Review - Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus #2 of 6 (2012)

 *This review DOES contain spoilers in so far as revealing the winners of each match-up in Marvel’s Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus limited series.

Issue #2 of Marvel’s Avengers vs. X-Men brawl series pits Gambit against Captain America, and Colossus against Spider-Man.  It’s not as awe-inspiring as the first issue, but it still packs a punch, and gives readers a couple of curve balls and twists for good measure. 

Round 3

Gambit vs. Captain America

I would have been surprised if Cap didn’t win this one, andMarvel appeased fans through-and-through having Gambitbattle America’s super soldier.  Gambit begins by tossing several of his trademark kinetically charged playing cards leaving Captain America to dodge the sudden explosions.  He quickly bounces back and follows up with his trademark move: the shield toss.  However, mid-flight Gambit snags the shield, charges it, and hurls it back at Cap in an even more devastating explosion. 

Now, the two can battle one-on-one.  Cap with his superior training gains the upper hand, snapping Gambit’s staff in half with his palm, but even pinned to the tree Gambit has one last trick up his sleeve.  In a move that would have felled most men Gambit charges Cap’s suit creating a fiery explosion, which rockets Captain America backwards in tatters.  At the end of the day, however, Cap wins in a shield rush and a knockout punch to the jaw that leaves Gambitunconscious. 

At the end of the day…

Captain America Wins

Round 4

Colossus vs. Spider-Man

Spider-Man and Avenger compatriots hit the streets of Latveria looking for Hope when a portion of the X-Menambush them leading to the Colossus and Spider-Man in a battle for keeps.  Spider-Man begins by keeping out ofColossus’ reach and web slinging his way into tripping up the unstoppable mutant, as well blinding him.  However, theColossus thinks quick and claps; this successfully shatters all of the glass in the surrounding area and sends Spider-Mancareening.

Spider-Man then falls into the clutches of the Colossus and is forcibly tossed into one of the many stone corridors ofLatveria.  As Spider-Man tumbles against the walls, Colossusnabs up a Doombot, splits it in half, and throws at Spider-Man to finish him off.  Spidey dodges, grabs the destroyedDoombot with a web and redirects towards Colossus.  Being the Colossus/Juggernaut hybrid that he is though, he merely punches it creating an explosion that leaves the Colossusunscathed, but unfortunately sends Spider-Man backwards (yet, again!).

At the end of the day…

Colossus Wins

This issue of Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus was on par with its series counterpart, but it does fall short of its predecessor.  It doesn’t further the plot like the first, but it has some great action sequences that supplement the core series nicely.  If you get a chance to check it out I would highly recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of the Avengers vs. X-Men series. I give Avengers vs. X-Men: Versus #2 three-and-half-stars out of five.

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Avenging Spider-Man #1

Truth by told I should of had this review up and published a couple months ago, but I had numerous difficulties in obtaining the first two issues of the series!  I guess I should have placed Avenging Spider-Man under my list of subscriptions, but hindsight truly is twenty-twenty.

Nevertheless, once I was able to dredge up the issues my wait was well worth it.  Overall, I thought the first two issues were fantastic!  I regret choosing Defenders #1 as my comic book of the week, because unfortunately for the Defenders Avenging Spider-Man #1 took the cake that Wednesday.

The first issue begins with Spidey and the rest of theAvengers taking down a villainous A.I.M. robot.  Right off the bat, however, Spider-Man is hesitant to get into the fray because he feels inadequate compared to other suchAvengers as: The Red Hulk, Captain America, andWolverine.  This feeling of ‘woe is me’ is bit uncharacteristic for ol’ Pete, especially when considering his recent bravado inSpider-Island which wrapped up last November.  However, as the issue progresses his new demeanor is used as a plot device, which leads to some clever narration as well as some amusing banter between Spider-Man and the Red Hulk.

During the Avenger’s scuffle with A.I.M. and their “giant robot”Spider-Man’s hometown of New York is overrun by subterranean hobbit-creatures, called Moloids.  Spider-Mannot being able to quickly transport himself back to the city on his own accord, requests the aid of a fellow Avenger.  Begrudgingly the Red Hulk agrees and the two quickly rocket into the air as the Hulk leaps to the city.

As the Red Hulk lands amongst the chaos of New York they are attacked by a giant underground worm who bursts through the surface consuming the Red Hulk and Spider-Manas the Moloids make off with Mayor J. Jonah Jameson.

All-in-all I was very impressed with the art and the writing ofAvenging Spider-Man #1.  Joe Madureira, aka Joe Mad, does an excellent job not only rendering Spider-Man and the Red Hulk, but the rest of the Avengers as well.  One of the standouts for me concerning Joe’s art in the Avenging Spider-Man is that when Spider-Man’s facial expressions change beneath his mask to follow the dialogue as a reader you can visibly see this alteration of Spider-Man’s face even while masked.  Ferran Daniel’s colors, especially the red hues of Spider-Man and the Red Hulk really pop on the page and your eye naturally follows the two as the banter and battle.  There is nothing drastically new created to spur the comic forward; familiar characters are showcased alongside classic villains and creatures, but sometimes all you need is a need amalgamation of the two to kick start a solid series into motion. 

The conversations between the Red Hulk and Spider-Manare amazing (pun intended)!  The Red Hulk provides excellent counters to Spider-Man’s humor and the two create a great fluidity in dialogue.  Zeb Wells, the author of Avenging Spider-Man, has been called a fan favorite for web heads, so I am excited to see where he leads our favorite web-slinger.  An underground adventure featuring two unlikely paired heroes should lead to interesting things.

Speaking of “interesting things” I would love to see anIncredible Hulk and Avenging Spider-Man crossover considering that the Moloids are currently featured in both.  It would be great way to bridge the two series together for a couple issue crossover, and I would love to see Spideysparring with two Hulks.  The dynamic would be hilarious!

I give Avenging Spider-Man #1 a four-and-a-half stars out of five.  Don’t forget to check out Merlyn’s Sci-fi and Fantasy Shop in Main Street to pick up the latest and greatest inMarvel, DC, and Independent comic books!

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Tumblr Reblogs

I found some awesome comic book art from freelancers on Tumblr, and I thought I'd reblog them to share the wealth!

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