At its first "Next Big Thing" news conference of 2012 Marvel Comics announced the first and only Avengers vs. X-Men tie-in, a 12-issue miniseries AVX: Versus (or as it appears on the cover AVX: Vs.), which will feature rotating creative teams with each issue focused on different battles between members of the X-Men and those siding with the Avengers.  The AVX:Versus miniseries, which will undoubtedly find favor with fans who enjoy seeing Marvel characters going toe-to-toe in massively destructive slugfests, will debut in April simultaneously with the Avengers vs. X-Men event, which is otherwise limited to the ongoing Avengers and X-Men titles (see “Avengers vs. X-Men”).

 

Marvel’s Tom Brevoort noted that since the main narrative of the Avengers vs. X-Men event will be limited to the core Avengers and X-Men titles, AVX: Versus is therefore “the least essential read of the Avengers vs. X-Men event, but it will probably be the most bestselling, since it is literally a ‘fight’ book,” and he knows how much the fans enjoy seeing Marvel characters “grind each other into the dirt” (not that there won’t be plenty of fighting in the main Avengers vs. X-Men titles).

 

The first issue in the AVX: Vs miniseries will feature a combat between Iron Man and Magneto choreographed by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert, and a Thing vs. Namor squabble staged by Kathryn and Stuart Immonen.

 

Don’t expect much narrative brilliance from AVX: Vs, as Marvel’s EIC Axel Alonso put it the idea here is “to give some space here for some beautiful eye candy from our A-list art teams.”