Secret Avengers #13 – Review

by Nick Spencer, Ales Kot (Writers), Butch Guice, Joe Rubinstein, Tom Palmer (Artists), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: As things gets a bit more chaotic at A.I.M., Maria Hill and M.O.D.O.K. have a little chat.

The Review: Not to sound too paranoid, but I think Marvel actually knew I was getting a bit bored with this series. The themes were presented well and some of the ideas were really nice, yet there never seemed to be a character I could follow in a way that made me anticipate the next issue. I like Maria Hill, sure, but characters like Marcus Johnson and Phil Coulson weren’t exactly the most interesting people to follow to begin with.

Then came in M.O.D.O.K., the character too crazy to actually exist, yet too awesome to not to be invented. While the character had been revitalized completely by Jeff Parker in his Red Hulk story in a manner that made him an actual threat, but also an interesting utilitarian figure as well. To say I really loved the character would be an understatement, but is his inclusion enough? Does the addition of this character to the general storyline actually adds anything to the book in terms of quality?

This issue, in ways, both works and doesn’t for a good number of reasons, making the issue a bit uneven in its quality. There are several great ideas at work here, but some of them aren’t focused on enough to make the issue better than it should be.

One of the bigger problems is the constant switch between scenes, which does not leave enough room to build up situations. In this issue, the spotlight jumps from M.O.D.O.K. and Maria Hill, to Taskmaster, Mockingbird, Mentallo and Marcus Johnson, with most of them not getting nearly enough panel time to have an actual impact on the readers. Their scenes do get the point across rather effectively, but a lot of these short spurts aren’t quite enough to provide greater emphasis on their roles or anything else.

Secret Avengers #12 – Review

by Nick Spencer, Ales Kot (Writers), Butch Guice (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: As Mockingbird tries to fake her way through a presentation, some faction within A.I.M. wishes to make a deal with S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Review: I have to admit something right now: I don’t know how to feel about co-writers. Not only do I never really know who came up with which ideas, but it always seem to me that even though it might not show which pages or concepts were thrown by which. There were instances where it was a bit obvious, like with Brubaker and Fraction on Immortal Iron Fist or the extravaganza of talents that was 52, but in a title that plays to both writers strengths, it plays as a bit of a mystery. It makes it a bit hard to see where the strengths and weaknesses comes from which sources.

With the return to the main cast and the real storyline of the book, Nick Spencer brings along Ales Kot with him to write this issue, as the scribe of Zero (best known for his short stint on Suicide Squad) collaborates with him. Does the return to the conflict against A.I.M and the new co-writer makes this comic enjoyable, though?

It’s a case of hit and miss, really, as some of the best aspects of this run are on display here, with some new high and lows showing to spice things up.

Secret Avengers #8 – Review

by Nick Spencer (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: As Mockingbird tries to assess her situation, the A.I.M organization and its minister continues their operations after the attempt on their leader by S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Review: While many read superhero to follow their favourite characters and how their heroic combat for justice and their life are going, there is no denying that many do the same for certain villains as well. A book is as strong as its lead, of course, but any protagonist need a good antagonist as well or else the conflict thrown in its way would feel a bit pointless or derivative.

It seems that Nick Spencer understands this quite well, as the focus of this issue is set largely on the A.I.M organization, with some of it on Mockingbird also. The writer had shown pieces here and there to show how the antagonistic organisation worked, yet it was always with Andrew Forson being the face of the whole thing. Here, the other ministers are covered as well, showing what they do, how they react and how they see themselves and their roles in A.I.M.

The mixing of general workplace environment vibe to the craziness of super-science and the Marvel universe makes for a rather fun read here, despite the focus on the more villainous aspects of the script. It is in fact the whole focus on the madder aspect, like Taskmaster training his soldiers only to go play table tennis with Mentallo only to be followed by much darker scenes featuring Andrew Forson, Yelena Belova, Graviton and others that make for a weird balance. Showing the readers that even the antagonists have the same problem, like in-office fighting, politics and the ambitions of the persons in power that the protagonists have to deal with.

