Avengers Arena #10

Spoilers! I absolutely hate it when people complain about this book because "Their fav character might die". Well guess what? Mine did. Nico was my favorite teenage comic book character and before this issue I would have hoped for her to win. But now shes dead. And before I go any further, I'd like to point out that if Kev Walker was the artist for this issue, it would probably have received a 5.

When's the last time a comic book filled you with anger, hatred, sadness, and awe to the point where you are reminded why you love comics? Mine was after I got this issue. I went to the store and bought it and read it on the car ride home (my grandma was driving btw). I open the book and I see Nico, bloody, bone petruding from her leg, making a desperate crawl to the broken Staff of One. I honestly thought I was gonna cry just from that. Then I saw her arm was ripped off too, and that freaked me out even more. Then we flashback, and I am immediately drawn in. I felt real fear, just from reading a comic book. I also thought about horrible things I wanted to do to Dennis Hopeless, but only until after I finished being pissed off (like an hour after reading). I was reading and reading and found myself turning the page with a little more hesitation each time. "What if Nico doesn't make it out?" I saw Nico fight Katy with all she had, and saving the lives of people she has known for like two days. I wished Nico was a little less selfless. Then I get to the second to last page, which was beautifully done by Riccardo Burchielli (though I think Walker would have done better for the whole book), and I read Nico say "This is the end" and stop. I stop reading for like 10 minutes. Then I prepared myself and went back and turned the page. Nico didn't make it. The next hour or so I was pretty pissed, but then thought of another time when I was that physically upset at the happenings of a fictional story. I used to have a crush on Wallflower, from New X-Men. When she died I did cry, but I was a lot younger then. Still, that was one and another was when the bus full of Students blew up in the same series. That was all I could remember. New X-Men brought me into comic books, and I think there is a reason.

I like comic books. I don't like death or murder, and I wouldn't consider myself a sadist or narcissist. I liked New X-Men because it made me feel something kind of rare in today's books. I have never read an issue of Avengers that made me upset, want to cry, etc (then again, I don't usually read Avengers, so sorry if you feel differently, comment other books like I describe if you want btw). I like that a form of art can affect the human person and I am reminded why I love comic books, along with all other forms of art. People are upset with this book for the same reason I loved it, but to those people I pose a question. Before this series was announced, before its first issue and before issue 10, how often did you think about Nico? How often did you make forum posts praising her, and begging for her to make a return to comics. And in closing, what was your opinion of her. Would it be something like, "A strong, powerful young sorceress who has a proclivity to help other children, despite possible risk to herself"? That I feel is something that even BKV would have to agree with. Sometimes, we all need a reminder as to why we love comic books, and why we like certain characters, which is something Dennis has been able to do, while, I feel, showing great respect to characters and their previous writer (except Juston and Red Raven, who were sacrificed so that the story could progress, which isn't really ok, but what are you gonna do?) I love this series, and I love all of the characters, even ones who I disliked before like Hazmat and Reptil, and ones that are debuting in this series. Some may hate Dennis, but he clearly knows what he is doing. And while some may be angry because of all of the other "possibilities" for these characters, all I have to say is that if you are ok with characters doing the same thing for years and years (Nico was in character limbo), then maybe you should buy a tradeback and/or write some fan fiction. I'm not. I want development and change. And if that change is Nico bravely and heroically whopping a sentinel's ass, and then sacrificing herself for others, that is fine by me. At least she and Chase and Hazmat and all of these other great characters were considered for Marvel Now and are growing emotionally as opposed to 5 years of inactivity like Nico had to suffer, maybe longer. And that is my final question for those who dislike this series because their favorite character is in it. Would you rather they do nothing?

Thanks for reading, and post all over the place so people who are petioning for the death of this great series can see it.