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My appreciation for some super-hero publishers’ event books is no secret. There was a time when my reviews were known as “Critiques on Infinite Earths,” a nod to DC’s landmark 1985 series Crisis on Infinite Earths, the first big crossover event book. Unfortunately, over the years, the crossover has, for the most part, devolved into a sales gimmick super-hero publishers — mainly Marvel and DC, though smaller publishers have taken their own stabs at the subgenre — trot out to inflate sales on waning titles and boost its bottom line. As a result, it’s become something of a dirty word among discerning comics readers and fans of good super-hero storytelling.

Still, occasionally, some interesting work can be found in such event titles. Marvel’s Civil War started off strong with its exploration of the conflict between personal liberties and security. Secret Invasion followed up on such themes by tapping into Western paranoia over terrorism and growing multicultural diversity. While many of Marvel’s more recent event titles have fizzled in the end, at least they started out being about something.

And so, that brings us to Avengers Versus X-Men.

Marvel’s 2012 tentpole event — unfolding in the main title, other spinoffs and just about every Avengers and X-Men title Marvel publishes, which is quite a few — gets underway in April, but the publisher is in full promotional mode right now and has been for weeks. So far, we don’t really know what the book is about. Some teasers, ranging from preview pages to cover art, would seem to indicate the conflict revolves around the fate of Hope Summers (a character about which I know next to nothing), but really, we don’t know what the plot is behind the event, what the catalyst is that sets things into motion.

All we really know is what we see in the seemingly unending covers depicting various members of the two title teams squaring off against one another. All we really know is what the title of the main event book tells us: Avengers versus X-Men.

So what we know is that Marvel’s next big event is little more than a “Ho’od win?” Internet discussion thread, albeit an expensive one that unfolds in linework and colors rather than ASCII text. Iron Man versus Magneto. Colossus versus the Thing. Cap versus Cyclops. The list goes on. Marvel’s been spewing covers featuring those matchups and more, and the message is clear. Like a bunch of teenage kids in a schoolyard, these covers and Marvel just keep chanting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” No effort is being made to tell readers a story will unfold.

It’s not surprising, as the publisher’s been headed in this direction. Fear Itself, which underperformed for Marvel, seemed to be little more than the heroes of the Marvel Universe squaring off against twisted, amped-up, Asgardian incarnations of familiar heroes and villains. Superhumans kept finding magic hammers and tearing up the world. It ended with the Worthy versus the Mighty. It was a big fight, and it wasn’t really about anything.

So it looks like we’re going to find out who’d win a fight between Spider-Man and Iceman. Between Rogue and Ms. Marvel. Between the Black Widow and Psylocke. Honestly, I don’t know who’d win, and I don’t care. I think I know who’ll lose, though, and it’s the readers.

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February 13, 2012 Don MacPherson

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5 thoughts on “Put Up Your Dukes”

  1. Seanathan says:
    February 13, 2012 at 1:46 am

    I think you are reading way too much into this. This reads like a post about the advertising for Secret Wars.

    Marvel tried doing the big story with lesser results each time so now they are going for a bit of fan service. Nothing’s wrong with that. Not every crossover needs to have a overreaching story with parallels to what is going on in the real world or speaks to the complexities of the human spirit. Sometimes, you can just have fun and this looks like fun.

    All I know is I have friends who haven’t read an issue in years asking me about this crossover.

  2. Demon says:
    February 13, 2012 at 9:53 am

    I have to agree with Seanathan, I think you are being overly harsh about a crossover that actually looks fun. Marvel has revealed the basic plot of the of the series as well (don’t know how you missed it) – the Phoenix force is heading towards Earth and Cyclops thinks it may be the last chance of salvation for mutant-kind while the Avengers look at it as threat and something to be stopped. Here is the preview for the first issue: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36867

  3. Mo Walker says:
    February 13, 2012 at 2:10 pm

    I think Don’s editorial points out how Marvel has consistently produced overly hyped “events” the last few years that do not deliver on what was promised. Yes, I think it is wrong to damn something before it comes out. However, Don has shared his concerns and provided evidence to support his argument. Frankly, I am concerned about being hoodwinked by Marvel. Several of the titles I purchase are directly impacted by AvX.

  4. Don MacPherson says:
    February 13, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    Demon wrote:
    Marvel has revealed the basic plot of the of the series as well (don’t know how you missed it) – the Phoenix force is heading towards Earth and Cyclops thinks it may be the last chance of salvation for mutant-kind while the Avengers look at it as threat and something to be stopped.

    Replace “Phoenix force is heading towards Earth” with “Scarlet Witch resurfaces,” and you’ve got the plot for the recent Avengers: The Children’s Crusade. I’m still left wondering what the point is (other than sales).

  5. Simon DelMonte says:
    February 15, 2012 at 5:15 pm

    My biggest problem with A vs X is that the heroes are busy fighting each other instead of fighting the bad guys. Yes, I know Marvel has a 50-year tradition of heroes squaring off, going back to the first time the Hulk and the Thing collided. But to me, the idea of heroes endlessly fighting heroes seems really unheroic.

    And I keep imagining the Marvel bad guys pulling up chairs, munching on popcorn and having a real good time watching their enemies act like children.

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