Avengers VS X-Men #7: Review

Does Spider-Woman get left behind with Hawkeye? She isn't seen in the group Dr Strange brings back, or anywhere later in this issue. The Children's Crusade limited series revealed that Scarlet Witch was possessed when she caused the deaths of Ant-Man, Hawkeye and Vision (all of whom have come back since) in Avengers Disassembled, and during House of M. At then end of that series she decimated the mutant race by removing their powers not by killing them. But admittedly some died as a result. Dr Strange has been mentioning Ikonn in illusion spells since 1966. The being himself has occasionally turned up as well, most recently in the Eighth Day crossover that started in Thor (1998) #17 and ended in Avengers (1998) #25. Lei Kung's appearance here obviously leads to the earlier New Avengers #27 where Hope is being trained in K'un Lun. The fact that the other Avengers aren't seen there indicates that Sub-Mariner's attack will foil their escape. Oliver Coipel's art is very good at depicting the displays of Phoenix power. And he's no slouch at handling Scarlet Witch either. Act 2 of this epic, which began last issue, feels more like a story than the succession of fights of Act 1. I'm persuaded to give this issue a 5.

The 2nd cycle of scripters continues with Matt Fraction for this issue. Once again I've added comments to #6 for the tie-in issues that came out in the intervening week. There's only 1 tie-in this week, which probably lies between this issue and last. Uncanny X-Men #15 has the Phoenix 5 attacking Mr Sinister. And some X-Men like Magneto and Storm are beginning to chafe under their rule. In this issue, as in the previous ones, there are main characters plus lots of cameo roles. This is especially true of all X-Men apart from the Phoenix Five and Hope Summers. Thus I have sometimes had to use the initial cast list to make tentative identifications on both sides. I have been successful this time except I can't see Angel in the body of the issue. I think I've realised one piece of mistaken identity in #4. Madison Jeffries was included in the cast list in #2-4. This issue has the same picture but with X-Man written under it. Jeffries probably *was* the character depicted inside #2-3 (although he didn't do anything distinctive). But the character in #4 didn't look like him, and appeared to be mentally controlling a dinosaur (very un-Jeffries). I now figure that was X-Man *telekinetically* controlling the animal. It's probably X-Man inside this issue as well, although again there is no distinguishing behaviour.

Extra comments on the next week's tie-ins:- The main AvX element in Wolverine and the X-Men #13 is Gladiator and the Shi'ar Death Commandos vs the Phoenix 5. As such it can fit anywhere between #5 and #8, but the events of W&XM#12 imply it is after #6. As usual Avengers vs X-Men: Versus #4 depicts 2 individual fights from the latest Avengers vs X-Men issue, namely this one. They both occur in the skirmishes involving fake Scarlet Witches. Daredevil vs Psylocke is from the New York battle, and Psylocke joins the ranks of X-men beginning to doubt the Phoenix 5. Thor vs Emma Frost is in the Ukraine. New Avengers #28 shows us some captives of the X-Men. Hawkeye has been healed, so this must be after the current issue, and probably after #8 as well. Spider-Woman is there, confirming my theory that she was taken along with Hawkeye. So is Luke Cage, which suggests he was captured during the New York Daredevil/Psylocke incident. And looking more closely at that scene, I now realise he is falling through the Siege Courageous. They escape from prison, but it turns out they're in a Danger Room simulation. X-Men Legacy #270 should also have been out, but it's been delayed for 2 weeks.