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Avengers: The Initiative (Collected Editions)
Siege: Avengers: The Initiative
Months of story threads finally weave together as Norman Osborn offers Taskmaster a seat at the Cabal's table...the Avengers Resistance uncovers a horrifying secret...and members of the Initiative are called up for an assault on an enemy of incalculable power!
Collecting: Avengers: The Initiative 31-35
Collecting: Avengers: The Initiative 31-35
160 pages, Paperback
First published December 15, 2010
4 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Christos Gage
1,534 books128 followersChris N. Gage is a writer for comic books and television.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 24, 2019
A very deft blending of Taskmaster's blue-collar super-villaining and the redemption of the New Warriors. The special is unfortunately very badly placed here. It looks like it should have gone in volume #4.
May 29, 2017
I actually liked this trade better than Siege itself, but then again, I've always enjoyed the Initiative and I'm sorry to see the title end. Taskmaster receives a promotion, but he discovers too late that sometimes you only think you want something. Constrictor, whom I've really grown to like as a character, realizes that sometimes there's no chance for redemption when you're an old con. And Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. comes crashing down, much like Norman's reign of terror.
I really enjoyed reading things from Taskmaster's point of view; he's one of my favorite characters, and yet he rarely gets any face time. And Constrictor, who was just some d-list supervillain before the Initiative title, has really taken on a personality all of his own. It's sad watching him and Diamondback split apart. Altogether, Christos Gage stays true with the feeling of Avengers: The Initiative and gives the title a good send off.
This trade also collects the Avengers: Initiative special. It's nice that they have finally put it in a trade, but it should have been collected a few trades ago. It features members of the first class shortly after they have been assigned to their regional teams after graduating from the Initiative. This is the issue that deals with Hardball's "betrayal" of Komodo and the "good guys," and it shows why he went with Hydra in the first place. As the trades stand, the reader is just left to guess what happened until now.
I really enjoyed reading things from Taskmaster's point of view; he's one of my favorite characters, and yet he rarely gets any face time. And Constrictor, who was just some d-list supervillain before the Initiative title, has really taken on a personality all of his own. It's sad watching him and Diamondback split apart. Altogether, Christos Gage stays true with the feeling of Avengers: The Initiative and gives the title a good send off.
This trade also collects the Avengers: Initiative special. It's nice that they have finally put it in a trade, but it should have been collected a few trades ago. It features members of the first class shortly after they have been assigned to their regional teams after graduating from the Initiative. This is the issue that deals with Hardball's "betrayal" of Komodo and the "good guys," and it shows why he went with Hydra in the first place. As the trades stand, the reader is just left to guess what happened until now.
March 2, 2016
The thing about superhero comic books like this is that when you don't read them chronologically and you've missed a couple of volumes/issues, chances are, you're most likely to get lost in the story and you won't have any idea what's going on. But the writers in this issue did a great job by slowly introducing readers what was happening. I wasn't a big comic book reader back then and I have to admit that most of the characters that I know from Marvel comic books are the ones who have been introduced in the MCU and other Marvel franchises in both films and television. But man, this issue was awesome. Especially the last part, it left me hanging and wanting for more and it wasn't even really connected to the whole plot/arc of this issue, it's just an extra story!
There were a lot of characters that I've only known until I read this volume and I'm hoping some of them (because it would be nearly impossible budget-wise to cast every single character in this volume, probably) to show up in the upcoming Captain America Civil War movie and upcoming MCU films/tv shows. It would be really interesting especially for non-readers to be introduced to some of these new and interesting underrated characters that are vital to the story. All in all, this was a pretty sick volume. Lots of action and interesting plot twists that Marvel fans would love.
There were a lot of characters that I've only known until I read this volume and I'm hoping some of them (because it would be nearly impossible budget-wise to cast every single character in this volume, probably) to show up in the upcoming Captain America Civil War movie and upcoming MCU films/tv shows. It would be really interesting especially for non-readers to be introduced to some of these new and interesting underrated characters that are vital to the story. All in all, this was a pretty sick volume. Lots of action and interesting plot twists that Marvel fans would love.
February 11, 2016
Unlike a lot of series which end with a massive event tie-in, this series felt like it came to the ending it had been building to all along.
