By Dan Slott and Christos N. Gage (Writers), Stefano Caselli (Artist), and Daniele Rudoni (Colors)
After a disappointing issue last month, Avengers: The Initiative is back on track! Writers Dan Slott and Christos Gage prove that a major crossover tie-in can still be a character driven story, even with a large cast. The first portion is essentially a follow-up to this week’s Mighty Avengers #15 (see our review) in that we see more of “Skrullowjacket’s” actions in the Initiative, as well as having a few questions about his character answered.
Of course, “Pym” isn’t the only Skrull on base, and we see what happens as Crusader, a Skrull who has defected and keeps his true nature a secret, learns of the Skrull invasion, and more specifically about “Hank.” As we are kept on our toes to see what Crusader will do, we get a shift away from Camp Hammond as the New 3-D Man, introduced in issue 12, arrives at the Hawaii Initiative HQ. Not trying to spoil too much, but chaos ensues which eventually spreads back to Camp Hammond. Amongst this chaos, we get our big cliffhanger as Crusader makes what is likely to be a huge mistake.
When the main cast of A:TI graduated, I feared that this series would lose some of its momentum. Last issue seemed to confirm my fears, but as you can see, Avengers: The Initiative #14 has a solid story with a return to the usual level of entertainment and overall greatness. Furthering to assuage my fears is the return of Stefano Caselli as artist. While Steve Uy actually showed some improvement last time around, Caselli’s work is a huge part of what makes the book such an enjoyable read. Like the authors, Caselli is all about characters, and in a book full of multiple leading and supporting cast members, Caselli manages to make them all distinct and realistic looking. Avengers: The Initiative remains one of my top three favorite monthly reads, and for anyone looking for a great jumping on point: this is it. (Grade: B+)
-M. Staples
Filed under: Marvel Comics, Reviews Tagged: | Avengers, Avengers: The Initiative, Avengers: The Initiative #14, Christos N. Gage, Comic Book Reviews, comic books, Dan Slott, Daniele Rudoni, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Secret Invasion, Stefano Caselli
