The Good

While my opinion on Dennis Hopeless' story has primarily gone from "not a fan" to "alright" (Arcade tale aside), it has always been Kevin Walker's art which made the book stand out to me. Unfortunately, he's not around this issue. Instead, Riccardo Burchielli provides the visuals, and while I'm not as enthusiastic about his work, it make for a mostly solid looking experience. This chapter has a gruesome turn of events and Burchielli manages to make the injuries downright painful to observe. I'm usually just fine with handling gore, but having a broken bone thrusting out of someone's leg? It's kind of brutal to gaze at.

While the style is noticeably different with facial expressions, having Jean-Francois Beauli remain on colors makes the art change not too jarring and it does at times feel quite similar to the look we're used to. I'm not the biggest fan of the facial work and characters sometimes appear sleepy, but the action certainly looked good and delivered the proper impact behind the forceful and elaborate attacks.

I will confess, Hopeless gave me a decent laugh with a rather short segment featuring Darkhawk. It's brief, but having an unexpected laugh is always a nice treat, especially when the tale has such a strong focus on so much despair and suffering. Additionally, the action here is quite fun, particularly if you're not emotionally invested in the well-being of some of these characters.

The Bad

Alright, I need to dive into spoiler territory for these.

Katy is "in it to win it," so to speak, why would she not kill her deadliest opponent when she has the opportunity to do so? Why beat X-23 within an inch of her life and then toss her away? Knowing X-23 has a healing factor, why not go all of the way? Look, I don't want to see X-23 die, but this was just a dumb move on Katy's behalf. Also, why flee when you have Katy's forces momentarily incapacitated? Why not continue the offensive and do everything possible to destroy the sentinel instead of running while it's vulnerable?

Nico's final word... why hasn't she already attempted this?! I'm happy Hopeless addressed teleporting not working, but why would she logically not try to send a message for help sooner? I'm assuming this will reach the outside heroes and somehow help them locate Murder World, but I'm baffled as to why she wouldn't try this prior to being murdered in a horribly violent fashion. I'm not even a big Nico fan and I feel like this is vastly underestimating her potential and not giving her a meaningful demise. It seems like downplaying the character just to move the plot forward. I get her sacrifice will probably save the team and all that... I just have trouble stomaching it because I see no good reason why she wouldn't attempt this sooner. Nico and Juston fans, you have my sympathy.

The Verdict

For the most part, this book usually has me down the middle. I enjoyed the Arcade-focused issue but aside from that, everything has been rather "meh" for me. I understand some of you loathe the premise of this book and if that's the case, this issue will likely make you want to flip a table or smash your keyboard. Needless to say, avoid it at costs and don't spend a dime on it. However, if you've been digging the premise, odds are you'll have a blast with the action packed developments. But for me? My personal gripes and frustration over a few decisions drop this issue to two stars.

I don't loathe the premise of the book, I just find it extremely boring.

At least Chase is still alive. I gave up on this book after issue 4.

I see we have reached the point where the positive is all about the art and the negative is chock full of Plot-Induced Stupidity.

Why does Laura run into a situation without properly analyzing how best to succeed in it? Because Hopeless.

Why doesn't Katy kill her? Because Hopeless.

Why do they not destroy the sentinel, and seriously reduce the threat posed by Hopeless' characters Katy? Because Hopeless.

Why does Nico get dismembered and brutalized? Because shock value (or Hopeless, take your pick)

Why didn't Nico cast a help spell the moment a teleporting out spell failed? Because Hopeless.

Why is the Staff of One nerfed in the first place despite its power? Because Hopeless.

I have passed the point of no return, Viners. I have spent months attacking Marvel for this book and that's not working. So congratulations. My ire is now directed towards the many who call this a good, well-written, or even remotely respectful book. Because it isn't, and you will eat those words.

I've been reading this since day one and have just been hoping beyond hope that it gets better. It's essentially hopeless (funny, I know) since there seems to be an overarching plan that just isn't what I would expect or want, but I can dream. Walker's art has been solid, but I just feel many of the characters written through Hopeless aren't doing what I would expect them to. They speak reasonably how I feel they should, but when it comes time to make decisions they... they feel very unnatural.

Sucks; I'll keep trekking on until the end regardless.

