Namor flips out and destroys the Kingdom of Wakanda. As the Avengers reconvene to plan their next move, the Prince of Atlantis is instigated by Emma Frost to go after their enemies and do some serious damage. Just like last issue, this chapter is very focused and specific, which makes it much more entertaining than the first six books. The idea of dozens of Avengers fighting dozens of X-Men sounded great, but the execution was simply overwhelming and all over the place; with a relatively limited cast the story becomes more cohesive, but then again, at the cost of leaving many fan favorites out of the picture.

The developments on this eighth round make it clear how things will go down from here, and more or less what the final confrontation will be about. The Scarlet Witch and Charles Xavier share the ominous moment award; as usual, Spider-Man gets the punch line award, and Red Hulk, the most painful moment trophy. With a solid script, intense dialog, and the clean, detailed artwork of Adam Kubert, issue #8 is an enjoyable read.