Post by goldenfist on Jun 26, 2008 7:58:41 GMT -5
Here's Ign's review of Avengers The Initiative #14.
Avengers: The Initiative is a book that works best when it's telling a traditional superhero story while playing around in the Marvel Universe sandbox and reveling in some of the goofier concepts that hide in the corners of it. In theory, a storyline like Secret Invasion would be right at home in this book with its very obvious B-movie fodder plot. And with recurring cast members Crusader and Yellowjacket already confirmed Skrulls, the title seems to have the perfect opportunity to fit into the larger scheme without completely sidelining its own narrative, which so often happens with event crossovers. Thankfully, that's exactly what Dan Slott and Christos Gage pull off, making this one of the more fun issues of A:TI in recent memory.
Issue #14 centers mostly on 3-D Man, a recent Initiative graduate who's inherited his namesake's ability to detect Skrulls and, as such, is tipped off to the impending invasion. As a character who's never gotten a lot of panel time, it took me a sum total of fifteen seconds to warm to 3-D Man. He's another in a long line of examples of Slott and Gage softening the reader with goofiness and hooking them with an intriguing plot development. Also notable is the interaction between Yellowjacket and Crusader, both Skrulls who are unaware of the other's race. Their internal dialogue is worth the cover price alone. Avengers: The Initiative's easiest route to deal with SI is to knock its own dominos over, and it's a fun but also deceptive experience.
Stefano Caselli is mercifully back on art, and I think I speak for many when I say Avengers: The Initiative just doesn't feel quite right without him. This is some of his strongest work to date, as the issue runs the spectrum of characters and locales. Some really beautiful stuff here.
I consider Avengers: The Initiative to be a hit-or-miss book at best, but it's definitely having an "on" month. The creators seem to have a firm handle on how this crossover will work best for the title and if the quality continues, we're in for quite the wild ride.
Review Score: 8.5 Great
(I loved reading this issue)
Avengers: The Initiative is a book that works best when it's telling a traditional superhero story while playing around in the Marvel Universe sandbox and reveling in some of the goofier concepts that hide in the corners of it. In theory, a storyline like Secret Invasion would be right at home in this book with its very obvious B-movie fodder plot. And with recurring cast members Crusader and Yellowjacket already confirmed Skrulls, the title seems to have the perfect opportunity to fit into the larger scheme without completely sidelining its own narrative, which so often happens with event crossovers. Thankfully, that's exactly what Dan Slott and Christos Gage pull off, making this one of the more fun issues of A:TI in recent memory.
Issue #14 centers mostly on 3-D Man, a recent Initiative graduate who's inherited his namesake's ability to detect Skrulls and, as such, is tipped off to the impending invasion. As a character who's never gotten a lot of panel time, it took me a sum total of fifteen seconds to warm to 3-D Man. He's another in a long line of examples of Slott and Gage softening the reader with goofiness and hooking them with an intriguing plot development. Also notable is the interaction between Yellowjacket and Crusader, both Skrulls who are unaware of the other's race. Their internal dialogue is worth the cover price alone. Avengers: The Initiative's easiest route to deal with SI is to knock its own dominos over, and it's a fun but also deceptive experience.
Stefano Caselli is mercifully back on art, and I think I speak for many when I say Avengers: The Initiative just doesn't feel quite right without him. This is some of his strongest work to date, as the issue runs the spectrum of characters and locales. Some really beautiful stuff here.
I consider Avengers: The Initiative to be a hit-or-miss book at best, but it's definitely having an "on" month. The creators seem to have a firm handle on how this crossover will work best for the title and if the quality continues, we're in for quite the wild ride.
Review Score: 8.5 Great
(I loved reading this issue)
