Avengers vs X-men 2

The avengers and X-men battle each other to protect Hope the vessel for Phoenix entity. A lot of match up from Colossus against Red Hulk to Namor against the Thing and Cage. The Utopia island turns into a battle fest as Emma Frost bundled Hope into safety inside the X-men hq. Emma Frost usage of her telekinesis power to shutdown the avengers is thwarted by Ironman's technology and Frost turned into diamond shaped form which packed a punch into Ironman's suit. Magneto joined the fray and it seems that Ironman can hold himself against the master of magnetism for a while. Before long Quicksilver the son of Magneto joined in and gave Magneto a jaw punch he won't forget.

Meanwhile Wolverine and Spiderman sneak their way into X-men's hq through a sewer to locate Hope. But Hope is almost totally possessed by the Phoenix and gave Wolverine a roasting as he tried to approach her. When the avengers and X-men found them, both Wolverine and Spiderman are toasted literally as Hope makes an escape by running through water. Hope seems to gain much more power as time goes by. Meanwhile in outer space, Thor together with another team of avengers prepare to confront the Phoenix but it looks like their effort will be in vain. The frantic search for Hope continues in the next issue.

New avengers 19

Norman Osborne's new outfit the Hammer with a few notable supervillains such as Gorgon and Madame Hydra is at it again trying to disrupt the world. After previous incident where Wolverine's blood is taken by a robot commanded by Hammer, the rest of avengers are left to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of the destruction caused by the robot. With Wolverine's blood Osborne's plan is complete with the forming of his own avengers team. His plan is to set up some mayhem only for his own avengers intervene instead of the real avengers.


The confrontation between both Osborne's avengers and the real avengers is sure to make the next issue an action  packed one. With the offspring of Hulk Skaar on the side of Osborne, its going to be a close fight. Other side story includes Daredevil swinging by the avengers mansion and getting hit on by squirrel girl. And Spiderman with his fast tongue pissing off Victoria Hand at the mansion. Deodato's artwork as usual is consistent and nice to look at.

Avengers 17

The avengers watch helplessly as the avengers buildings is destroyed. Sin and her minions are surrounding the area trying to look for something. The avengers getting frustrated and starts complaining a lot. Hawkeye is out of patience and fires an arrow that hits Sin on the neck but that only pisses her off. Ms Marvel tried to attack head on Sin but doesn't do anything to any effect. In fact Sin blasted Ms Marvel far away. The new avengers arrived just in time with Iron Fist landing a punch on Sin.

The protector managed to revive a few dozens of Iron man suits to help in the fight against the Nazi bots. Together with the new avengers of Spiderman, Daredevil and Luke Cage the tide seems to turn to favor the avengers. Sin is getting pulverized by the Iron man suits controlled by the Protector. But Sin has had enough and use the hammer to destroy all the Iron man suits at once. But the Protector also managed to hack in the Nazi bots system and destroyed them leaving Sin as the last one standing. Sin was surrounded by the avengers and facing defeat but a stroke of the hammer transported her away from the scene through the Heimdall observatory which is inside the avengers tower ruins. It was the thing Sin has been looking for at the ruins. Sin transported to asgard is no good news as the war is finally brought unto Odin's doorstep. A lot of action interspersed with some excellent dialogue between the avengers in another informal setting.

New Avengers 17

A new story starts with the avengers thick in action engaging a giant Ultimo robot. The avengers have a tough time direct hitting the robot as the robot can absorb kinetic energy and reverse it back to whoever hitting it. The avengers are all unable to stop it until Doctor Strange shows up and use mystical powers to bind the robot. Before long the robot looses its balance and topple down with the help of Iron fist.

Wolverine as his usual berserk mode slash the downed robot but got ambushed by a mini robot that slices Wolverine to get a blood sample. The robot releases a contraption into the sky that disappears so fast even Ms Marvel can't catch up with it. The perpetrator of all this damage is Norman Osborne together with Madame Hydra and Gorgon that made up the new Hammer organization. Initially the mission is to obtain Ironman's armor but that was abandoned after the arrival of the avengers at the scene. So to make up for it, the blood sample of Wolverine would have to do. After the accomplishment of the mission the robot is detonated to explode. The story ends in cliffhanger as the avengers caught unaware as the explosion happen. 

Overall another nicely illustrated issue by Deodato with loads of action by each avenger. Even the facial expression of a frustrated and then happy Norman Osborne is clearly pictured.

Secret Avengers 17

The thing one first notice should be the eye catching of the cover with a menacing looking truck baring down Captain America who looks a lot younger. This time the secret avengers are on a case of  human abduction. The main villain is supposedly a truck that can shoots magnetic force field and has been capturing humans in Serbia. The secrets avengers consisting of Cap, Sharon Carter, War Machine and Valkyrie goes on an undercover mission to disable this menace.


The team gets ambushed straight away over the sky in their space shuttle so there is plenty of action and explosion here. From all the crash and boom on the sky the action directs through the ground as Captain America on a motorbike locates the targeted truck. The truck packs a mean magnetic weapon as war machine and Cap had difficulty getting close to it. After some head on shooting and blasting and a powerful swing of the sword by Valkyrie only the truck comes to a halt. The driver are meat robots created by some unknown organization that has been going around abducting humans to harvest the brains. Overall this is a very straightforward action packed story line by Warren Ellis. Doesn't need much time to finish up the book. One thing unique about this line of avenger title is that there is no visible main villain here which serves the story line better as no introductory background needed on any major villain and their motives.

New Avengers 15

This issue is an introduction to the character Squirrel Girl as she was hired by Luke Cage and Jessica Jones to be their super powered nanny to take care of the baby. She does possess a long tail like a squirrel and acts like one too. She demonstrated her capabilities which includes a hand to hand combat test with Wolverine. Her extra super power is the ability to talk to squirrels and it comes in handy in the fight with Wolverine. Mostly the actions are centered on Squirrel Girl as the focus of story shifts to the fear event.


As the fear event is unfolding, she gets caught up in it too as she was in downtown when the nazi robots commanded by Sin started to attack the city. She managed to dodge the attacks by the robots and also taking down one of it. But the attacks are too overwhelming and she fled back to the avengers mansion where the avengers are just started to go into action to save the city. Luke Cage and Jessica Jones handed their baby to her and left. But the story ends in suspense as the avengers mansion is bombed after the avengers left.

The fine artwork from Deodato makes this book interesting in an otherwise dull storyline of a side character of the avengers that is injected into the fear event story line. Squirrel girl could be the next new member inducted into the avengers if she managed to hold off the nazi robots attacking the avengers mansion in the next issue.

Fear Itself 5

The ultimate action is all in this issue alone. The multiple action scene itself makes this issue a worthwhile read. Thor squares off straight away with the Thing and Hulk. Thor uses his mjnonir trick to outmaneuver Hulk and Thing but still gets a bashing. Thor strikes down the on rushing Thing by commanding mjolnir and the hammer strikes through the body of the Thing leaving him incapacitated but not dead. With the Thing out of the picture, that leaves Thor and Hulk to slug it out.


Meanwhile in the capital city, Captain America is battling Skadi/Sin. Serpent finally arrives at the capital city signalling his intent on world domination. The avengers arrives at the scene just in time to face off with the Serpent. Spiderman has the best line here calling the Serpent Beardo suck it. But as expected the avengers is no match against a god as all fall in one blast. The penultimate of the fight happens when Serpent breaks the unbreakable shield of Captain America easily. After getting a hammering by the Serpent the avengers are left to regroup to fight another day of losing battle.

Thor's fight with Hulk is not over yet in downtown New York. Thor knowing he can't beat the Hulk uses his wits instead by sending the Hulk far far away in a bolt of thunder and lightning that screams to be heard in the page itself. At the end, Hulk was hovering in mid space and entering atmosphere hurling towards earth once more. On a losing battle the avengers will be most hopeful on Ironman to create god like weapons in a deal with Odin.

Avengers 15

The story starts off with the avengers sitting down for a chat again. Bendis has a knack for coming up with a lot of dialogues as always. Mostly the chat centered on spider woman of how she comes to be in avengers and her history with other avengers. Marvel girl, the cap and hawkeye also joined in gave their opinions on spider woman but slowly it builds up to the event leading to the chat where they encounter the hulk infused with the power from the hammer in fear itself event. Hulk was rampaging through the streets of Brazil when the avengers, spider woman, marvel girl and the protector drops in to stop him.

