Post by goldenfist on Nov 6, 2008 10:20:27 GMT -5
Ign.com reviews Avengers The Initiative Special #1.
Compared to this time last year, I'm just not having much fun with Avengers: The Initiative. The book began to falter when Dan Slott and Christos Gage chose to have the original cast of Initiative recruits graduate and, for all intents and purposes, leave the book. These days, with Secret Invasion raging, the book has about 20 characters more than it can handle, and few hold a candle to the original lineup. Thankfully, Avengers: The Initiative Special #1 hearkens back to earlier issues and focuses on some of these forgotten favorites.
Two stories make up this oversized issue. The first, and larger, tale focuses on the complex relationship between Hardball and Komodo. The two heroes were assigned to separate Initiative teams when they graduated, and a shared life is nearly impossible for these two. It's get to touch base with these characters again, and even better to see Hardball's connection to Hydra rise to the surface again. Long story short, his double life will come back to haunt him in a big way in this issue.
I wasn't entirely won over by this story, mind you. It suffers from a similar problem the main series does - it features too many characters in too little space. I was ecstatic to see Two-Gun Kid again, but he barely has a moment to stand out. I also didn't quite approve of the pacing of the story. Characters reacted to situations and moved onto the next in a rapid-fire manner. Obviously a higher page count could have alleviated this problem, but I also think the story could have been edited in such a way as to better fit the page constraints. Still, the core appeal of seeing Komodo and Hardball interacting is there. In terms of characterization, Gage doesn't miss a beat from flying solo. It leaves me hopeful that he'll carry the series out of Secret Invasion and into a better place. And based on the way this story ends, he'll have plenty of potential to mine along the way.
The backup story featuring Trauma is also a breath of fresh air. Trauma was an interesting addition to the original cast, but also one that never felt fully utilized. This short segment explores his origin. It's not fascinating, and in many ways is pretty predictable, but it too possesses an ending that bodes well for future Initiative story arcs.
Both segments are illustrated by Steve Uy, that stalwart fill-in artist since the very beginning of the book. Uy's work seems to attract a lot of ire from fans, and I have to say I don't quite understand it. I won't pretend Uy measures up to Stefano Caselli, but his work does have an animated quality that suits the book well. Uy's main problem is a relative lack of detail compared to the book's other artist. He seems to take pains to address that fault here, though that in turn leads to other faults. Many of his lines seem rough and unfinished. And, because his work lacks anything in the way of inking, there's no way to straighten these lines out. Uy sacrifices a clean, stark look for greater detail. I'm not convinced it was a worthy trade, but others may feel differently.
This issue certainly represents a step in the right direction for a book that has faltered in recent months. If nothing else, Gage proves he has the chops to continue on his own, and that's a good sign to this tired reader.
Review Score: 7.2 Decent
Compared to this time last year, I'm just not having much fun with Avengers: The Initiative. The book began to falter when Dan Slott and Christos Gage chose to have the original cast of Initiative recruits graduate and, for all intents and purposes, leave the book. These days, with Secret Invasion raging, the book has about 20 characters more than it can handle, and few hold a candle to the original lineup. Thankfully, Avengers: The Initiative Special #1 hearkens back to earlier issues and focuses on some of these forgotten favorites.
Two stories make up this oversized issue. The first, and larger, tale focuses on the complex relationship between Hardball and Komodo. The two heroes were assigned to separate Initiative teams when they graduated, and a shared life is nearly impossible for these two. It's get to touch base with these characters again, and even better to see Hardball's connection to Hydra rise to the surface again. Long story short, his double life will come back to haunt him in a big way in this issue.
I wasn't entirely won over by this story, mind you. It suffers from a similar problem the main series does - it features too many characters in too little space. I was ecstatic to see Two-Gun Kid again, but he barely has a moment to stand out. I also didn't quite approve of the pacing of the story. Characters reacted to situations and moved onto the next in a rapid-fire manner. Obviously a higher page count could have alleviated this problem, but I also think the story could have been edited in such a way as to better fit the page constraints. Still, the core appeal of seeing Komodo and Hardball interacting is there. In terms of characterization, Gage doesn't miss a beat from flying solo. It leaves me hopeful that he'll carry the series out of Secret Invasion and into a better place. And based on the way this story ends, he'll have plenty of potential to mine along the way.
The backup story featuring Trauma is also a breath of fresh air. Trauma was an interesting addition to the original cast, but also one that never felt fully utilized. This short segment explores his origin. It's not fascinating, and in many ways is pretty predictable, but it too possesses an ending that bodes well for future Initiative story arcs.
Both segments are illustrated by Steve Uy, that stalwart fill-in artist since the very beginning of the book. Uy's work seems to attract a lot of ire from fans, and I have to say I don't quite understand it. I won't pretend Uy measures up to Stefano Caselli, but his work does have an animated quality that suits the book well. Uy's main problem is a relative lack of detail compared to the book's other artist. He seems to take pains to address that fault here, though that in turn leads to other faults. Many of his lines seem rough and unfinished. And, because his work lacks anything in the way of inking, there's no way to straighten these lines out. Uy sacrifices a clean, stark look for greater detail. I'm not convinced it was a worthy trade, but others may feel differently.
This issue certainly represents a step in the right direction for a book that has faltered in recent months. If nothing else, Gage proves he has the chops to continue on his own, and that's a good sign to this tired reader.
Review Score: 7.2 Decent
