Don't let the cover kid you, because only two of the characters on it actually appear in the issue; but don't let this disclaimer mislead you either; it was a good issue. Just like New Avengers #24 told the story behind the Avengers decision to descend on Utopia, this installment explains why Wolverine chose to side with the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Jason Aaron went to great lengths to ensure this felt like a stand alone book rather than a tie-in that cannot be understood without reading ten others.

I am not a fan of Chris Bachalo's style, but if there is one thing to say about it, is that it is pretty consistent and extremely detailed; he is also in charge of his own colors, which is a double duty seldom pulled by an artist, so he deserves credit for that. The issue is charged with a sense of inevitability, and the sequences featuring Warbird and Gladiator provide the cosmic-scale extent of the Phoenix's ominous arrival. Solid issue.