September 26, 2018
I grew to like many of the characters in this book over its run, and I think this ends most of the plotlines pretty well.
August 28, 2021
Norman Osborn has been appointed the authority over every aspect of the American security apparatus. Determined to expand and assert his power, he establishes “the Initiative,” an organization of superhumans that are present in all 50 states and personally loyal to him. Led by the Taskmaster, the decision has been made to invade and conquer Asgard. The forces of the Initiative are so powerful they are able to emerge victorious in their fight against the Asgardians.
The Avengers Resistance then comes together to join the fight against the Initiative. They have a chance to defeat the Initiative if they can manage to keep their internal divisions and relationships under control. The battle is depicted in the manner commonly used in the modern comics, hard blows to the face with blood and sweat flying off the face of the one that was hit. Furthermore, in keeping with the modern trend, some of the captions overflow with action. As many as twenty antagonists are packed into full-page scenes. Reminders of which character is which are also included on many occasions.
The superhero comic books have changed along with society, with diversity in gender and race part of the fundamentals. The facial expressions of both heroes and villains are extreme and the females are depicted as just as tough and hard as the males. With lots of action from all players, this is a graphic novel where you often stop and take significant time to mentally absorb everything that is on the page.
The Avengers Resistance then comes together to join the fight against the Initiative. They have a chance to defeat the Initiative if they can manage to keep their internal divisions and relationships under control. The battle is depicted in the manner commonly used in the modern comics, hard blows to the face with blood and sweat flying off the face of the one that was hit. Furthermore, in keeping with the modern trend, some of the captions overflow with action. As many as twenty antagonists are packed into full-page scenes. Reminders of which character is which are also included on many occasions.
The superhero comic books have changed along with society, with diversity in gender and race part of the fundamentals. The facial expressions of both heroes and villains are extreme and the females are depicted as just as tough and hard as the males. With lots of action from all players, this is a graphic novel where you often stop and take significant time to mentally absorb everything that is on the page.
Read
March 9, 2022There were elements of this I liked quite a lot. There was follow-up with some of the Initiative characters I had wondered about, so that was nice for me. There were different viewpoints of the events happening than found in other books. I found it interesting to get some of those low-level characters' viewpoints.
I liked the artwork for the most part, with the characters drawn pretty cleanly, without strange exaggerations in the size of their feet or facial features. One thing I noticed, certainly not as bad as in other comics, was that many of the female characters had disproportionately oversized and round breasts, resembling balloons. This was especially noticeable with Tigra in her bikini costume, but other female characters had disproportionately large and round breasts. Just saying...
I especially liked that the Avengers: The Initiative special included in this volume followed up on characters whose fates were left unsure in the regular run of the Initiative comic. Some of the issues that Komodo had were resolved, and Hardball admitted certain parts of his story to her, also. Trauma got some therapy, which was good. I was upset when he was killed off in an earlier issue, but he came back to life in pretty much the same shape as when he left it. The last page of his story here hinted at why he could do that. But in the main part of the story, he was able to put events into reasonable placement and proportion in his emotional life, so that was good.
I liked the artwork for the most part, with the characters drawn pretty cleanly, without strange exaggerations in the size of their feet or facial features. One thing I noticed, certainly not as bad as in other comics, was that many of the female characters had disproportionately oversized and round breasts, resembling balloons. This was especially noticeable with Tigra in her bikini costume, but other female characters had disproportionately large and round breasts. Just saying...
I especially liked that the Avengers: The Initiative special included in this volume followed up on characters whose fates were left unsure in the regular run of the Initiative comic. Some of the issues that Komodo had were resolved, and Hardball admitted certain parts of his story to her, also. Trauma got some therapy, which was good. I was upset when he was killed off in an earlier issue, but he came back to life in pretty much the same shape as when he left it. The last page of his story here hinted at why he could do that. But in the main part of the story, he was able to put events into reasonable placement and proportion in his emotional life, so that was good.
March 19, 2021
Sériu Avengers Initiave mám rád a aj napriek absencii áčkových hrdinov to funguje. Posledný diel priniesol zaujímavý pohľad na veci, hlavne z perspektívy Taskmastera. Opäť sme mali šancu si pozrieť hlavnú bitku zo Siege, tentokrát však z iného uhla. Pekne to do seba zapadlo.
