Because AVENGERS VS. X-MEN is such a massive crossover event, the action cannot be contained to a single series. This is where we'll be seeing loads of action.
The Good
Upon reading the first two issues of AVENGERS VS. X-MEN, there was a feeling of chaos once the fighting began. With the vast amount of characters from the Avengers and the X-Men present, the beginning of the clash was almost comical as everyone started running towards each other. The story was mixed with random scenes of mini-clashes that almost didn't make a lot of sense.
For example, we saw Iron Man fighting Emma Frost and on the next page he is then fighting Magneto. AVX: VS shows us more of what happened at that moment. The fight between Iron Man and Magneto lasted a couple panels but here it takes place over ten pages. I had wondered if there would be any acknowledgement to their brief encounter in MAGNETO: NOT A HERO #1. That is sort of addressed here.
This battle is written by Jason Aaron so it's good to see him pick up where he had to gloss over in the second issue of the main series. The art here is what makes the story shine. Adam Kubert draws the battle between these two and it's great.
The second battle deals with Thing and Namor. In issue #2, we simply saw Namor send Ben flying with a punch. Luke Cage steps in and pages later we see the return of Thing fighting Namor along with Cage. Again, there was a sense of confusion as if we stepped away from the comic and the action continued without us. Kathryn and Stuart Immonen deliver the action for this half of the comic.
The comic starts off right away making it clear that this series is about the action and fighting. The story portion takes place in the main series. Basically you have a choice if you want to see all the detail here but it does give the overall story a bigger feel by showing the specifics of what went down. The only other option would be to cut down on the encounters which would feel a little odd since this is supposed to be such a big event. There are also "AvX Fun Facts" sprinkled throughout.
The Bad
There's the lingering feeling of whether or not this series is really necessary. It doesn't try to give the illusion that it is absolutely necessary. It's unfortunate that you have to have a separate series to show the action but the only other option would be to reduce the number of characters in the series, which would take away from the magnitude of the series.
There is a feeling of a lack of continuity with the Namor and Thing story. I mentioned Luke Cage's presence but he's never seen in this story. When Thing does return after the first punch, Luke is nowhere in sight. The battle finishes and it just doesn't feel like it meshes perfectly with main series.
Seeing these fights in full form is fun. I wonder if the entire six issue miniseries will retain the excitement over seeing fight after fight.
The Verdict
This is an issue about some of the fights during AVENGERS VS. X-MEN. Plain and simple, that's what you get. There are no illusions that more will be contained. What it does do is flesh out the action seen in AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #2. There was a lot that happened in that issue and because many of the battles took place within one panel, there wasn't a complete feeling when reading the issue. Here we get to see what happened between the panels and pages. With Jason Aaron, Adam Kubert, Kathryn Immonen and Stuart Immonen on board, you know there is some quality to the two battles. The slight lack of continuity is frustrating and it will be hard to judge each issue as it will mainly rely on which characters are featured.