Secret Avengers #7 – Review

Nick Spencer (Writer), Butch Guice, Steve Epting, Brian Theis, Rick Magyar (Artists), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: Maria Hill needs to take control of an operation that has gone too far, one that had been ordained by Daisy Johnson herself.

The Review: Back in the days, I only had a single thought when it came to S.H.I.E.L.D. as an agency in the Marvel universe: pity. When an antagonist needed to be shown as a big menace, S.H.I.E.L.D. was always there to provide token ”good guys” being beaten badly in order to set up a scope for the story itself. Rarely had I seen a series that took that agency as being particularly effective or being the actual source that is able to solve a problem.* Secret Invasion, Civil War, Marvel Boy, Captain America by Brubaker and so forth all portray S.H.I.E.L.D. as either being antagonistic or just plain ineffectual, which does not bode well for an organisation that is supposed to be the prime spy agency and the thing that binds the metahuman community together.

It’s a good thing then that some authors like Jonathan Hickman, Mark Waid and Nick Spencer came along to go a bit further in showing the prime spy agency as being actually useful or at least active in several parts. While the discovery of S.H.I.E.L.D. thanks to the marvel cinematic universe has been a boon to the credibility of the agency, in the comics format, Secret Avengers has been another huge bonus thanks to its direction mixing espionage, politics and super heroics.

This issue, in many ways, is a great example of just why this series can work, even though it has still some rough spots here and there. One of the best aspect, though, is the fact that they show how ”the spying game” is played, which makes for a pretty effective comparison to other superheroes book on the market and those made by Marvel itself. It’s a fun thing to see that despite the high action, the jokes, the big hero moments and all, there are other scenes which shows that they clearly cannot remain the supposed ”good guys” in the eyes of the world if they go en masse and attack a whole island without any backing from the U.N of the government. It was a very neat way that allow the readers to differentiates just how an agency like S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to work if they can get several important backing and so forth.

Secret Avengers #6 – Review

Nick Spencer (Writer), Butch Guice, Rick Magyar (Artists), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: James Rhodes gain access to an army, several agents tries to compromise A.I.M as some directorial tension sets in at S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Review: Characters can be everything for a successful comic. If you don’t have some fan-favourites on your title, it can mean an early demise as people might not be interested in the adventures of a C or D-lister. However, having an A-lister on a book can also be some kind of curse, as these characters cannot necessarily evolve in any way, mostly due to the heavy editorial handling they surely have, which can be somewhat problematic for some writers.

Secret Avengers does not seem to have that problem, despite the fact that it possesses big players like Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow, due to the fact that it mixes these characters with other fan-favourites like James Rhodes, Taskmaster, Mockingbird among others. With a cast as diverse as this one, Spencer manage to make the most of it by juggling with several plot and sub-plots with ease, thanks to a switching of characters in some issues, with this one more dedicated to Taskmaster, Mockingbird, Maria Hill and James Rhodes.

Right out of the gate, Spencer goes back toward a character he knows very well, using him in a way that is quite smart, yet also feels true to the character: James Rhodes, who is also known as War Machine. Here, the writer makes a smart use of the military and armor-based history of the character to propel him forward in a new role that not only suits the character, but also connect him to the story in a way that feels natural and exciting. He is perhaps one of the most interesting character of the issue, although he is not the only one.

Another character that is genuinely interesting, which always come as a surprise to me on a personal level, is Maria Hill. No doubt, many were like me in my initial dislike of the character when she first appeared in the Marvel universe, being the bossy new kid on the block who seemed like a cold-hearted women ready to do anything in order to be efficient at her job. I hated her for these characteristic, yet much to my dismay, I find myself liking her exactly because of these character traits. The reason for that is mainly due to the fact that due to the espionage and political aspect of the title, the character feels much more at home in such an environment, making use of these traits in order to serve the story, not just to set her as being the bossy woman. Serving as a connection to what happens in most of the issue, it is through the internal situation in S.H.I.E.L.D where she shines the most. There is a scene where she deals with a new addition to the agency with some troubling ideas where she shows how she actually fits in such a context. It is an uneasy, yet very tense scene that this issue shows that Maria Hill will become an even better character through this series.

