Axis #4 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Remender makes it pretty clear that something is wrong as this issue unfolds, with the Avengers getting ready to kill the Red Skull and the X-Men blindly following Apocalypse.  I'll admit that I was a little clueless until I read the advertising blurb for "Captain America and the Mighty Avengers" #2:  "Will the inversion of Captain America and Luke Cage spell the end of the Mighty Avengers?"  Aha!  Dr. Doom and Wanda didn't just invert the Red Skull and Xavier; they inverted everyone on Genosha!

As a result, this second "book" will likely take us some unexpected places.  Just in this issue, Jarvis risks his life trying to prevent the Avengers from taking a life, and Magneto and Quentin seem set to be the ones to challenge Apocalypse's control of the X-Men.  (On a side note, the inversion thankfully explains why Evan suddenly turned into Apocalypse.  I wonder if they're going to keep him that way.  It would be an interesting way to resurrect Apocalypse.)  It's fun (if that's the right word) seeing the heroes and villains act uncharacteristically:  Thor excited about the slaughter of innocents, Storm rallying the troops to war, Carnage saving families.  The mind boggles.

Plus, we only had one poop joke.  Right there, this book is a big improvement over the last one.

*** (three of five stars)