I enjoy this series but yeah it was a weak issue.

Well we know Laura and Jenny will make it only near the end, thanks to the spiler/I mean fast-forward. But seriously killing all the teen heroes (if this is all real) has become more than a joke, I loved Avengers Academy because it wasn't just another teen killfest like a lot of Marvel's teen books can be (especially the X-Books) and Hopeless is going along killing characters of because he can.

Why don't Marvel do another Scourge stroyline and get rid of all the rubbish characters again.

I refuse to touch this book. Being a huge fans of the Runaways, I find this thing a travesty. I won't believe Nico died, call it denial, I don't care. This book needs to be dropped, retconned, or be simply ignored....

Nico was the only Runaway I liked>.<

Thisbook needs to be freaking retconned....:/

This book is straight up rancid. What's really sad is that when the number of characters starts to get low, they will probably "restock" the roster with more beloved young, promising characters that they can kill off.

...i forgot this book was being published...

Haters are gonna hate, but this has been my hands down favorite Marvel Now title. I will agree though that this last issue felt really rushed. The art was weak, and I think the whole book suffered from it. I am still in shock over the death at the end, and hoping that some how, someway this gets undone. I however am in this for the long haul. Just a little statistic though Avengers Arena and Spectacular Spiderman are the only 2 books that have consistently held their audience since the first issue. All the other Marvel Now books had huge sales to start but quickly dropped. So there is something to be being bold and controversial, and telling the story you want to tell no matter all the haters.

That's actually not really true. After the sizable drop from the first issue to the second which any new title experiences, Arena has been steadily losing readers. Over the past five issues, it has lost an average of 2,000 people per issue.

Also, interesting choice for your first post on CV, though as my first post was to attack this book I guess I can understand.

Ugh don't remind me. Runaways was so good and could have gone somewhere great, but Marvel had to drop the ball and place them in a pseudo-Battle Royale style type scenario. What I don't like the most is how they dumb the characters and practically erased all the character development they had in their own series. They practically turned them into incompetent children, which was never really the case. I don't see why they couldn't just make them more mainstream like they did with the Young Avengers. Hell, they could made them part of the Young Avengers, like the What If issue. But now I'm going on a tirade >:O

To put it frankly, Marvel has been disappointing as of late. I rather they have left them in limbo, instead of the travesty they are doing now...

I'm someone who has no affinity to these characters, except X23, and I've thought this book has been alright. The premise is terribly unoriginal but its been cool to read character I normally wouldn't and even spurred me check out Runaways and Avengers Academy. This being said I don't believe any of the deaths will stick. From interviews or whatever it appears they are saying what you see is really happening but I just can't believe that.

I honestly thought this book was cancelled O.O

Nope. A lot of other books got cancelled, like Gambit. Avengers Arena has been confirmed for a "second season" after this arc ends in another five or so issues.

Funny thing is I know the sales of this book are very low last month I think it just managed to sell 20 000 and for something with the word Avengers in it that is horrible. I really think this book will not make it to season two or they will reformat the book with some of the characters making there return. I mean does anyone respect Hopeless anymore? I read two issues of this book and he is a terrible lazy writer.

@jberry4478: From the sales figures this book has struggled heavily to find its audience after the first issue.

@akbogert: Thats just awful..

@br_havoc: No one will respect him as a writer when I'm done with him. At least, no one who reads the essay I am starting to draft, and rereading Runaways in its entirety to make sure I'm not misrepresenting anything. The representation of the Runaways has been canon-broken from the start, with Chase using tech that he hasn't worn in years (and in fact which was broken or lost) and Nico using an older weaker version of her staff, neither inconsistency having ever been explained. The staff of one can't break and it can be absorbed into the body, which means Nico didn't need to crawl for it because she could have called it to her. She also could easily have cast a spell to heal herself and then tried to get help -- but of course she could have tried to get help a long time ago, as Gregg points out.

Also note (as @ravager4) pointed out to me, that Nico is one of few strong POC female characters Marvel had. She was also a team leader. And yet after having been inexplicably depowered and abused, she is violently injured and killed. Her white male friend, who has actually now received a power upgrade, will no doubt be motivated by this death to seek vengeance if he survives long enough to be freed from Apex's control.

