@’s by Marvel Editor Axel Alonso!!!
AMBUSH BUG (BUG): So for those out there who aren't familiar with what's been leading up to AVENGERS VS. X-MEN, can you fill them in on how this all came about?AXEL ALONSO (AA): We’ve been lining up this story for years, and we’re finally ready to let loose the perfect inciting incident: A living comet that razes worlds and leaves something new in its wake hurtles toward Earth and a new host for its power, inspiring very different reactions from the Avengers and the X-Men – positions that cut to the very core of who they are, and what they stand for. What ensues is a battle royale between the world’s two biggest super hero teams – and after “Marvel Studios’ The Avengers,” super hero franchises – for nothing less than the fate of the planet.
Since this is the first event story where Marvel Universe heroes and X-Men heroes have an equal role and stake in the story, we’ve brought in five of our top writers – Brian Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman and Ed Brubaker – to sculpt the story, and three of our top artists – John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert – to illustrate one of the three acts. To keep the pedal to the metal, we’re shipping biweekly.
BUG: Seems the Phoenix Force and Scarlet Witch will be factoring in greatly in this book. Both have been gone a long time. What made you decide to bring these two powerful forces back for this miniseries?
AA: These are two phenomenally powerful entities. The Phoenix Force is the spirit of destruction and rebirth – bad news to any planet it visits, unless you’re the seeds that sprout in the scorched soil it leaves behind. The Scarlet Witch knows a thing or two about destruction herself. Ten years after she uttered the words that almost destroyed the mutant race – “No more mutants” – she remains a polarizing figure in the Marvel Universe. Can the X-Men ever trust her again? Can the Avengers? Indeed, with the Phoenix Force hurtling to Earth toward an earthbound host, should anyone?BUG: I've been intrigued by the match-ups you've been setting up. Magneto vs. Iron Man, Cyclops and Captain America, Spider-Man and Iceman. Red Hulk and Colossus. Will these stories overflow into other titles or is this event going to be taking place just in the team books?
AA: As the “versus” in the title suggests, AVENGERS VERSUS X-MEN will feature lots and lots and lots of fighting between your favorite Avengers and X-Men characters – one-on-one battles and group battle royales. But, honestly, can there ever REALLY be enough punching, kicking and force-blasting? I think not. Which is why we’re bringing you AVX: VERSUS, a limited series that offers in-depth, cover-to-cover slugfests, lovingly rendered by some of our best artists. If you’re looking for subplot, subtext or soap opera, look elsewhere. If you’ve ever stared at your bedroom ceiling at night pondering who’d win in a fight – Cap or Wolverine, Spider-Man or Ice Man, Thor or Storm, Black Widow or Pyslocke – and how, this is the book for you.
BUG: Who will Wolverine, Beast and Storm be fighting for since they are on both teams?AA: Good question! Given the recent split in the X-Men, who will Wolverine side with? Can he put aside his differences with Cyclops? Indeed, should he? All I can say is, there will be surprises, twists and turns.
BUG: I remember the old AVENGERS VS X-MEN miniseries from the late eighties fondly. Will that miniseries be considered and referenced at all in this series?
AA: Nope. We took great pains to make AVENGERS VS X-MEN as accessible to the newcomer as the long-term fan. If you can wrap your mind around the basic concept of a comet headed toward Earth, and the reactions it inspires, you’ll be just fine. That said, if you read seminal Marvel stories like “House of M,” “Messiah CompleX,” or the “Dark Phoenix” saga, you will be rewarded.
BUG: I've heard rumblings of people suffering from event fatigue in our AICN Talkbacks. What do you say to those people to convince them that this event is worth their time and money?
AA: AVENGERS VS X-MEN is what super hero comics are all about: The world’s two most powerful super-teams going toe to toe in a no-holds-barred war that will have a winner. The stakes are huge, both sides have defensible positions – you WILL choose a side – and the outcome of the battle will transform the Marvel Universe.
BUG: AVENGERS VS X-MEN begins in April!
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Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, original @$$Hole / wordslinger / reviewer / co-editor of AICN Comics for over nine years. Mark has just announced his new comic book miniseries GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS THE JUNGLE BOOK from Zenescope Entertainment. He is also a regular writer for FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND and has just released FAMOUS MONSTERS first ever comic book miniseries LUNA (co-written by Martin Fisher with art by Tim Rees) You can order it here! Support a Bug by checking out his comics (click on the covers to purchase)!
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