Avengers Avengers: The Initiative (Discussion Spoilers)

They managed to tie in the latest issue with Guardians of the Galaxy (which I applaud) but they are a few months off since that story line ended. This makes me wonder which book Hardball will show up in next. Also, I'm glad to see that Scorpion is still a good guy.
 
I ****ing love this series. By far the best Avengers title out there today. So much stuff goes down over the course of 22 pages, yet it's a dollar less than Bendis' two Avengers books (then again, he always "writes for the trade"). Christos Gage as solo writer is just as fantastic as when Dan Slott and he co-wrote. Ramos' art can kind of be a distraction (but his Norman Osborn has always been tops), therefore I'm really excited for Rafa Sandoval's upcoming run as main artist on the title. (And the return of Butterball!)

I love the way Taskmaster's written, even if I don't really know too much about the character, and The Hood is one of my favorite characters in Marvel today -- and yes, I know I'm in the minority here -- so the fact that they're now the two in charge is pretty sweet. Finally, I love that story beats from the very first issue (we're currently on issue 25) are still being continued all throughout the series.

As a fan of shows like LOST and Battlestar Galactica, I appreciate the use of longform storytelling whenever the creative minds behind the series can pull it off. Also, like those two shows, there's literally dozens of characters, and, somehow, Gage manages to give them all equal time over the course of an arc or arcs. I don't know how he does it but props to him. And unlike Bendis' Dark Avengers, Gage gives all of his characters a distinct voice and gets you to identify with them in some way.

All in all, a five-star series that should be on more people's pull lists.
 
Finally got around to reading 24 and 25, really love how Mary has been handled, loving Osborn's smarmyness. Really, a surprisingly book.


One.. minor, niggle, can't they afford to buy Ramos an inker? The inkless style is pretty in some instances, but with Ramos, who has a very cartoony style, he needs an inker to tighten up his lines. Unno, maybe I'm old school that way.
 
I'll have to go back and reread them, I didn't really notice before.

Did anyone read the Reptil oneshot? It was pretty decent.
 
Finally got around to reading 24 and 25, really love how Mary has been handled, loving Osborn's smarmyness. Really, a surprisingly book.


One.. minor, niggle, can't they afford to buy Ramos an inker? The inkless style is pretty in some instances, but with Ramos, who has a very cartoony style, he needs an inker to tighten up his lines. Unno, maybe I'm old school that way.


Thankfully, there's a new regular artist -- who's much better -- starting with Issue 26.
 
*shrugs* I like Ramos, sue me.



Oh don't get me wrong, I'm a big Ramos fan, too. His Spider-Man work from five or six years back was a big favorite of mine. I think I still have the trade. But you're right, the inking was pretty bad during the "Disassembled" arc. The new artist is "Young-Gun" Rafa Sandoval, and from what I saw in the most recent issue, he's (she's?) a perfect fit.
 

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