Vilanova delivers some dynamic art throughout the issue. The visuals are thrilling and filled with great action.  Read Full Review

As the war continues, and the judgment of all those who would be judged, Gillen continues to mine the depths of what it means to be a Deviant in the Marvel Universe, and how they can be better integrated into the greater Marvel universe. Hopefully after this is all over, these characters will have a larger role than being a footnote into the obscure of the greater Marvel cosmology. Read Full Review

A.X.E.: Death to Mutants #2 feels like the expanded version of A.X.E.: Judgement Day. It fleshes out characters and events giving us more depth as to what's going on. It enhances the story, not working on its own but instead building on what's elsewhere creating a greater tableau. Read Full Review

A.X.E.: DEATH TO THE MUTANTS #2 is a largely compelling issue when it is focused on the Eternals society, their internal conflicts, and their ages-old struggle with the Deviants. It continues the story thread that began in A.X.E.: EVE OF JUDGMENT, tracking the Eternals with a level of detail that isnt present in any other series. Unfortunately its interaction with A.X.E.: JUDGMENT DAYs overall story is where the issue falls down. I had no idea why the Progenitor judges the way it does (it feels totally random). By the end I had lost interest in that story thread. We know the Progenitor won't destroy humanity. The compelling part of the story is the way people are judged and why. And thats a question Gillen doesnt answer in most cases. Read Full Review

Unfortunately the art isn't very good, cause this is otherwise a solid tie-in.

While the main series is a triumph in itself, this miniseries is the major crux of the story being told. I said in the last issue's review that this series is a continuation of Gillen's Eternals run, and I'd say that holds true in this second issue, but in a more indirect way. Our Eternals aren't given all the focus, but it still remains within the realm of that cast, if that makes sense. There's not a ton to say without spoiling, but the humanistic writing really makes this series charming, much like the Eternals run that came before this.

This could be a perfect 10/10 if I were judging on the writing alone. This issue is a flawless gem, elaborating the already wonderfully-integrated human stakes with the best bit yet (I love the Sally/Memotaur gal pal plot more than words can say), at last clarifying what the Celestial's criteria are (and of course they fit perfectly with the themes of Gillen's Eternals) and most of all, the small moments. The judgment of the Deviants was such a powerful culmination of the work Gillen's been doing with them that I had to stop reading and have a cry. The moment the Celestial addresses the machine breaks the fourth wall with a slap-in-the-face abruptness that few people besides Moore or Morrison can accomplish. And, again, everything with the Memotaur is the sort of wonderful, profound absurdity that makes superhero comics truly great.

Where this otherwise-extraordinary issue falls down is the art. I'm not familiar with Villanova's work, but his style here feels like the work of an artist snatched by the notoriously-brutal deadlines of monthly comics — in particular, his work on the next-to-last page of the Starfox subplot feels like he just had to give up and send in what he had. I can see the promise of his work, and the storytelling is clear enough that it doesn't derail the story, but in its execution this felt like the worst of JRJR's terrible, sloppy work on Action Comics.

On balance, even with subpar art this is one of the best issues of not just the crossover, but of Gillen's entire time at Marvel. I'm not usually one for crossovers, but so far this one's a masterpiece. more

This is another step back from the main event to rewind and go into greater depth. And I love it.

It's drawn decently; it's written amazingly. It is as close to great as it can be given that it's utterly reliant on the event's other issues for context.

I use the phrase "Big Dumb Event™" a lot when talking about Judgment Day, particularly the main series, but I'm not (intentionally) slandering it with that term. This issue shows that there is considerable brilliance and heart beneath the bigness and dumbness. The author's doing a shockingly great job of big-picture and small-picture writing at the same time.

This is a great chapter in the ongoing cross-over, and it is entertaining to be sure. However, it's overall esthetic quality is hurt by a lack of continuity. Not to the series as a wholw so much as within itself. Dialogue bubbles and even major character designs change in minor and major ways; going beyond nit-picking.

I can shrug and move on when the deviant Karkas has normal hands despite his weird claw mitt things being one of the more charming aspects of Kirby's original design. But to have dialogue bubbles change from signature colour/text to generic (especially when the character is not even in panel) throws a reader. Likewise having the Celestial Progenitor change to Arishem the Judge (possibly some confusion because Progenitor is kinda doing Arishem's work in this series) for some pages is just confusing.

Did not ruin my enjoyment, but definitely made it one of the quirkier chapters in one of Marvel's better cross-overs in years.

Things I loved: Kro flirting. Ikaris' podium outburst. Karkas being used at all (and Kro's plan in which he was involved) more

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• CrazyforRAMU
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CrazyforRAMU - Feb 1, 2023 (edited)

I found the sudden appearance of Arishem annoying, too -- at first. The last scene shows that the Progenitor can take alternate shapes; it judges Sally in the shape of her granny. If there's a rule governing this shapeshifting, though, it's unclear at this point, which is annoying.

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