Damn you, Jason Aaron, you bastard. You talented, heart-wrenching bastard. You’ve managed to deliver the best issue of ‘AvX: Versus’ to date.
In this issue, we see Hawkeye take on Angel, which was a good fight for what it was. Matt Fraction did a good job of showing just how far Clint Barton will go in this war, but the fight didn’t have as much context as it should have had. It was like a midcard fight thrown in to fill up the event and to appease the fans by throwing in a few of their favorites.
More importantly, also featured in this issue is a battle that’s been teased during this entire ‘Avengers vs. X-Men’ event: Storm vs. The Black Panther. The king and queen of Wakanda are on different sides of this war, and they were bound to come face to face eventually. Aaron was tasked delivering this tragic tale, and he did not disappoint. He finely crafted this battle and filled it with so much emotion and anguish. When things started to escalate and flashbacks were intercut with the dueling inner thoughts, my heart broke into a million pieces. I remember it like yesterday when these two were married, and to see them come apart because of this really sucks. But these are things that superheroes have to deal with, and when they’re done right, like this story, it’s really compelling to read.
Just for the Ororo vs. T’Challa fight alone, this issue is well worth picking up.
Final Score:
AVX: VERSUS #5
Written by MATT FRACTION & JASON AARON
Art by LEINIL FRANCIS YU, GERRY ALANGUILAN, SUNNY GHO, TOM RANEY, & JIM CHARALAMPIDIS
