Marvel’s events in recent years have been interesting. Many started strong and quickly fizzled out. Others never lived up to the hype. And others had about as much depth as a piece of paper. Recently, Marvel has shifted things around with more focused events like Devil’s Reign which have matched the hype and vision. A.X.E.: Judgement Day #2 is an ambitious issue and delivers in both action and depth delivering an event that might be far more than just a long drawn out battle.

Written by Kieron Gillen, A.X.E.: Judgement Day has the Eternals seeing mutants as the ultimate deviation and thus needing to be wiped out. Caught in the middle of the two groups’ battle is not just the Avengers but the world as a whole. A.X.E.: Judgement Day #2 delivers a second chapter that is both grand in its vision and scope but also narrows things down as well.

Gillen does an impressive job with the issue which is broken down into three main stories. We’re introduced to six individuals who will play a role in what’s to come. One is obvious by the issue’s end but the other five is intriguing. There’s the battles that rage between the X-Men and the forces of the Eternals. Then there’s the attempt by the Avengers and some of the Eternals to reawaken the Celestial that currently is the base for the Avengers. Their goal is to create a god that the Eternals will listen to. It’s that last bit that’s rather interesting. The series is very much about extremism. There’s the religious extremists that currently rule the Eternals. There’s also some extremist elements within the mutant community and their ability to be reborn after death. That too has religious implications and reverberates not just through the mutant community but that of the human population too which some now see mutants as “gods” withholding “fire”.

The art by Valerio Schiti is pretty solid. Color is provided by Marte Gracia with lettering by Clayton Cowles. Overall, there’s a lot to cover with so many different locations, events, and characters to juggle. While it’s generally really good two issues arise. There’s some action that’s too muddled to figure out everything going on. I can’t quite make out the specifics and only general events. Also, Mr. Sinister looks rather odd at times. The face structure looks like he’s almost wearing the Jigsaw mask from Saw. When everything else looks good, these small things stand out.

A.X.E.: Judgement Day #2 is a solid second issue with an ending that really shakes up the event. It sends it in an unexpected direction but one that makes sense based on the title. Where it takes things overall, who knows, but so far, this might be Marvel’s best major event in years.

Story: Kieron Gillen Art: Valerio Schiti
Color: Marte Gracia Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

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