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By Jason Bourgeois
Happy New Year! Rather than do a tired look back or look forward to 2011, this year we're just going to stick with what we do best; take a look at some comics. So, what is it this time around? A new book from Marvel, Avengers Academy. Because there can never be too many Avengers books!
In the wake of Norman Osborn's Dark Reign, the world is left in shambles, leaving the real heroes to come back, pick things up, and try to get things back on track. Part of that is taking the young superpowered people Norman had been torturing and corrupting for his own purposes, and trying to give them some semblance of life back.
But there's a darker secret to these young Avengers - no, not the Young Avengers, we'll talk about them some other time - and it's more than just their origins. Many heroes are born in pain, tragedy, and/or suffering, and the characters of Avengers Academy are no different. From Veil's gaseous form being pushed beyond its limit to the point where she's slowly fading away, with no way back, to Mettle's once hunky form now being permanently transformed into a monstrous, metallic visage, each one of these characters are damaged goods. Some because of their own lives, but then they fell in with Osborn, and he made things even worse, with promises to make things better.
Since this is the Green Goblin, we all know those were empty promises, but his reign was ended, fortunately. Now it's Hank Pym's turn to try and turn these characters around. He's turned his Infinite Avengers Mansion, a gigantic, neverending structure in subspace that can open to almost anywhere in the world, into a school to train the next generation of heroes, and fix Norman's mistakes.
At least, that's what everyone thought. It turns out these students are those most likely to someday turn and become villains. Something Hank knows well from his early days as Yellowjacket, and his ongoing mental issues stemming from that. If any hero knows the dangers of the dark side, it's Hank Pym. Oh, and Quicksilver too, another hero who has dabbled with the darkness, and is seeking redemption.
Whether the students' potential villainy is because of their own issues, or because of what Obsorn put them through is always open for debate, and that's just one thing that makes them interesting. It's like an ongoing debate of nature versus nurture. And I'm sure the answer is different for every character. Some are just bad eggs with one bad decision between them and villainy, and some have become damaged goods because of their torment at Norman's hands. Hank hopes to turn the tide and redeem himself, these students, and make a lasting legacy that doesn't involve a killer robot, all at the same time.
His plan was a good one, too, at least until the students found out the truth. They've already been lied to and manipulated by one madman, and now they've traded him in for Giant-Man. New boss, same as the old boss? Fortunately, we know better, but once a teen's trust has been violated, it can be hard to win back. Imagine how much harder it is for a superpowered teen. They've learned that one man lied to them, and now they're being lied to again. Even if it is for their own good, it sends the characters down paths that may not turn out great for them.
It is this moral ambiguity that really makes the book shine. In a lot of ways, the book can be compared to early Thunderbolts. While the big reveal of just who these kids really are isn't quite as huge as the TBolts being the Masters of Evil, it's got some similar undertones, and was a game changer for the book. Rather than just be another book about raising the next generation, things got twisted around, and made Academy have its own unique voice and reason for being.
The book captures some of that early X-Men vibe, too. But rather than taking the mutant as allegory of teenagers feeling different, it taps into that troublesome time, and finding out things about your parents, and the lies they tell kids for their own good. It's almost an update of the X-Men concept in that way, finding some way to make the stories relevant to today's teenaged masses, and speak to their own issues.
Each issue so far has focused on a different student, telling their origins while surrounding them with the overall storyline of the ongoing title. That can't keep up for long, but it's a good way to open up the first year or so. You get a good chance to spend some quality time with these brand new characters who look generic on the surface. However, each one is well thought out, and a good character in their own right. Lightning powered heroes are a dime a dozen, but not many of them are sons of famous celebrities and raised in that environment. Striker is like the superhero equivalent of an Olsen Twin.
Christos Gage has crafted a great cast of characters, new students and familiar teachers, with a unique storyline. He's telling stories that aren't necessarily being told elsewhere right now. The superheroics might be familiar, but the underlying themes and questions raised by the characters make everything fresh and new again. With the bright, clean artwork of Mike McKone, this is a well-made book with its own voice, and definitely worth checking out. It's one of the better Avengers books running right now, without a lot of angsty handwringing or overwritten drama. I look forward to each new issue, and give it a thumbs up.
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