Robb Ghag reviews What If? AvX #3…
“The biggest event of 2012 is now the biggest miniseries of 2013! We all know what happened to the Avengers and the X-Men? but what if the story had gone differently?The one and only Jimmy Palmiotti brings his signature style to a mind-blowing reinterpretation of a key event in the history of the Marvel Universe.Featuring Magneto, Hope, and every Avenger and X-Man you can imagine!”
When the last book ended Hope Summers had assumed the mantle of the deadly Phoenix Force. Unlike the actual Avengers vs X-Men storyline, she is consumed by the Dark Phoenix as Magneto takes on the role of her instructor.
Most What If? stories rarely last the two issues, let alone three and I cannot remember one which had four. Jimmy Palmiotti has done a great job pacing this story and again left us wanting to see more. Given the fact the original series was a twelve issue story arc, he’s done an amazing job considering he had one third of the time.
The artwork has taken a giant leap, and is similar to Roger Cruz’s work on X-Men or Joe Madureira’s. I’m not sure if it is Gerardo Sandoval’s pencils, or the combination of Jordi Tarragona’s ink work, but it definitely looks stellar.
Of all three issues, this one felt the slowest, however in retrospect the battles and deaths of major characters runs amok in this issue. Again, this is probably to add an extra layer of anticipation to the conclusion of What If? AvX.
As a small independent storyline, it’s been a great summer read. Too bad it’s coming to an end in the next issue.
Robb Ghag works for an Arts & Entertainment Brokerage in Toronto Canada. An Animation and Film school graduate, he specializes in Risk Management of Animation and VFX studios throughout North America.
Originally published July 25, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
