Written by Christos Gage
Illustrated by Tom Raney
– X-23 joins Avengers Academy…will they survive the experience?
– A classic villain returns!
– Reptil’s darkest secret is revealed!
X-23 is here! She’s on the team! Finally she’s in more than one boo–oh, her solo title was canceled? Well, nerts. At least she remains relevant in the Marvel Universe and joins an already stellar book in Avengers Academy. Considered the best Avengers by some (myself included), it was only a considered a good thing to see it get an injection of new characters to add more drama to the teen drama about misfit superheroes who have been mistreated by the bad guys and the angst that comes with it!
Follow the cut for my thoughts on this new era in Avengers Academy!
As I’ve said (many times) on this site, Avengers Academy is my favorite ongoing Avengers comic. It has the most consistent quality throughout the series, and while the art has had its ups and downs over the course of the past two years, but it’s also been the most consistent of all the Avengers ongoings (New, Dark, Secret, and OG) in my opinion. So when I found out that there would be more characters joining the squad, be it on the teaching staff or the classmates, I was stoked. I was also stoked to see that Laura Kinney would join in issue #23, as if it was an intended pun on Gage and company’s part to do that, I applaud them, because as someone who enjoys a good pun, that’s one of the better ones.
But now let’s get down to business. I really enjoyed this book, but with the three separate storylines going on at once, some of them get lost in the ether when compared to the others. Case in point: X-23.
X-23 is on the cover in an already iconic pose. In their own Avengers Academy version of the Fastball Special, Mettle and X-23 make for a very dynamic action shot, and it gives the impression that Laura will be quite important to the issue. And well, she kind of is, but at the same time, she’s barely introduced before the lead is buried by Striker’s own admission of his homosexuality.
Not that this is a bad thing by ANY stretch of the imagination. He and Julie Power share a rather poignant scene about two characters who are both coming to grips with the fact they are not “like everyone else.” This scene was hyped by both Gage and [Editor-In-Chief] Axel Alonso on Twitter a couple weeks ago, and with good reason. This scene in the middle of the book, almost as a mere subplot rife with adolescent angst, is the highlight of the issue. Both Striker and Julie’s emotions seem to leak off the page, making for a real connection with fictional teenagers. I actually felt empathy for Striker as he came to grips with who he is as well as what he survived as a child was one of the strongest scenes in any issue I’ve seen all month, and possibly all year.
But as good as that scene was: I felt it did diminish the debut of Laura on the team. If she were introduced an issue earlier or later, it might have been perfect for both stories. But while her debut is ultimately forgettable when compared to the strength of other parts of the book, she’s written quite well. She’s played as a detached, trained assassin and it works just about perfectly. There’s even a moment where Finesse has a somewhat humorous line about having flashcards for learning emotions. Everything in the interactions with the other characters feels real and organic.
The third and final plot thread being laid down, however, was a head scratcher. Reptil in the present is actually Reptil in the future; he traveled his mind back in time to ensure the current time-line is preserved of whatever reason, but the whole idea of his time traveling consciousness as opposed to physically is certainly an interesting one, if not confusing. It reminded me of that Jake Gyllenhaal flick Source Code, as a matter of fact, which was ultimately even more confusing, because I haven’t even seen it!
Continued belowAll that said; one of the most exciting revelations in the book was the revelation of Reptil’s cohort. For the sake of spoilers, I won’t tell you exactly who it is, but a working knowledge of older Marvel Villains is essential. It’s still a very well done reveal that will excite long time readers and draw in new ones.
Despite all that quality, this book wouldn’t have hit has hard if it weren’t for the talents of one Tom Raney on pencils. He and the rest of the art team (Scott Hanna on inks and Chris Sotomayor on colors) enhance every action with their work as a team. They work especially shines through in the personal character moments, where each panel conveys a very distinct emotion, further pulling you into an already engaging script. That is what the art is for, to enhance the story, not distract from it.
All in all, the book continues the quality it’s had all along and you should check this out. Now’s a perfect time to jump on along with X-23; you won’t regret it.
Final Verdict: 7.8 — Buy