June 5, 2021
My least favorite of all the Siege... graphic novels. It attempted to cover too much ground, not giving sufficient coverage to any one aspect. In the process, it did give an opportunity for a lot of full page spreads of art work that were the saving grace of the book.
August 6, 2017
This is a good story about characters I couldn't care less about.
November 6, 2017
The good guys are fine and all, but I really enjoy what a bunch of screw-ups the baddies are in this story.
December 5, 2019
It had good moments, I liked the taskmaster stuff. But the rest just didn't really interest me at all. I was very happy to see Tigra had her baby at the end! He is cute :)
June 24, 2013
I had high hopes for this Siege tie-in due to some very strong reviews. Unfortunately, I found it to be a complete waste of my time. Taskmasker is the main POV through a large part, and he's a b-level villain at best. And honestly, he's just not that interesting. It's not like seeing the event through the eyes of the Dark Avengers, or Osborn. The rest of the book is the POV of members of the Initiative - the state-by-state teams of "heroes" trained at Camp HAMMER.
This book is a hodge-podge. It opens with Osborn inspecting Taskmaster's Camp HAMMER training facility. It's at this point that Osborn surprises him with an invitation to join the Cabal. He knows that's over his head but doesn't see another option. He's out to survive Siege with his own skin intact. And he tells the reader that REPEATEDLY. In fact, his running internal monologue began to wear on my nerves because it was so boring. It's through Taskmasker that we meet Constrictor and Diamondback. She's a mole for the real Avengers (though not the usual Thor, Cap, etc. Avengers), which doesn't stop her from having an affair with Constrictor. Her constant inner monologue questions how she feels about him; he loves her, but she used to be involved with Steve Rogers, a real hero. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP! Then we have a team of Avengers in hiding composed of lesser-known heroes like Tigra, Night Thrasher and Justice. When Osborn becomes distracted by the main Siege battle, they decide to help their hero friends by attacking...Camp HAMMER. Because that is a critical target? It just didn't make sense.
And then the last quarter of the book is taken up with a couple of random adventures of some of the Initiative "heroes" - characters I have never heard of - that had nothing whatsoever to do with Siege. Two-gun Kid? Really? Amidst these stories we have Komodo and Hardball, whose relationship is broken when she learns he's an unwilling Hydra operative. It felt like I was reading bad teen fiction, there was so much angst.
Overall, this was a complete miss for me as a Siege tie-in. It doesn't provide any additional perspective on Siege, unless you count Taskmasker's, and it is filled with so much personal relationship-angst that it strained credibility. There are a couple of memorable scenes, so I gave it two stars. But, sadly, I just can't recommend this.
This book is a hodge-podge. It opens with Osborn inspecting Taskmaster's Camp HAMMER training facility. It's at this point that Osborn surprises him with an invitation to join the Cabal. He knows that's over his head but doesn't see another option. He's out to survive Siege with his own skin intact. And he tells the reader that REPEATEDLY. In fact, his running internal monologue began to wear on my nerves because it was so boring. It's through Taskmasker that we meet Constrictor and Diamondback. She's a mole for the real Avengers (though not the usual Thor, Cap, etc. Avengers), which doesn't stop her from having an affair with Constrictor. Her constant inner monologue questions how she feels about him; he loves her, but she used to be involved with Steve Rogers, a real hero. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP! Then we have a team of Avengers in hiding composed of lesser-known heroes like Tigra, Night Thrasher and Justice. When Osborn becomes distracted by the main Siege battle, they decide to help their hero friends by attacking...Camp HAMMER. Because that is a critical target? It just didn't make sense.
And then the last quarter of the book is taken up with a couple of random adventures of some of the Initiative "heroes" - characters I have never heard of - that had nothing whatsoever to do with Siege. Two-gun Kid? Really? Amidst these stories we have Komodo and Hardball, whose relationship is broken when she learns he's an unwilling Hydra operative. It felt like I was reading bad teen fiction, there was so much angst.
Overall, this was a complete miss for me as a Siege tie-in. It doesn't provide any additional perspective on Siege, unless you count Taskmasker's, and it is filled with so much personal relationship-angst that it strained credibility. There are a couple of memorable scenes, so I gave it two stars. But, sadly, I just can't recommend this.
