Though I'm hesitant to be interested in a spinoff from a crossover I was never entirely fond of, I am glad to see Marvel taking some of the changes seriously, especially as pertains to Scott Summers. Kieron Gillen is a writer that gets Scott Summers and it's evident in some of the details he presents in this second issue of "AvX: Consequences."

That said, only about half of this book works. The first half feels mostly like bluster and "Boy, wouldn't it be cool if Wolverine came to give Cyclops what for in prison?" It's just not that interesting. However, when Cyclops begins to make his case, both for accepting responsibility and his unwillingness to take it all back because the end result is just too important, the book begins to sing. The commitment to this idea has impact and in the right hands, if we delve deep enough, it could be wonderful. In fact, without taking a stance, the whole situation makes Wolverine seem incredibly naïve. I'm not sure I buy it, considering everything Logan's been through, but it's where we've been headed for a long time now, so I'll play along.

This idea is also just fun (in a dark way). Cyclops makes sure Wolverine knows that that he is now the rebel. Wolverine is now the respectable schoolteacher that didn't do enough to save his race, wasn't willing to risk everything (including himself and everything he believed about himself) in order to save that race. It's an interesting enough concept that I wish it had gotten even more page time, instead of the old favorite concepts "Jean loved me more than you" and "I'm gonna kill you so good." These characters are far more nuanced than that, especially under a writer as good as Gillen. I hope in the coming installments Gillen can push the more compelling, complicated, morally grey area, and do less with testosterone bluster as the former is far more interesting than the latter.

Kurth's work is particularly strong in this issue when it comes to his depiction of Scott Summers complete in prison orange and a giant headpiece with hilariously large ruby visor goggles imbedded in them. The net effect is, after seeing Scott become epically muscular over the years, and most recently, essentially a god, he's back to nerdy Scott "Slim" Summers. And it works. It's a great statement, deliberate or not, about how a person's physical demeanor defines how we view them, for good or ill. Kurth's Wolverine does not strike me as half so interesting, but there's nothing wrong with it and he does his best with mostly interesting conversational pieces.

With the right hand (and I think Gillen can be that hand), "AvX: Consequences" has the potential to be more interesting than the crossover that birthed it. Time will tell if it can go deep enough and ask enough tough questions to make this book more than merely additional "AvX" padding.