The mutant clone of the X-Man Wolverine, X-23 joins the Avengers Academy in issue 23 of the ongoing Avengers Academy series from Marvel Comics by Christos Gage and Tom Raney. While this may be the biggest news to come out of this issue the story is packed with strong character development and intriguing subplots that will hook in any reader.
Writer Christos Gage crafts an intricate plot with themes and ideas running in and out of each other. The themes are the basic concept of this series, young heroes with astonishing powers who are not sure how to use their powers. The ideas do not always play out in the use of their abilities. Gage writes teenage emotion in this series while avoiding teen angst and melodrama. The characters are relatable and believable.
The mutant X-23 joins the Academy with this issue. Instead of inserting her into the story or having her jump into some super powered melee, Gage shows the violence she is capable of and then has her explain to the others who she is. X-23 believes her past and her abilities will keep her from being accepted by the rest of the Academy. Each member of the students understands what it is like to be manipulated for evil purposes and they open their arms to X-23, welcoming her into the school.
The most poignant moment of the story is when Striker comes out of the closet to Lightspeed. The two heroes discuss what it means to be a gay hero and how that they are people not political statements. The conversation is well written and reveals a lot more about who these characters are not as heroes but as people.
The storyline that weaves throughout this issue focuses on the story’s narrator, Reptil. Reptil has had his mind replaced by his older self who came back in time not to alter the future but to make sure things happen the way they originally did. Gage uses this plot to unite all the various side plots into a cohesive story. By the end of this issue Reptil’s actions have a horrifying conclusion for the school.
The artwork of Tom Raney is beautiful with a clean line and lots of detail. This issue is focused on dialogue with only a few pages devoted to action. Raney uses the body language of the characters to tell the story with the pictures. The artwork adds a great deal to the narrative of the story.
The decision: Avengers Academy #23 is one of the quieter issues in the series. Christos Gage takes this opportunity to make you care more about the characters by adding personality to each member of the cast. The teenagers feel real with feelings of confusion, jealousy and abandonment all mixed with their desires to belong. The story and dialogue never feels forced.
This issue will be the last issue of Avengers Academy for artist Tom Raney as he moves onto other projects with Marvel Comics. His art has played a large part in defining what the Academy is and how it fits into the Marvel Universe. As adept as he is with the quieter moments his art has always made the action burst of the pages. This issue really shows his skill as an artist mixing strong characters with extraordinary detail.
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