The very concept of Marvel’s What If? books are supposed to be dramatic changes to some of publisher’s most pivotal storylines. Picking up What If? Avengers vs. X-Men #1, I knew I was going to get a variation on the battle between Marvel’s biggest teams but I wasn’t ready for what happens in this issue!
Just in case you didn’t get the original AvX story: The Phoenix Force was coming to Earth to bond with Hope Summers, the mutant messiah. Wolverine and the Avengers feared the worst and wanted to take Hope into custody. Cyclops and the X-Men believed the Phoenix and Hope could save the mutant race from extinction. One group saw death. One group saw rebirth. All suffered when the Phoenix Force split into five different hosts. Continue reading WHAT IF AVENGERS VS X-MEN #1 Review
The biggest Marvel story of 2012 is the inspiration for the return of What If?Avengers vs. X-Men was a huge event for the Marvel Universe!
What if “other” heroes became the Phoenix Five?
This week is the first issue of Jimmy Palmiotti and Jorge Molina’s four-part story starring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes fighting the Children of the Atom…with all-new twists and turns!
Iron Man tried to kill the Phoenix Force before it could reach Earth and possess Hope but the entity split into five hosts: Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Magik and Namor – with devastating results – including the death of Professor X.
Acclaimed creator Jimmy Palmiotti told Marvel.com why the original epic is a perfect inspiration for What If?:
Batman writer Scott Snyder is revealing how the Council of Owls has a grip on Bruce Wayne’s hometown. But the secret society has been manipulating Gotham City since the 1880’s. When the Night of the Owls crossover hits this May even All Star Western will be in the grip of the Talons.
Writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti shared how the event affects their book on The Source. And they reference my all time favorite sci-fi epic to describe it!
“Plans within plans.” That’s one of my favorite lines from Frank Herbert’s eco-sci-fi epic, Dune. It is also one of the hardest things to convey in a monthly comic where readers are often second-guessing the outcome or direction of a series. There is always a larger plan at work and things are never quite what they seem,” says Gray. “Both Batman and Jonah Hex have been discovering this fact in their own unique ways. Having chosen Gotham City as the unlikely setting for All-Star Western, Jimmy and I thought long and hard about the different ways we could make the book interesting to both new readers and the Jonah Hex faithful. To do that we began our initial arc with the secret society called The Crime Bible trying to establish its roots in 1880’s Gotham. At the same time over in Batman, readers were introduced to The Court of Owls.”
Gray continues, “By now you know both organizations existed long before the caped crusader launched his one-man campaign to save the soul of a city. So starting in May, The Court of Owls, the Talon, the secret history of Gotham, Crime Bible, Jonah Hex and Amadeus Arkham…some of the most unlikely and surprising elements start falling seamlessly in to place. It has been months and months in the making, but the plans within plans are coming to fruition and even the most cynical fan has to admit this New 52 thing is pretty damn exciting.”
“This is the best of both worlds for comic fans and us, and we plan on delivering the goods. Everything about this crossover makes sense and is planned brilliantly. We are happy to make Jonah and the gang part of comic book history once again,” said Palmiotti.
See how the Council of Owls affected Gotham City circa 1880 in All-Star Western #9. This cool retro cover is by Ladronn.