That was a bad idea as they were shell shocked by the hulk's  hammer pounding. The hulk moves to finish off spider woman but she stood her ground and fights back. Her zapping on hulk with electrical pulse is no match for the hulk and soon hulk have her on his grip. But Hawkeye's intervention from the air saved her. Hawkeye's arrows only proved to be a minor distraction to the hulk, even an arrow that is a direct hit through hulk's mouth is nothing. Hulk sends his hammer and ripped through the avenger's shuttle and hawkeye has to bail out. The Protector and Ms Marvel taking on the hulk is futile and the hulk is unstoppable.

Spider woman managed to save some kids stranded in the war zone as hulk was kept busy by Ms Marvel and Hawkeye. Hawkeye sends and electric charged arrow at the hulk and Ms Marvel lifting the hulk and throwing him at a fuel tank causing a massive blast. Hulk emerged from the blast unscathed as usual. The avengers together with the kids managed to hide out from the hulk in a truck. The story end with the avengers discussing the better way is to retreat from the fight that is no way to be won. Captain America sums it up well with a new plan of attack is needed or else their days are numbered.

Fear Itself 4

The world is still gripped in fear as the serpent is scheming to reclaim his throne from Odin. The more fear is sow among humans by unleashing his minions, the more powerful he becomes. Continuing from the previous issue, Thor is back at earth after being released by Odin. Thor makes his way to reunite with the other avengers namely Captain America Steve Rogers and Ironman. There they planned on how to stop the serpent, with Thor revealing that there is a prophecy of him slaying the serpent for the price of his own life.

Meanwhile the serpent has gained enough power and raised up his palace in Antartica. Something like superman's fortress of solitude. Not only that, the serpent gets rejuvenated and become young again and raise up more of his minions from the dead. Thor raced to Antartica to faced off with serpent, while captain america parachuted in DC to confront Sin/Skadi and the Nazi hordes. Ironman went to seek out Odin only to later curse the fellow and have a drink of his best wine. Looks like Stark is losing it. Thor is busy dispatching of more Serpent's minions and Captain America has his hands full with the Nazis.

Surely enough, Thor unable to reason with the Serpent and before he knows it, he was transported back to down town New York. The gods always like to teleport objects as if its fun. Thor doesn't have a scratch as always but what unfolds next is set to be the main event in the next issue. Thor is to have a show down brawl with both Hulk and the Thing with hammers. Its going to be a a hell of a hammer fight.

Avengers 14

The story here starts with something of a conversation between the avengers. It is like just any other normal chit chat with different members of the avengers taking turns to talk. Then slowly the talk slowly turns to more serious tone touching the red hulk and then the fear event. If one is unaware about the fear that is happening, captain america Steve Rogers gave a good description about how the god of fear returns and summoning the hammers.
Then the main action zooms to the thing who is taken over by the hammer in downtown New York. The only one avenger standing in its way is the red hulk.
Red Hulk proves no match for the thing with its new hammer. Hulk tries to tackle the thing but unable to stop it on several occasions. The thing unleashes a blast from the hammer causing hulk to thrown back a few blocks of buildings. The thing on eyeing the avengers tower fling its hammer to the tower. The hammer plunges through the tower a few times making a few round trips again and again. The thing delivers the final blow to the avengers tower by unleashing another blast from its hammer and the whole tower collapses on red hulk.



But red hulk is not done yet and makes one final assault on the thing but the thing proves far more superior blocking the hulk's moves and slamming its face with the hammer. The final scene has the thing telling red hulk to beg for mercy. The red hulk refuses and the thing whacks him to god knows where never to return again. Surely the red hulk is not dead yet, but who's going to stop the thing now that the only avenger that has the slightest possibility of doing is gone.


Main event: Avengers tower is gone.

Fear Itself 3

There's a lot of action in this issue as the wielders of the hammers starts break havoc around the world. It starts with Sin/Skadi and her troops of nazi robots bombing Washington. The avengers with Captain America which is still Bucky, black widow and Falcon is there to intercept. The avengers are unable to stop the new threat with Cap getting a hammering by Skadi. While they are busy duking it out, Thor escaped from his cell after being imprisoned by Odin in the previous issue. Odin on finding out about Thor's request to rejoin the avengers on the fight against fear grant him the wish and sends him back to earth.

