Jason Aaron takes the reins writing this issue. I’m sure that working on a massive collaboration he was limited with what he was allowed to do here, but still I feel he could have made better use of some of characters throughout all the action taking place in this issue. I know from some of Aaron’s other work that he is a capable writer who can spin a good yarn.

John Romita Jr. returns to pencil this issue. His panels feel a bit more rushed than the previous issue. Some panels are tightly rendered while others feel a bit lose or unfinished, no doubt due to the tighter deadlines that comes with a book being produced every two weeks.

Now I did have a chance to read New Avengers issue #24 and Wolverine and the X-Men #9 and I must say that these two issues when combined with Avengers vs X-Men #2 make for a much better read. Both books do a great job expanding the story and provide a more intimate look at two teams and their feelings about having to potentially clash with one another. I have always felt you shouldn’t have to buy all the tie-in comics to appreciate what is going on in the core story. That’s the problem; unfortunately, here you do. Without the tie-in books, Avengers vs X-Men #2 feels like little more than an excuse for seeing superheroes partake in an otherwise irrational battle.

As I stated earlier its only issue #2 and there is still a lot more story to be told. I’m just hoping we don’t get the cliché ending that finds both teams banding together to stop the bigger threat. It’s high time that tired plot device is put to bed, at least for a little while. Doesn’t today’s comic audience deserve a little more than that?  

Rating: C+

Looking for even more brawling? Check out VS #1. The 6 part Vs series offers a more expansive look at some of the match ups from AvsX. The first issue features Iron Man vs Magneto and Namor vs the Thing.