Avengers vs. X-Men in 2012
The news has broken on Marvel’s next big event, and it’s gonna be the Avengers vs. the X-Men.
In what will be a 12-part series (with multiple extra tie-ins, no doubt), Marvel is counting on its “architects” of Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker, and Jonathan Hickman to carry the torches through the entire event. Unlike past events that have been scripted by a single writer, these five guys will be taking turns writing issues along with the rotating artistic cast of John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel, and Adam Kubert.
For me, this news has its ups and downs. My immediate reaction is “Hey, this could be really cool.” In fact, I’m pretty sure one of the first comics I ever bought for myself was The X-Men vs. the Avengers. If the nostalgia proves true, this could be all kinds of entertaining.
But then, the fact that I already possess a book with such a title speaks to this idea being re-hashed, doesn’t it? Hero against hero–hasn’t Marvel done this many, many times before? Haven’t we already read this as far back as Civil War and as recently as Schism? And coming on the tails of the abysmal, pointless waste of time otherwise known as Fear Itself, is it safe to feel anything other than dread?
And hey–yet again–why are there no WOMEN involved here? Five architects and three artists, and you couldn’t have handed at least one of the reigns to your girls, Marvel?
Perhaps my fears will be sated as more information becomes available, but I’m feeling some event fatigue and not all that optimistic. Read more about this news on Comic Book Resources and tell us what YOU think.
Some good points, Dave–thanks for the comment! The article on CBR does indicate the Scarlet Witch and the Phoenix force will also be players, so it’ll be interesting to see on what sides they fall, as well as the likes of Storm who is split down the middle. Completely agree with you re: Civil War … it’s getting tiring. I have to wonder how much of the hype is Marvel just feeding us lines and playing up their marketing and how much of it is them truly believing that this stuff is wonderful. :-O