Post by goldenfist on Apr 17, 2008 9:07:47 GMT -5
Here's ign's review of Avengers The Initiative #11.
Every time I start to doubt this series, it does something to surprise me. While currently the best of the Avengers-branded comics, I always felt like the concept didn't have long-term viability. Trying to juggle such a large cast is quite the challenge, and I truly felt that things would unravel over time into a chaotic mess spread out over 22 pages. Luckily, I've been proven long thus far, and it seems like the creative team has found a formula to keep things fresh for a long time to come.
This issue is the conclusion of the KIA arc. Essentially, MVP's clone (of which there are many) goes crazy and attempts to kill everyone associated with the original's death. Bringing everything back to the first issue put the focus back on the very first recruits to Camp Hammond, which helps things from getting too cluttered. I was almost hoping KIA would clear out some more of the logjam of characters that I felt hadn't been pulling their weight as of late, but Slott & Gage decided on a different path. Instead of just wantonly killing a few characters off (a la New X-Men), Slott & Gage made me care about them in a way I hadn't previously. The best example of this is Hardball and Komodo. Both had a definite lack of depth going into this issue, but a couple of d**n impressive scenes transformed them into the complex characters I didn't know they were capable of being. At the same time, even previously compelling characters like Cloud 9 made a leap in stature in my eyes. While having too many characters is still a potential problem, it's much less of one when they're ones readers can relate to.
I've had mixed feelings about Stefano Caselli, but he's starting to grow on me. I'm still not sure he's cut out to handle personal scenes (weird faces at times), but hectic wild fight is right in his wheelhouse. Again, I still have my overall doubts about the series, but those doubts become less and less each issue.
Review Score: 8.3 Impressive
Every time I start to doubt this series, it does something to surprise me. While currently the best of the Avengers-branded comics, I always felt like the concept didn't have long-term viability. Trying to juggle such a large cast is quite the challenge, and I truly felt that things would unravel over time into a chaotic mess spread out over 22 pages. Luckily, I've been proven long thus far, and it seems like the creative team has found a formula to keep things fresh for a long time to come.
This issue is the conclusion of the KIA arc. Essentially, MVP's clone (of which there are many) goes crazy and attempts to kill everyone associated with the original's death. Bringing everything back to the first issue put the focus back on the very first recruits to Camp Hammond, which helps things from getting too cluttered. I was almost hoping KIA would clear out some more of the logjam of characters that I felt hadn't been pulling their weight as of late, but Slott & Gage decided on a different path. Instead of just wantonly killing a few characters off (a la New X-Men), Slott & Gage made me care about them in a way I hadn't previously. The best example of this is Hardball and Komodo. Both had a definite lack of depth going into this issue, but a couple of d**n impressive scenes transformed them into the complex characters I didn't know they were capable of being. At the same time, even previously compelling characters like Cloud 9 made a leap in stature in my eyes. While having too many characters is still a potential problem, it's much less of one when they're ones readers can relate to.
I've had mixed feelings about Stefano Caselli, but he's starting to grow on me. I'm still not sure he's cut out to handle personal scenes (weird faces at times), but hectic wild fight is right in his wheelhouse. Again, I still have my overall doubts about the series, but those doubts become less and less each issue.
Review Score: 8.3 Impressive