Category Archives: X-Men
Review: Uncanny Avengers #1
One thing is pretty clear after reading the first issue of the new Uncanny Avengers: Marvel foolishly seems to think Captain America was the hero of Avengers vs. X-Men. Were they reading the same comic I was? Because I’m fairly certain Cyclops was right all along, and it was Captain America who caused all the problems in the first place. But as I said in my review of Avengers vs. X-Men #12, history is written by the winners. And sure enough, Captain America won the big superhero fight. So he gets to decide how the world of superheroes moves forward, and he and all his buddies get to vilify Cyclops like it was their favorite new hobby.
Uncanny Avengers #1
I wonder if the ending to AvX has anything to do with Captain America leading Marvel’s $1 billion Avengers movie franchise, and the X-Men being owned by a whole different studio?
Comic Rating: 4/5: Good.
I’ll try to tone down my Cyclops love for this review, because it was a good comic. In the sense that it told a straight forward story, set up several main characters and seems to promise a lot of character-based drama in the issues to come. But I’m not blown away by the new series, and there’s nothing in here that’s truly revolutionary or exciting. It’s kind of just…a superhero comic. One that may be a little too closely tied to Avengers vs. X-Men to stand on its own. Both Cyclops and the death of Professor X weigh heavily on this issue, so I don’t know if it’ll be too daunting for new readers who might have been attracted by Marvel NOW!
The choice of villain has been spoiled for a long time, so his appearance wasn’t a surprise. His choice of henchmen, though, leaves a lot to be desired. They sacrificed one of my all-time favorite X-villains for no good reason, then introduced a bunch of new nobodies that literally made me question what the hell I was reading. And not in a good way.
This comic has a lot of potential as Marvel’s new flagship title. I have a lot of faith in writer Rick Remender, and John Cassaday is a very good artist – though I’ve seen him do much better work. He’s definitely not at the top of his game with this issue. Remender and Cassaday lay the groundwork for some hopefully great work coming up. We shall see.
Sneak Peeks at One of the New X-Forces and a Brand New Young Avengers
New York City Comic-Con is upon us, and comic book and pop culture news is going to be coming out hard and fast. I’m going to do my best to keep up with it, so feel free to keep checking back on my blog to see any new articles. You could probably get the same information on other websites, but c’mon, you know you like the atmosphere at Henchman-4-Hire best of all. Tell your friends!
Anyway, this week saw the release of some details about the brand new Young Avengers series and the revamped Uncanny X-Force, both of which are part of the Marvel NOW! campaign. I had a few misgivings about this new Uncanny X-Force, especially because it was announced on the heels of a similar title called Cable and X-Force. There comes a point where Marvel needs to learn that it’s OK to let titles end. You don’t need to slap a new writer and new characters into a title in the vain hope that it’ll keep selling.
Despite the fact that I would kill for a job like that…
My hypocrisy aside, I wasn’t too enthralled at the idea of Sam Humphries’ Uncanny X-Force…until I saw this preview and interview with ComicsAlliance!
Is that…is that a mohawk?
Join me for more details after the jump!
6 Potential Marvel Crossovers After the Success of Avengers vs. X-Men
So what the heck is Marvel going to do now that Avengers vs. X-Men is over? It sold incredibly well, and definitely got a lot of mileage out of the hero vs. hero concept. Marvel pretty much struck gold! No doubt they want to capture that same magic again. Because if the entertainment industry has taught us anything, it’s that if one thing is popular, then repeating that thing over and over again will be just as popular! How else do you think we get most movie sequels?
But what can Marvel do next after Avengers vs. X-Men?
The only AvX battle that really mattered
I don’t know about you, but I liked Avengers vs. X-Men. It was action-packed and had a lot of neat, complicated character growth, even if the whole thing was a little bloated. But it was big in scope, and really took the characters on an epic, world-saving adventure. If Marvel is hoping that lightning strikes twice in the same place, I have a few suggestions for them.
Tom Brevoort Calls Cyclops ‘Heroic’
Want some justification in believing that Cyclops was the hero of Avengers vs. X-Men? Look no further than Tom Brevoort, Marvel’s senior vice president of publishing, and editor of the series. In a recent interview with Newsarama.com, Brevoort was asked about Cyclops’ role as the villain in Avengers vs. X-Men.