This is as clear a case of fridging as I have seen since I started reading comics. She's even on ice, literally.

Hopeless is not a good writer. He is not a good comics writer, either, as that requires a certain amount of research and respect of canon, and in terms of his handling of the Runaways that has been missing in spades.

I've put up with the suggest for quite some time that this book is fun and good. Well I've lost my patience with the latter. People can enjoy it all they want, I can't stop that. But this is not good writing, and I mean to show that as clearly and incontrovertibly as possible. Henceforth I see people who defend the writing quality of this book as idiots; all that remains is building the mirror to show them how they look.

I thought it was a solid issue. Perhaps the reason Apex doesn't finish the job on X-23 is she doesn't view her as a large threat at all. As we see in the issue, X-23 really doesn't seem to be a threat, she got crushed in about 2 seconds...

@akbogert: Jesus, calm down. No one will respect him as a writer, people who like his stuff are idiots? Where's your Pulitzer? Did they start giving them out for most cantankerous comments?

@batarang614: I said it should be impossible to defend him as a writer in the face of the very valid criticisms of his writing, which is demonstrably rife with plotholes, predictability, and continuity abandonment. And yes, a person who could review all of those points and still not understand why I object to classifying him as a talented writer (I recently had a fan tell me he'd written a better story for these characters than BKV), I would consider them lacking a certain fundamental intelligence.

I have been, I think, extremely calm all things considered for quite some time. But one can only take so much smirking, and so much disrespect, before calming down does not seem to have been worth it.

@batarang614: I do want to take a moment to say a bit more. Like I said, there are a lot of things that I want to point out, but just to give you an example of why I don't think I'm just throwing indefensible statements out there in the midst of a hissy-fit I will elaborate a bit.

There is fan-fiction, and then there is professional comic writing.

Now at first, I'd like to say this is okay fan-fiction, but honestly I think if anyone tried pulling half of this stuff on a fan fiction board they would be torn apart by readers.

The fact remains that Hopeless has been given free reign to tell whatever the heck he wants to with no respect or regard for whether or not it actually fits the established character behaviors, histories, or power sets. A variety of crucial plot points and developments (up to and including deaths) intrinsically violate canon and would not be possible if Hopeless were held to the standards comic writers typically are when writing stories. He has done things in his book which simply cannot happen according to previously established rules within the various stories from which these characters have been plucked. Often these violations directly result in the endangerment, harm, and now death of the very characters who have been inexplicably depowered or distorted.

Put another way, if we remove all the aspects of this book which could not have happened if continuity were taken into account, we would have removed a large portion of the book.

Nico died because she lost too much blood on her way to the staff -- a staff which was broken despite it being impossible to break, a crawl which was unnecessary because the staff is tied to her and could have been called to/absorbed back to her to keep her from straining herself, and a staff which had previously been established as one of the most powerful magical artifacts in the entire Marvel universe but inexplicably did not work properly in Murder World. You may argue that its wonkiness was due to something about Murder World's design but in addition to those "rules" never having been addressed (and coming across as arbitrary depending on what the writer needed to work/not work), the idea that a "help" spell might now work first raises the question of why Nico wouldn't have tried it earlier (she absolutely would have) and why if Murder World "blocks" certain potentially useful spells like an Internet proxy, something as simple as calling for help wouldn't be on the block list.

So yes, I am calling him a bad writer. And yes, I am saying that I consider a person who is incapable of acknowledging that as bad writing to be an idiot. Hopefully, however, you do see what I'm trying to say though.

I agree with the two stars. In my opinion Hopeless isn't doing a good job with these characters and their actions are making about as much sense as the existence of this book in the first place. I only read this book for one reason and now the reason is gone with this issue. There are characters in this book that people really do love and it's sad to see them disrespected like this by dying for reasons that can barely be justified in the story. I don't really like "it was all a dream"-type scenarios but I think it would be a step up from some of the stuff that's been in this book.

@akbogert: Once again you are make such valid points and layout Hopeless' flaws so perfectly. I am certainly glad to have you on the side of reason and that you're a voice to fight this terrible travesty of a book. Thank you.

