The Good
I feel that Hazmat is one of the least-represented Academy kids in terms of story; yeah, she has the whole relationship thing with Mettle going on, but it just feels very shallow compared to what we've seen from the other students. Seeing her in action (and thinking) was a treat here; it's nice to see her cut loose (and see what she looks like under the suit!)
I actually think that the Mettle/Hazmat relationship is one of the highlights in the book, as they can be very boring characters otherwise. While I call it shallow above, it's only in comparison to the development we've seen with the others; it doesn't change how well done it is. Letting their personalities bounce off each other in an entertaining way is showing some real writing talent. It was nice to see some genuine worry happen for
The Bad
While this book is usually one of my favourites, I'm getting tired of seeing the kids' "off on their own" storylines taking so long. If you think about it, the Avengers Academy is taking away two of the supporting villain characters in a large crossover event, just to give an inexperienced team the proverbial rub. For beings that are giving Thor and Captain America a hard time, it's remarkable that the team hasn't been turned into red mist yet.
Which I suppose is the point, right? Make the kids look strong by their mere survival. However, with each week ending on a "oh god, it's hopeless!" cliffhanger, I'm starting to get a bit bored.
The Verdict
Unlike the other Fear Itself tie-in's I've been enjoying this month (Uncanny X-men, Thunderbolts) I can't really get into Avengers Academy. I enjoyed the whole "you're in a warzone now" focus, but now that the kids seem to be way out of their league, I'm afraid they're going to pull a Wesley Crusher-esque "wow, we sure showed those adults!" solution out of their butts.
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