Deadpool #10 – Review

By: Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writers), Mike Hawtorne (Artist), Val Staples (Colorist)

The Story: As Michael makes his way in hell, Deadpool teams-up with the Superior Spider-Man to take out the next person on Vetis list.

The Review: On the review of the latest issue of Deadpool, I had said that the duo of Posehn and Duggan had made something quite unusual for a comic featuring the Merc with a mouth. Indeed, they had toned down the humor significantly in order to make their plot progress in a faster pace as they explored the titular character a bit further than usual. It was unexpected, yet it did lead to a quality comic.

Here, though, their approach is the exact opposite, as the humor takes precedence to the plot in this issue featuring a team-up of some sort to Spider-Ock. While we do get some tidbits of progression in the story, the focus is clearly on the jokes even with all the action set up here. However, does that make this issue a bad comic?

Avenging Spider-Man #20 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (Writer), Marco Checchetto (Artist), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist)

The Story: Spider-Ock gets on a S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier in order to free the Chameleon from their prison, just as the Russian are getting ready to do the same. What are the odds?

The Review: I do have to say it’s a strange time to be a fan of Spider-Man. It’s even a stranger time to begin reading Spider-Man, like I did, just as a big controversial change had been put in the series. While the change from Peter Parker to Otto Octavius has been a rather weird one for a lot of people, it can’t be said that it hasn’t given us some quality stories in both the main title, Superior Spider-Man and its sister title Avenging Spider-Man. While it has been fun to see just how Otto acclimates to the life of being a webhead, it has been a blast to see just how he interacts with the larger Marvel universe as well. Having seen him with the X-Men, the FF and Thor, it has been fun to read how he sees them all and it has given us some surprisingly fun stories to boot.

Age of Ultron #3 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Bryan Hitch (Penciler), Paul Neary (Inker), Paul Mounts (Colorist), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer)

Review: This issue should hopefully pacify some of the haters. If you’re among the impatient few that felt that Age of Ultron #1 and #2 plodded along at an unbearably slow pace you should find that #3 delivers a relative bullet-train of forward momentum. Ultron doesn’t get his ass handed to him or anything, but the fight back begins here. Characters die, the conflict expands and a fairly massive twist rears its head (or torso, to be precise). Conversely, there are also a few things that happen that prove we perhaps shouldn’t take any of this series too seriously, as well as a couple of possible blunders in execution that remove you from the fiction in small but noticeable increments.

Secret Avengers #2 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: Nick Fury Jr. gets to Bagalia and has to rescue Taskmaster from there. Meanwhile, the scientist supreme of A.I.M sets some of his machinations in motion.

The Review: After a debut issue that, despite its share of problems, managed to be particularly enjoyable, Nick Spencer’s version of Secret Avengers continues, bringing us the espionage of the previous issue, while adding some considerable elements and surprises along the way.

Indeed, the way the first issue was structured, we could have easily foreseen that a series of one-shot issues would probably have been the norm for the series, but it seems that the actual plot of the series begins here. From what we can see here, Nick Spencer does give the Secret Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D a particular challenge, rising the A.I.M agency from low-grades scientific criminals to downright menaces, akin to what Jonathan Hickman had done with Hydra in Secret Warriors. As a matter of fact, a lot of things here do look a bit like that series, which should be seen as some high praise indeed.

Secret Avengers #30 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Matteo Scalera (art), Matthew Wilson (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story:  The Secret Avengers chase Taskmaster through the streets of an underground super-villain haven.

