The war between the Children of the Atom and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes continues to burn on, but is this latest issue a worthwhile purchase?  Read on.

The official description from Marvel:

Cyclops changes the game with these three words: “No More Avengers!”

In a world that’s in love with the power of the Phoenix Five, can Hope and the Scarlet Witch with the help of the remaining members of the Avengers hope to win this fight?  I honestly don’t know, but this issue more than succeeds in keeping the fight interesting.  The X-Men are determined to take down the Avengers at all costs, while the Avengers themselves are trying not to let that happen.  There’s also some in-fighting going on with regards to one of the teams, which allows the story to get a little more juicy during some of the stale moments.

Matt Fraction does a really good job letting the pieces on the board clash in epic fashion.  But when the story call for some slower moments the tension established in the battles carries over nicely, while maintaining a very bleak momentum that plummets this issue to its cliffhanger conclusion.  The dynamic between both the Avengers and X-Men is getting more and more heated, and one can’t help but wonder how this is all going to end.

Olivier Coipel once again delivers some nicely done art.  Event books in either the DC universe or the Marvel universe require an artist that can easily draw each superhero, and make them unique enough that people won’t get confused while reading.  Thankfully that’s exactly what happens during these battle scenes, as the art succeeds in showcasing some very dynamic panels in diverse locations.

This latest issue is a solid little jaunt into the Marvel universe.  Kudos to the creative team for successfully creating a bleak atmosphere and making this latest outing a really good read.  Recommended.

4/5