Avengers: The Initiative #26 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Christos N. Gage (Writer), Rafa Sandoval (Pencils), Roger Bonet (Inks), and Edgar Delgado (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Now that the great Dark Reign shakeup has finally finished, it’ll be interesting to see what Christos N. Gage has in store for the Initiative.

The Story: Tigra, Gauntlet, and some of the New Warriors desperately try to escape one of Norman Osborn’s Initiative teams. When they do, Tigra has a plan to gain some measure of revenge of one person that has wronged her in the past. Meanwhile, Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. officially opens and Taskmaster and The Hood go to work, making sure things are in order. The Hood explains the current situation to some recruits, Taskmaster explains the Penance situation to Trauma, and Trauma tries to get…anything out of Penance.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: Writer Christos N. Gage clearly has a lot to tackle in the first true Dark Reign Initiative book. It’s loaded with characters, slightly cluttered, and seems to jump all over the place at times. But you know what? Gage handles the challenge extremely well. The storytelling is fairly tight, the character work is effective (especially the stuff with Trauma and the final scene with Tigra), and Gage will constantly remind readers why they pick up a book like Avengers: The Initiative in the first place; to dive into the giant sandbox that is the Marvel Universe. While it’s still early, the Initiative and Dark Reign look to fit together quite well. I wonder if Gage will be able to make the most of it?

As for the visuals, Rafa Sandoval’s artwork gets the job done in the ways that matter. Characters look distinct, expressions are appropriate, and the action looks decent enough. Note that I said “decent enough,” because the action is probably the weak point of Avengers: The Initiative #26. It seems to lack any sort of comfortable flow and gets overwhelmed by all the characters taking part in the action. Also, what’s with Tigra having giant paws for hands? Is that supposed to be like that? I’m not too familiar with the character so if you know if Sandoval’s take on her is actually how it’s supposed to be, leave me a comment.

Conclusion: Not all that it could be, but certainly good enough, Avengers: The Initiative #26 is a worthy chapter of a series that keeps on moving forward at a nice pace.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Avengers: The Initiative #25 (Dark Reign) – Capsule Review

By Christos N. Gage (Writer), Humberto Ramos (Art), and Edgar Delgado (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ve been enjoying the transition that’s taken place as Avengers: The Initiative heads full force into Dark Reign. That said, I’m pretty glad that the latest issue of the series finally marks the end of the transition…it’ll be interesting to see how the series fares with a new status quo.

The Story: The Initiative program is reborn under Norman Osborn. The new bosses? They aren’t the same as the old ones! Avengers: The Initiative #25 is all about establishing the future, if there is a future, for many of the regular Initiative cast members.

What’s Good And What’s Not So Good: The latest issue of The Initiative, while a bit slow and wordy, packs more of an emotional punch than I had expected. And that’s because of the tricky situations the Initiative members find themselves in. Thanks to the strong handle that Christos N. Gage has on the various personalities that make up his large cast though, Avengers: The Initiative #25 reads very well for a comic that’s so heavy on text. Norman Osborn’s scenes (one of which could be seen as very controversial) are a particular highlight as the character’s chilling dialogue is written in a way that feels just right.

As for the artwork, Edgar Delgado’s muted color choices go a long way towards helping Humberto Ramos’ lively, animated style fit the story being told. Considering the tone of most of Gage’s script, Ramos’ work could have easily come across as completely inappropriate. Instead, the visuals in Avengers: The Initiative #25, while not perfect, work far better than you might think.

Conclusion: The creative team behind The Initiative handles a necessary transition in a natural, entertaining, and surprisingly emotional manner.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Avengers: The Initiative #23 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Christos N. Gage (Writer), Humberto Ramos (Art), and Edgar Delgado (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Avengers: The Initiative is almost always a sure thing as far as quality is concerned. Nearly every issue feels like a trip to a giant Marvel sandbox filled with all sorts of different characters. While recent issues have not been all that new reader friendly, the series is strong enough that I have no problem saying that it’s well worth taking the time to catch up with things if you are at all interested in jumping on board.

The Story: Camp Hammond is under fire as controversy rages. With the cover-up of Michael Van Patrick’s death now out in the open and part of a major city in shambles, the Initiative’s future looks shaky. Meanwhile, the Shadow Initiative finds Hydra operating in Madripoor and soon learns that things are more serious than initially believed.

What’s Good: Avengers: The Initiative #23 scores big points for simultaneously dealing with both the past and the future in a successful manner. It ties up loose plot threads that have been lingering for quite some time, while dragging the Initiative fully into the Dark Reign period of the Marvel universe. Fans of the series, both new and old, should find something a lot to like.