Meanwhile in Brazil the Hulk is terrorizing everyone after being possessed by the hammer as Betty tries to rescue everyone from its menacing rampage.  But the avengers arrived just in time led by spiderwoman and miss marvel to stop the hulk.

There is the final hammer that lands in new york and mr fantastic and the thing is on site to investigate. Only to end up the thing is worthy of lifting the hammer. So another superhero gets possessed by the hammer with the name Angrir breaker of soul and starts wreaking damage in downtown new york.
But this is the issue will best be remembered for the death of Bucky/Captain America at the hands of Sin/Skadi. As Skadi lands the killing blow leaving a hole in Bucky's chest. His final words were about the serpent is here and we gotta save em. So long Bucky.

Main event: The death of Captain America

Fear Itself 2

The action is thick and fast in this issue. Odin is all anxious and try to galvanize all his forces in asgard but in the process chain up Thor in a prison for his disobedience. Odin is making earth the final battle ground with the Serpent. The unidentified objects which are hammers similar to Thor's summoned by the Serpent arrived and crash on earth on different parts of the continent.

Juggernaut possessed the first one and the hammer transformed him into a more enhanced version plus a new look armor suit with the name Kurth breaker of stone. In the process his mind is possesed by the hammer as well and is doing the bidding of the Serpent. Then the Bruce Banner hulk got the other hammer in Brazil and was also transformed by it into Nul breaker of world with an enhanced costume suit as well. Hulk is going to be most powerful and hard to stop of all the hammer wielders.

In South Africa absorbing man is trying to pick up the hammer recently crashed into a diamond mine there but to no avail. Until his companion titania comes along and easily holds it up and transformed in Skirn breaker of men. I wonder will she breaks only men. As all the hammer wielders started to bring chaos around the world the avengers are no where to be found. There's also a blitzkrieg of Washington depicted on a 2 page full spread where Sin with her armies of nazi robots bombs the capitol hill. Will the avengers strikes back in the next issue but then how and why are they taking so long.

Avengers 12.1

Here is a standalone issue just before the big event Fear Itself. The story concentrate more on the appearance of an unknown extraterestial entity and spiderwoman dispatch herself to investigate at Wakanda. As she stumbles on the source of the alien entity, she was surrounded and kidnapped by a group of villains. These so called second rated villains called themselves the intelligentsia as they are smart people amde up of the wizard, thinker, modok and red ghost. They seek to experiment the unknown alien entity that is in some sort of mummy steel casing that they found.

The avengers and the s.w.o.r.d organization that monitors aliens activities proceed to track down spiderwoman on learning about her disappearance. No one gets left behind even in avengers. They tracked her down to the villains headquarters and a battle ensues. Before long the avengers overpowered them. Modok is pulverized by Thor with just a swipe of the Mjolnir. Soon after the alien entity already being prodded by some of the villains is awoken. It is revealed that it is Ultron, the enhanced a.i. robot created by Tony Stark a few years back.

Thor leap into action and give it another of Mjolnir's blow causing the whole place to explode. What causes the explosion is not exactly revealed but Ultron managed to escape in the confusion as it is not ready for a battle yet. Surely with the return of this indestructible Ultron after being banished from earth will cause massive damage in issues to come. But not before the event in fear itself is ongoing. The pencils by Bryan Hitch is as usual very awesome and life like especially the full spread pages.If only there were more full page spreads especially of the fight sequence.

 Notable event: Ultron is back on earth

Fear Itself 1

The first book of this year's major event gives an introduction on the main players in this event. The avengers seems oblivious about what major event is about to happen. Only Odin knows and he commands all asgardian to go back to asgard. His intention is not revealed here. Thor and Odin had a fight where Odin wins easily enough. Now the avengers are left without the gods. The watcher/witness also makes an appearance here which could only mean something big is going about to go down.

The daughter of red skull, Sin meanwhile strikes into an old base of Hitler where a hammer weapon is still kept secretly which nobody is able to wield. Sin is successful in wielding it and soon is on her way to the deep sea. On the way she fights off a few dragons that is guarding an underwater cave. Later it is revealed the place is where the main villain the Serpent is imprisoned long ago by Odin. Now that he is free he summoned the worthy which are weapons. The weapons in the shape of unknown objects from space heads to earth and lands on different parts of the world.
Next issue should be highlighting the villains worthy enough to wield those weapons.

Main events: The asgardians left and the serpent is back.