The second act of AvX begins with the return of Professor X in the dawn of the Phoenix's takeover of the Earth, and the Scarlet Witch joins the conflict full force by pulling a bold move on the X-Men. The story also marks the start of Olivier Coipel's stint on the series; his work is breathtaking, and by far the best part of the issue.

Cyclops continues digging himself into a dark hole from which there is less and less hope he will be able to get out of. This slow fall for the character has been baking in the oven for a couple of years, so since the writing team is now fully committed to it, let's also hope it will not be washed away down the road "because he was under the influence of the Phoenix even before it arrived to Earth."

With so many of the same players, creative team, and story elements, this sixth chapter does not just resemble or evoke House of M, it IS indeed House of M all over again. If the intention was to establish some kind of parallel with that event, to create an opposite bookend, then it was taken too far; it's just too on the nose.