When it comes to big events, things can be hit and miss. They sometimes start huge and fizzle out. They may feel derivative of something we’ve seen so many times before. Going into A.X.E.: Judgement Day #1, the latter was definitely on my mind. The comic has echoes of when the Avengers and X-Men clashed but in this case we have a third group involved, the Eternals. And, while some of that might linger, the debut issue has thrown out concerns setting course for an event that’s sure to shake up the Marvel Universe.
Written by Kieron Gillen, A.X.E.: Judgement Day #1 has some unexpected twists to the event. Kicking things off, it’s the Avengers on the offense and by the end it’s the X-Men on defense. Gillen muddies the waters as to who is in the right and who is in the wrong.
Leading up to this event, Eternals entered the Avengers compound for unknown reasons (to the Avengers) while dealing with Thanos. The Avengers of course have questions leading them to take an extreme measure. The Eternals’ new leader sees their mission to stop extreme deviancy to mean they need to deal with mutants and their new immortality. The mutants see the Eternals as the new gods replacing the old gods and this being the throws of the old gods attempting to hold power.
There’s a lot to take in with this debut issue. A lot. Some of which is how mutants see themselves in the greater picture. There’s also the rigidity of the Eternals’ mission and those attempting to break free from it. It all creates a much more complicated story and event than just two groups clashing.
The art by Valerio Schiti is solid. With color by Marte Gracia and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the comic looks fantastic. The worlds of the three groups blend together nicely so it’s all one cohesive world. There’s a lot of characters to pack into the issue and everyone looks great. The moments that are meant to hit visually do so. There’s also some fantastic pacing in the panels and pages playing off Gillen’s script. Panels are used to emphasize the chaos of what’s going on and it does it so well. There’s an epic feel multiple times when it comes to what Schiti puts down on the page.
A.X.E.: Judgement Day #1 is a solid debut delivering more than just groups clashing before fighting the greater threat. There’s a lot to chew on as Gillen lays out varying motivations and resulting in actions that are questionable for many. There’s also shocks, lots of shocks as the Eternals make a hell of a move that is sure to anger many. Many events in the past have started with a bang and fizzled. This is a nuke drop and here’s hoping it can keep it up.
Story: Kieron Gillen Art: Valerio Schiti
Color: Marte Gracia Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – TFAW – comiXology/Kindle
Source: Graphic Policy
