Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils and Cover by Walter Simonson
AVX TIE-IN! One of the Avengers must betray the team to fulfill their destiny with the Phoenix. A game-changer for the Avengers franchise...and it is not who you think! Comics legend Walt Simonson is back!
Date Available: 05/16/2012
BONUS REVIEW by Rick Berg
Since 1982 I have worshiped at the altar of Thor. Since 1986 I have worshiped at the altar of Walter Simonson. Since 1987 I have missed the greatness of the two together. Sure there was an Avengers #300 here, 5 issues of Fantastic Four there, a reprinted tpb over there but nothing new. Then 25 years later Avengers VS X-Men is announced and Walter Simonson is going to draw 6 issues of the Avengers including Thor! By Volstagg's gut, I was so excited I drooled a little. Simonson drawing Thor in his awesome new suit and kicking the crap out of X-Men and seeing Walt draw Captain America? Surely Valhalla is around the corner for me. Then 2 issues in I am almost ready to burn my eyes out and start Ragnarok. Not only are there no X-Men battles in sight, much less any X-Men at all, well Thor does kinda do something to the Phoenix force but I'm not sure thanks to terrible Bendis speak, not only does this issue ruin another book completely, no need to read Secret Avengers now, I can't seem to find my Walter Simonson's rendition of anything much less Thor. Sure I can see the framework and some clues that this is indeed Mr. Simonson's work but I could not convince a jury to convict here, especially under the heavy, messy inks of Scott Hanna. This must be the most rushed, poorly inked, terribly colored book I have seen in a long time. Not only do my eyes hurt but my brain is scrambled trying to figure out how this story fits in the timeline with Avengers VS X-Men and Secret Avengers. The week dialogue by Bendis makes this issue seem to take place after June's Secret Avengers but before and after and during Avengers VS X-Men #4? I can't tell and I wish I could see the penciled version without dialogue because I know it is amazing and worth my time. Unlike this poor excuse for what should have been the thrill of a lifetime.
