Avengers Academy #3

Man, this book is trucking along wonderfully. Christos Gage has a cast that already feels like mainstays of the Marvel U, at least to me. By having all these guest instructors interact with the students, they really feel integrated into the Marvel U only three issues in.

This issue focuses on Hazmat, one of the more villainous-leaning students at the Avengers Academy. (I'm still thinking Veil and Reptil are good, Finesse, Stryker, and Hazmat are bad, and Mettle is in the middle.) Hazmat seems fairly spoiled; she's actually not very likable, regardless of how rough her origin was. She's actually similar to Rogue in a lot of ways, but I don't see the inherent goodness there.

While on a Scared Straight visit to the Raft (with Cage wearing a weird uniform), there are some great moments. I love the villains who get a few moments to shine. Ghost, Moonstone, and especially Juggernaut are awesome. I'm surprised to see Crossbones given a Bullseye-level of respect, he always worked best for me as an unstoppable thug more than anything else. There should be some great moments during this Thunderbolts crossover as the kids interact with more big names.

Gage isn't neglecting the experienced heroes either. Speedball is still struggling with his past. Iron Fist is still "trying to be Asian." And Valkyrie has a lot to teach the young ladies! Talk about good timing, if Tigra arrives one panel later, things would have veered into MAX territory!

Mike McKone is tremendous. I love his Juggernaut design. The Cage costume looks a little weird, but I'm pretty sure that's a carry over from the Thunderbolts title.

Excellent