The Review:  There’s A LOT of action in this issue.  In fact, a substantial amount of the issue is spent on a high-speed chase sequence.  As such, the book flies by and it certainly keeps you reading.  Remender does a fantastic job plotting the action, which always feels big and blisteringly fast, with Scalera delivering on every panel, delivering a strong sense of speed.  In this sense, it’s an exciting issue.   What makes the chase even enjoyable is that Scalera and Wilson are doing a fantastic job illustrating the setting of this issue.  This sprawling super-villain hang-out feels like what would happen to the Grid from Tron Legacy if the seedy denizens of Blade Runner had decided to make it their hang out.  It’s epic, glowing, gritty sci-fi excellence.  As a result, Scalera’s backgrounds are really fantastic and they add a great deal to the chase, serving to make a more immersive and less derivative experience, something that issues largely spent on action scenes often fall prey to.

Taskmaster #4 – Review

By: Fred Van Lente (writer), Jefte Palo (art), Jean Francois Beaulieu (colors), Dave Lanphear (letters) & Lauren Sankovitch (editor)

The Story: Van Lente fills in the last few bits as he fleshes out the suddenly very interesting Taskmaster character.

What’s Good: Who’s up for a Taskmaster ongoing?  I am!  Perhaps that is overdoing it, at least in this lousy comic sales environment, but in this series and issue Van Lente has really changed the way we see Taskmaster.  Perhaps it is a bit of a retcon, but it doesn’t seem to conflict that much with past characterizations of Taskmaster that we’ve seen.   Bravo!

For those who have missed it, Van Lente has turned Taskmaster into a kinda tragic figure.  His brain is filled to overflowing with his memorization of fighting styles at the like to the extent that something has to give.  And the things that always get lost when his brain gets too full are the details about who he is, the identity of his wife and the fact that he is really a good guy.  Mercedes (his wife) is just about as interesting as she dutifully stays at her husbands side, acting as his handler only to have him remember (and forget) her again and again.  How sad is that?

I think this could have been a great miniseries with any type of art, but Palo’s scratchy style seems especially well suited for this spy/espionage-y tale.  Once again, my favorite trick that he uses are the windows over Taskmaster when he is emulating someone else’s moves. Very clever.  I don’t know if he originated that concept, but it works well for demonstrating that Taskmaster is pulling a move he learned from Daredevil (as an example).  Without this bit of visual storytelling, we’d have to see a narration box explaining what moves he was using and that would be really clumsy.

Taskmaster #3 – Review

By: Fred Van Lente (writer), Jefte Palo (art), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colors) & Dave Lanphear (letters)

The Story: Taskmaster encounters “The Town that Was Hitler”.

What’s Good: It is hard to write a good comic book.  It is also challenging to write a funny comic book.  But, it is a true accomplishment to write a comic that is both good AND funny, but that is what Van Lente has pulled off again with the third issue of Taskmaster.

Towards the end of last issue, we got the hint that there might be more to Taskmaster’s past than we had previously thought, but we learn a LOT more in this issue.  Instead of just telling us the whole story, Van Lente splits the origin into two parts: one-half is Taskmaster’s brain starting to remember things from his past whereas the other half is Nick Fury telling Captain Steve the other half of the story.   This is so much more interesting than just having the history explained to us in narration boxes.  Under Van Lente’s pen, Taskmaster is becoming a very interesting character!

What really sets Van Lente apart is the humor because it isn’t just a bunch of fart jokes.  It is humor for smart people.  If you read this comic and aren’t laughing it is because you are dumb and just don’t get it.  Don’t worry….they have Deadpool comics for you.  The humor is functioning at all sorts of different levels.  For example, some of the humor is pseudo-raunchy, such as the main bad guy announcing that his organization is called the Minions International Liberation Front.  Get it?  Or, on a more subtle level, how about the way the town of Hitler’s are all planning to attack their neighbor for “elbow room” and how they all speak German with a Passau accent (the town where Hitler grew up).  It is just smart writing for smart people.

Taskmaster #2 – Review

By: Fred Van Lente (writer), Jefte Palo (art), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colors) & Dave Lanphear (letters)

The Story: Taskmaster runs into trouble against Mexican mercenaries wearing death masks!

