Avengers, the next generation - with a dark secret

At first glance, "Avengers Academy" seemed to be yet another attempt by Marvel to take advantage of the popularity of their (arguably) No. 1 franchise by slapping its name on a book featuring new teen heroes.

The premise was pretty straightforward. Take the best and brightest of the young superhumans who had been recruited, trained, exploited and abused by the evil Norman Osborn and, under the guidance of other heroes like Hank Pym and Quicksilver - who know about giving in to their dark side, living with evil and second chances - have them find purpose, meaning and stability by being trained in the noble tradition of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

The inaugural class includes Veil, who can transform her body into different gases; the electrically powered Striker; invulnerable powerhouse Mettle; and the dinosaur-morphing Reptil.

Perhaps the two most interesting characters are the toxic Hazmat and the polymath Finesse. Hazmat seems like a fresh 21st-century version of Rogue. But where the famous mutant is tortured by an inability to experience human contact with those she loves for fear of hurting them, Hazmat is even more tragic. She is so toxic, she can't even breathe on humans and is permanently confined to a protective suit. If Rogue kissed someone it would hurt them and take their memories, but if Hazmat does the same they'd die almost instantly.

Finesse is arguably the most intriguing character of the bunch. At first glance, her powers seem unoriginal - she can learn almost anything instantly. That means, like the Taskmaster and others, she can learn fighting skills others take years to master simply by watching them.

What separates Finesse is that there is both mystery and menace about her. She speaks in a Spock-ian, matter-of-fact tone - not realizing the impact of what she says can have on others. Yet she is probably the most ambitious, whether it be learning about her mysterious lineage or some of the big secrets of Avengers Academy itself.

Writer Christos Gage reminds us once again that he is among the most entertaining writers working in comics today. As usual, he immediately gives each of the characters in the book a unique and compelling personality. He seems to be having fun with the "young superheroes being trained by their elders" theme and realizes such a book could have storylines his other books lack. Young people are always ripe for conflict and soapy elements. For example, when Finesse nonchalantly reveals that she knows that Reptil has never kissed a girl, she decides to make up for the humiliation she naively caused by having him kiss her in front of their teammates.

That's not something you would see in the "Fantastic Four" or "X-Men".

What makes Gage great is that he easily could have churned out entertaining tales for years using the "young heroes in training" premise, but instead he took only one issue to provide readers with a major twist.

Seems this "Avengers Academy" class was not chosen because they have the greatest potential to be heroes (which is what they were told before secretly learning the truth) but because they are the ones most at risk of becoming villains.

This shocking development has turned the entire series on its head and opened up an endless stream of fresh stories. Everything from who is training them - such as former jailed heroes like Justice - to what they are asked to do is now viewed through a prism of suspicion. They no longer trust those whom they are supposed to be able to confide in, which, ironically, could push them toward the dark side from which their instructors are trying to save them. This is evidenced by Finesse being brilliant enough to find out a secret about the legendary Quicksilver and brave enough to use it to blackmail him into teaching the villainous ways of his father, Magneto. Meanwhile, as issue No. 3 concludes, Veil, Hazmat and Mettle have decided to kill Norman Osborn, who made them the way they are. Of course, if they succeed, then Norman wins, since committing murder is a great way to separate heroes and villains.

This is a terrific, compelling book with enough story elements to keep readers entertained for years to come. It is, perhaps, the ultimate combo of old-school storytelling combined with today's sophisticated tastes.

"Avengers Academy" gets Comics Guy's highest recommendation.

Seminar sign-up

The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention and The Frator Heru Institute, 1046 Jefferson St., are conducting a class on Oct. 30 called "Creating Black Comic Books."

The class is open to beginning and intermediate artists interested in improving their comic-book illustration skills.

Longtime comic artist and Philadelphia native Eric Battle is the special guest instructor.

Those interested can register at The Frator Heru Institute from 5 to 7 p.m. tomorrow through Friday, or go to www.ecbacc.com for more information and an online registration form.

E-mail comicsguy@phillynews.com