Avengers: The Initiative, Vol. 2: Killed in Action

Avengers: The Initiative (Collected Editions)

by Dan Slott, Christos Gage, Stefano Caselli (Illustrator)

Training is almost over for our cadets. Some will graduate. Some will washout. And, yes, some WILL die! And with the clock ticking on the first class of recruits, get ready to meet the next batch! Including new Marvels, old Marvels, at least one SKRULL and...THE IRREDEEMABLE GIANT-MAN!? Also, with the Gauntlet out of commission, just wait until you meet Camp Hammond's new Drill Instructor - he's a real Taskmaster! Collects Avengers: The Initiative #7-13 and Annual #1.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Fiction, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Ebooks

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 2008

About the author

Dan Slott is an American comic book writer, the current writer on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, and is best known for his work on books such as Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, She-Hulk, Silver Surfer, The Superior Spider-Man, and Ren & Stimpy.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, we see the origins of a lot of the characters in the book. Then we move onto a story with a lot of repercussions when someone gets a hold of the Tactigon. Finally, Steve Uy and his terrible art show up along with the new recruits. The book still has a lot going for it in volume 2. There's plenty of conflict and shady things going on behind the scenes to keep things interesting.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Triple Threat (#7). This is the sort of story that made The Initiative great: Slott takes characters previously in the background (the Scarlet Spiders), makes them into interesting characters, and then delivers a shocking surprise about their identities on the last page. The use of Peter Parker, and the attempt to save him from the effects of his unmasking (ah, in the very brief period when it was remembered) are also quite nice [5/5].

Annual (A#1). This collection of shorts about Initiative members has some nice background on these characters, but the stories are all too brief to be of any particular note [4/5].

KIA (#8-11) This story of an MVP clone gone crazy is great for a lot of reasons. It has the usual stellar characterization of The Initiative, it continues long-running plots concerning MVP and Gauntlet, it has some interesting storytelling, and it has a real sense of danger to it. Unfortunately that sense of danger is somewhat false, as the story uses the annoying trope of seeming to kill or maim lots of people while actually doing more minimal damage. Still, it's a good conclusion to year's worth of MVP mystery [4+/5].

Changing of the Guard (#12). This story both offers a denouement for "KIA" and closes the book on the first chapter of The Initiative by sending off our initial trainees. It's a great book-ender that really proves how much we've learned about these great new characters. Unfortunately, The Initiative will never again rise to the height of its first year [5/5].

Washout (#13). We get a bit of a view of the new class (though they'll never be as important as our original recruits), and a fun story about a "Washout", which is another strong character piece from Slott [4/5].

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing my re-read of The Initiative and I really have to celebrate the brilliance of involving Taskmaster in this story as a member of the "faculty" at Camp Hammond. Slott really had fun showing how brilliant a fighter he is but also what a straight-up mercenary he is as well. Working alongside the new super-powered individuals never made him a hero - he is just a hired gun paid to teach people how to be better fighters.

The larger arc involving using MVP as a template for cloned heroes comes to fruition here and it certainly presents interesting possibilities for the future. We also have Justice finally making a decision to leave Camp Hammond and strike out on his own while remaining to be a publicly registered hero. He has been in quite a moral quandry since the start of the series and I liked how things panned out.

And we also got a lot of interest teases of the Skrulls hiding in plain sight as a nice build-up to Secret Invasion. As literally divisive Civil War had been for comic fans, how it led to Secret invasion remains some very clever writing.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems this book is going to be my bridge back into the Marvel Universe proper, a place I've visited infrequently the last ten years. Despite the fact that I STILL haven't read Civil War in it's entirety, I feel I have a good handle on things. Most of the major characters here are new characters, and the few returning characters are either very familiar or explained. As far as "young superheroes in training" books go, this one ranks above the current run of Teen Titans for me, as well as Young Avengers.

Also, kudos to Dan Slott for bringing back Slapstick! It seems someone threw him on the New Warriors at some point, but I haven't seen him since his miniseries back in 1993! And Slott is giving him this slightly menacing side, as well. Just goes to show you how any one-note character can be given a new life by the perfect writer.

