Review # 17: "X-Men: Fatal Attractions"

The X-Men of the Bob Harras/Scott Lobdell/Fabien Nicieza era can be best summed up in two words: "violent arguments." And I'm not talking about two people sitting across from the table furiously unleashing verbal barrages or each other. I'm talking about what 90s post-Chris Claremont X-Men comics had instead of fights. For every punch thrown, every claw snikt'd and every eye beam zakt'd there would be sentences upon sentences of philosophical posturing. While it's true that often there's too much conversation going on during superhero battles, under Harras' watch as editor (or "dictator" as implied by Claremont who quit over creative disputes,) the X-Men and their villains took it to another level.

Review # 16: "Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E."

If I ever sat down and tried to write a comic series, I'm 99 percent certain it would end up being like Nextwave.

Review # 15: "Wolverine and the X-Men 17"

Conspicuous by its absence in the AvX Companion, "Wolverine and the X-Men" #17 was a gap I absolutely had to fill because of one character and one character alone: Doop.

Review # 14: "Avengers Vs. X-Men Companion"

At an unparallelled level, AvX DOMINATED the lines of Marvel's two largest team franchises, which are hot with collectors. In Marvel's wisdom, they included lots of bonus content with the hardcover release of the main story, then compiled the others into a companion piece. I'm going to go through them bit-by-bit (since the main line can be purchased without add-ons) and let you know if they're worth your time. I'll give a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle, then have an overall rating for the companion omnibus at the end. Cool? Cool.

Review # 13: "Avengers vs. X-Men"

"Avengers vs. X-Men." Oy vey.

Review # 12: "Fear Itself: Avengers and Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis Volume 3"

Now this is more like it.

Review # 11: "Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis - Volumes One and Two"

After his New Avengers dealt with new threats, his Mighty Avengers operated as a half-facade and his Dark Avengers operated as a FULL facade, Brian Michael Bendis' adjective-free "Avengers" relaunch is like a throwback to the time before he took over the title and made it Marvel's biggest-selling franchise. It's a sensible move as after the events of "Siege," the company launched the new "Heroic Age" with a back-to-basics line being drawn between heroes and villains. Political infighting ("Civil War,") espionage ("Secret Invasion") and hidden malice ("Dark Reign") had made everything blurry.