Off The Shelf: Avengers Vs X-men #9

Avengers vs X-Men #9

Writers: Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Kickman and Matt Fraction

Pencils: Adam Kubert

Colors: Laura Martin, Larry Molinar

Publisher: Marvel Comics

You know, for a minute there I thought they were gonna do it, I thought that the A vs X writing team were going to pull this series out of the fire and finally kill somebody important. Sadly not however, the team bottled it (again) and in doing so plunged what could have been a classic comic into the doldrums of mediocrity.

It’s not that Avengers Vs X-men #9 is a bad book, it’s not, it’s well drawn well written and pretty involving but at times I wish that the writers would just show a little more courage. There are several pages in #9 where it looks like this story is finally going to get serious, that the members of the Avengers are in serious peril, but all of this good work is undone in a last act which, although well written, nicely illustrated and often exciting, manages to destroy any sense of suspense the writers have created and is just a little too silly.

All gripes aside this is a pretty good Spider-man issue and fans of the web-slinger will find plenty to enjoy here including plenty of his signature witty dialogue, even if he does get his ass handed to him by Colossus. I just can’t get over the feeling that the writers of this series have been shackled by having to adhere to the sanctified central canon of the Marvel universe and that this series would have been much better had it been treated as a non-canon series where the writers could really just go nuts.

Well the last act will be with us soon enough (#10 due next week) and with just one member of the Phoenix five standing I have my fingers crossed that the writers will finally deliver something big and soon, they better or this series may well prove to be one of Marvels most forgettable.