Avengers X-Sanction #1 initially was hyped as the return of Cable. At one point being called Cable Reborn, then it was revealed that he was after the Avengers. That’s when the Avengers X-Sanction name was revealed. Though exactly why would Cable be after the Avengers? As it was revealed this is a prelude to the Avengers vs. X-Men crossover. The test of this issue is will the reason Cable is after the Avengers be a compelling one? Jeph Loeb is a creator for me that’s hit or miss, lately steering towards miss but I keep an open mind. Ed McGuinness I’ve been a fan of since I first caught his Deadpool and Mr. Majestic work. With two names I have dramatically different opinions on and Avengers X-Sanction is leading into Marvel’s big event of 2012? The expectations are high on this one.
The first pages of Avengers X-Sanction start out as a classic Avengers battle. There’s nothing more classic than the Avengers vs. The Lethal Legion consisting of Grim Reaper, Living Laser, Radioactive Man and Whirlwind. Showing the fight off in a nice double page spread. Ed McGuiness outdid himself on that one. I had to give Jeph Loeb credit, he’s starting this story out on a good note. Loeb has a good handle on the Avengers chemistry and how they work together. Which we’re now heading into the main event of the issue, the return of Cable and this is where things start to get into the meat of why he’s here.
I wasn’t sure how Loeb was going to handle Cable’s return but I will say this, in his current incarnation it makes sense. Ed McGuiness draws a nice Cable and the fight with Captain America in this issue is suitably intense. Note I didn’t reveal why the fight happens with Captain America since it involves spoilers. His fight also happens in the midst of the bigger picture of why Cable is coming after the Avengers. It’s entirely personal and considering the early reports of Avengers vs. X-Men it does lead to further questions down the road. By the time the issue finished up, I’m still not entirely sold yet I’m still wanting to know more.
First off, Jeph Loeb did an okay job in setting up the first issue of Avengers X-Sanction. Not saying it’s perfect, at the core is one this is a big shiny action movie at it’s core while setting up the big event. It’s not perfect by any means, yet I can’t deny that I am willing to check out the second issue just to see where this is ultimately going to go. Ed McGuiness does a nice job in conveying this story. It’s energetic, and fits this story in showing you the amount of action that’s going on within the first issue. Another factor I think about is the fact that most readers are either going to love this comic or hate it for differing reasons. I didn’t love it or hate it, but I am curious in the second issue. There’s just enough here to pique my interest. Avengers X-Sanction is so far off to an okay start, let’s see though if this becomes a can’t miss series.