September 8, 2010
There's a lot of maudlin whining going on among the characters - not the heart-wrenching pathos great writers get, just re-hashing the same ol shit we see in other related books (done better) and previous issues (done again). And what about the incredibly sloppy pencils in some of the small panels? It's either a too-rushed schedule, an artist that doesn't care, or an artist that doesn't have the talent. I really hope for their sake it's the first. The final issue is at least a tidy clean-up, but overall I'm decidedly nonplussed. A series that contributed little and brought a downer to the overall Secret Invasion/Dark Reign era.
April 14, 2012
Norman Osborn decides to attack Thor’s home with the help of the Sentry and various reformed villains like Taskmaster.
(Taskmaster was the head teacher at Norman’s new hero training camp.)
While a different perspective on the same Siege story, this book focuses on Taskmaster and the relationship between Constrictor and his double agent girlfriend.
Good story that compliments the main event but includes minor characters that may not appeal to all readers.
Notes
Tigra shows off her new baby!
Learning Curve
Low if read in order
Reading Order
Siege
Siege: Dark Avengers
Siege: Avengers – The Initiative
Other Siege titles
(Taskmaster was the head teacher at Norman’s new hero training camp.)
While a different perspective on the same Siege story, this book focuses on Taskmaster and the relationship between Constrictor and his double agent girlfriend.
Good story that compliments the main event but includes minor characters that may not appeal to all readers.
Notes
Tigra shows off her new baby!
Learning Curve
Low if read in order
Reading Order
Siege
Siege: Dark Avengers
Siege: Avengers – The Initiative
Other Siege titles
October 12, 2021
This last volume of Avengers: The Initiative felt rather...rushed. It was the classic case of a comic coming to an end and getting swept up into a big crossover event. So a lot of things happen but nothing gets really told in detail.
The Taskmaster story had some interesting moments but didn't end satisfactorily. Things tried to go back to the surviving core case of the Initiative but we didn't get a lot of detailed conversation. Mostly a lot of fighting and fighting and fighting.
Don't get me wrong - there are great moments like Penance coming into his own and another look at Captain America's return to the fight. But also a lot of rushed action. So take things as you will.
The Taskmaster story had some interesting moments but didn't end satisfactorily. Things tried to go back to the surviving core case of the Initiative but we didn't get a lot of detailed conversation. Mostly a lot of fighting and fighting and fighting.
Don't get me wrong - there are great moments like Penance coming into his own and another look at Captain America's return to the fight. But also a lot of rushed action. So take things as you will.
April 10, 2014
Alla resa dei conti: mentre Osborne conduce tutte le sue truppe contro Asgard, i ribelli si riprendono il campo di addestramento e contribuiscono a porre fine al dominio del vecchio nemico dell'Uomo Ragno. Fine della serie, una delle migliori dell'era Bendis su Avengers. Ci tengo a sottolineare che è una delle migliori proprio perché Bendis non ci ha messo mano rovinando tutto in modi stupidi e da incompetente come solo lui riesce a fare con i gruppi.
November 14, 2016
This had some Siege, some backstory (Hardball and Komodo - I hope they work out), and a lot of Taskmaster strutting around and trying to decide how much ambition he has.
Relationships: I love Diamondback and Constrictor and am a little upset about how that is all working itself out. One well-timed yell could have fixed the issue. Hardball and Komodo I'm hoping we will see more of, but I like where they had gone before also. He's like the anti-hero, but for all the right reasons.
Relationships: I love Diamondback and Constrictor and am a little upset about how that is all working itself out. One well-timed yell could have fixed the issue. Hardball and Komodo I'm hoping we will see more of, but I like where they had gone before also. He's like the anti-hero, but for all the right reasons.
November 9, 2015
The Initiative, like always, is running around preforming vital tasks, making everyone else's job possible, that if you don't read about you won't miss a thing. Still a fun series.
Where did Osborn get a batarang?
Where did Osborn get a batarang?
July 13, 2011
Nice romantic twists to this story, more character and less fighting than other tie-ins.
December 21, 2013
Individual issues on marvel unlimited
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October 28, 2016* Figuras recurrentes: Superhéroe/ína.
February 10, 2015
The ending felt a bit too hasty and fairy-tale like.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews