Avengers Academy #2 [2010]

AVENGERS ACADEMY #2

Norman Osborn’s Avengers Initiative program has been dismantled and replaced by the Avengers Academy. It is run by a full staff consisting of former Avengers Hank Pym, Quicksilver, Tigra as well as former New Warriors Justice and Speedball. Each one has their own personal baggage that they need to address. However their past experiences would be able to guide the future Avengers cadets.

● Hank Pym suffered with multiple mental breakdowns and kicked off the Avengers

● Quicksilver has been a member of Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the Avengers

● Tigra got her ass kicked with the Hood

● Justice accidently killed his father however paid his due

● Speedball was responsible for the disaster at Stamford that started Civil War

Each of the cadets was originally selected by the Avengers Initiative by Norman Osborn with each one having their own baggage much like the full staff at Avengers Academy. These young recruits found out that they didn’t have the potential to become heroes but rather had the risk of becoming villains.

● Finesse – Most talented on the team however most likely to be a sociopath

● Mettle – Crimson Colossus with the head of the Red Skull

● Hazmat – Produce her deadly substances however forever stuck within her suit

● Reptil – Most likely to be killed first

● Veil – Become various forms of gas however will eventually lose cohesion

● Striker – Powers similar to Electro and most powerful on the team

Their instructor sent a Doomsday robot build by Howard Stark to distract them during breakfast. They succeeded in defeating the robot and enter the combat simulator in the afternoon. The rest of the issue focuses on the internal dialogue of Finesse and trying to manipulate her way through her instructor Hank Pym. He suggested watching a documentary of Quicksilver and discovers his secret to manipulate him into teaching her everything Magneto has taught him within the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

I only picked up this title because of Mike McKone because he doesn’t just draw anything unless it was important and fell in love with his past titles. Now after reading Christos Gage’s writing I felt compelled to reread his previous work. He really focuses on the characters and brings them alive within the Marvel Universe. The internal dialogue of Finesse and the brief documentary of Quicksilver really capture the tension when these two individual meets.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - 5 OUT OF 5