Friday, January 21, 2011

Avengers Academy #8

I've really been enjoying this series up to this point, and I expected to like this issue - after all, it focuses on Tigra, a character who has been a favorite of mine for a long time (and who is now an instructor at the Avengers Academy).

But for me, this is the first issue that didn't work.

That's because this story veers a little too close to the "After School Special" territory (and even jokes about it - but that doesn't make it less true).

When the students at the Academy discover online video of Tigra being humiliated and brutally assaulted (though not raped) by The Hood, they ask her how she got revenge, and her answer is: they put him in jail.

That's not enough for three of the students, so they set out to humiliate The Hood to avenge their teacher. The whole thing just comes off as improbable and preachy - and the final page "twist" is wrong in many ways.

The art is terrific as always, but it can't make up for the shortcomings in the story department.

Every series is going to stumble now and then, and I'll be back for the next issue - but this one just didn't work.

Grade: C+

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