REPTIL: BRINK OF EXTINCTION

Reptil: Brink of extinction #1-4

by Terry Blas, Enid Balám (Illustrator), Steve Uy (Illustrator)

Reptil — the dinosaur-powered graduate of Avengers Academy – is on the brink of extinction! In the wake of his grandfather’s worsening health, Humberto Lopez has taken a step back from crimefighting to focus on his family. Perhaps it’s a sign that he should give up on becoming a hero and finally come to terms with his parents’ mysterious disappearance…or perhaps not! When a mysterious figure ambushes Humberto, what unravels will shake the core of everything that Reptil thought he knew about his past. And it will either change the course of his future – or end it forever! Plus: Relive Humberto’s sensational debut! When Stegron the Dinosaur Man launches a campaign of destruction across America, the Avengers Initiative needs a new recruit – and Reptil is just the hero for the job! Collecting REPTIL #1-4 and AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE FEATURING REPTIL.

Genres: Marvel, Superheroes, Graphic Novels, Comics

136 pages, Paperback

Published December 7, 2021

About the author

TERRY BLAS is an illustrator and writer based in Portland, Oregon. He is the writer behind the auto-bio comics Ghetto Swirl and You Say Latino (featured on NPR, OPB, Vox.com and Cosmo.com.)

Terry’s work has appeared in comics Bravest Warriors, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, Adventure Time, and Rick and Morty.

His first graphic novel, Dead Weight: Murder at Camp Bloom, is a murder mystery set at a weight loss camp. Dead Weight has been named by YALSA as a 2019 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers.

His latest graphic novel, Hotel Dare, a love letter to his childhood memories in Mexico, will be in stores June 2019.

Reviews

[Scratch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ultimately, very trite and juvenile.

I don't hate Reptil. Normally, I just kind of forget that he exists. I read about him in Avengers Academy, and then Avengers: Arena. I understand that Marvel is investing in him because he's a kid-friendly Latino superhero with powers that are easily understood. That being said, this miniseries was targeting a very young demographic that was going to be happy with any amount of Latino representation.

The writing was pretty poor. His female cousin was made into a deus ex machina kind of mage. She had ill-defined magic with no specific limits, whipping out force fields and magical weapons at the drop of a hat. She spoke as if she were only a student of magic, but she cast seriously powerful, useful spells with minimal effort. This would have made more sense if she had more of a backstory, like if we found out that she was related to Topaz or Hellstorm or something. But, no. She was just a random Chicana who learned some magic.

Meh.

[Paul Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of Marvel comics that aren't Star Wars, but when I heard that Terry Blas was writing this character I had to pick it up. I wasn't familiar with Reptil before, but the comic introduced me to Humberto and his family. Their Mexican-American culture is shown throughout the story. There's also queer representation. The art is also really great. The dinosaur transformations are all really cool to look at. I'll be on a lookout for the characters from this book in other comics for sure. And anything else Terry Blas writes.

[Honora Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have adored Reptil since Avengers Academy so I was psyched for this series and it was a lot of fun!! This was the first solo series about Humberto but I hope it won't be the last!

[R. Archer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the characters and designs, but it was just an OK comic run. The antagonist wasn't very interesting and to be honest, it was a bit of a drag to finish. Also as someone who has only skimmed a handful of Marvel comics, I do feel like I missed out on A LOT getting into this series. Oh well.

[devyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

had some funky art but cute

[Dr. Bex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. I have recently gotten into reading comic books and collections, and am particularly interested in Latinx representation in comics. This book does not disappoint. It is great because it provides us enough back story if we are not familiar with the characters already but takes us on a new adventure. I particularly appreciate how defeating the enemy is a family affair. No spoilers, but I love seeing team work for these kind of things rather than the overly individualistic heroing of some characters.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a feel good comic as Marvel focuses on its multiculturalism..

Haven't seen much of the character since Avengers Academy. Only thing you need to know in this comic is that he's Mexican American and a teen super hero. Two identities that Marvel wants to focus on in the coming years. It's a short little 'feel good' story that anchors the character in his Mexican American roots and gives him the potential for a ability upgrade in the future

Bonus: practicing your Spanish (no translations in this generation of comics)

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice try for diversity, but the story is uninteresting and the characters failed to engage me.

[Blake Redman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great New Hero!

Really fun read. I can't wait to see what else Reptil gets into. His future looks like a ton of fun! Look forward to more

[Scott A. Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great but short, it's too bad the only other time I've seen him is werewolf by night.