What’s Good: One of the best experiences in comics is to read something where you can tell that the creators had a GREAT time writing/drawing the comic book.  Not to imply an occasional lack of passion from creators or that they allow a “time to make the donuts” attitude to sometimes pervade their Marvel/DC superhero work (Never, never….), but while reading most comics you don’t get a mental image of the creators giggling at how clever the comic is.  It would be highly surprising to know that Van Lente didn’t have a serious case of the giggles while he wrote this….

In this issue, we continue seeing Taskmaster on the run from the ORG who has put out a bounty on him that causes all sorts of groups to come out of the woodwork to collect his head (Hydra, AIM and all sorts of whacky groups that FVL just made up last issue).  This time he comes face to face with the Don of the Dead who uses funny/clever/great Spanglish dialog like, “So.  El Mastro de Task.  Ju face the Don of the Dead in Final Combat.  What ju say to THAT, hanh?”  Mind you, this is coming from a dude wearing a death facemask and a mariachi outfit.  Brilliant…

What’s more, the serious aspect of the story is not lost in the silly fun.  FVL hits on all the important aspects of Taskmaster’s character such as showing that although he lost his memories, his abnormal muscle memory allows his fingers to automatically do things like dial telephones and withdraw cash from ATMs.  There is also a very good “big story” revelation on the final page that ensures that this miniseries isn’t just fun for fun’s sake.

Siege: The Cabal #1 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Lark (pencils), Stefano Gaudiano (inks), Matt Hollingsworth (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: The Cabal implodes and lines are drawn.

What’s Good: The issue’s strongest point is its characterization.  Dr. Doom is written well by Bendis.  He’s the same absurd bad guy who insists on referring to himself in the third person. but, as usual, Doom backs all that egotism up in a big way.  In this issue, his self-righteousness and arrogance actually make him feel somewhat jarring as a character, unrealistic even, yet Bendis’ display of Doom’s power validates it.  Doom feels like he doesn’t belong because he doesn’t; he functions on a different level from Osborn.  He’s the all powerful, cackling old school villain while Osborn is something more convoluted and modern and Bendis’ depiction of this collision is well-played.

Speaking of Osborn, Bendis does a fantastic job on him as well.  Compared to Doom, Osborn actually sounds realistic; a scary thing, when Bendis essentially cements this month that Osborn’s sanity is bound to implode any day now.  The fact that Osborn’s fear of the Asgardians is based largely on advice from the Green freaking Goblin is evidence of that, and it also makes for a fantastically written conversation.

Overall though, this issues functions just as it should, truly feeling like the beginning of a slow collapse, as Norman’s finally confronted by limitations to his power. Publically, he’s reminded that he isn’t the President of the United States.  Privately, he’s bitten off more than he can chew with Doom.  And he seems to be in denial on both these points.  In probably the most beautiful bit of dialogue in the issue, he accosts Doom for making a “huge, dumb, arrogant mistake.”  When I first read that line, I thought Osborn was speaking of himself and apologizing to Victor.

Art-wise, there’s absolutely nothing to complain here.  With his signature dark, scratchy feel, Lark ably captures the action and the tense conversations with ease.  It’s a good looking book, and I couldn’t expect much more.

What’s Not So Good: For the start of Marvel’s last major event for the foreseeable future, I expected the start to have a bit more of a bang to it.  A character death perhaps, or at least a major event that leaves some sort of irreparable damage.  That I didn’t get either was a bit disappointing.

And it’s not like Bendis didn’t have his opportunities, he just seemed hell-bent on holding himself back.  Take for example the attack on Avenger’s Tower, which basically sparks off the Siege event.  There’s a beautiful illustration by Michael Lark that makes it look as though the Tower itself is on the verge of collapse, as though it were being eaten away.  I loved the idea of the Tower being destroyed.  I mean, damn, that is a way to start an event!  Of course, a couple pages later, and Norman’s back in his office and the Tower is just fine.

