Avengers Arena #1 Review

Avengers Arena #1 courtesy Marvel
Avengers Arena #1 courtesy Marvel

The newest Marvel Now book is bloody, brutal, dark with a heavy dose of just plan vicious meanness! Avengers Arena #1 may be the riskiest move in the Marvel Now relaunch. Dennis Hopeless has twisted cruelty in mind and blood on his hands in the premiere issue that puts Marvel’s youngest heroes at the mercy of an old school X-Men villain.

Arcade is back but he isn’t just a lunatic would-be assassin throwing X-Men into elaborate death traps (that they always escape!) In this first issue Hopeless propels Arcade into the top-tier of Marvel super villains. Arcade has abducted some of Marvel’s young heroes (Avengers Academy fans be ready to be angry) and ordered them to kill each other in an exploitive, cruel and bloody game.

Avengers Arena is a superhero take on The Hunger Games and Battle Royale. Hopeless even acknowledges that in one of several clever, cruel dialogues by Arcade. Hopeless and Kev Walker set up an engrossing start to a series of deadly games. In the beginning and end of this issue these creators prove anything can happen, Arcade is now a twisted badass and this is a book with edge that demands you keep you reading.

By Editor

cutler

or NOT reading…i’ve been out of the loop lately (my regular computer is in the shop and i’ve had finals, i’m now a 2nd year RN student YAY!), so i just heard the end of this. SO GLAD i changed my mind and told my comic shop to take this off my hold list. i hate so much how unimaginative “creators” come along and kill loveable b characters to give their uninteresting stories “meaning”. that’s just so so crappy…

Will Power

I appreciate your comment and feedback. It is hard to see characters you love killed off. Are you glad Striker is not part of the series? Where do you think he could fit.

cutler

yeah, i’m glad he’s not in it, i just wish none of the avengers academy kids were in this. i still want a book that brings the gay men of the marvel u together, as long as it is writtin well. i just can not understand why anyone at marvel would think that fans of a academy would enjoy a arena. and i still ask, where are the gay characters in all their big important new now books?