Avengers Academy #1

A new team of teenage Avengers comes together after months of promotion. But is this book any good, or is this something you can sweep under the rug for later?
 

The Good

Preconceived notions be darned! After tons of those "I am in Avengers Academy" which annoyed the living heck out of me, I was ready for a sub-par teenage angst filled, poorly drawn book, and it was nothing like that. Christos Gage, who wrote Avengers: Initiative and Absolution, does a great job of introducing these new characters in a way where the reader is not bogged down with back story. The new characters, for the most part, are all very interesting, but are they super-powered, are they mutants? I'm a little confused on that. I like how this issue ends, and Norman Osborn's role in the Avengers Academy. It's also nice to see Speedball back and no longer feeling all sad for himself in his spiky outfit.
 

The Bad

I'm not digging the art. I really enjoyed the first four pages, but as soon as these characters get into costume, the art has a whole different feel to it. It felt based in reality, and as soon as the costumes come on, it's a little cartoony. I still don't like the character Mettle. (The guy who I called Red Skull meets a shiny Danzig when the original promotion came out) He would be best used as cannon fodder, but everyone else on the team I really liked. One other thing that bugged me is when they were in their war room training, Speedball gets a little ticked with Hazmat over her using her powers to stop a bad guy because her powers are lethal. Why put a person on the team whose powers are lethal if you don't want them using it?
 

The Verdict - 3.5/5

A solid start to a series I thought would be awful. Sure, there were a few problems here and there, but overall, I'd say read this book. If you're an Avengers or Heroic Age fan, pick this book up for sure. If not, borrow it from a friend.