Act II of Avengers & X-Men: Axis continues as we see the fallout of the inversion. Last issue showed a lot of promise with its focus on Superior Iron Man, Carnage, and the X-Men, but Iron Man and Carnage don’t even show up in this issue, and now the X-Men are quiet as Apocalypse doles out his mantra. There are some great scenes in issue #5 between Spider-Man and Nova, but putting the spotlight on them without involving those other characters makes the narrative unfocused. Without a character or group to act as the main throughline of the event, Axis doesn't feel like one cohesive tale.
Rick Remender writes a snappy Spider-Man -- and on a side note, with his sense of humor, you could see him doing a great job if he were to take over Amazing Spider-Man one day. The interactions Spider-Man has with Nova are great fun, and when the Avengers reveal their crazy side, their escape certainly thrills, but the quality takes a dip after that.
We’re left with the X-Men and Apocalypse invading Avengers Tower to smack around Captain Falcon and make their play for dominance. Thing is, there’s no one to root for in that scene -- they’re all jerks! -- so instead of feeling dramatic, the issue goes out on an indifferent note. It was inevitable for the X-Men and Avengers to clash once the inversion struck, but with both groups acting cartoonishly evil, it’s hard to feel invested in the conflict.
At the end of the day, what’s most bothersome while reading this issue is that after years of waiting to see the end of Remender’s Apocalypse story -- the one that started in Uncanny X-Force, went through Uncanny Avengers, and is now climaxing in Axis -- it’s nowhere near as satisfying as one would expect given how great the buildup has been. Axis isn’t over yet, so of course it’s impossible to judge it completely, but with the way things are going, it looks there’s just not enough time or space in Axis to do the story justice.
THE VERDICT
It’s certainly a great time watching Spider-Man and Nova interact in this issue, but the fun stops there. The inversion concept has tons of potential to mine for great stories, yet it remains untapped. Instead, the inverted heroes are one-dimensional in their evilness, and so when they clash, there’s an indifferent feeling towards the outcome. We all know Remender is capable of telling some excellent comic book stories, but like so many before him, the cramped nature of event comics doesn’t allow him to do the story justice.
Get the full review from IGN here
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