Monday, August 22, 2011

Avengers Academy #18


I get the feeling that Christos Gage is about to kill one of his students in the next issue. I honestly can't remember who shows up on the solicits for upcoming issues, so my only feeling right now is that Veil and Reptil are safe, I think all bets are off for everyone else.

This issue is basically straight out of a horror movie (as noted by the characters). The Absorbing Man and Titania (now possessed by crazy fear entities) spend every page just stalking around knocking the crap out of the Academy students. I do like the way the kids get taken out, leaving the "bad" kids as the last ones standing. Finesse, Hazmat, and Striker aren't exactly heroes, but they're the best available in Hank Pym's infinite mansion.

Speaking of the mansion, it sure doesn't look good. The enormous house is slowly expanding, and this issue ends with it popping into the Microverse (above what looks like Bug's homeworld). I'm honeslty not sure what the kids can do to stop the pumped-up fear baddies, I mean, Finesse is street-level and Striker isn't much better. I don't see how the kids have a chance!

Andrea De Vito steps in to guest-pencil this issue, and I have to laugh. Gage basically has a rotating cast of some of my favorite artists in the business. Mike McKone, Tom Raney, Sean Chen, and De Vito may not be the biggest names in comics, but their storytelling is excellent and I love their takes on the Marvel U. Gage is a lucky guy to keep getting such great artistic partners.

Good

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