It’s our worst nightmare…the series isn’t over yet. :)
It’s amazing that a series that’s had more than its fair share of ups and downs, as well as groan inducing moments, should produce an issue that’s pretty much everything a mesh up of this magnitude should be. It’s intense, it’s emotionally engaging, but not too much, and it’s what you expect without being too cliché. The opening scene has the one and only Captain America pitching himself and his plan to a character, who, he hopes, will be a game changer during this supposedly harrowing sequence of events. At first, as the opening panels illustrate, it seems he’s addressing a crew of Avengers behind him while he’s facing away from them, which is awkward, to say the least, that is, until you realize he’s actually facing the right way. The Captain’s inquiry to this character also serves as a way to brief the reader on what the general plot has been so far. As obvious as this is, it doesn’t feel too tacky but it does lead to a minor issue that I’ll address later on. A much parodied response is just the answer Rogers was looking for, “Yes. Hulk will smash for you.” It was really hard not to post the second page from the book here as I want you all to experience it for yourselves first. Perhaps I'll add it in in a week or so, or if you all insist on it. : - * (This is supposed to be whistling, not to be confused with Whistler.)
The next scene is quite beautiful, in my opinion, as it shows Rogue, who’s been off in some other dimension dealing with alien shenanigans for 2-3 issues in X-Men Legacy, seeking asylum with the Professor and the Avengers. On a side note, I’ve always liked Rogue ever since seeing her in that all too popular and ever internally referenced here, 90s series. This is probably because her accent was hilarious, and both she and I are southern. I really like how she’s drawn here with the sun at her side, in a field, all too short jacket donned, and that useless belt resting on her hips. All kidding aside, I really do like this page and hope you all do too. Have a look see below, er, to the left. ^_^
What follows afterwards is a long overdue union of the X-Men and the Avengers. Truth be told, I think they should’ve joined forces waaay back when this whole thing began but better late than never, right? You can really get a sense of camaraderie from the scene as the two groups finally set aside their differences long enough to do what’s best for the world as a whole. The next scene then skips to Utopia, which is now seemingly only inhabited by the remaining Phoenix Five.
This corrupting influence of the Phoenix comes to the forefront here with Cyclops and Emma Frost, as the former becomes more keenly aware of its negative influence during a spat with Frost. It’s not too surprising that’s he’s been the most resistant, save for Colossus, to the Phoenix’s influence and given his decades long history both with it and the X-Men, the way this issue plays out later on really hits home to X-Men fans. There’s a decent, yet overall downplayed use of relationships both across generations (e.g Cyclops and Professor X as well as Magneto and Scarlet Witch) and teams that are drawn upon here that really try to hone in on this impact. Unfortunately, this was overwhelmingly in favor of the X-Men.
Overall, this issue was enjoyable and one of the better ones in the series thus far. That being said, as with any issue, it wasn’t perfect. Much as I like the opening scene with Cap requesting Green Hulk’s help, given how the scene is setup, it left me wondering if the Hulk was levitating in midair. Also, there is more PIS involved, naturally. Before the confrontation between the Phoenix “Five” and the now combined Avengers and X-Men, Captain America orders the combatants to “Not let up, not even for a second.” This isn’t what happens. There are plenty of moments where members of the combined team could’ve attacked Summers, in particular, but they didn’t. There are a number of panels where the heroes are just standing around watching the goings on. On a related note, there’s also some badly timed “intervention” on Wolverine’s behalf. The book ends the way we all would expect but it’s still worth reading on your own as there’s a very interesting design change that’s sure to draw some commentary. I’d give this book a 3 as it was enjoyable and had plenty of action, despite its flaws and predictable ending.
