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A review by tabman678
Avengers vs. X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jason Aaron, Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction
2.0
Where do I start here? Disappointment first off, not in anything other then the idea. Because at its core I think this could be a really strong event comic, something to shake the foundations of the Marvel comics universe. But this is not that.
God dammit you want to know the kicker? The first five issues are great! They move the machinations at great pace and balance all the characters well, on top of maintaining a good plot. After that it isn’t bad. Hell most of my ratings and opinions on event comics average out at about a three. Because for all my problems and criticisms event comics are fun as hell. Really really fun to read and good to look at. But the big event comics that include every single hero often have that anti climax feeling. Whatever the variables are it usually comes down to a big fight, and that big fight can’t happen because the plot has to play out first, and the reader feels this.
In this case twelve issues move at a rapid and somehow slow pace. It changes, to the point that where the event starts off feels foreign to where it ends. And hell it might be I’m not reading all the time in stuff but I shouldn’t have to. I think that the best “event” titles that include lots of tie ins spin out of a one character title, hell take Spider-Island which came out around this time as an example. Ties in yeah, but you can read only Spider-Man and get a damn good story and have a great time reading it.
Part of my problem comes from different tones which could be the different writers. There are 4-5 on this book at in the twelve issues I’d say the major tone has to shift three times for the story to work, but I’d say it actually switches 5-6 times from the same three possibilities of light and funny, dire and dreadful, then sentimental.
Part of the problem is the nature of event comics. Part of it is the rushed nature of event comics that leads to an undercooking of ideas.
Either way this is likely a three star for enjoyment. But I took the time and thought about it and I’m just so disappointed because it could have been one for the ages if it wasn’t so dependent on old ideas, tied to so many different cooks, allowed more time to breath, had a great sense of focus on a core cast of characters, and actually allowed to have lasting effects.
2 stars.
At the very least issue #9 with Spider-Man was a big bright spot for me.
God dammit you want to know the kicker? The first five issues are great! They move the machinations at great pace and balance all the characters well, on top of maintaining a good plot. After that it isn’t bad. Hell most of my ratings and opinions on event comics average out at about a three. Because for all my problems and criticisms event comics are fun as hell. Really really fun to read and good to look at. But the big event comics that include every single hero often have that anti climax feeling. Whatever the variables are it usually comes down to a big fight, and that big fight can’t happen because the plot has to play out first, and the reader feels this.
In this case twelve issues move at a rapid and somehow slow pace. It changes, to the point that where the event starts off feels foreign to where it ends. And hell it might be I’m not reading all the time in stuff but I shouldn’t have to. I think that the best “event” titles that include lots of tie ins spin out of a one character title, hell take Spider-Island which came out around this time as an example. Ties in yeah, but you can read only Spider-Man and get a damn good story and have a great time reading it.
Part of my problem comes from different tones which could be the different writers. There are 4-5 on this book at in the twelve issues I’d say the major tone has to shift three times for the story to work, but I’d say it actually switches 5-6 times from the same three possibilities of light and funny, dire and dreadful, then sentimental.
Part of the problem is the nature of event comics. Part of it is the rushed nature of event comics that leads to an undercooking of ideas.
Either way this is likely a three star for enjoyment. But I took the time and thought about it and I’m just so disappointed because it could have been one for the ages if it wasn’t so dependent on old ideas, tied to so many different cooks, allowed more time to breath, had a great sense of focus on a core cast of characters, and actually allowed to have lasting effects.
2 stars.
At the very least issue #9 with Spider-Man was a big bright spot for me.