Avengers VS X-Men # 5 (Round Five)

By Mark Rodriguez

The Phoenix is arriving and the X-Men wants to allow it to inhabit Hope to save their race, while the Avengers wants to destroy it before it can destroy everything, including mutants. Where we last left our heroes, the X-Men and Avengers were both on the blue side of the moon, about to fight over Hope… when Thor suddenly dropped into the scene and pointed out that the Phoenix was arriving.

We start off Round 5 as Hope monologues about Thomas Ferebee, the man that dropped the A-Bomb in World War 2, and how everyone throughout history blames the bomb for the death and destruction and never the guy that actually pulled the trigger. Hope questions whether or not she is the bomb or the bombardier in this situation… since the Avengers and X-Men start to fight over her.

Since we only have the members that arrived on the moon, the teams are more streamlined this time around… we have Captain America, Red Hulk, the Thing, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Wolverine on the Avengers side… and Cyclops, Emma, Colossus, Magik and Namor on the X-Men side. Both teams fight it out until Hope does another Phoenix Flare Up Power Geyser that sends everyone flying back in flames.

Hope keeps firing flames from her eyes and says she can’t control the power. She asks Wolverine to kill her as promised, and Logan tries to stab her. Cyclops however, blasts Wolverine the hell away with his Optic Blast.

Meanwhile, Iron Man and Giant Man are inside the moon base and reveal that they are working on a giant Iron Man Mech. The two hero teams continue to fight it out. Red Hulk VS Colossusnaut, Hawkeye VS Emma Frost, Black Widow VS Magik, and the Thing VS Namor. Captain America and Wolverine gang up on Cyclops.

The Phoenix finally lands on the moon and the Captain calls for Tony Stark. The presence of the Phoenix is so strong that Professor Xavier feels it.The Scarlet Witch also feels it.

The Iron Man Mech is ready and blasts off. Captain America tries to talk some sense into Cyclops one last time, as the Avengers in space (Protector, War Machine, Vision, Valkyrie, Beast, and Miss Marvel) also arrive on the scene. Cyclops says he’s trying to save the mutant race and that Hope was meant to be with the Phoenix.

Iron Man arrives at the scene in his giant mech and fires off what basically looks like a Proton Cannon Kame Hame Ha at the Phoenix, causing a super epic light show. As this happens, Hope says to herself how she doesn’t want the Phoenix anymore… and that it didn’t want her either. Everyone is fried (again) and Captain America asks if everyone is ok. Iron Man also asks if he actually killed the Phoenix.

The Phoenix has now taken control of Cyclops, Emma, Namor, Colossus, and Magik, as they hold onto Hope’s unconscious body. They all speak with the Phoenix’ voice about how they will heal and save the world. Captain America says they’re talking like lunatic… but Phoenix Cyclops says they are now beyond human and mutant, and they cannot be stopped any more than tomorrow can be stopped from coming. They fry the heroes… yet again… (how many times can they take that kinda damage without being fatally fried… they’re not all Wolverine) and they all blast off towards Earth. Hope’s monologue (I guess while she’s knocked out?) ends the story saying she wasn’t the bomb or the bombardier after all… she was just another victim of whatever the Phoenix wanted to do.

My Opinions

This is when shit hits the fan people. I never saw this coming. I don’t read much Marvel so I don’t know if this is the first time the Phoenix had multiple hosts. The Avengers are totally screwed. Since this started, there has been much talk about how totally outclassed the Avengers were compared to the X-Men and how characters like Emma and Magik could basically end the fight without even trying. Now that they have Phoenix Powers…. Hooo boy. And what’s worse… they all seem to share Cyclops’ whacked out mindset. Not to mention Colossus now having both Juggernaut AND Phoenix powers? I wonder what the Avengers will do now and when, if ever, the Scarlet Witch will do something.

All of this fighting had finally come to a head, and now the story is heading in a new direction as the Avengers have to face deranged X-Men with the powers of gods. People can choose sides, but right now the X-Men are clearly in the villain role. I can't wait to see what happens next.

SNK VS Capcom Chaos Volume 1

By Mark Rodriguez We'll be seeing a few crossovers this month, and we're gonna start with one based on a crossover videogame. If you think the Malibu SF comic series was kinda sloppy, this one was literally all action, pin ups and splash pages, and what little story in it is just plain weird. I'm talking about the SNK VS Capcom Chaos comics made by Happy Comics, translated by Japan and produced with supervision from both SNK Playmore and Capcom. But first a brief explanation on the game this was inspired from. In 2000, Capcom produced Capcom VS SNK Millenium Fight 2000 which would throw the fighters of Capcom and SNK at each other. Unfortunately, aside from Morrigan from Darkstalkers and Nakoruru from Samurai Shodown, the game felt more like Street Fighter VS King of Fighters. Capcom later made Capcom VS SNK 2 Mark of the Millenium with even more characters and variety as well as different modes of play. SNK made their own game, SNK VS Capcom Chaos and it offered a bit more...

Arachna# 1 Review Spoilers

By Mark Rodriguez Here's another awesome comic from independent artists that opened up an Indiegogo to get it started. I usually don't chip in unless it looks real good, like you just know they're gonna hit their goal. Arachna, a sexy superheroine with a split personality and an amazing art syle, sure looked like a good pick for me. With lots of clever marketing in advance, even getting a person to dress as Arachna herself to bring the character to life, they hit their goal the same day they actually opened the Indiegogo for donations. I chipped in for the comic and the shirt, and here is my review on the latest superheroine that's bringing sexy back to comics, Arachna! Also note, while I'll try to keep my language as tame as I can, this book deals with way more adult stuff than I usually discuss on this blog. The Adventure Begins The issue opens with Jennie lying in bed naked in her apartment, a noticeable pile of sketches lying on the floor. She awakens to a voi...

Goshawk and Falconet # 1 (heavy spoilers so beware!)

By Mark Rodriguez Brought to you by the same studios that brought you Arachna # 1 and 2, we get a brand new superhero duo, Goshawk and Falconet. Let's check it out. The story opens with Goshawk and Falconet soaring through the sky just above Santa Monica Bay. They fly towards a ship that is being robbed. Goshawk tells her to secure the cargo while he keeps the guards busy. The robbers are working for a villain named Black Parrot. Goshawk lands between two of them and bashes their heads together. Just then a third man pulls a gun on him from behind. Goshawk retracts his wings which knocks the gun out of the man's hand. Goshawk knocks the guy out while Falconet kicks the guy protecting the cargo. Falconet uses one of her claws to pick the padlock and finds a room full of captured women. She assures them that they're alright now. On the lower decks, Black Parrot and a woman named Secretarybird think their mission is a success. With the harbormaster being bought and paid for ...

Mark's Epic Blog of Randomness

Search This Blog