Avengers: The Initiative #19 (Marvel – Slott / Caselli)
SECRET INVASION Tie-In! “V-S DAY” It’s been leading to this since the Hank Pym Skrull first came up with the idea for a Fifty State Initiative. This is the final assault in the Secret Invasion, a nation-wide plan that will test the limits of 3-D MAN’S superhuman militia, THE KILL KREW ARMY! Join 3-D MAN, CLOUD 9, KOMODO, HARDBALL, and heroes around America in the battle that will decide the fate of the planet and the future of the Initiative program. Win or lose, there’s no turning back. After today, everything changes.
This was one issue, where tie-in really meant tie-in. If you are following Secret Invasion, but for whatever reason was not getting The Initiative, this is an issue you want to have. This takes place between The Initiative #18 and and Secret Invasion #7 and fills in some story gaps.
Very solid writing, but what else do we expect from Dan Slott? Or at least, what else would I expect from Dan Slott? The big bullet points here as it relates to the Initiative characters are that 3-D man finds out that the Tri-Force power does not just rest in his goggles and we get to see that a Skrull can be a true hero. And while I will often put the success of this series on the shoulders of Slott, I can’t forget that Stefano Caselli’s seamless art allow Slott’s story to fall into place.
The Initiative has outlasted all of the series that were a part of the same post-Civil War cohort and with good reason. Interesting characters, both forefront and background, overall moving storyline set in the backdrop of the MU’s move from Civil War, surviving World War Hulk and now into and through Secret Invasion… for the vast majority of the time this has been a dream book. Unfortunately I am using the word “has”. With how they are tying up loose ends, bringing main characters back to their starting points and the public fact that the Inititative was a Skrull plot from the very beginning, I can’t help but think that The Inititative is closing shop. Some of the characters will get abosrbed into other books (who knows what is coming now with Dark Reign), some will be in the MU backdrop for a while and with their triumphant return, you know that a Kill Krew series is not too far away.
Well, here’s to having the next six months be up to par with the last year and a half.
Issue Grade: A-