Well, at least Bendis can fulfill the promises Marvel has laid out in its ads and solicitations for this issue by revealing his secret partner, right?  Of course not.  Instead, we just get some glowy, vaguely humanoid shape letting loose with a couple of energy blasts with no major hint as to his/her/its identity. Great…

Bendis puts all the characters where he wants them and does what he needs to do to get an event started, but he just doesn’t bother to shoot any higher.

Conclusion: It’s an entertaining issue with very solid character work, but it could’ve been more.

Grade: B –

-Alex Evans

Avengers: The Initiative #27 (Dark Reign) – Review

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

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I enjoyed Rafa Sandoval’s work for Incredible Hercules quite a bit. I look forward to seeing how the artist handles all the characters that appear in The Initiative.

The Story: Chapter 1: Learn the origin story of Johnny Guitar (and his pal Dr. Sax) and about how they got involved with the Initiative program. Chapter 2: The Initiative members try to take back the Negative Zone prison currently controlled by King Blastaar.

What’s Good And What’s Not So Good: As far as the writing by Christos Gage goes, the latest issue of Avengers: The Initiative is a great example of everything that’s right about the series as a whole. Pretty much any character can show up in the spotlight and, more often than not, truly make an impact on some sort of level (emotionally or during an action scene). Case in point: Johnny Guitar. His journey is very well-written and, while a bit heavy-handed, definitely makes you feel for the character whether you had any intention of doing so or not.

If Gage takes center stage during chapter one, then the whole Negative Zone battle is the art team’s show. The fight is chaotic, colorful, and quite fun to look at as far as crazy superhero battles go. Rafa Sandoval, thanks to help from Roger Bonet and Edgar Delgado, manages to put a whole hell of a lot on every page, and it works to great effect. While faces tend to look similar and some of the action is a bit hard to follow, the artwork, as a whole, really gets the job done far better than it has any right to. There’s a LOT going on in the Negative Zone, and Sandoval makes sure that the reader knows it.

Conclusion: Avengers: The Initiative #27 doesn’t amount to a whole lot (it’s basically a character highlight reel followed by a fight scene), but it delivers a whole lot of entertainment. Johnny Guitar’s story and the Negative Zone rumble combine to make the latest issue of The Initiative an example of what happens when a creative team makes the most of the series concept.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

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 #24 (Dark Reign) – Review

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

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Avengers: The Initiative is downright reliable. The storylines are a perfect fit for the style of the series, the artwork is almost always solid, and the character work is handled in a way that manages to impress each and every month.

The Story: Bengal’s wife comes to Gauntlet looking for answers about her husband, Bengal’s whereabouts. As you probably know, he’s in Madripoor with the other members of the Shadow Initiative, desperately fighting to survive the night. But Taskmaster has an idea that just might help them deal with Hydra…

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: It’s cool to see an issue dedicated almost entirely to the Shadow Initiative. Especially one that’s as entertaining, funny, character-driven, and intelligent as Avengers: The Initiative #24. The book has some nice twists and turns, a few surprising guest stars, and best of all, it sets things up for the future in a very interesting way.

Christos N. Gage’s character work is some of the best he’s written, though from time to time he tries a bit too hard to bring the funny. Most of the humor and sarcasm is spot on, especially the way he handles Typhoid Mary’s personality and the banter between Taskmaster and one of the guest stars, but a few lines feel slightly forced. Another thing worth mentioning about Gage’s work is how well he uses the Dark Reign concept to elevate both his storytelling and his character work; partiulary the way he writes Norman Osborn the politician and the Dark Reign period for the Initiative. Everything has far been better than I expected it to be.

The artwork by Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado is solid all around. While the kinetic, cartoony style may not be for everyone, it definitely does the job. Of particular note is the way that the muted color scheme that Delgado uses allows Ramos’ work to stand out a bit more than usual. I think it does wonders for Ramos’ style, as I’ve seen it completely overpowered by the color work in the past.

