Avengers: The Initiative #3 - "Bug Hunt" (Writer: Dan Slott, Artist:
Stefano Caselli, Colorist: Daniele Rudoni)
(jump to last issue)
Komodo is selected for a special mission... to take down Spider-Man.
This issue is a step up on the last one, because at least here the trainee being sent into battle while still more or less untrained is probably of legal age. The issue also makes a point to note another character is almost twenty one. This alleviates some of my problems with the Initiative concept as a whole (however, Abby still strikes me as probably underage, and some of the Young Avengers who are technically part of the Initiative are under 16). It does still tweak at my suspension of disbelief, particularly in areas where the recruits are trained to kill, but I'm growing more and more confident that the Initiative and much of the pro-registration act is building towards a massive 'power corrupts' type plot where all the bad ideas that have happened blow up in the pro-reggers collective face. Even the good ideas the initiative has (inhibitor nanites designed to remove the powers of supervillains permanently would theoretically be the greatest weapon they have that nobody could, in an in-world sense, dispute as a bad idea, at least when used on villains) look like they'd have trouble working long-term in a fictional universe, because you can only take out so many villains 'permanently' before you're out of stories.
So, with my new theory about this, I'm willing to give the series a little more leeway, to watch and see how it goes. In particular, this issue has a few nice moments with Trauma's new tutor (which shows some knowledge of the character), and Komodo finally starts to distinguish herself as something other than a lizard clone. Also, the fight itself with Spider-Man works well.
Review: 3.25 stars
The Birds of Prey and the Secret Six are forced to put aside their
differences when an enraged Ice regains consciousness.
Not going to say much on the issue. I enjoyed it, but, as usual, I
suspect I might have enjoyed it more with more of a connection to the
characters. There were a few good moments in it, but the ultimate
conclusion (aside from the setup for the next issue) didn't matter
much to me because I've never read anything with Ice in it.
Review: 3.25 stars
The group gather at the hospital, where Julie has been injured as a
result of some superheroics connected to last issue. Phil Urich,
in particular, has some trouble dealing with the situation as he feels
responsible.
Something felt off about this issue. Maybe it's because the major
events of it took place in the past, off panel, or are simply left
unexplained. I think part of it is that Cebulski chose to tell it
from the perspective of Phil Urich (it looks like each issue might be
told from the perspective of a different Loner), and he's just not
terribly involved in things. Penance (she's still Penance to me) forms
a sudden, unexplained attachment to him, but that's left to be explored
in another issue, and so we're left with a guy narrating over events
he's told third person. All together, it just leaves me out of touch
with the events of the issue.
Hopefully it's only a minor misstep and the rest of the series will be
better.
Review: 3 stars
Sofia, a former mutant who lost her powers on M-Day, is trying to
make a go at a normal life. However, there's a new group of vigilantes
operating in the city, calling themselves the New Warriors, and they've
been contacting her.
This is a bit of an odd book. For a first issue, it doesn't really
introduce much of the cast. We get a glimpse of one member in costume,
and see two others (not counting Sofia who will presumably join the
team eventually), but only one whose identity is revealed. It also
has a couple too many cliches, like Sofia's day job, working at a diner
with a gruff Chef who really is a good guy, and one of the ways they
contact her.
Still, they've set up the New Warriors to have a more rebellious tone
than most of the anti-reg forces. Most of the anti-regs we've seen so
far seem to be taking the tact 'I'm going to keep doing my job, I just
want to hide my identity while doing so'. The New Warriors seem to be
deliberately thumbing their nose at SHIELD and refer to fighting against
the New World Order.
So, it has my attention, I'll give it that. I'm tentatively making it
my Pick of the Week over the Initiative, although I have hopes the two
books will compliment each other. It might have gotten a higher score
though if we met more of the cast right away.
Review: 3.25 stars
The Titans mourn one of their own and investigate her death, while
Jericho struggles to control his new body.
This of course came out last week, so most of the people who were
interested in it have already read it. So I'll keep my thoughts fairly
brief here, and just say one thing.
I generally like continuity where events of one book influences another,
but it does feel a little odd to have Duela Dent, a character plucked
from relative obscurity, to join the team last arc, only to be killed
between issues and this next issue starting with her funeral and the
investigation of her murder.
The issue itself was okay, but I'm growing less and less interested in
the wider DC story, and it looks like this issue and next will be tie
ins to that more than Teen Titans stories on their own. However, since
Beechen's run on the title has been abbreviated (and he's being replaced
with Sean McKeever), I'll probably be sticking with the title a little
longer.
Review: 3 stars
Well, that's it for this week folks. Next week, according to the
shipping list, we've got just two books, although one of them is a
maybe. There's New X-Men #39 for sure, and I'll decide whether to
pick up Cable & Deadpool #41 after a flip through in the store. If
it's simply a crossover like last issue that you need to be reading
X-Men in order to understand, I'll skip it.
See you next week...
Peter Dimitriadis
Discuss these reviews in the forum
Jump to last week (Birds of Prey #106, newuniversal #6, Wisdom #6)
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Birds of Prey #107 - "Whitewater, Part Three: A Heart Encased In Glass"
(Writer: Gail Simone, Penciller: Nicola Scott,
Inker: Doug Hazlewood, Colors: Hi-Fi Design)
(jump to last issue)
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Loners #3 (of 6) - "What Lies Beneath" (Writer: C.B. Cebulski, Artist:
Karl Moline, Colorist: Christina Strain)
(jump to last issue)
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New Warriors #1 - "Defiant" (Writer: Kevin Grevioux, Penciler: Paco
Medina, Inker: Juan Vlasco, Colorist: Marte Gracia)
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Teen Titans #47 - "Of Clowns and Clones" (Writer: Adam Beechen,
Penciler: Chris Batista, Inker: Jonathan Glapion,
Colors: The Hories)
(jump to last issue)
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