Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Avengers vs. X-Men, avx, Comics, kieron gillen, marvel, phoenix, uncanny x-men

How Kieron Gillen Made A Little More Sense Of Avengers Vs X-Men #5 (SPOILERS)

Published Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:00:18 -0500

by Rich Johnston

Last updated Sun, 10 Jun 2012 19:56:03 -0500

Comments

They said that you could read Avengers Vs X-Men #5, and no other spinoff comic, and it would make sense.

They lied.

Because reading this month's issue leaves you with a feeling that the X-Men are now going all Captain Planet or Power Rangers on us or something. The issue ends with the Phoenix not only taking on Hope as a host but also Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Namor and Magik. And then all six heading to Earth. It comes out of the blue and it makes not a lick of sense given the events we've seen unfold.

But only the events we saw unfold in Avengers Vs X-Men. Over in that week's crossover title Uncanny X-Men, we get a very different tale. Of Magneto, Storm and others, unable to get to the Moon (hang on, couldn't the pair combine their powers, grab Asteroid M and fly there or something?) sitting around, drinking, bemoaning the fact that they weren't part of the whole shebang and toasting their comrades. While the Five Lights of Generation Hope are dealing with the impossible alien machine Unit, revealing some information that has been well set up by the last year on the title, with Sinister's plans, Tubula Rasa and especially Unit's recent escape from SWORD. All leading to this page, narrated by Unit.

There's more of course. But in one page it puts the actions at the end of AVX #5 into some kind of context. And lets us know that, Phoenix-style, if you can't be with the ones you acolyte, you acolyte the ones you're with.

Kieron Gillen did a trick like this during Siege, making sense of some of the Loki stuff that, frankly, didn't make sense in the original. He's basically Marvel's fix-it man, a walking No-Prize. He will be sorely be missed when he and Greg Land leave Uncanny X-Men after AVX for Iron Man.

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