There is one thing I must ask though. What’s the deal with showing Typhoid Mary’s nipple? While I have no problem with seeing some (drawn) skin, I found it rather odd considering that the book is rated “Teen +” and not even “Parental Advisory.” Maybe I’m weird for noticing, but I just had to bring it up.

Conclusion: Despite a flaw here and there, Avengers: The Initiative #24 is a damn fine chapter in a very good series. I highly recommend it.

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 #20 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Dan Slott & Christos N. Gage (Writers), Steve Kurth (Pencils), Drew Hennessey (Inks), and Matt Milla (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Avengers: The Initiative #20 marks the end of Dan Slott’s run with the series. While it’s a bit sad to see him go considering how consistently entertaining the series has been since the very beginning, I have no doubt that Slott’s writing partner, Christos Gage, will effortlessly continue to carry the torch as The Initiative heads into Dark Reign. Time to find out if Slott leaves the series with a bang or a whimper.

The Story: The twentieth issue of Avengers: The Initiative is all about setting a course for the future while addressing a few things from the past. Translation? There is a hell of a lot going on at Camp Hammond. Here is just a taste of some of the plot points dealt with in the book: Hank Pym confronts the loss of his wife and his absence head on, the Shadow Initiative gets a new mission and a new leader as the identity of Mutant Zero is finally revealed, the Skrull Kill Krew deals with the consequences of its actions, and Ant-Man gets something of a promotion. There are a few more plot points as well, but I don’t want to mention everything in order to avoid spoilers.

What’s Good: As usual, Dan Slott and Christos Gage do a fantastic job juggling a cast of dozens without missing a beat. I could go on and on about the character work, but if you have been following the series (or have read another of my reviews for the series), you know how good the writers can be. And they are at the top of their game in this one. Couple all that good stuff with several intriguing plot developments and you have one heck of a good read.

What’s Not So Good: There are only two things about the issue that I consider to be a negative. The first is that the reveal of Mutant Zero’s identity is a bit of a letdown, especially considering that the character isn’t exactly a major player (or at least hasn’t been for a while). The second is that the artwork, while fine enough and totally serviceable, isn’t exactly noteworthy in any way, shape, or form.

Conclusion: Avengers: The Initiative #20 is a prime example of why I consider the series to be one of the best that Marvel puts out. If you haven’t checked it out already or bailed during Secret Invasion, now would be a great time to get on board. The character work is fantastic, the artwork is almost always strong, the storylines are compelling, and the impressive size of the rotating cast always keeps the series feeling incredibly fresh and unpredictable.

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

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

Avengers: The Initiative #9 – Review

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

Wow, the Taskmaster as a trainer for The Initiative? I didn’t see that coming! But then again, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised after seeing the post Civil War Thunderbolts team. A new Skrull is introduced right off the bat, which is more than I can say for the other Avengers books. It’s about time we saw more of these guys – especially with Marvel hyping about the Secret Invasion for months now. That being said, there’s a lot that happens in this issue. The on-going story of MVP, which has been running since issue #1, finally climaxes with lots of blood being spilled. There’s also a line from Ant Man that actually made me laugh out loud.

There’s so much death in this issue that I have no idea how the series will recover from it. It’s crazy, but oh so daring! Big kudos to Dan Slott and Chris Gage for going all out. Now, I have to admit, Slott’s Skrully dialogue is a little silly – reminding me of stuff I’d read were this a book produced in the 1980s. And then there’s the subtle stuff he brings to the table like his deep history of the Marvel Universe. He draws subtle elements from old stories to the forefront, educating the reader while still entertaining. It’s a great balance. It’s also part of Slott’s charm.

As usual, Stefano Caelli brings the goods on art chores. I really dig his art style. Some might say this book is over-colored month in and month out, but I believe it’s perfect. It completely matches the diverse personalities that dominate this book. And while it carries the Avengers title, don’t be fooled – it’s the most different book of the Avengers line, and dare I say it, the most entertaining. (Grade: A+)

-J.Montes