Post by goldenfist on Nov 15, 2007 13:44:21 GMT -5
After a miserable issue that served very little purpose, Avengers: Initiative is on its way to getting back on track, but unfortunately it's not all the way there yet. The good news is that Stefano Caselli's beautiful art is back; the bad news is that the book continues to lack cohesiveness or a clear direction amidst all the characters and plotlines.
Avengers: Initiative will never be accused of being unambitious. The recap page puts the head count of this issue at fourteen, which doesn't include the core team of kids or Gyrich's secret team. Indeed, most of the regulars of the series are absent in favor of spotlighting the new Scarlet Spiders and the real Spider-Man, currently waist-deep in "One More Day." I was almost disappointed that the Scarlet Spiders swinging through the city is the focus here, because there are some great stories brewing in the pages of Avengers: Initiative. It's just that I feel like they've been cast aside for two issues in a row now. Dan Slott has more or less sold me on most of the core cast, and to have them randomly swept aside for a "OMD" pseudo-tie-in strikes me as a poor choice. On a good day this title has trouble keeping its various plot threads and characters together, side stories like this one aren't really helping the title in the long run.
That's not to say this isn't enjoyable, because it is, in its way. But like last issue, I struggle to see the point, and I get an overwhelming sense that this book needs to be corralled and streamlined because it's dangerously overloaded. At the very least, it makes an argument for the existence of a third Avengers title, but I don't agree with the popular opinion that it's the best of the lot. Still, there's definitely promise.
Review score 7.6 Good
So who here agree's or disagree's with the review.
Avengers: Initiative will never be accused of being unambitious. The recap page puts the head count of this issue at fourteen, which doesn't include the core team of kids or Gyrich's secret team. Indeed, most of the regulars of the series are absent in favor of spotlighting the new Scarlet Spiders and the real Spider-Man, currently waist-deep in "One More Day." I was almost disappointed that the Scarlet Spiders swinging through the city is the focus here, because there are some great stories brewing in the pages of Avengers: Initiative. It's just that I feel like they've been cast aside for two issues in a row now. Dan Slott has more or less sold me on most of the core cast, and to have them randomly swept aside for a "OMD" pseudo-tie-in strikes me as a poor choice. On a good day this title has trouble keeping its various plot threads and characters together, side stories like this one aren't really helping the title in the long run.
That's not to say this isn't enjoyable, because it is, in its way. But like last issue, I struggle to see the point, and I get an overwhelming sense that this book needs to be corralled and streamlined because it's dangerously overloaded. At the very least, it makes an argument for the existence of a third Avengers title, but I don't agree with the popular opinion that it's the best of the lot. Still, there's definitely promise.
Review score 7.6 Good
So who here agree's or disagree's with the review.