REVIEW: ‘A.X.E: Judgment Day,’ Issue #6

A.X.E.: Judgment Day #6 is written by Kieron Gillen, illustrated by Valerio Schiti & Ivan Fiorelli, colored by Marte Gracia, and lettered by V.C.’s Clayton Cowles. It’s published by Marvel Comics. As the Earth burns, its heroes make one final stand to stop the Progenitor in its tracks. Captain America leads an evacuation of Earth’s population through the teleportation network the Eternals have created. Nightcrawler and Starfox throw everything they can at the Progenitor. And deep within the Progenitor’s heart, a ragtag team of Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals confronts the Celestial over its judgment.

The end of a big comic book event is tricky. Not only do the creators have to deliver a final showdown that feels appropriately big enough, but they also have to tie up several loose ends. Gillen does all that and more. Not only does he write an intense battle between the heroes and the Progenitor, but he also comes up with an ingenious way of having the group inside the Progenitor devise a winning strategy. Iron Man and Thena were responsible for creating the Progenitor, making them the perfect people to confront it with its own hypocrisy. How can it judge others and not be subject to the judgment itself?

The answers lead to changes from multiple characters and significant status quo shifts for the Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals. One of the biggest complaints against comic book crossovers is that they promise to bring change but never deliver upon it. Judgment Day lives up to its promise and then some; to say more would spoil the surprise, but I will say that I haven’t been this impressed with a Marvel event since King in Black. Gillen started this series on a solid note and delivered an ending with equal, if not greater, resonance.

So does Schiti. Once more, he brings a touch of the apocalyptic to his pages as the Progenitor hovers over a burning and broken Earth. Yet, in the end, there is light — characters step out into the dawn of a new day, and the people of the world feel safe. Fiorelli joins in the action, with most of his work covering what goes on inside the Progenitor. And it has shades of Neon Genesis Evangelion, both in the designs of the Progenitor’s “inner self,” which looks hauntingly alien. Color plays a massive role in the book, as Gracia pits the fiery red apocalypse outside with the Progenitor’s disturbingly pristine and white insides. And Cowles continues to offer a look inside the god’s head with his letter captions as it considers what its actions have wrought. The art goes hand in hand with the writing to provide a truly immersive experience.

A.X.E.: Judgment Day #6 brings an end to Marvel’s latest event series and upends the world of the Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals in the process. If I were in the Progenitor’s place, I would definitely judge this comic worthy of reading. It’s very rare that a superhero comic can deal with matters of faith in such a profound way, but this one more than succeeds.

A.X.E.: Judgment Day #6 is available now wherever comics are sold.