Avengers vs X-Men

Many people who want to pick up on the Avengers/X-Men event may miss the prelude series Avengers: X-Sanction. At this point in time, it's not even confirmed to be the Avengers vs. X-Men lead up.

But you bet that's what it is: On the Official A vs. X Marvel Page, they are quietly listing this 4-part miniseries as part of the event.

Optional Reading: Avengers: The Children's Crusade #1-9 (Not required, but useful for understanding how Wanda Maximoff, The Scarlet Witch, returned from her supposed death. It's also important to note that Marvel admits there are inconsistencies with this story, but it should occur after Fear Itself and before Shattered Heroes.)

000 Marvel Point One #1 (One Shot) (In a series of stories eluding to the event coming for 2012, one story centers on Nova, The Human Rocket, as he attempts to reach earth after one world is ravaged by The Phoenix Force. We've now understood that this entity will be the main catalyst for the event.)

001 Avengers: X-Sanction #1 of 4 (After battling The Lethal Legion, The Falcon is sniped by Cable and hauled off to a stasis tube. Captain America follows the trail and has a battle with the time-traveling mutant which leads to his capture. In the final moments, Cable explains that he has to kill or take out each and every Avenger.)
002 Avengers: X-Sanction #2 of 4 (With Cap and Falcon under wraps, Iron Man follows Redwing to their location and is attacked by Cable. They have an all-out battle and finally Iron Man is taken down. We learn that the future, where he is from, is reduced to ash because Hope is killed. If she is to survive, The Avengers must die. Before Cable can continue his plans, he's shot down by the Red Hulk; in Cable's history, Red Hulk is Talbot, but in this one, it's Ross, which suggest something different has happened.)
003 Avengers: X-Sanction #3 of 4 (Red Hulk is about to end Cable when Blaquesmith, his only ally, comes to his rescue. Together, they manage to distract the behemoth and regroup. The issue also goes into a series of flash-forwards, where the two uncover technologies hidden in the ancient Avengers Mansion, suggesting the group was prepared to war with mutants. When Red Hulk returns, Cable survives, but only by releasing his techno-virus on the monster, taking him down. Before Cable lands a killing blow, Cyclops and Hope arrive; they're prepared to release Captain America and the others, but Cable won't stand for it. As he's preparing to shoot his own father, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and other Avengers rush in to fight.)
004 Avengers: X-Sanction #4 of 4 (The battle between Cable and The Avengers comes to a close as members of The X-Men join in. Once he's brought down, his body is secured away. Hope is observed, now infused with the power of The Phoenix Force, purging the techno virus from him. This begins the ultimate showdown between the two groups, one who believes she will save the mutants, and the other who thinks she will burn the world.)

005 Avengers #24.1 (The Vision awakens and attempts to find his wife, The Scarlet Witch. Flows directly into the main event.)

006 Avengers vs. X-Men #0 (The Scarlet Witch appears at Avengers Mansion. Cyclops confronts Hope and the coming of The Phoenix.)
007 Wolverine and The X-Men #9 (This is where Captain America recruits Wolverine against The X-Men.)
008 Avengers vs. X-Men #1 (Captain America vs. Cyclops. Includes Avengers vs. X-men: Infinite #1.)
009 New Avengers #24 (Centers mostly on Luke Cage, but starts right where Cyclops blasts Captain America. The New Avengers are overhead and dropping in on the island of Utopia.)
010 Avengers vs. X-Men #2 (Different perspective. The Avengers see Cyclops blasting Captain America. And then The X-Men take out the helicarrier.)
011 Avengers #25 (Avengers are attacking X-Men on island of Utopia. The fight is already underway.)
012 AvX: Versus #1 (As stated in the issue, it happens during Avengers vs. X-Men #2, and since Avengers #25 does also, it appears here. Part 1: Iron Man vs. Magneto; Part 2: The Thing vs. Namor.)
013 Uncanny X-Men #11 (From the perspective of The X-Men, recapping back to the moment of first strike and after the battle with The Thing and Namor. A major part of this issue is Colossus versus Red Hulk.)

016 Avengers vs. X-Men #3 (In a stunning order of events, we learn The X-Men are pretending to surrender but are secretly looking for Hope. As soon as The Avengers realize something is wrong, The X-Men Extinction Team teleports away. Captain America blames Wolverine for Hope's escape and they kick him off the Quinjet in frozen wastelands near The Savage Land! Amazing issue. Avengers Academy #29 occurs in the midst of this issue: The Avengers would drop the mutants off, then head to Manhattan to form their separate missions.)
017 Avengers Academy #29 (This issue starts off with the Avengers arriving at Avengers Academy, on the West Coast, to drop off the younger mutants left behind, therefore it belongs after Avengers vs. X-Men #3, where The X-Men escape.)
018 Avengers Academy #30 (Continues from Avengers Academy #29. This story has some elements of the AvX story with X-23 trying to determine which side she'll choose while the mutants and the students are starting to come to blows. One other subplot of the story is Sebastian Shaw breaking out of his prison there.)
019 Wolverine and The X-Men #10 (This issue may confuse some readers. It happens within the timeline of Avengers vs. X-Men #3 and most likely after Avengers Academy #29. Cyclops and his team have already teleported away, and The Avengers have separated for a short period, dropping off mutants at the Academy. Before mustering back in Manhattan, Wolverine has obviously dropped in on his school, where Cyclops appears and makes his case. This causes a break off in allegiances at the school by the end of the issue. In the last few pages, Wolverine gets the call to return to Avenger's Tower, which resumes in Avengers vs. X-Men #3.)
020 X-Men Legacy #266 (This issue occurs after Avengers vs. X-Men #3; we can tell because Falcon reluctantly admits Wolverine is "out of reach" at the moment, meaning he's been kicked off the Quinjet! The teachers at the Jean Grey School are taking sides. Iceman and others are heading out to join Cyclops and the mutants. Others, like Rogue, plan on staying at the school to help the students. In the middle of classes, a Quinjet with Falcon, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight land. All they do is make Frenzy and others angry; eventually a battle erupts and Rogue gets into the fight.)

021 Avengers vs. X-Men #4 (Hope manages to find Wolverine in Antarctica and convinces him to hear her out. They go for a ride which will end up on the moon. Meanwhile, we see scenes of Thor and Beast losing the fight against The Phoenix is deep space. Elsewhere on Earth, The Avengers and X-Men have split up into five different locales, looking for Hope while battling each other. Near the end of the issue, each group learns that Hope is on the moon and prepare to face off. Hope realizes Wolverine betrayed her.)

022 Uncanny X-Men #12 (She-Hulk appears in this issue, which means her fight in X-Men Legacy #266 is concluded. There are some elements synchronous with Avengers Vs. X-Men #4. Cyclops breaks the teams into five possible locations. We know that Magneto, Psylocke, and Boom Boom head to Wundagore and Namor, Sunspot, and Hepzibah go to Tabula Rasa. At that location, those three face She-Hulk, Luke Cage, and The Thing. Before Thing and Namor can destroy each other, Magik teleports in and pulls the mutants, saying they've found Hope. At the end of the issue, the X-Men are heading to the moon.)

023 AvX: Versus #2 (Occurs during Avengers vs. X-Men #4. Part 1: Captain America vs. Gambit. Part 2: Spider-Man vs. Colossus.)