@akbogert: Wow you have issues... first off, I like the series. Not saying I love it but it's entertaining and current. And what gives you the right to decide who is and who isn't a good writer? Are you a writer yourself? Do you have a degree in critiquing other people's work? And to say "people who defend the writing quality of this book (are) idiots... is simply rude, immature, and disrespectful. It's a comic book, not Martin Luther's 95 Theses. "I'm gonna write an essay"... "he's a horrible writer"... "this is fan-fiction" are you reading your posts before posting them? Because you are coming off like a bigot, intolerable, grumbling, hater. My opinion, stop reading the series if you're upset with it so much. It's not like anyone is forcing you to buy it, let alone read it. There must be some reason you're still here, wasting your money on a title you clearly do not like, and complaining like an upset teenage fan-girl. This past issue was weak, and I'm a fan of Nico since her inception, but clearly you need to lay off on the hating, it makes you look unintelligent.

First off, Avengers Academy wasn't that good, in fact it wasn't a good series at all in my opinion.

And which teen X-Book are you talking about!? I've read all of them.

Please, PLEASE let it all be a dream or some shit like that.

I would like to take the time to leave something I found in the back of this issue where Hopeless answers a fan with this:

James! What the hell are you waiting for?! Go buy the Runaways collection NOW! It's a fantastic series. Read them once now and then read them again after I kill Nico and Chase.

Way to brag about killing them off. Way. To. Brag. And this isn't the first time. He generally brushes off his naysayers with a coy remark or by telling them to get over it basically. Just a real class act. #Sarcasm

@akbogert Thought you would enjoy seeing this too.

Actually yes, I am a writer. I have a degree in English, magna cum laude. And I am in a doctoral program with an emphasis on media studies. My opinion is about as close to professional as you might get -- though i'll admit calling someone an idiot wasn't. You're quite right; it was rude and disrespectful. I am very much reading my words before I write them. And I mean them all -- except idiot, that was a moment of passion.

I don't buy the series, so I'm not wasting my money on it. This was a book marketed on hate -- sold to people on the premise that hating the characters would make it enjoyable. As a person who loves the characters, I have the opposite experience of enjoyment.

And I shall continue to express that, and lay out the many, many reasons for it, and as ever I am open to someone contradicting my evidence or disproving my actual assertions. I said Hopeless was a bad writer, and I gave examples of bad writing, and why they were bad. And that is what I shall continue to do.

Lol

Lol at your degree and status... well played. I'm graduating in August with my Bachelor's in Fine Art/History. But if calling someone an idiot is a moment of "passion" then I fear the person who disagrees with your views in a face-to-face confrontational conversation.

I'm confused? What gives you leverage or ground in your argument if you do not buy the series, nor do you read it? And how was this book "marketed on hate" explain that to me in further details. And which characters do you have an emotional attachment to? I, personally, have been attached to: Nico, Chase, and X-23. But have grown to like: Nara, Anachronism, Cammi, and Apex along the way. I know this is an unoriginal premise, and I can understand that the "death-match" concept is a bit unfitting and unappealing to some, but it's not that bad of a series.

You are welcome to express your feelings of discontent about this series, but as long as they are educated concerns and disapproving features and concepts, not balls of intensified rage fueled with an intent on making everyone feel the same way as you do. I am more than open to here you out, so long as the are not rants of hate.

@papad1992: To be fair, this is a conversation I've been having with the general Internet for going on five months. I think after five months of talking to people and hearing the same arguments over and over again about why I shouldn't be bothered by this, why it's wonderful, why I should be grateful, etc., and after watching the ten-year anniversary of one of my favorite franchises "celebrated" by having one main character forced into brutally murdering another after being mocked by a character who didn't even exist six months ago, it's understandable that I might lose my cool.

Considering my argument is that the series should not exist, this is one of those rare cases where buying the book would actually undermine my right to complain about it. I don't know about leverage, but I think the people who have been paying every couple weeks for this series to continue have no right to get upset about what happens in it...the implication being that the people who have been fighting it tooth and nail since it began and boycotting it do have a right.

Check out my blog "You won't want to miss this." I explained in detail the way in which Marvel promoted the book to people who considered these characters superfluous and can't stand them (it was solicited that way at the end of the first Avengers issue). I am as disgusted by the treatment of characters like Juston and Mettle -- whose books I never read -- as by Nico, whose book I love. My emotional attachment to her is stronger than any of the others who have died thus far, and probably the reason why I've become more involved in the last 48 hours than I previously had been in the discussion.

