We’re back for another installment of AvsX interruptus. This is issue 12 of Wolverine and The X-Men which is supposed to be about Logan being headmaster of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning we get Kid Gladiator fighting the Avengers on the cover of an issue about Rachel Summers. Yes the former staff member is doing her part on the X-men side. This issue also features Hank fighting with Bobby as they took opposite sides.
So let’s give credit to those who made this: Jason Aaron, Writer; Chris Bachalo, Penciler/Colorist; Tim Townsend, Jaime Mendoza, Al Vey, & Victor Olazaba, Inkers; Chris Eliopoulos, Letterer; Nick Bradshaw & Rachelle Rosenberg, Cover Artists; Jordan D White, Assistant Editor; Daniel Ketchum, Associate Editor; Nick Lowe, Editor; Axel Alonso, Editor In Chief; Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer; Dan Buckley, Publisher; and Alan Fine, Executive Producer.
All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.
I’ve already aired my issues with the cover. The interior art suffers from my usual complaints with Bachalo – messy confusing fight scenes, too stylized characters, and I can’t tell who is who in the action sequences. I have to admit I am growing to like his down time stuff but it’s not got the bizarre issues of the action that throw me out of the story and leave me clinging to dialogue to figure out what’s happening. His bar scene with Rachel and Logan is good. His classroom scenes are good. So I say give him the issues that are calm, character driven ones and let Bradshaw handle the action issues. Just my personal opinion, kinda like showing you my belly button we all got ’em.
Now for the story I had some questions. First off why do Namor and Scott talk in squiggly yellow bubbles with red writing. Well that was answered when I found out they are now two of the Phoenix Five. Apparently Tony Stark, Ironman, did something to divide the Phoenix and it went into Scott Summers, Emma Frost, Namor, Piotr Rasputin, and Magik. So now they are the Phoenix and that’s why the special bubbles.
Next why is Rachel going to meet Logan when they have already chosen opposite sides in the war? Then why does she lie to Scott? Apparently the rest of this story was told in Avengers issue 29. One of those follow the thread all over the damn place that happens with the Big Events. I’m not. Didn’t know until I read Eric Scroggs’s review there.
So what did I walk away from this issue with?
- Kid Gladiator’s father is coming for him. I don’t care.
- Rachel may be returning to Logan’s point of view. Okay good so we can get back to where we were before this rude AvsX interruption.
- Hank dislikes Scott’s stance as much as Logan does. (Yep B is definitely for Beast on the dartboard)
- Logan gives Kid Gladiator a lesson in How to Fight with Fighting (one of the classes he teacher at JGSHL. The boy’s been schooled by the experienced headmaster.
So the battle rages on and I’m anxiously awaiting school to start back again. Next is more AvsX with issue 13 centered on the bodyguard of Kid Gladiator in an issue entitled Born Warbird then we’ll leave this title for now.
As usual more after the jump but don’t think they are spoilery as this issue really doesn’t have a story arc it’s just supporting the Big Event and stories in other titles to sell more books. I’d prefer if they depended on good title development to that and save the Big Events for once a decade kind of changes, or every other decade…
Mary Louise Eklund 