Options
The Avengers Vs. X-Men Thread (spoilers)
David_D
Posts: 3,881
I know there have been some threads about #1, as well as the episode of the show dedicated to the first month but I thought it would be good for a catch-all thread to keep the conversation going for those (any?) of us that are continuing to read the event.
I will admit it-- when I bought #4, I felt a little ashamed. Fool me four times, and all that. The, I thought, completely unmotivated and out of character moment of Captain America initiating the fight with Wolverine at the end of #3 felt like it should be my wake up call. I mean, when even the Brubaker issue feels like video game cut scenes, there is a problem.
But then I saw #4 on the shelf. I had worked hard that day. I was in the mood for a punch-up. Rationalizations were made.
I also think #4, the Hickman issue, of all things, got better, at least relative to what had come before. The "First Act" ended better than it started, in my opinion, and I felt like that issue gave me a little more nuance. A little more sense of character (that was why I was surprised, as I expect Big Ideas from Hickman, but not grounded character moments). It at least got me over the hump to try #5.
I have also been buying all the tie-ins (have I mentioned that I have been working hard, and making rationalizations?) and I have to say that, so far, the tie-ins have been better than the main book. It feels like a long time since that was the case when it came to an event. I feel like the tensions in tie-ins like Avengers Academy (Gage, Grummet & Co.. continue to do great work month after month) feel more complex and thought out than the main book. I would say the same of the Uncanny X-Men issues so far. And I feel like the Vs. issues are actually more shameless fun than the main book. In fact, the two Vs. issues so far feel like the fun that the main book SHOULD be having but isn't.
I usually am impressed by the way that Bendis ties his books into the main event. In the past, I feel like the issues of various Avengers books that tied into things like Civil War and Secret Invasion were separate but added onto what was going on. That is not the same this time. I don't know what the hell those books are doing, especially New Avengers, which feels like a backdoor pilot for an Iron Fist series. But, those aside, it feels like so far the tie-ins are where it is at for thise event.
(And the AR logos are still annoying. But I said enough about that before.)
Your thoughts?
I will admit it-- when I bought #4, I felt a little ashamed. Fool me four times, and all that. The, I thought, completely unmotivated and out of character moment of Captain America initiating the fight with Wolverine at the end of #3 felt like it should be my wake up call. I mean, when even the Brubaker issue feels like video game cut scenes, there is a problem.
But then I saw #4 on the shelf. I had worked hard that day. I was in the mood for a punch-up. Rationalizations were made.
I also think #4, the Hickman issue, of all things, got better, at least relative to what had come before. The "First Act" ended better than it started, in my opinion, and I felt like that issue gave me a little more nuance. A little more sense of character (that was why I was surprised, as I expect Big Ideas from Hickman, but not grounded character moments). It at least got me over the hump to try #5.
I have also been buying all the tie-ins (have I mentioned that I have been working hard, and making rationalizations?) and I have to say that, so far, the tie-ins have been better than the main book. It feels like a long time since that was the case when it came to an event. I feel like the tensions in tie-ins like Avengers Academy (Gage, Grummet & Co.. continue to do great work month after month) feel more complex and thought out than the main book. I would say the same of the Uncanny X-Men issues so far. And I feel like the Vs. issues are actually more shameless fun than the main book. In fact, the two Vs. issues so far feel like the fun that the main book SHOULD be having but isn't.
I usually am impressed by the way that Bendis ties his books into the main event. In the past, I feel like the issues of various Avengers books that tied into things like Civil War and Secret Invasion were separate but added onto what was going on. That is not the same this time. I don't know what the hell those books are doing, especially New Avengers, which feels like a backdoor pilot for an Iron Fist series. But, those aside, it feels like so far the tie-ins are where it is at for thise event.
(And the AR logos are still annoying. But I said enough about that before.)
Your thoughts?
Comments
(Would it help if it were hinted that when The Phoenix Force shows up, it will be gay? Would that help get some AvX conversation going??)
As for the main event, it seems like a series of plot points made up by editorial that is being forced together by the "Marvel Architects". A polar bear in Antarctica, Captain America resorting to violence and Thor in issue 4 apparently kills an entire planet with Mjolner on accident. What the hell is going on over there? It's a total mess that has no sense of character at all. They are all pieces on a chess board acting out of sorts with their established character traits. Cyclops has lost his mind, which is pretty weak, seeing as how Schism (an event done well) really brought the characters years of strife to the foreground.
And Iron Fist and Daredevil are done as characters in those books. Iron Fist is having one of the greatest runs in the last 25 years of mainstream comics, Brubaker & Fraction's, be ret-conned out of continuity by the Iron Fist being part of the Phoenix Force??? ANd Daredevil is actually just hilarious because he is really a blind ninja jumping out of a plane with gods to invade a country when he was recently put to the test by some gangs and the Mole Man in New York. Waid's DD is great, BTW.
And despite all this, as a Marvel Zombie, I will keep buying the main title, but I won't like it one bit.
I have picked up both of Simonson's issues of The Avengers, though, and am pretty clueless as to what the big picture is, and utterly uncompelled to find out.
I agree that in water the Thing does not beat Namor. Even if he just keeps him there until he, eventually, runs out of breath.
I also found it strange that Gambit can charge a paper playing card with enough force to break brick but Caps charged scalemail didn't even leave a mark on his flesh. (agree that Cap wins that one though)