Last time, with the SHRA in full effect heroes were shipped off to Camp Hammond for training. Among these were Cloud 9, MVP, Komodo, Hardball and Trauma. Even established, but still younger, heroes like Rage and Thor Girl were forced into this. But a shadow quickly fell over the whole thing when MVP was killed in a training accident which Justice and Cloud 9 later found out was being covered up when they went to visit MVP's father only to find MVP there. Cloud 9 also wound up with trauma from having to kill a guy during a Hydra attack while Hardball got recruited by a shady guy to steal the Initiative's power-sapping S.P.I.N. darts in exchange for compensation for his family.That turned out to be a bad thing when the Hulk, back from Sakaar, attacked New York, took out the Avengers and the Initiative trainees looked to be about to go up against him alone. But Gyrich had his own special group ready to go for situations like this: the Shadow Initiative.Today is Avengers: The Initiative #5-7 and Annual #1.Previous >>154676821
Bengal is a shortlived Daredevil/New Warriors villain. Pretty sure the Initiative is the first time he'd shown up since the early '90s and he'll be around until the end of the series. I guess Slott likes him because he also used him in Spider-Boy.
Issue 6
Gyrich vs. Sally Floyd in a battle of who can you hate more.
Gauntlet's story is bullshit, of course, but he has to be the good soldier and protect the camp because there'd be an investigation if they knew who the real culprit was.
And the real culprit turns out to be Slapstick. There seemed to be a subplot that slott was going for with Slapstick seemingly going off the deep end but once Gage takes over as sole writer (instead of co-writer) that winds up getting dropped.
Issue 7
>>154688251Man Gauge has been wiping Slott's ass and making his dreck into something decent for an absurdly long time.
>>154688514Part of it is right afterwards the first year it basically becomes a lot of tie-ins to whatever big event is going on. Granted Gage still does a good job with it but it's kind of hard to keep going with the plot when the book then has to spend six months tying into Secret Invasion and after that Osborn takes over.Also until after the Secret Invasion story, Gage is still writing more or less based on Slott's plots (any time you see Slott and Gage as co-writers, Gage is the guy actually writing).
>>154687535I kind of missed on my first read that the Constrictor/Nighthawk part here is the continuation of the plot point from Slott's The Thing book
Annual 1>>154688790Constrictor really got screwed over after all the development that was done for him in this series. Hopeless went right back to making him a generic villain in Undercover (also ruined Daimon Helstrom because he somehow thought Daimon was evil I guess), then he got cancer and maybe died, then he recently showed up in the Rogue book a few months ago in some of the most egregiously OOC writing I've ever seen.
>>154687765So they are using "class 50" as danger levels here? I thought this was about handbook "how many tons they can lift" classes
I kind of thought at the time that this was setting up for Armory to come back or still be around as a character but not really. in hindsight I think a lot of this is more just setting up the next arc.
Hardball's been working for Hydra.
>>154687966is that the bitch who accused Cap of being out of touch with America because he doesn't watch TV or some shit like that
>>154689199One and the same. Last time she showed up was in From the Ashes where she learned what Xavier had did during the Orchis War and intentionally had herself mindwiped and given a new identity and is now in Alaska. Kind of surprised that MacKay hasn't used her with his book also being in Alaska.
Master Man and Warrior Woman are Invaders villains. Vunder Knight doesn't actually show up until Chaykin's Avengers 1959 miniseries in 2011.
>>154688611>Gage is the guy actually writingLmao I believe it. Shit Gauge actually made me okay with Slottshit in the Amazing Spiderman game (shame about the sequel). Hell his Superior Minis are half the reason this board has positive feelings about that status quo
>>154689325They've more or less said that's what's going on. Usually when you see co-writers, especially when it's a bigger and lesser name, the bigger name is providing the plot (maybe just a simple Lee style outline/summary) and the smaller name is the one writing and scripting everything.
A teaser for Secret Invasion. In true form, Slott will also wind up using the Liberteens in his Fantastic Four run.Anyway that's it for this time. Next time is Avengers: The Initiative #8-12.
>>154688611Honestly surprising that it took this long for Vance to snap in this hellhole
>>154688674>>154688693based as fuck
>>154688857Man I really hate how villains can never escape their villain status. Constrictor deserved far better
>>154689211>>154689234not gonna lie Power Brocker here looks cool
>>154689321I wonder what metric is he using if he considers Master Man a failure compared to Cap. That dude could throw hands with Namor and throw tanks around, that seems a bit more impressive that a "peak human condition"
>>154687513Dani Boobstar
>>154689971There's certain times where you can tell that Caselli came from Europe and the way he draws women is the biggest example. I wonder if he did porn/cheesecake stuff prior to American comics because it kind of feels like it.
>>154689387How fucking old is Blitzschlag anyway if he was already a presumably adult scientist during WWII and is still kicking in late 00s? The fact that he can even walk and speak coherently at this age is already impressive
>>154690098Likely at least a century old but he's got electricity powers so you can presume that's played some part in him still being around.
>>154688153Damn, Hardball's taking orders from Hulk Hogan himself? That plot is suddenly WAY cooler than it let on originally.
>>154691699>Don't work yourself into a shoot brother. HH
>>154689512ty op
>>154689512Thanks
alright