Christos N. Gage’s writing is very good throughout the issue. He effectively captures the transition of the Initiative through some fantastic character work. As for the artwork, Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado do a very nice job capturing the tone of the time and the emotional ride the various cast members are going through.

What’s Not So Good: As a long time fan of the series, I couldn’t be much happier with issue 23. That said, the comic isn’t perfect. A few of the scenes suffer from awkward visuals and, in some ways, the Shadow Initiative storyline seems sort of shoehorned into the plot until the last few pages. It seems like it might have been better off in another issue because both storylines in the issue suffer from breaks in momentum as the focus shifts back and forth.

Conclusion: Avengers: The Initiative #23 is just an extremely solid comic book all around. I highly recommend it, especially if you have been a fan of the series for a while.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny

Avengers: The Initiative #13 – Review

Christos N. Gage (Writer) and Steve Uy (Artist)

Available 5/21/08

After reading Avengers: The Initiative #13, the first feeling that came to mind was relief. As regular readers may know, I was not a fan of the previous issue and was left wondering whether one of the better books out there had finally lost its magic. Things felt underdeveloped and rushed while the artwork left me wondering what had happened to the Caselli and Rudoni pairing. As it turns out, issue #12 was really just a bump in the road and this series is, thankfully, back on track.

With the start of this new arc we are introduced to the next batch of Initiative recruits: Prodigy, Annex, Gorilla Girl, Batwing, Sunstreak, and Emery “Boulder/Butterball” Shaub. On the bus ride to Camp Hammond, we get a taste of each characters personality, a little bit of background, and lots of amusing dialogue. From there, we see the staff deal with the hilarious complications that stem from Emery Shaub’s unique power set before the recruits sneak out of camp for some down time. If you haven’t noticed from the description, this is the very definition of a light, amusing, and fun story. Everything here works extremely well and because of that, this series reclaims its spot near the top of my reading list.

It was surprising for me to see Christos N. Gage completely take over writing duties for this issue, but he does an excellent job bringing the fun back to Camp Hammond. The dialogue is solid across the board and Gage shows he has quite a knack for writing dry humor. Each character is given some time to shine – something this series has excelled at – and I hope this new group of recruits continues to get a equal amount of face time.

Another welcome surprise is Steve Uy’s artwork being considerably stronger than his previous effort. The panels flow really well and with the exception of some slightly cluttered action, I can’t really say anything negative about the his storytelling. If I have any complaints with this book, it’s regarding the character work and the use of colors. Everything has a very washed out look to it and the lack of distinction in character expressions is a bit distracting. The Taskmaster continues to look quite strange, and many of the costume designs could use more detail, as everything looks rather bland. As I said before, everything is a step up from the last issue, but I wish the colors were more vivid and the characters less drone-like.

I am fully back on board with the Camp Hammond training initiative. This issue brings back the pure fun that put this series on the map in the first place. The dialogue is sharp, the artwork (while it still could use some improvement), is something I’m adjusting to, and the newest batch of recruits show a lot of promise. All in all, a very nice start to the next chapter of The Initiative. (Grade B+)

– Kyle Posluszny

A Second Opinion

I won’t lie, I was severely disappointed with this issue. After last issue’s events, I knew we would see much less of the main characters that made the first act so enjoyable, but I assumed that they would be replaced by just as engaging characters. The “star” of this issue is a new recruit code-named “Boulder,” but Taskmaster quickly dubs him with the name of “Butterball.” I understand that he is supposed to be based off of the stereotypical comics nerd: he’s overweight, weak, a loser, and he probably has that annoying nasal voice, but that doesn’t make him a likable character. He’s actually annoying. Not wanting to ruin too much, I’ll just say that by the end of the issue Butterball has to leave the Initiative, and I’m assuming the things done for him in the end were supposed “heartwarming,” but I personally don’t really care.

The other cadets don’t hold too much promise either, and are perhaps the most disappointing part. In the first issue, we not only meet a dynamic cast, but there is a shocking event that not only draws the reader into the story, but sets up the events for the next eleven issues. None of the characters presented here are people that I really want to read about, and there weren’t any important events to speak of. If this is supposed to be an introduction issue, it is extremely weak. The only hope I have is that Gage is only writing one or two issues before Dan Slott returns to the team-up and we get more of the strength he brings to this book.

Perhaps the only thing I have enjoyed is Steve Uy’s art, and believe me, I’m surprised to be saying that. Up until now, I haven’t enjoyed anything he has done, but in this issue he has finally pulled away from his usual drab and presents us with several pieces of great work. I especially enjoyed the one (and only) fight scene toward the end. Just make no mistake: I still will be extremely glad when (and if) Caselli returns to the book. (Grade: C-)

-M. Staples