Avengers vs. X-Men: VS #6 (Story 7)

Background

The Avengers are on their way to fight the X-Men. That's all you need to know... if you even need to know that much.

Story 'Spider-Woman vs. X-Women (Kinda)'

Spider-Woman fights the White Queen, Storm, and Psylocke in unlikely ways, all of which highlight the nubility of all concerned - as well as Emma Frost's extreme vulnerability to wardrobe malfunction. Then Captain America wakes Hawkeye up: this was all a daydream... or, to put it more precisely, a fantasy. Then our heroes jump into battle against the X-Men.

General Comments

I'm of two minds about this.

Firstly, I'll come clean: yes, I found it titillating. That's what this story aims to do, and mission accomplished.

But secondly, I felt grimy after reading it. My rule of thumb is that if I feel embarrassed reading it on my morning commute - I take a train to the office, and that's where I do the bulk of my reading - then it's crossed a line. And I definitely felt embarrassed after reading this in public.

Look, Marvel, I like T&A as much as the next hetero male, maybe more. But I don't like it in my superhero comics, which I prefer to be an all-ages experience. And I can only imagine, but strongly suspect, that female readers find this stuff even more puerile and off-putting than I do. Leave this stuff to the Internet and adult-video people: they'll do a better job and their audiences will love them for it. Stick to what you do best, which is telling fantasy adventure stories. We'll all be happier.

Overall Rating

"The Winner: You!" No, I don't think so. Two webs.