Prom Night

Hey, it’s an all Avengers Academy day! Is that good news or bad news? Let’s find out!

Avengers Academy #13

Well, obviously, it’s time for the Avengers Academy prom. And they’re having it with the kids from the Young Allies and the Initiative, so they’ll have someone to dance with other than teammates. Speedball spins the tunes, Giant-Man and Tigra serve as chaperones — at least until they decide to bail on the dance so they can do their own horizontal mambo — Reptil finally de-ages himself to his true age, Firestar goes off on Justice when she finds out he’s sleeping with Ultra Girl, Mettle and Hazmat may try to have a real relationship together, and of course, a great big fight breaks out — or does it?

Verdict: Thumbs up. Man, this issue was just fun. Nothing too big going on, no supervillains to fight. Just fun. I need more comics in my life that are just plain fun.

Avengers Academy Giant-Size

This was originally going to be a couple of annuals, then a miniseries, and now published as a single huge 80-page comic starring Reptil, Veil, Striker, and Finesse from Avengers Academy and Spider-Girl, Firestar, and Toro from the Young Allies. Everyone gets captured by Arcade, the high-tech assassin and deathtrap creator — business hasn’t been very good for him because he keeps getting stomped on by superheroes, so he’s decided to build up his rep by killing a bunch of super-powered schoolkids. He sends Reptil and Spider-Girl out on a scavenger hunt while the rest of the teams are stuck in his Murderworld hideout.

Striker and Finesse are inside a plastic bubble in a shark-filled aquarium waiting for their air to run out; Toro is inside a giant whack-a-mole game; Veil has to climb up a bunch of electrified tubes that will vacuum her up if she turns into gas, and Firestar is trapped in a room filled with bombs trying to get a remote-control device to bring the key that will set her free. Will all the kids be able to escape from the deathtraps and turn the tables on Arcade?

Verdict: Thumbs up. A bit pricey at $8, but it’s a good, clever story, with good dialogue, action, and art, with a bunch of cool characters, so I say it’s worth it.