Category Archives: the initiative

Avengers: New, Mighty, The Initiative & Young

It’s easy to lump all the Avengers books into one pile, but much tougher to say that all of the Avenger books are the same. While they all seem to be dealing with the same subject, Norman Osborn and the Dark Reign, the stories are all over the place – street level, cosmic, conspiracy and ridiculous. I’m starting to hit the wall of Dark Reign fatigue and these are four examples why.

The New Avengers #55

Brian Michael Bendis writes and Stuart Immonen pencils what was actually my favorite of the Avengers books reviewed here today. The cracks in The Hood’s army of super villains are starting to show and when Chemistro & Dr. Jonas Harrow reverse engineer the power blocker that the Avengers attempted to use several issues ago. They expect to use it as the great equalizer in the “super power” war and eliminate the need for The Hood. I like that plot line. Also we see just what it is like to invite the New Avengers over to your house to stay when your name isn’t Steve Rogers and how they mess up your place. I like that bit of character. I also like how there is a build up about Spider-Man revealing identity and the possible/inevitable complications that will rise because of it. There were lots of little things that really show off BMB’s sense of drama and character. The conversation about killing Osborn, how Spider-Man reacts to it, the fact that Bucky gets alerts about trouble in the city on his Blackberry are all really subtle and make the read really enjoyable for me.

As far as moving the story though, it feels pretty slow. We actually spend a good part of the issue in flashback. And there was a weird art thing that actually took me out of the story when the villains pull out the power blocker and use it. I don’t want to go into the effect it has on the heroes, because that’s dealt with next issue, but seeing Clint Barton vomit through his mask? I’m pretty sure the mask would stop that, or it’s the most porous mask ever invented.

All in all I still really like New Avengers, but I’m ready for more forward momentum.

The Mighty Avengers #27

Dan Slott how is it that you can do such amazing work on Avengers: The Initiative and then have such a slow start on The Mighty Avengers? I should start off by saying that I like this issue, but it really feels like Slott is writing for the trade and not for the month. The story comes in stilted chunks and flows dramatically to a sudden cliffhanger. The introduction of a new Inhuman villain was my favorite part, but then we go right back to Pym’s new headquarters and get a glimpse of Stature making a mad face at the Scarlet Witch, even though she has seen her before and not reacted the same way. Does she have reason to hate the Witch? Totally, Scarlet Witch killed her father, but why hasn’t she reacted like this before? Maybe she did and it just wasn’t memorable? I don’t remember.

Maybe it’s the Christos Gage script that is making the changes? I have no idea. I really like what Khoi Pham is doing with his pencils, and the art in general is really nice! They all look like powerful heroes. I keep waiting for this book to wow me and I think I’ll have to keep waiting.

Avengers: The Initiative #26

Up is down, left is right, and good is bad. Osborn is in charge of all the heroes in the United States and he’s replacing them all with villains! Our new hero roster, Gauntlet, Tigra, Justice, Ultra Girl, and the rest of the “New Warriors,” are going underground but still trying to go on the offensive.

This book is finally finding its footing in a post Civil War world and it’s making big strides in, what I think, is a good direction! Christos Gage scripted this book as well and is becoming a common fixture in books that make dramatic strides forward. This story was kinetic, well thought out and really sets up the whole status quo for this series. The art by Rafa Sandoval (pencils), Roget Bonet (inks), and Edgar Delgato (colors) matched the story style with visual perfection – and there’s an appearance by the U-Foes! where have they been?!?!

It’s an exciting time for this book and if the past issues scared you off then now is a good time to come back!

Dark Reign: Young Avengers #3 of 5

Paul Cornell and Mark Brooks keep the hits coming! This teenage soap opera where the good Young Avengers meet the Bad(?) Young Avengers, test them and show how age and experience really help make good decisions.

Now that Captain Britain and MI13 is over this is a great place to get a monthly Paul Cornell fix. The twists and turns and reveals are way too good to spoil and the the story is being paced perfectly for its five issues. Between Princess Python and a last minute Norman Osborn issue #4 looks like ti’s going to be phenomenal!

Don’t wait for the trade on this, buy it NOW!!

