Avengers & X-Men Axis #4

The Good

Last issue represented an inversion of a few different sorts, the most obvious being the spell Scarlet Witch and Dr. Doom cast to restore Red Skull to his original form, but in addition it was villains VS villains to end Red Onslaught’s threat before it consumed the Earth. Everything seemed to go off without a hitch, but everyone was acting a little...let’s say disgruntled by the end. This issue picks up two weeks later and Rick Remender very quickly establishes that everything is not as it should be. The X-Men make a shocking revelation, the newly minted Captain America turns his back, along with the rest of the Avengers, on S.H.I.E.L.D., and general chaos breaks out. We even get an interlude checking in on Carnage that will make a lot more sense if you’ve read his tie-in, but still stands on its own as a great, humorous aside. There’s clearly something wrong here that almost no one is seeing, but Remender does a great job of having the characters’ interactions be supportable in terms of their characters. The character dynamics feel motivated, if extreme, and that allows for the suspension of disbelief, along with the audience clearly knowing something the characters don’t.

Leinil Yu’s back again with some great art. I’m constantly impressed by his ability to adapt his style to so many different kinds of books. This issue is more staid and mellow than previous ones, and Yu’s art reflects that with softer lines and subtler facial expressions. But when the book calls for it, he can still bring the forceful, kinectic impact along with Gerry Alanguilan. And of course colors are a huge part of tone, which is brought to this issue by Edgar Delgado and, again, there’s a brightness of tone that’s prevalent across the issue. It’s the shadows where things get interesting: almost all the major players’ faces are darkened with heavy, almost ubiquitous shadow across their features. It’s a great stylistic choice that lets the reader know something is going on without tipping their hand within the narrative.

The Bad

The characters act just fine within their own motivations, but there’s a certain disconnect in their interactions with one another. From Hulk reverting back to his monosyllabic speaking (which could be a result of the Inversion spell), in spite of Doc Green’s presence being acknowledged in the book to the X-Men’s reveal that arrives with absolutely ZERO fanfare. The return of Apocalypse has always come with global events, including the recruitment of four “horsemen” but this time he’s literally just standing behind a curtain they unveil in the same manner as a gameshow prize. We also see the “return” of a very specific Hulk villain, but in a completely different form from an entirely different source, but using the same name and mannerisms. The core problem with all this is that it occurs with little-to-no emotional impact. The book is operating at such a frantic pace that nothing has time to sink in and stakes are rarely established, it’s contingent on the reader to know the significance of these characters AND decide how they feel, rather than guiding us on a journey.

The Verdict

AXIS has a great core concept, but the devil’s in the details of making a truly great, memorable event. In this case: the details are muddled and indistinct and the emotional stakes simply aren’t there. To put it another way: I enjoy what’s happening, but I don’t like HOW it’s happening. The art is still a standout and the team does a great job communicating both tone and implying so much more, but the writing isn’t sustaining an ongoing sense of interest and comings-and-goings of this issue in particular feel like they're happening because they must rather than should.