Avengers & X-Men: Axis #1
Following just a month after the ending of Original Sin, Marvel feeds us with their new universe-wide event, Avengers & X-Men: Axis. Ever since it was announced, I was convinced I would buy this comic and be satisfied by it. Infinity was a stellar book because it was a direct outcome of Hickman’s Avengers books (which are great). Axis is a culmination of 2 years of Uncanny Avengers which has been a phenomenal series. Why would Uncanny Avengers’ storyline falter as it enters its chance to attract a larger audience? I don’t know the answer to that question but I can say that unfortunately, Remender seems to have stumbled with this first issue. Axis #1 is a major step down for the excellent Uncanny Avengers and the incredible Rick Remender.
The story picks up rather drearily with the Avengers attending to the threat of the Plantman. Yes, you read that correctly. This villain could be the lamest villain put to page in the last year. So, right off the bat, Remender had me rolling my eyes. Instead of getting right into the Red-Onslaught plot, we squander a few pages for this boring subplot that could easily have been removed. His dialogue in this scene isn’t a benefit, either. He seems to be trying to emulate Bendis’ signature witty banter but it doesn’t work for the dark tone this story is aiming for. A concentration camp for mutants is a dreadful, heinous idea. It’s where the plot begun in Uncanny #25 and the dialogue should accommodate the circumstances. It’s hard to take a book seriously when there are one-liners and jokes every couple of panels.
Fortunately, though Remender nails the scenes without the grander Avengers roster. When he picks up after Uncanny #25 this book immediately achieves a higher quality. Havok is given some great moments as he gives into his rage that has been assembling all throughout Uncanny Avengers. He lashes out at Magneto and his brother blaming them both for their current situation because he doesn’t want to blame himself (not to mention he’s being manipulated by the Red Skull). Magneto isn’t given the focus he was in the last issue of Uncanny Avengers but it’s still great to have him under Remender’s pen. The only issue I would have with the moments without the principle Avengers would be the way Remender jumps character focuses. He allocated a few pages to a few characters and their trains of thought and this makes the scenes feel underdeveloped. The plot isn’t concentrated and the character balance isn’t really there.
I would also like to mention the reveal for what Tony Stark did that has been built up to be really bad. I was very underwhelmed by this reveal because it wasn’t truly Tony Stark’s doing. It’s an uninspired idea from a writer that can do much better.
The art as well was a big letdown for me. Adam Kubert is a fantastic artist. His artwork is regularly sublime, but this issue is a weak showing of his skill. His style is strong but his pencils are evidently rushed. His faces are stale and at times are unrecognizable. His action, however is still strong and the Red-Onslaught has a really great design.
I was expecting so much from Axis and rightfully so. Rick Remender is one of the strongest writers in comics and his lead up series to this was incredible. Maybe he crumbled under the pressure of writing such a big event. I heard in an interview that it was originally a 6-part story and was elongated to 9 issues. Maybe, the extra content damaged this story’s original plan. Nonetheless, a jumbled story and rushed artwork don’t merit a recommendation from me. Event fatigue is getting heavy on readers shoulders and Axis may just be increasing the weight.
The story picks up rather drearily with the Avengers attending to the threat of the Plantman. Yes, you read that correctly. This villain could be the lamest villain put to page in the last year. So, right off the bat, Remender had me rolling my eyes. Instead of getting right into the Red-Onslaught plot, we squander a few pages for this boring subplot that could easily have been removed. His dialogue in this scene isn’t a benefit, either. He seems to be trying to emulate Bendis’ signature witty banter but it doesn’t work for the dark tone this story is aiming for. A concentration camp for mutants is a dreadful, heinous idea. It’s where the plot begun in Uncanny #25 and the dialogue should accommodate the circumstances. It’s hard to take a book seriously when there are one-liners and jokes every couple of panels.
Fortunately, though Remender nails the scenes without the grander Avengers roster. When he picks up after Uncanny #25 this book immediately achieves a higher quality. Havok is given some great moments as he gives into his rage that has been assembling all throughout Uncanny Avengers. He lashes out at Magneto and his brother blaming them both for their current situation because he doesn’t want to blame himself (not to mention he’s being manipulated by the Red Skull). Magneto isn’t given the focus he was in the last issue of Uncanny Avengers but it’s still great to have him under Remender’s pen. The only issue I would have with the moments without the principle Avengers would be the way Remender jumps character focuses. He allocated a few pages to a few characters and their trains of thought and this makes the scenes feel underdeveloped. The plot isn’t concentrated and the character balance isn’t really there.
I would also like to mention the reveal for what Tony Stark did that has been built up to be really bad. I was very underwhelmed by this reveal because it wasn’t truly Tony Stark’s doing. It’s an uninspired idea from a writer that can do much better.
The art as well was a big letdown for me. Adam Kubert is a fantastic artist. His artwork is regularly sublime, but this issue is a weak showing of his skill. His style is strong but his pencils are evidently rushed. His faces are stale and at times are unrecognizable. His action, however is still strong and the Red-Onslaught has a really great design.
I was expecting so much from Axis and rightfully so. Rick Remender is one of the strongest writers in comics and his lead up series to this was incredible. Maybe he crumbled under the pressure of writing such a big event. I heard in an interview that it was originally a 6-part story and was elongated to 9 issues. Maybe, the extra content damaged this story’s original plan. Nonetheless, a jumbled story and rushed artwork don’t merit a recommendation from me. Event fatigue is getting heavy on readers shoulders and Axis may just be increasing the weight.
A Look Inside
