaron, one of Marvel's Architects, with Adam Kubert providing the artwork too. A triumphant match after their wonderful Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine miniseries. Arguably, these are two extremely powerful and significant individuals within the Marvel Universe and so the heavy hitting team behind them gives further weight to it.

The thing to remember is that even though both of these characters are considered to be heroes (well at the moment), this is still a fight. There will be a winner and a loser, and considering the stakes they both mean business - so there is little time for banter. A lot of the writing is internal monologue, feeling each other out, testing the waters and finding new and alternative ways to finish things.

There is still a small tongue-in-cheek element though with the occasional AvX Fun Fact popping up with snippets of random information.

There are elements of the story which are classic cartoon fight style. The escalation keeps creeping up raising things higher each step including the last minute epiphany too. On the surface this should be a clear cut case but will it really be?

The second fight, penned and pencilled by the Immonens, is between the Thing and Namor. Not a fight I would have normally expected and potentially not a fair one considering it is in water most of the time too. In contrast to the first fight, this is heavier in conversation, despite the underwater sections where the Thing can’t speak.

Also, as an opposite end of the scale, this is an all out slug fest between the two of them rather than the chess game Tony and Erik played. The fun facts still appear but even these are more directly related to the fight. How hard each hits, how hot things are or how much braces for sea monsters cost! If anything the dialogue and side notes are also more raw than in the first fight. Even with the underlying innuendo put in for good measure.

Both fights are entertaining but the dilemma for any writer is how do you finish them without upsetting fans or making things appear unrealistic. There’s also the matter of both sides being known for not actually killing anyone (on purpose).

This is going to make for an interesting little series and a good side collection too. It may also end, or further provoke, arguments or discussions on who would really beat who in a fight.

A nice distraction from the main line and a resourceful use of six comics to support or provide levity to the main arc. It's fair to say that the end of the Iron Man versus Magneto fight certainly adds gravitas to the main series too.

Matt Puddy picks up four new titles to review next week. Exciting! Look for those reviews over the next three weeks.

New Beginnings - Avengers vs X-Men #0 & 1

Across the Marvel Universe there are some extremely powerful mutants - Franklin Richards, Elixir or Quentin Quire for example - who are known for their extreme power levels. For the mutant world they pose a huge number of possibilities or risks. Something which is epitomised by mutants from the Grey/Summers bloodline. As powerful as they have been though there was always something stronger. A primeval force know in one form as the Phoenix.

In the past Jean Grey has gone so far as dying to try and stop the Phoenix - and even this has failed - so what do you do when this massive entity start making a bee line for earth pushing aside a Nova in the process?

Or how would you react when your species saviour also looks like they are to be the intended vessel?

These are the positions that both the Avengers and the X-Men find themselves in courtesy of Marvel’s Architects. The problem for our heroes is that both sides have very different ideas on what should happen next.

The issue #0 features two stories, one focused on Scarlet Witch and her place in the world following The Children's Crusade, in a tale written by current Avenger's scribe Brian Michael Bendis. The other is written by Jason Aaron and features Hope and Cyclops on Utopia.

Moving onto the first issue, Bendis returns to take the writing reins under the collaborative story. It is in essence setting the scene, making it a jump-on point for any reader. With such a big title, covering a massive roster, it’s not realistically possible to include much depth in all of the characters so you come back to the story itself. This is where Bendis has gone straight in. Action begins from almost the first page, changing from one perspective to another with both the Avengers and the X-Men points of view being explored. The underlying feeling for both camps is that things are getting frayed and both want to take decisive action.

On one side, Cyclops is trying to balance the fate of his race and on the other Captain America is balancing what he sees as the fate of the world. The ultimate question is whether or not the Phoenix force can be contained.

This is all brought to a head when Cap visits Cyclops proposing to place Hope in protective custody. The heated discussion leads to the inevitable battle of the square jaws (thanks to John Romita Jr.) leaving Cap no option but to call for Avengers Assemble! And so it begins.

Now I’m not the biggest fan of Romita’s work but I can respect how much and what he has done in the past. On this occasion he did confuse me a little. There is nothing out of the ordinary for the drawing and it is easily identifiable as his, but one little detail caught my eye and annoyed me. This may be unreasonable of me but I didn’t find him consistent with the MU and himself on occasion. My biggest example of this was Iron Man. In one frame he has a helmet with a flip-up visor and another his armour retracts back into his body to reveal his face. (Stark has shown both in Invincible Iron Man by Fraction and Larocca, so I personally put it down to stylistic choice on the part of JRJr, BF). Call me geeky but it just didn’t look right to me. Hope, as another example, looks like she changes age as well but this is just the artwork.

