New Warriors #2 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (writer), Marcus To (artist), Daniel Curiel (color artist)

The Story: Spurned by the X-Men, the Evolutionaries throw millennia of planning out the window and decide to back a new, more human, horse.

The Review: With the team’s final member making his appearance at the start of issue #2, New Guardians is clearly taking care with how the titular heroes come together. It’s an impressively varied group, but this is the time to prove that the execution will live up to its concept. In that respect, New Warriors #2 is a bit unsteady.

Picking up where we left off last month, this issue opens with our disparate heroes facing off with teams of Evolutionaries. These adversaries are imposing, thanks in no small part to Marcus To’s artwork, but despite the sheer number of conflicts, none of them justify the issue. It’s not that the book lacks spectacle, but that none of these fights feel like the core struggle. I suspect that this will seem less of a problem in trade, but as it’s probably going to be half a year before we see one, Chris Yost should really be providing a stronger arc in each issue.

The Evolutionaries also lose some of their menace this go around. At times this seems like a conscious choice, but in some cases it just diminishes the story. They whine too much and retreat too frequently, though hints of a greater plan keep them aloft.

With thirteen pages devoted to battles with the Evolutionaries or superhero infighting, Yost has to make his remaining seven count. Justice gets some much needed time to shine in the form of a visit to Avengers Tower. This scene could probably have sped up its exposition slightly, but is decidedly helpful to new readers and conveys Justice’s concern without making him seem dull. Then again, maybe it’s just the fact that he’s standing next to ol’ Slim Summers.

New Warriors #1 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (writer), Marcus To (art), David Curiel (color art)

The Story: Clearly Robbie hasn’t been listening to Edwin Starr or Louis C.K…

The Review: Launching a series is a complicated thing. There are all sorts of different requirements that a first issue holds above all other books and it can be nearly impossible to craft the perfect opening to many worthwhile stories. Team books can have an even harder time. How do you bring potentially disparate heroes together, define personalities, and establish what a series will be all in a scant twenty pages?

For New Warriors #1 the answer seems to be breadth. This issue is aware that it’s not a team book yet and it’s unapologetic about it. Held together by a single mystery and a tempting opening page, this issue takes us on a regular tour of North America as we meet our future Warriors.

There’s certainly a sense of youth in this book, even Kaine, apparently the oldest member of the not-yet-team, is accompanied by the cheerful Hummingbird. Kaine is also probably one of the highest profile characters in the book. In some ways that’s refreshing, in others kind of sad. It’s rare that a book from DC or Marvel can claim that its most marketable team member is a recently revived veteran of one of the 90s’ most reviled events, but his sullen, brusque demeanor is an instant draw. Chris Yost does a good job of balancing the off-putting nature of such a reluctant hero against the reality of his recent experience and, if his interactions with Aracely are any indication, he’ll be a fine counterweight to the rest of the team. The pair are a delight to read and their powers are highlighted expertly, perhaps evidence of Yost’s familiarity with them. If you’re not intrigued by the descriptor “Demigod, Manipulation of Emotions, Levitation” I don’t know what to say to you.

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 #11 – Review

By Dan Slott & Christos N. Gage (writers), Stefano Caselli (art), Daniele Rudoni (colors)

Dan Slott isn’t one of those writers who can do high levels of drama, tension, or controversy (at least from what I’ve read). He’s not Ed Brubaker or Grant Morrison. But what he lacks in those aforementioned areas he makes up in providing pure entertainment. When you buy a Dan Slott book you know you’ll be getting a whole lot of bang for your buck. The guy sees the Marvel Universe as his sandbox and he’ll not hesitate to use all the toys he can find. Issue #11 wraps up plot points that have been going on since the first issue. Indeed, if the series were to be canceled tomorrow I’d be content with the story we’d been given. Luckily for us, the show will go on!

In this issue, we finally get the showdown with KIA. The guy’s gone completely out of control, murdering a bunch of Initiative heroes, and really, who knows what he’ll do next. Teaming up with The New Warriors, the Avengers try to overpower KIA with brute force. The problem is, with the Tactigon (an omega class weapon), he’s virtually unstoppable.

Dan Slott, Christos N. Gage, and Stefano Caselli deliver pay off after pay off. I honestly thought I might find myself getting bored with just a “slugfest” of an issue, but the way the whole situation is approached makes the battle very engaging. Even characters that I normally hate like Rage and Slapstick step up to the plate and deliver some excellent performances. Stefano Caselli’s art brings this book to life, but with colorist Daniele Rudoni, the art almost feels like stills from an animated feature. This title may be the furthest thing from an Avengers book, but let me tell you, it ranks up there every month with the best of them. (Grade: A)

– J. Montes

Avengers: The Initiative #10 – Review

By Dan Slott & Chris Gage (writer), Stefano Caselli (art), Daniele Rudoni (colors)

Dan Slott should write every Marvel comic. He loves to play with continuity and history all while bringing fresh, fun stories every month. And even though I was hoping this story would have been wrapped up this issue, it’s still a strong showing and incredibly entertaining.

In a way, this book is a mess of sorts. There’s so much going on, and so many characters to keep track of that you almost feel like Dan Slott’s got some form of A.D.D. Personally, I think he just loves playing in the sandbox. I mean, there’s absolutely no real reason why The New Warriors should even be in this story, but there they are. I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of the New Warriors and probably never will be. But what Slott does with them ain’t too bad, thankfully. However, had he excluded them, this story most likely would have been wrapped up.

I love how there’s a billion versions of MVP running around. From issue #1, we knew the character was special. But with the advent of KIA, who’s now armed with the Tactigon, well, you’ve got one of the toughest bad guys around. I really hope he’s not killed off. As mindless and as robotic as he is now, with a little brain tweaking and charisma, he could be one of the best villains around. Think of it? An evil Captain America!

Anyway, this book’s worth buying just for the scene between Ant-Man and Taskmaster alone. It just wouldn’t be right without mentioning Stefano Caselli’s incredible artwork. This guy can do no wrong. (Grade: B+)

– J. Montes