Well, that’s it for now. See you tomorrow!

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Avengers: Dark, New & The Initiative

My commitment to writing once a day renews again this month and I will begin this July with a comic review concerning my favorite super team – The Avengers – in three of it’s multiple forms. As a complete sidetrack, have you noticed that there are as many Avengers titles now as X-books? I always wondered how someone could follow so many variations of the same title, but now here I am reading five different titles all with the name”Avengers” in them. Anyway, here’s my review.

Dark Avengers #5: Even though the cover suggests that we’ll see a fight between Noh-Var and Venom that does not in this issue. Brian Michael Bendis does write us what I feel is a filler issue, with art from Mike Deodato & Will Conrad, with some nice insights into The Sentry and the Dark Avengers team dynamic. We see a meeting of the Cabal again, although they stay mute for the most part as Osborn and Namor fight about how to handle the Atlantian attack on Los Angeles. By the way, apparently Melrose in the Marvel Universe is still the same as it was back in 1999 and the ocean got about 20 miles closer. Did anyone else notice that the Golden Apple was in it’s old location or was that just me? The power struggle between Namor and Osborn just goes to show why bad guys can’t work together. It’s especially fun to see how the rest of the Cabal observe their interaction. The art, although not my favorite, does a good job of showing the intricacies of the characters faces. The “acting” in this book is right on. In addition to the Cabal, the Dark Avenger’s team interactions are getting deeper and more interesting as well. The motivations are getting clearer and I really feel the clock ticking on how long this team will actually stay together. Bullseye is ready to kill everybody, Ares is around because there is good to be done, Noh-Var just found out he’s teamed with criminals and murderers so he took off, but it’s what’s happening with The Sentry that I find most compelling. The Sentry has been a controversial figure in the Marvel Universe ever since he was brought into the 616 universe. Originally presented to be “the Marvel Superman” BMB always wrote him flawed and broken more than anyone else has. Even in his own limited series where his alternate personality The Void was front and center I didn’t feel like the character was crafted as well as when he is written by Bendis. Since his return to life after the battle with Mogana LeFey The Sentry has been distant, confused and scary. Osborn’s manipulations of him are wonderfully in character and when the Sentry goes all “dark side” and kills the Atlantian terrorists it makes you wonder just which side he’ll be on when all is said and done. The cliffhanger is Stark’s vault makes me wonder if Norman will even make it the whole year before he turns back into the Green Goblin, but I’ll definitely be around next month to find out!

The New Avengers #54: Brian Michael Bendis again this time with Billy Tan on pencil duties. Brother Voodoo is the new sorcerer supreme! And he has more character to him than he has ever had before! Between Brother Voodoo, Dr. Strange and Hellstrom it’s enough to make you want a whole magic line of Marvel books to come out. The combined strength of the Avengers and the magic users versus Dormammuu made for one hell of a 16 page fight scene! Hellstrom is still my favorite character out of this whole arc. He’s irreverent flippant and funny! I would really like to see more of him. Of course I was also one of about six people who bougth his last series back in 93 so maybe I’m a little biased. Seeing The Hood get his powers taken makes me wonder how the rest of the books he’s in will be effected – although the appearance of Loki at the end of this issue makes me think that he won’t be powerless for long. Clint Barton has another really good video moment making sure that The Hood and Madame Masque are held accountable and the final page makes you remember why Clint has always been a bit of a loose cannon. Good issue! You should be reading this!

Avengers: The Initiative #25: I wish I could say that this was a good issue, but it is really just setting up the new status quo for this book. Here are the basics: Gauntlet and Tigra have joined the New Warriors and now go by the name Avengers Resistance, Norman has opened Camp Hammer to “train” super-villains to be “super-heroes” (yeah right), and now we know that Trauma is the son of the demon Nightmare. Oh and who here forgot that Tigra is pregnant with a Skrull baby? Yeah, me too. That’s been brought back to the forefront. Gage, Ramos and Delgado have had me wavering back and forth on this book. I’m really hoping that the story will pick up speed next month. If not it just means I’ll have one less Avengers book to pick up.

See you tomorrow!

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