Avengers vs. X-Men #0 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis & Jason Aaron (writers), Frank Cho (art), Jason Keith (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: The Scarlet Witch is back in action and Hope becomes a crime-fighter.

The Review: How much you enjoy AvX #0 is largely contingent on what you expect to get out of this issue.  In many ways, this is somewhat falsely advertised as a prelude to the big Avengers vs. X-Men event and, as such, both Brian Bendis and Jason Aaron’s stories kind of fail in this regard.  Barring a final page in Aaron’s story that doesn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know, this issue doesn’t particularly set up any significant story beats or give us too much of an idea of what that story is going to be.

Instead, what you get with this issue are two character sketches, one of the Scarlet Witch and the other of Hope.  It gives readers new and old to get a little better acquainted with both characters and where they’re at in their lives right now.

Bendis’ story with Wands is no doubt the stronger of the two.  The action scenes are fantastic and really play to Frank Cho’s strengths, at times quite literally leaping off the page.  And hey, it’s MODOK.  Not just that, but particularly with Cho’s illustrations, Wanda’s powers are really cool to see in action and they make for one hell of an entrance.  Really, that’s what this is all about: Wanda’s return to the stage; Bendis succeeds in ensuring that she makes one hell of an impression.

I can also tell that Bendis worked harder than usual on this one.  The dialogue never falls prey to Bendis-speak or out of character voices.  Instead, the dialogue is brimming with emotion and sincerity.  Ms. Marvel’s dynamic with Wanda is a lot of fun, with Carol clearly being well-intentioned but overly optimistic, and all the more lovable for it.  The real meat comes with Wanda’s meeting with Vision.  Bendis manages to make Vision ice-cold, but brutally truthful and, nonetheless, also makes Wanda a sympathetic figure.  It’s a conversation that’s been a long time coming, and it delivers, scars and all.

Exiles #1 – Review

By Jeff Parker (Writer), Salva Espin (Art), and Anthony Washington (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ll be totally honest and admit that I’ve never read an Exiles comic before. But since it was a light week for me, I figured a new number one issue would be a pretty good place to start.

The Story: The Exiles are a team of (B, C, and D list) Marvel heroes plucked from their respective realities mere moments before death. The mission? To travel from reality to reality in order to put things right so that existence (as a whole) continues. Beast, Forge, The Witch, Polaris, Blink, and The Panther are given the rundown on the situation in the first issue and then sent to fix the first of many realities.

What’s Good: Exiles #1 really gets the series off on the right foot. From the characterization, to the artwork, to the execution of the necessary plot introduction, everything feels absolutely full of energy. And that, my friends, is a very good thing.

Jeff Parker’s script is clever and humorous while also intelligently dealing with both the dense concept and the unique challenge that comes from introducing characters from alternate realities. It is perfectly complimented by artwork that effortlessly manages to be humorous, clever (Beast’s look rocks), vibrant, and lively all at once. Throughout the book there are great examples of how the visuals can elevate the writing and vice versa. And almost all of those examples involve the brilliant use of the character Morph. I never thought I’d see the “Hitler as a baby” dilemma delivered in such a humorous manner…

What’s Not So Good: Despite the entertaining script and eye-catching visuals, there is no denying the fact that Exiles #1 is a fairly standard “team introduction” comic. The formula is a formula for a reason…because it works. But that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t point out it’s use.

Also worth noting is that some of the smaller panels look slightly rushed and/or lack detail. While excusable for the most part, it proves to be a distraction when the rest of the issue looks so nice.

Conclusion: What else can I say? Exiles is now the latest addition to my pull list. Take a chance with the first issue, I think you will be more than pleasantly surprised.

Grade:  B+

-Kyle Posluszny