[Jordan Lahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great continuation of the first volume, with resolutions to many of the questions that remained. It's sad to see so many of these new characters moving on, but hopefully they'll continue to play a part in the ongoing story. I really enjoyed issue #13 and the character of Butterball. I laughed out loud at a lot of moments in the story, and I'm sorry that his role in the series seems to be limited to that one issue. Looking forward to seeing where these characters go next as the Secret Invasion begins.

[Aubrey Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

MVP really got put through the ringer in this volume. It's interesting how each character interprets what the "right thing to do" is.

I mostly enjoyed the story, although it's hard to get attached to any of the characters with such a large ensemble. Each one gets so little time individually on the page. But a major drawback in this volume is the art in Initiative #12 and Initiative #13. It leaves so much to be desired, especially in the characters' faces, after the beautiful art in the rest of the volume. It was a bit difficult to identify which blonde female was which especially out of costume.

[Jimbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This kind of got me confused. I liked what I read, but I couldn't keep anyone straight except for the main players.

Again, a corrupt government using people for their own hungry power.

Sick Scientist doing things that should never be done.

Poor heroes and villains forced into doing things they don't want to do. Covert instruments that could blow someone's head off. Death and destruction - as bad as what kicked off this whole charade, Stamford CT and the New Warriors battle that started the Civil War and killed Captain America.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This got pretty dark with the MVP stuff (which I liked), had a really touching ending. Very curious why one of the heroes suddenly came back to life. Seemed kinda lame.

Some of the art was really bad, like they put someone's cousin on the payroll as a favor to a family member. I expect more from Marvel.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

This series completely sucks. Unfortunately, I have already pre-ordered Vol. 3. D’OH! Times like this make me wish that I stayed more current with my reading. I can't believe that this is written by Dan Slott. I love everything else that he has done, but this title leaves me cold. Stefano Caselli's artwork sucks, and so does Daniele Rudoni's color art.

[Judith Groen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this volume of the Avengers: the Initiative. The MVP storyline was very entertaining and it kept me reading it in one breath. Kinda glad Trauma didn't die, since he is my favorite character in this series. Sad to see them graduate.

[matt murdock · Rating 4 out of 5]

a lot better than volume 1, really enjoyed the stuff with MVP and it was so dark and violent which i was not expecting but enjoyed. i didn’t really like how trauma died and they just brought him back to life with zero justification but whatever he’s one of my favorites so i’ll let it slide. i didn’t really like the last two issues they were alright but there was nothing very interesting going on and the art was just Not it. but for the most part this is a pretty strong volume

[Arthur · Rating 3 out of 5]

barely a 3, this story line leaves a lot to be desired

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some characterizations that I don't love in this book, but I have to admit it's quite entertaining and the dialogue is usually very strong.

[Elinor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
This clown guy is so freaking creepy oO

[Daniel Sepúlveda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puntaje: 4 Estrellas

[Joshua Casburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before it was adapted for a forthcoming Captain America movie, Civil War was Marvel's attempt to graft the mutant dilemma of the X-Men onto the rest of its landscape, so that everyone was at war at each other. The term "Avengers Initiative," likewise later appropriated by the movies, came from this series, a lackluster follow-up to Civil War that imagined what the revised landscape would look like.

If nothing else, it ably demonstrates how little the idea was thought out, more like a failed attempt at creative expansion, and inexplicably by the end of this second and concluding volume, the worst art imaginable for a mainstream comic book.

Writer Dan Slott would go on to become the longest-running Spider-Man writer (outside of Brian Michael Bendis, who until recently specialized in non-canon stories) I personally know of, responsible for a string of storylines including the Dr. Octopus-becomes-Spider-Man that ran in the series called Superior Spider-Man. Christos Gage was simultaneously co-writing some of the best G.I. Joe stories ever for IDW, along with Mike Costa, under the Cobra banner. I have to assume editorial didn't want to see anything too impressive from them, asked to see something a little more lightweight.

