Avengers vs. X-Men #0: OMG, I'm going to compliment Bendis twice in a few days! Twice! It's a record. Prepare yourself.
In the Scarlet Witch story that opens this issue, Bendis adroitly uses the Vision and Ms. Marvel to give us two answers to the question, "How do you solve a problem like Wanda?" Bendis is so far the only author to every really get me to give a hoot about the Vision. He really manages to carry over the rage and sorrow that he established in "Avengers" #24.1 and use it to show that the Vision is not ready to forgive and forget (and that Wanda isn't going to be so easily accepted into the Avengers ranks). His harsh treatment of Wanda at the door of Avengers Mansion, physically (and metaphorically) blocking her entry was the key moment of this story, showing us how far Wanda has to go before becoming a trusted member of the team again. But, Bendis also infuses the moment with real emotion, showing how the Vision's stand devastates both him and Wanda. I also thought that Bendis made a good call in using Carol to show the opposite side of that equation. The heartbreak that Carol felt at the revelation that Wanda was behind the events of "Avengers Disassembled" is what really made that storyline so great to me. She served as the surrogate for the reader and the emotions that we were supposed to feel; without her, it would've just been another slugfest. As such, it makes total sense to me that it's Carol who wants Wanda to return to the fold, trying to make everything right, ignoring the obvious obstacles to that happening (like, you know, the Vision). This whole story felt like an old school Avengers story to me, where the focus was more on them as a family and less on them as a brand. Bendis has been particularly responsible for that transition from family to brand, so it's interesting that he reverses that trend here. (My only real questions is about this story is: Bendis knows the White House isn't in New York, right?)
In terms of the Hope story, I just want to say how pleased I am that the Serpent Society seems to be busting out everywhere. As far as I'm concerned, the more Serpent Society, the better. The problem is that I've got the opposite opinion of Hope: the less Hope, the better. But, Aaron does what he has to do here, showing us Hope moving farther and farther from the line that divides the good guys from the bad guys. I've talked a lot lately about the hypocrisy of the X-Men in sheltering someone like Magneto while condemning someone like Wanda. Aaron seems to add Hope to that mix here, given how utterly brutal she is in attacking the Serpent Society. It's actually getting hard to see how Scott could be so blind to Hope's problems, given that it seems clear that someone with such brutal tendencies isn't exactly going to use the Phoenix as a way to make everyone around the world hug. I almost wonder if we're going to learn that Hope has been manipulating him the entire time, like she did with the Lights, to keep him blind to her faults. Otherwise, his faith in her seems odd, given how tactically cold he usually is.
Looking to "Avengers vs. X-Men," it's pretty clear where they're going with the Hope story, though I'm intrigued how Wanda fits into the larger story. Is she possibly going to be a rival for Hope, a possible host of the Phoenix Force? I guess we'll see.
Avengers vs. X-Men #1: OK, first things first: this "AR" idea is possibly the worst thing ever. Why in God's name would they decide to interrupt the flow of the story and of the art with a meaningless icon that maybe, maybe, ten percent of the readers are going to use? It's already bad enough that we can't watch the news anymore without a ticker telling about all the other news that's happening other than the news that we're currently watching. Now, I'm supposed to be reading a story while getting told about other stories I could be reading? WTF? I hope this idea goes away very, very quickly.
On the story itself, I've got some reservations. First, I just don't know what Marvel is doing with Scott. I mean, I didn't get his position in "X-Men: Schism," but it was at least connected to his past experiences, portraying him as an even more militarized version of the general he had already become. (It was Wolverine's "Would somebody think of the children?" position that really left me confused.) But, here, it's like Scott has never heard of the Phoenix before. I mean, his whole point that the damage that the Phoenix brings is always followed by a "rebirth" is just ludicrous. Is he just disregarding the fact that Jean had to die (twice) to control it? Does he really think that he can guide a sixteen-year-old girl with even less control of her powers into using the Phoenix for something creative, rather than destructive, when Jean never managed to do so? I mean, yes, Scott, if Phoenix wipes out humanity as we know it, then, presumably something will follow us. But, I can't say that's a great alternative to, you know, not wiping out humanity in the first place. Moreover, Scott seems to be willing to take the risk because he thinks the Phoenix might have some obvious mutant sympathies. However, as I understand it, the Phoenix came to Jean (and presumably is coming to Hope) because of the power that she offered the Phoenix. It's never seemed inherently pro-mutant; it's just pro-power. As such, Scott's assertion that the Phoenix might be coming because it wants to help the mutants is just as absurd as his rebirth argument. Gambling that it will use its power for creative purposes and those creative purposes will recreate the mutant race seem like enormously optimistic positions to take, something that doesn't exactly match the tactician that we've been led to believe Scott is.
The way I see it, the only two possible explanations for Scott's position are that he is either under the control of Hope (as mentioned in the above review) or in the process of some sort of breakdown. I think it could be interesting to see how far the X-Men are willing to follow Scott before they question his sanity (and who questions it first). For example, I'm surprised that Emma is willing to follow Scott even this far, given that she generally believes that Hope is the anti-christ. Does she really want Hope playing host to the Phoenix Force? Does she really think it's a good idea? I'm trying to reserve judgment, because clearly Bendis et al. have something up their sleeves. It seems like Marvel is possibly cementing the transition of the X-Men to the bad guys, a fascinating idea in and of itself. But, I think it's become clear at this point that, for me to accept whatever the outcome of this story is, I'm going to need to see some sort of acknowledgement that Scott is behaving oddly and some sort of explanation for why he is. Without that, I think I'm going to be seriously disappointed.
Finally: I want clarity on whether we saw the return of Richard and I want it NOW!
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