As an issue it does what it needs to do. It opens the story and sets up a great deal of others. What it does offer is potential. Any number of fights can go either way. I’m also intrigued as to how the writing will be done as you have three different perspectives to write each story from – Avenger, X-man or neutral – so from a creative aspect it has some inherent mystery too.

This could be a really good arc, but also a reason to change line-ups and allegiances considerably, however I’ll only take it completely seriously as a Marvel event when I see a Watcher looking over it all.

Matt Puddy is wondering what comes next...

The Lion's Share - the road to Avengers Vs X-Men

Marvel need a win. Blackest Night trumped Siege in 2010 and the New 52 has crushed Marvel this past winter. All eyes are on the potentially epic knockdown, drag out, battle royale the House of Ideas is about to unleash upon us: Avengers Vs X-Men.

Some of the top creators on Marvel's roster come together to craft a story that will have potentially massive ramifications. Many years in the making, Avengers Vs X-Men sees the return of the Phoenix force, an entity that first appeared in the late Seventies and is synonymous to many comic fans with the character Jean Grey. An incredibly powerful energy being, the Phoenix often bonds with a host as it did with Jean and later her daughter Rachel Summers. The seminal work in this instance is certainly the Dark Phoenix Saga, now available in hardback.

The Phoenix itself has been a lingering influence throughout the X-Men comics in recent years, but hasn't been an overt presence per se. Then during last year's Point One one shot, there was a chapter featuring a Nova centurion (possibly Richard Rider, although could it be his brother Robbie?) fleeing ahead of the returning Phoenix Force - as it destroyed whole worlds in its path. The Phoenix is heading for Earth and has already chosen its new host. The so-called mutant messiah, Hope Summers. Solicitations for Avengers Vs X-Men suggest that the mutant superheroes believe this will be a good thing, despite past negative experiences with the Phoenix Force entity. The Avengers believe it will mean the end of all life on Earth and all evidence seems to support this!

So who is Hope Summers, the young woman at the heart of this coming maelstrom? To answer that question, we need to wind back to 2004 and Avengers Disassembled, the beginning of the modern Marvel Universe metaplot. In this book - the first Avengers story arc by Brian Michael Bendis - the heroes are torn apart by shocking tragedies. In the final act we discover that mutant Avenger the Scarlet Witch was responsible for these horrors. Driven insane by grief, Wanda's unstable mind has begun to blame her fellow Avengers for the loss of her children and so she lashed out with her reality altering chaos powers. She is taken away by her father Magneto and the Avengers were forced to disband, reuniting later as the New Avengers, adding fan favourites Spider-Man and Wolverine to the roster.

The story of Wanda picks up with House Of M, as the X-Men and the Avengers come together to confront Magneto and Professor X, who have been sheltering the Scarlet Witch following the events of Disassembled. Killing her is discussed as the only viable option, leaving her brother Quicksilver distraught, and in desperation he convinces the emotional vulnerable Wanda to remake the world nto one which could make everyone happy. The House Of M world is one ruled by mutants - in particular Magneto. Over time - and with the help of a strange girl called Layla Miller - the heroes regain their real memories, once more assembling to challenge Master of Magnetism and his children. Realising that Magneto's dream of mutant supremacy has always been more important than his love for his children, Wanda puts the world back to normal, but with one startling difference. No more mutants.

Overnight, the world population of mutants totalled only 198. All the others had lost their powers, an event that became known as Decimation. To make matters worse, the mutant birth rate fell to zero. The Beast went to incredible and frantic lengths to verify the extent of Wanda's actions in a story collected as X-Men Endangered Species. Then, just as the mutant race seemed to facing total extinction, the mutant detecting computer Cerebro exploded - overloaded by the birth of a powerful new mutant in Alaska. Scrambling to investigate the X-Men find themselves embroiled in a battle with the Purifiers and the Marauders for the life of the baby.

This was complicated by the arrival of the future mutant cop Bishop, who has once traveled back in time to try to prevent his dystopian world. Bishop had sought various potential culprits but now felt that this baby would become the monster responsible. X-Men Messiah Complex is a bloody, brutal read and well worth your time. Finally the time travelling paramilitary son of Scott Summers, Cable, took the baby and disappeared into the future intending to raise her as his daughter, naming her Hope.

Over the course of five volumes (Messiah War, Waiting For The End Of The World, X-Force/Cable Messiah War, Stranded and Homecoming), Cable and Hope move further forward in time, constantly pursued by a determined and deadly Bishop. In a clever narrative conceit, each volume seems Hope growing older and becoming more experienced - getting ready to embrace her destiny. Finally, she and Cable return to the present day in an incredible story called X-Men Second Coming, a story which ended with the seeming death of Cable and the acceptance of Hope Summers into the X-Men.

Since then, Hope has struggled to find her place in the world. Her arrival was followed by the detection of five new mutants - the first since her birth. She can also seemingly activate emerging mutants though so far she has been unable to help those who lost their powers during the Decimation. Perhaps because of this there are those who see her as a destroyer and not a potential saviour, especially after numerous ominous signs and portents. And now the Phoenix Force is coming for her.

If that wasn't enough, the Scarlet Witch is back. Her first appearance after she disappeared at the end of House Of M was in New Avengers 26 - the Ballad of Clint Barton & Wanda Maximoff (collected in New Avengers Vol 6: Revolution) - as a seemingly innocent young woman, stripped of her tortured memories and devastating powers. Since then she has been seen in Avengers The Childrens Crusade with some fairly interesting revelations and unsettling ramifications.

Finally as a precursor to the Avengers Vs X-Men storyline, Avengers X-Sanction is currently on the shelves - a four part miniseries showing us the true fate of Cable. Ravaged by the techno-organic virus that has plagued him since birth, Cable's intended final act was to save Hope by sending her back to the present day. He then disappeared into the timestream expecting to die. Awakening in the future, Cable found his old mentor Blaquesmith with an ominous prediction about Hope's future fate at the hands of the Avengers. With less than 24 hours left to live, Cable has made one last timeslide, intending to neutralise the Avengers before they can harm his daughter. Wonderful foreshadowing for the coming events of AvX.

This brings us up-to-date and ready for Avengers Vs X-Men. Two mutant powerhouses are on a collision course as it is - and throwing in the Phoenix Force will have dire consequences for the Earth's population. No wonder the Avengers feel required to intervene!

Explore the Marvel history of the past decade and get ready to choose your side, or simple dive in with your gut feeling! Either way, this year looks set to be something special for Marvel.

Ben Fardon suspects that the epilogue to Avengers Vs X-Men will lead to a reboot for the whole Marvel Universe. What's good for the goose might be seen as good for the gander after all. Mixed feelings about that possibility.

New Beginnings: Avengers X-Sanction

He has been seen as a time traveller and a terrorist, a freedom fighter and a mercenary and most recently a father. Cable has been many things but now how will he be viewed as the main protagonist in the four part miniseries X-Sanction?

Written by Jeph Loeb, the first issue is a varying storyline jumping from present to future and back again, setting up the story. One thing it doesn’t clearly address is how this has all happened, though considering the last we saw of Cable was being fully consumed and ultimately ended by the technovirus he constantly struggled against. This in itself will leave a lot of fans and followers wondering what has gone on, but I also have to ask is it necessary to explain here?

Loeb works very well with the ambiguous nature of Cable by placing him at odds with the Avengers, starting to take them down individually. It only becomes clear later in the story as to why and after seeing him with Falcon and Cap, claiming he will take them all down, it does start you thinking about how he will if that’s the plan (considering there is a Hulk on the team it is certainly an interesting thought)? Cable is a desperate man willing to die once again for the girl he knew as his daughter.

If I'm honest the premise - especially in Cable’s case - is a well used one but the twist to this is the overriding paternal instinct. As Cable is such an intense character it is only amplified which I don’t find to be a bad thing. Using The Avengers as “the Bad Guys” is an interesting move but one which I can’t see carrying considering their high moral standards.

As I’m also aware of the upcoming crossover where the Avengers will be pitted against the X-Men because of the Phoenix Force and using Hope as a vessel for it, I am left asking if this little series is necessary. I feel that this is going to go one of two ways, either as a vehicle which introduces a key factor or as a pointless filler.

Stalwart Ed McGuinness has provided the artwork which I didn’t think matched up to the story. It is true to his previous work but I just felt it lacked depth. Cable has always been depicted as an overly muscular alpha male type with the virus taking a part of him adding to the detail in his persona but here it feels as if the work is unfinished or lacking further detail. It’s only in the close up shots of any character that you get a better look and feel for them. McGuinness is also a foreground artist. The backgrounds are open and are simply there to provide a loose feel to the frame not adding any value.

I think that regardless of the end motivation of the mini-series, anyone who followed Messiah Complex or subsequent arcs will like this. I wouldn’t say it’s a reasonable jump on point but the story is strong enough to carry a reader and possibly hook them for all four issues.

Matt Puddy is gearing up for the end of the year with a look back at some of the best of 2011