The result is like Marvel publishing generic superhero comics you'd see from d-list companies. The series ignores its own premise, introducing characters who need no real training, are unleashed in the very same ways that ostensibly created the very disaster that sparked Civil War, and so many of them, and mixed with enough veteran characters, that the storytelling makes it very hard to care about any of them. (Two of the new characters are clearly derived from the Top Cow formula. If you know what that means, congratulations.) And it just goes on and on.

And yes, by the end, the art sucks. So don't even bother. Go see the movie. As far as the comics go, just remember: Captain America eventually came back from the dead. (And by some extraordinary, I mean even for comics, bending of logic, was never even dead to begin with...) Surprisingly, his death doesn't impact anything in this comic. Figures.

[John Wiswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t seen this kind of focus, build or momentum on a comic out of DC or Marvel in a long time. The Initiative thrives by being self-contained, only crossing over with major events in its own way, so its continuity is strong. Slott takes that continuity and builds expertly, seeding things that come up later in clever and surprising ways, making otherwise useless and original characters interesting. The “K.I.A.” reveal is shocking in itself, one and a half volumes of story on its head. Even at its grimmest, The Initiative keeps its spirit with a great sense of humor (especially in the Taskmaster and Antman characters) and development. The Udon art style compliments Slott’s humor, but is also emotive enough to compliment the more sensitive scenes. On emotional scenes, for once a comic about young characters isn’t cloying in its emotional development. The greatest shame is that the survivors graduate at the end of the volume. It will be very hard for new writers to match the quality and readability of one of Marvel’s best and most overlooked titles.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much stronger addition to the world of the Initiative than volume one.

The arguing between all the adults about who runs what and who is actually in charge of everything shows just how flawed the idea of the Initiative really is. I had forgotten the reveal this early on about a Skrull on every team.

The KIA story line is pretty good. The story itself is kind of meh, but the characters reaction to the story is what really shines. You get to see all the changes that have happened to these characters over the course of 14 issues. It is sad that these guys are graduating. It's hard to think that any other characters will be as easy to follow and like.

[Ernest · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a successful continuation of the series. If I were to read it on a issue by issue basis (as apart from in one hit as a TPB), I might have got frustrated at the length of some story arcs, but this (seeming) problem was not evident in the TPB. Although the last story seemed a little weak in comparison to the others, overall this was an enjoyable read that, as with many Marvel works, requires knowledge of its context to best appreciate it.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better. Better story, better use of characters. And I kind of see how Marvel might have dug there way out of the hole they created with Civil War. Now if they would learn to keep dead characters dead, that would help. With good enough art and writing. There are a lot of characters - usually this is a problem in Avengers and the choice of which characters appear seems accidental. It feels that way here as well but it kind of works. 3.5 of 5.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit less-focused and scattered than the first volume, but it's fun to see the crossovers and the resolution of the MVP storyline (though it's a bummer to see Cloud 9 go.)
I really like the last story in the book, about a guy who fails out of the Initiative. It borders on sappy, but it's the kind of aw-shucks that makes superheroes appealing besides the power-fantasies.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the trainees was killed in action and it was covered up. Cloning is also going on, and it doesn't work all the time. I liked the Spiderman story, and the one with the new recruits, with a lad who can't be hurt. I think the introduction of Taskmaster was a really good idea, and it adds something to the series. A good read.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the progression of most of the characters, but I have to say that learning more about Hardball was great. His backstory is something else, and the relationships he is fostering the longer he stays... he's just a great character. Justice is getting annoying, I'm not sad about the possibility of him being gone. Pym too. I will try to see if I can still get volume 3 from the library.

[Ketan Shah]

Fast paced and very entertaining. Some of the artwork was generic manga style though,which led to characters looking inconsistent between issues. One of my favourite characters ,the Taskmaster ,has some great lines.

[Gary Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great Marvel Readthrough, pt 94

[Georgie Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it sad that instead of going shopping I'm at home reading this?? I love cloud nine MVP and trauma. So awesome. I mean seriously they are so awesome I might just die.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better! Issue 13 was the Boulder stand-alone and had the Avengers Academy feel.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Individual issues on comixology

[Devero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inizia a decollare questa serie regolare: i personaggi sono meglio presentati, le storie iniziano a svilupparsi in modo egregio, e l'interesse aumenta sempre di più.