Avengers Academy is, month in and month out, by far the most enjoyable and consistent Avengers titlecurrently being published by Marvel Comics.With a fresh cast of characters brought to life and fleshed out by Christos Gage, the reader instantly connects with these kids.
This issue has two stories, essentially, the first seeing Hank Pym fight against a newly Asgardian-empowered Absorbing Man, as in the second Veil tries to save a young girl’s mom, and has to deal with the harsh realities of being a superhero during a crisis situation.The first story has some good exploration of Hank Pym, but the actual fight against Absorbing Man was kind of rushed, and also felt like we’d already seen something similar recently, which if course we have, back before Fear Itself started.
The second story is far superior, as Veil deals with the harsh realities of superheroing, as she tries to save a young girl’s mother.The story is deeply affecting, and felt quite genuine, showing what emotional strain Veil is under given the crisis situation at hand.Gage has smartly used the Fear Itself crossover to tell smaller stories of heroism under fire for these Avengers Academy kids, and as a reader I really responded to it, the sincerity of the stories being told.
Raney’s artwork is enjoyable, but on the first story it lacked some of the detail I would have preferred to see, with simple backgrounds and limited amounts of character detail. The Veil story definitely had superior visuals. Once again, Avengers Academy proves itself as the most enjoyable and consistent Avengers-family title, and you won’t be disappointed if you start picking up this title.Highly Recommended!
