Avengers Arena #1 Advanced Review
Writer: Dennis Hopeless
Artist: Kev Walker
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Dave Johnson
There might not be another Marvel NOW! title with more drama surrounding it than Avengers Arena. It all stems from the premise of the book…..Avengers Academy meets Battle Royale/Hunger Games. Vintage Marvel villain Arcade traps 16 teenage superheroes on Murderworld and forces them to fight to their death, until only one is crowned the winner. Avengers Arena is taking the place of Avengers Academy, and stars fan favorite characters from Avengers Academy and Runaways.
When I initially heard about Avengers Arena I wasn’t too excited for it. From first glimpse it seems the basis for the title is to lower the inventory of underutilized teenage heroes. Many fans claim that comic book companies use death as a tool to spike readership. In this case I have to agree with those fans. Plus it appears Marvel wants to piggyback off the recent success of the Hunger Games movie.
So, what do I think of issue one? Let’s find out shall we?
What I Liked
Kev Walker’s art seems to be a good match for the teens he illustrates. Their faces express the emotions they are experiencing and most important, everyone looks their age. Sometimes you will have an artist who makes kids look older than they should be. This isn’t a problem with Walker. Kev Walker was the most recent artist on Thunderbolts. I was not a reader of Thunderbolts so I am not familiar with him. After viewing Avengers Arena #1 I now want to go find some of his previous work.
I was also not a regular reader of Avengers Academy, so I am only slightly familiar with Mettle and Hazmat. I did find it cute that their first names are Ken and Jen. Like the Barbie dolls. Only without the flowing blonde hair or washboard abs.
Dennis Hopeless has turned Arcade, a minuscule villain, into a badass. Something tells me how this transformation happened will be told in future issues. Arcade is menacing and uses pyschological warfare to his advantage. He makes the teens start to question themselves, which can be used to kickstart his wicked game.
Very nice touch by Hopeless and Walker of adding an energy meter above the heroes, like in the video games to show health.
What I Didn’t Like
Arcade comes across as a bully (surprising for a villain, I know). He could never succeed in killing adult heroes like the X-Men or Avengers, so now he goes after the adolescent crowd. Big man.
I have theories as to how Arcade is able to trap the kids on Murderworld but that would involve spoiling much of the issue. For now all I will say is I believe there is more than meets the eye with Arcade.
I have a feeling readers will either love or hate this book. There won’t be much middle ground to be found. Longtime fans of the Runaways, Darkhawk, X-23 and Avengers Academy will not want to see their members killed senselessly. The only heroes I have a connection to are Darkhawk (collected his initial solo series) and Runaways, which I have recently started reading. Suprisingly, I enjoyed this issue. It’s gained my interest and has me looking forward to seeing how this series unfolds. It obviously can’t stay as an ongoing title, even if there is a winner.
Let me know what your thoughts are on Avengers Arena in the comments section below. Whether you are outraged or excited, let your voice be heard!
This review is written in partnership with Pop Culture Network. They can be found at their website http://www.popculturenetwork.com/
Timdogg
#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE
