Judgment Day has come and gone, and the Earth has failed. It all comes down to this, the final issue of A.X.E.: Judgment Day, Marvel’s crossover event featuring the Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals. Writer Kieron Gillen, artists Valerio Schiti and Ivan Fiorelli, colorist Marte Gracia, and letterer Clayton Cowles deliver an emotionally resonant and compelling conclusion to a story that uses superhero bombast as a vehicle to explore all-too-human questions. Gillen’s script pulls no emotional punches, while Schiti, Fiorelli, and Gracia render the physical punches with epic grandeur. Even as the final moments return things to a sense of normalcy, Gillen leaves the characters and their world with heavy truths and harsh lessons to grapple with.
Judgment Day is over, and the newly created mad Celestial, The Progenitor, has judged all of Earth and found it lacking. The Progenitor’s sentence is a brutal and twisted eradication of all life on the planet. After the world witnessed Captain America’s noble sacrifice in the previous issue, those who remain are united against a common threat. A ragtag group of surviving heroes hatches a last-ditch plot to stop the Progenitor’s destruction and save those who remain. But if they are victorious, how will the survivors live with the secrets that have come to light?
A.X.E has provided a masterclass in crafting an engaging crossover story. While giving all the details needed to understand the major beats of the story, the event is enriched by its surrounding tie-ins that give an additional emotional and character-focused weight to the epic story of cosmic peril. There’s no shortage of action throughout the series or this issue, but those explosive, superheroic battles are all in service to a cogent and satisfying vision.
An event comic is only as good as the core of its emotional story. Lesser crossovers have buckled under the weight of their complex structures and broader publishing demands. What loose ends have to be tied up? What 5-issue story arc can be expanded to include every toy in the toy box? A.X.E.: Judgment Day avoids these traps because, despite its many twists and turns and shocking visuals, it is, at its core, a story about the heroes of the Marvel Universe, their motivations, and their flaws. It holds a mirror up to the social anxieties of the real world and forces readers to reflect on their experiences. As the Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals are judged for what they have done and what they have failed to do, readers are challenged to consider the same.
The answers, or the lack of them, provided in this final issue inspire hope and sorrow in equal measure. Every choice can make the world a better place, no matter how small. One person’s choices can heal a broken society or relationship. But those choices can just as easily damn them. Gillen expands these deeply personal questions to a mythic scale, literalizing the emotional conflicts into the physical realm through incredible setpieces brought to life with jaw-dropping beauty by Schiti and Fiorelli’s formidable pens. Marte Gracia’s colors elevate the action and emotion, invoking horror and hellish torment as the Progenitor’s destruction rains down upon the planet. As a covert strike team assembles in the mind of the rogue Celestial, they stand in a stark white chamber that emphasizes its efficient and calculating worldview. There is no gradation to its judgments — no exceptions or nuances. Gracia’s colors are always in service of the story. Similarly, Clayton Cowles’ letters use subtle visual changes to give the various narrators unique identities that emphasize their personalities.
All the creators work in harmony to make this issue a joy to read. The ultimate resolution to the story is bittersweet, reflecting the pain of moving on from deep loss and personal trauma. There may be victory, but there is no moving forward unchanged. A.X.E.: Judgment Day #6 provides a satisfying conclusion to an exciting crossover event and exemplifies the very best of superhero storytelling.
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