A Handful of Bad Memories Will Keep Cyclops From Insanity
AvX infinite issue 2 came with Avengers Vs. X-Men #6 and is a great add for those who want more out of Marvel's latest series. In the previous Infinite issue, we saw the Phoenix Power from an Avenger's perspective, now it's time to see what one of the greatest, and first, X-Man thinks of his new found power. Cyclops reflects on a handful of bad memories as those memories are the only thing that will keep him from slipping into the infinite power of the Phoenix Force. Writer Mark Waid with artwork by Carlo Barberi travel into the mind of Cyclops in this digital only issue.
The Good
"WOW" is the only word that comes to my mind when reading this issue. While I enjoy having the actual comic book in my hand and collecting the issues over the years, the infinite series that Marvel has been releasing has really revolutionized reading on a tablet or smartphone. While there are currently multiple "digital only" comics from both DC Comics and Marvel, this is really worth picking up. The story has Cyclops questioning his infinite power and also his place as the ultimate protector of the mutant race. While Hope Summers is still the Mutant Messiah, right now Cyclops is protecting his own people and also helping the world to become a better place. While Jean Grey did end up killing herself in the end to stop the Phoenix Force, maybe the individual power divided between the 5 selected X-Men that gained the Phoenix Force have it under control. While that may not be the case, this story really helps fill in some of the gaps in issue 6.
The writing by Mark Waid really adds to this experience. His story for Cyclops coping with the infinite power of the Phoenix really gives the readers a greater sense of how Cyclops controls, not only his life, but also all of Mutant kind. Talking to the long dead Jean Grey was also a great plot element added to this story. Waid portrays that even though Cyclops has all this power, he still can't let go of his past, and if he does the Phoenix Force will then consume him. Waid does an outstanding job on the story for this series he really gets readers thinking on eventual story elements in the upcoming AvX issues and maybe to the eventual outcome of the Avengers fighting the X-Men.
The artwork by Carlo Barberi is amazing! He's one of my favorite artist, especially when he did art for Deadpool, he makes the characters look extremely unique from other artist and also does the character design of Cyclops justice. He is a really outstanding artist and I'm hoping to see more from this team.
The Bad
Nothing wrong is with this issue, it strengthened my Avengers vs. X-men issue 6 experience and also opened my mind to further plot elements for the Avengers and X-men.
The Verdict
This infinite issue was FAR better than the previous one, the writing and artwork were nothing short of awesome and the story really takes your reading experience to the next level. Whether your reading it on a table, smartphone or home computer this issue is really worth checking out even if you haven't read the series. It is available on the Marvel Comics App as well as the Comixology app, on the Google Play Market and iTunes. You will not regret picking up this small, but really outstanding issue.