Nrama: Well, that was a very informative detour — and with Cyclops, there are people who, fair or not, think he’s been cast as a villain, even if the Phoenix force was influencing him. Taking him in this direction, was it motivated out of seeing that kind of potential in where he’s been going the past few years? Is labeling him, even at this point, as a “villain” still sort of missing the point?
Brevoort: Honestly, I think that’s a matter of individual perception. To some people, the things he did, the lengths that he went to, and the choices he made, make him villainous. In every case, he did them for the right reasons, as he saw them. It really depends upon whether you think those reasons were right and justified.
At the end of the day, as he sort of says to Cap, he got as good an outcome as he could possibly have wanted. All he ever wanted to do was safeguard what remained of his people until the point came when this world-changing event happened, and the mutant race was reborn — and he did it. There were casualties along the way, and that’s the tragedy, and that’s the burden that he’s going to carry going forward.
Your viewpoint on Cyclops really depends on where you stand on the choices he made. I think at the very least, if he’s not a heroic figure, he’s a sympathetic figure, and I wouldn’t necessarily even rule out that he’s a heroic figure. I think that’s completely up to the individual readers to decide for themselves. He made what he thought were the right choices, and ultimately, for the most part, everything worked out pretty well, with one glaring exception.
Brevoort went on to say that Cyclops will reappear in AvX: Consequences and All-New X-Men, the latter of which I don’t plan to buy. He said Cyclops’ story is far from over, so that’s pretty awesome.
But how’s that for justification? One of the Marvel big cheeses himself is saying that Cyclops’ actions could easily be viewed as heroic. Yes, heavy prices were paid, but none of it was Cyclops himself turning villainous. Captain America started the whole conflict. The Avengers shot the Phoenix with their big gun, causing it to accidentally possess Cyclops and his friends. The Avengers attacked Utopia and pushed the PhoeniX-Men to retaliate. Namor attacked Wakana. Colossus and Magik set up the evil prison.
The Phoenix killed Professor X. The Dark Phoenix threatened to destroy the world.
The most Cyclops did on his own was maybe threaten to kill a dragon in K’un Lun. He was thrust into several spots he didn’t want to be in, but made the most of it while fighting opposition form his closest friends and his mind being taken over by the Phoenix Force.
Cyclops was right. Pax Utopia.
Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #12
Cyclops was right. About everything. With the final issue of this mega crossover now upon us, I can say with clarity and confidence that Cyclops is the true hero of Avengers vs. X-Men. Oh sure, they want you to believe that Captain America is the real hero. And that Cyclops’ supposed ‘crimes’ are beyond redemption. But I’ve been saying it for a long time now: Marvel was unwilling to just make Cyclops a mustache-twirling bad guy. And this issue finally reveals why. Everything Cyclops set out to do in Avengers vs. X-Men was for good reason, and everything he fought for and people died for, will have been worth it thanks to the surprise ending of this series.
Avengers vs. X-Men #12
Avengers vs. X-Men #12 was a fantastic and exciting finale! It’s a little muddied with an over reliance on flashbacks, but the story is straightforward and the victory well deserved.
Comic rating: 5/5: Great!
In hindsight, I haven’t really liked most of the big crossovers at Marvel. I didn’t particularly care for Fear Itself last year. Secret Invasion was a dud. Civil War was alright, but Seige was quite dull. Avengers vs. X-Men, however, is one damn fine comic. Hero vs. hero, the fate of the world at stake! And even though the writers never really explored the deeper questions of faith and hope prevalent in the series, it’s still an exciting superhero comic. There were times I was annoyed with the series, and very frustrated at what Marvel was seemingly trying to say. But this issue alleviated all of my worries and frustrations with some solid follow through on Cyclops’ story arc.
Forget Hope, forget the Scarlet Witch, forget Captain America or Wolverine. Cyclops is the true star of this comic. He’s the only character who really grew or changed, who learned something from all of this. He’s the only character man enough to accept responsibility, while Captain America sticks with his petty bravado and arrogance.
This was a marvelous comic, settling all of my disputes in a big, bombastic climax. Although I’m not sure why Iron Man is featured so prominently on the cover. Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review.
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