AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #10
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Adam Kubert
Release Date: August 15, 2012
Avengers Vs. X-Men is building on it’s own fevered momentum at this point, and each and every panel is bringing this huge event closer to the explosion we’ve been waiting for since page one of issue #1. The stakes of this conflict are higher with each page flip and I applaud the Marvel Architects of this event for managing to throw in curve balls in every single issue. Just when the story hits a point where I’m thinking “where can they go next?”, they toss in a little twist that throws my preconceived notions out the window and I am loving every minute of it. Brubaker’s last issue in the rotation was one of my favourites of the series and he delivers again with his second entry. This issue has a strong focus on the effects the Phoenix is having on its hosts and how the line of sanity they walk is getting more frayed by the minute. This affects characters on both sides of the conflict and readers also get a glimpse into what some of the power players that have been out of the scene for a couple issues are struggling with. Brubaker’s pacing is solid and his dialogue is strong. There are some moments in this book where characters get their due comeuppance, and he writes the confusion associated with that very well. What impressed me most with this script is how the entire issue is brimming with confusion, anger, fear and flat out rage. There are undertones running through every piece of dialogue that show just how tense this situation is and it strengthens the entire issue. This series is nearing it’s explosive conclusion and Brubaker does a great job stoking the fire and keeping tension high as we race toward the end of AvX.
Adam Kubert’s art is straight up fantastic. I’m a Kubert fan, I’ll get that out there right now so you can judge my bias, so when Adam is doing what Adam does best, I am a happy camper. The art in this issue just gets stronger from the start until the end and you can feel Kubert’s comfort level with these characters growing the more he pencils them. The action scenes and the large splashes were fantastic, but what stood out to me was how well Kubert evoked emotion in this issue. Characters whose faces are largely covered by masks were obviously confused and shocked, which is not an easy thing to visually portray. This level of art is what this event deserves and my mind reels at how visually epic this event could have been with a Kubert/Coipel tandem from the beginning.
Verdict: 9.5/10
