Product Description

The Civil War is over and from now on, this is the new face of the Marvel Universe - The Initiative! Whose side were you on? If you were pro-registration, then there's one hell of a price to pay. You're in the army now. Every last one of you. Fall in with Yellowjacket, War Machine, She-Hulk, Justice and The Gauntlet as they train the heroes of tomorrow for the super-powered conflicts of today! Marvel's army of super heroes has just become a super hero army! Also featuring The Mighty Avengers and a new generation of Marvels. Collects The Initiative #1-6.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #209865 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Customer Reviews

Comic Lovers, ahh, ahh...
I bought this one because of the ending of Iron Man, the movie, and Nick Fury's mentioning of the Avenger Initiative and I wanted a little insight about it before the movie comes out in a couple of years. While the artistry was exactly as to be expected, the story line left me a little cold. The one thing I really liked about this comic was that Captain America is no longer a wimp and definitely not a cheerleader anymore. I would recommend it for die-hard comic fans just to have it, but for occassional readers (especially those who have not yet read "Civil War") I'm sure you can find better.

Graphic SF Reader
I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would.

The story focuses on a bunch of new recruits of the kid variety to the Initiative program.

You know that things aren't going to go well when you see that Henry Pym, Henry Peter Gyrich, and your superhuman gung-ho drill sergeant type are in charge, and when one of the new kids is a sort of Captain America peak human type who could not have cannon fodder stamped more clearly upon him if it was in orange and pink neon on his forehead.

Therefore, commence mayhem, spying and skullduggery, plus insults.

Justice becomes an interesting character, too. Bizare.

Anyway, well done to Mr. Slott and company for a good job.

Uncle Sam Wants Them
I thought that a lot of the Civil War ties have been weak, but not The Initiative. This series is off to a strong start.

From the first issue, you're introduced to some promising new characters. You think you know where the series is headed and - bam! - Slott throws you a very unexpected, even brilliant curve. I wish I could tell you what makes it so great without giving anything away, but I don't want to spoil any surprises for you. Just trust me - this book goes into some very unexpected places and that's a good thing.

Another good thing is the way Slott uses some of the Marvel U's existing characters to bring depth and tension to the series. Hank Pym, the former Marvel Boy and War Machine all have pivotal roles. Slott is respectful of their histories, but gives them some new twists and conflicts that really flesh these characters out. I also enjoyed seeing old favorite Danielle Moonstar.

The last few years have brought us at least two five-star series about younger heroes - Young Avengers and Runaways, Vol. 1. I wouldn't put The Initiative quite up there with those books, but it comes pretty close. As the series progresses into it's later issues, it gets more tied into other Marvel U events - particularly World War Hulk.

Some of the emphasis that could have gone into developing the new characters of The Initiative goes into catching the reader up on Dreaded Crossover Backstory. None of which is Slott's fault, of course, it's what happens when a series is too closely tied into these big Universe-wide events. They make for great marketing ploys but rarely great single issues.

Still, I strongly recommend Avengers: The Initiative Vol. 1: Basic Training. It's a solid book that you'll really enjoy. There's a lot of potential here; you might as well get on for the start.