Exfanding Review: Avengers vs. X-Men, Issue One

So. Avengers vs. X-Men, issue one.

I read it this weekend and I have some thoughts on the book. Unfortunately, they’re not all good thoughts. I say “unfortunately” because, as always with a potentially negative review, I hesitate to even post this one up. Why focus on comics that I’m not digging when there are so many unheralded books that I do dig?

Maybe it’s because I’ve been working nonstop and I just want to vent a little on a Monday. Maybe it’s because I’m incredibly disappointed in the fact that AvX, issue one, didn’t grab me by the throat and get me excited for a nice, long series.

While I didn’t dislike it enough to drop the series entirely, it definitely didn’t strike the right chords with me. Which is disappointing considering my high hopes for the book, and my belief that this event would be the thing to get me back into the Marvel Universe proper.

Here’s why.

[WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD]

I feel like we’ve seen this before. I feel like we see this every time there’s an “event.” Too much setup and exposition. I work in a world where you have to get to the point in the first line of whatever you write. If you don’t, you’ve buried the lead and you’ve lost your readership.

In the case of AvX 1, I understand that there’s lots of back-story that needs to be explained. But, then, what was the purpose of the zero issue that came out a couple weeks back?

Issue one needed to hit the ground running, and, frankly, lots of big, crazy stuff needed to happen.

What we got instead was lots and lots of talking.

And, yes, I get that this is only issue one and an entire series lies ahead. But there needed to be something “newsworthy” in issue one. There needed to be something other than a verbal skirmish between Cyclops and Captain America.

Yes, the underlying threat is that the Phoenix Force is headed to earth. And, yes, this will WIPE OUT EVERYTHING, FOR ALL TIME. That’s certainly newsworthy, right?

Well, sure, if the X-Men hadn’t been in this exact situation on several occasions in the past.

The threat might be the impending Phoenix Force, but the crux of the story is the conflict between Avengers and X-Men (hence the title).

But the “conflict” is Cap and Cyclops talking loudly at each other, disagreeing almost for the sake of disagreeing. Both take almost ridiculous stances on an issue, and instead of putting the fate of the world as the highest priority, these heroes would rather fight each other.

Human nature? Maybe, but these heroes have been fighting each other since Civil War. It’s kinda become their thing.

Here’s a question:

Are there no bad guys to fight anymore? Is Dr. Doom too busy dealing with the intricacies of Latverian politics to even attempt to take over the world these days?

Obviously, Marvel has great villains. I wish they’d utilize them in their stories, instead of fixating on making their heroes the villains all the time.

I’m sticking around for issue two. I want to love this book.

Here’s hoping Cap punches someone other than Cyclops in the face at some point in the series.