5-Star Review: "AVX: Vs" #1

[Dog]

Might as well kill off every X-Men but Wolverine...it's not like the public would notice they're gone...

How much was Wolverine in this issue?

Also... ~CONSPIRACY!~

[Rheged]

Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.

I know these things are based on opinion, but to give it a perfect score is to suggest this is an exemplary instance of what the genre can accomplish. This was hardly that.

No kidding! And it didn't even deliver what he stated in the review:

It's completely brainless -- attention has been paid to character, motivation and dialogue -- but the real joy is in seeing the characters deploy their powers in interesting ways, on an unusual stage, without any interruption.

"AVX: VS" #1 is, in many ways, the comics equivalent of professional wrestling. There are big moments of drama. Memorable images. The occasional shot of dialogue that'll make you smile. But really, it's all about seeing who wins the fights, appreciating the techniques of the characters (and creators) and getting invested in the outcome even though it's of no material consequence. If you like that idea, then you're going to love this book. If you think it sounds stupid, then 5-star rating or not, you can comfortably skip it.

All three things were sorely missing from the Namor and Thing fight. Nor was there anything to appreciate about the 'technique' of the characters or the creators. I couldn't even figure out that Namor had been KOed by a rock. At least I think that's what happened. Though, even worse, it would probably more like coral or a pumice, if it came off a hydrothermal vent.

The Iron Man / Magneto fight fell more inline with his review, but even there ... Magneto building a suit to engage in a fist fight? I don't know. Regardless, it wasn't a 5 star fight / story.

Quoted for truth.

AVX:VS does what is says on tin, big dumb fight.

Actually, it was billed as a big FUN fight and what we got was a big DUMB fight.

[USERNAME TAKEN]

I think most people have a problem with the outcomes.

Those fights were very tongue in cheek and very funny and very inconclusive (the issue pretty much made it clear).

I don't think this issue was made to be taken too seriously. God knows I didn't.

[Sighphi]

I think most people have a problem with the outcomes.

Those fights were very tongue in cheek and very funny and very inconclusive (the issue pretty much made it clear).

I don't think this issue was made to be taken too seriously. God knows I didn't.

Yeah, Mags talking about concentration camps is very tongue in cheek.
But, yes, it was very inconclusive how Namor suddenly passed out in the middle of the fight.
Unless he took a dive on purpose of something.

[Rheged]

I think most people have a problem with the outcomes.

Those fights were very tongue in cheek and very funny and very inconclusive (the issue pretty much made it clear).

I don't think this issue was made to be taken too seriously. God knows I didn't.

Yeah, I'm not really seeing the humor in Namor saying, "I'd advise you to put that down." And Magneto repeatedly referencing his Holocaust past? That's supposed to be funny? Iron Man doing his RDJ impression, okay, that I can see some one saying was funny. I'd have loved for the Namor and Thing fight to be completely over the top, Looney Tunes fun. In fact, from the preview, that's sort of what I was expecting.

And of course lots of people have problems with the outcomes, when they deliver a 'believable' fight, within the unbelievable superhero context. Even people that don't like Namor think the outcome of that fight was bogus. Their fight should have moved out of the water, if they wanted Thing to win. And it would have been loads better for the banter, as in Thing and Namor could actually exchange verbal insults, instead of Namor feeding Thing all the lines for his mental 'jokes.'

But hey, if you and the reviewer thought it was the pinnacle of the comic art form worthy of 5 stars, that's fine. Ditto if you thought it was funny. I didn't.

EDIT: Wait. There was that glug glug glug translation of It's Clobbering Time, I assume. That was amusing.

[Rheged]

Yeah, Mags talking about concentration camps is very tongue in cheek.
But, yes, it was very inconclusive how Namor suddenly passed out in the middle of the fight.
Unless he took a dive on purpose of something.

I THINK he got hit by coral or pumice. Who knew it had more a more forceful impact than Thing's rocky fist?

OR, maybe Thing farted in the thermal vent and the resultant explosion of gas, literally gassed Namor, but then the lettering shouldn't have said SMASH, should it? It should have said GASSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

[jsf]

I THINK he got hit by coral or pumice.

Pumice: the new brick of Marvel events.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Quoted for truth.

AVX:VS does what is says on tin, big dumb fight.

Dumb is right. More like "Iron Man and Thing are so great and are bigger company mascots, so they have to win."

[Rheged]

Pumice: the new brick of Marvel events.

Pumice >>>>>>> Brick >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thing's rocky fist

[passer-by]

Laughable review. Once again just makes me glad I don't take into account anything a reviewer says here.

Likewise. Who takes CBR's reviews seriously anyway? They have to be nice to the publishers (especially the Big Two) in order to be in their good graces.

[Iron Maiden]

Quoted for truth.

AVX:VS does what is says on tin, big dumb fight.

Heh.... I would consider the big dumb fights in Loeb & McGuiness's Hulk series a guilty pleasure but I wouldn't give it 5 stars.
The reviewer might want to stay away from something really good or he might overcome by excitement and faint dead away.

[Rheged]

Heh.... I got a guilty pleasure out of the big dumb fights by Loeb and McGuiness in the Hulk series but I wouldn't give it 5 stars.
The reviewer might want to stay away from something really good or he might overcome by excitement and faint dead away.

LOL! Faint away. heheheh

Oh noes! Say it isn't so! Wait, _guilty pleasure_

[Iron Maiden]

LOL! Faint away. heheheh

Oh noes! Say it isn't so! Wait, _guilty pleasure_

I think I need to rephrase that....(edited)

[One More Day]

Dumb is right. More like "Iron Man and Thing are so great and are bigger company mascots, so they have to win."

I thought you weren't buying AVX?

[Desaad]

I think judge each issue on a combination of how much you enjoyed it personally and how well it fulfilled it's own promise makes sense, and so I can see giving an issue that is uncategorically unambitious such as this one - and, frankly, the entire Avengers vs X Men event - a good score if you personally enjoyed what you read and you thought the craft here was excellent, that it accomplished all of it's goals well, etc.

But...its hard to believe that anyone believes this about this issue. It was by no means horrible, no doubt, but it was nonsensical and unclear at times. The entire Magneto/Iron Man confrontation was over written to the absurd extreme, with numerous examples of cliche or awkward narration, and the Namor/Thing fight was nonsensical in every possible way; that Namor could lose in his own realm, setting aside character preferences (because in this case I have none) makes no sense to me, but worse is that I still don't really understand HOW he lost; did he knock himself out/trap himself while throwing a big fish? What? Huh? I don't get it.

This was okay. Not bad, not great. I enjoyed it for what it was, especially the first fight, but overall a five star review for this comic - a comic that accomplishes nothing, but worse still does so in unclear and overwritten style - seems absurd.

While I certainly see why Daredevil got a low review, and even agree I suppose with some of the logic behind it, the craft there was so much stronger, and the emotional beats so much more powerful, that the difference in score is really incongruous, even taking into account the higher standards one might have for the Daredevil issue.

Uncanny X Men 10, on the other hand, was WONDERFUL, and exactly what this issue SHOULD have been.