For an example of a more reasoned set of arguments, I'll refer to post #28 in this thread, where I discussed a few big problems with what happened to Nico.

Academy was a character driven book. This book isn't good due to ignoring of canon, bad characterization, plotholes, and the death scenes have been way too campy.

Wow, two stars? Considering the usual sea of 4 and 5 starts, you must have really hated this issue.

I quite like Avengers Arena myself; I'm sad that several of my favourite characters are going to or have already died of course, but they're getting face time, and I'm enjoying the book. There are a few plot holes and fridge logic moments, but honestly they appear in every comic book. It's just that the fact that people hate the premise of the book means that they zero in on the negatives and completely ignore the strong characterisation and dialogue.

Plus, strong female representation in the cast. Always good to see.

My poor Nico....my favorite Runaway.

Btw IGN gave this an 8/10. Lol.

I'm so glad that fans of this book are now hating it cause of this AWFUL death.

It wasn't well done, it didn't say why the character was so great, she died so that the ORIGNAL characters could live?! What a bag of crap!

People who defend this book have no grounds now. The fight wasn't even that good! She just ran to a cliff then died!

I hope this makes sales drop massively.

@savagedragon: Huh, that review does seem a lot more in line with how I read the comic. Maybe that site is worth following after all.

I find it intriguing that you'd praise a book for "strong female representation" when it just killed one of the only female POC team leaders in the entire Marvel universe to motivate her white male partner.

That.

Arena is one of my favorite books right now from any publisher.

There is a huge difference between someone who is buying and reading the material, experiencing the action and whatnot firsthand, and then there are the people who receive second-hand information from bloggers/users and use that as the basis for an argument of hate, thinking that they have a right to complain and voice their forceful opinions on others even though they do not buy, read, nor experience the material themselves. That is the major difference between you and me. I buy the series issue after issue, like many others, enjoying the series (with my own major concerns, but I voice them accordingly) not wholeheartedly but I bear Hopeless' decisions because the series has not progressed far enough (it's only been a few days in the comic-world) to make a full critique of the series. How many issues, of the ten, have yo purchased?

And proclaiming that your argument is that "the series should not exist" is like me not liking the Avengers series (which I do not like it) and saying that I feel it should not exist. Well it should exist, because other people love the series and the characters within it. So whether you may not love the series, others do. And people who do buy the book have more a right to express their feelings than those who do not.

Nico is my favorite Runaways character. I love the Runaways series... Do I love the idea of her being subjected to a book of death in which characters (teens) fight to the death? No. But I am enjoying the series thus far, it's keeping my attention and yours as well, so it's actually doing its job of promoting itself And we don't know what happened to Nico yet... all she did was cast out a "help" and drift off into unconsciousness. Who knows, maybe the "help" was to help her severe condition or whatever...

@papad1992: I will simply reiterate my previous statement. Whether I am buying the book or not, the claims I make are ostensibly factual. If you, a reader of the book, can disprove what I say happens in the book, feel free to do so. Does my not having read the book seem to have kept me from knowing, in detail, what happened to Nico? Does it keep me from discussing Nico's pre-established characterization and power set, and contrasting that with what Hopeless did in this issue? Of course not.

Marvel will not cancel a book which is selling well. Which means if I want the book cancelled, the best thing I can do is to not buy it, and to ask other people not to buy it. Buying the book helps its numbers, which in turn undermines my effort to get it cancelled. Which is why, yes, if I were buying it, I would have less of an excuse to be upset -- because I would be complaining about myself as much as anyone else.

This issue was nothing more than pure disrespect to the characters and their stories apparently for the sake of Hopeless giving the finger to people who don't like the book.

Thank you for an accurate review.

Check out mine.

Also Hopeless confirmed via his twitter that Nico is indeed dead.

I have read every issue, not spent money, borrowed it and the complaints that the people who haven't read it are spot on more so than those who have read it. It is filled with more than a small amount of flaws. Plothole, cannon, characterization, pacing. Those are four pretty big flaws.