CBR: Gage Experiences Hybrid Moments in "Avengers Academy"

[CBR News]

A new campus brings the "Avengers Academy" face to face with new students and a new menace in the form of the monstrous Hybrid. CBR spoke with writer Christos Gage about the book.


Full article here (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36322).

[Songbird/Diamondback]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
My excitement levels! They're as high as ever! Can't wait to see that issue 28 cover they mentioned.

Also, I remember that Gage's goals for the series were:
A) Reach an Event - Which he did with Fear Itself.
B) Reach issue 25 - Which we're about to get.

Good job Mr. Gage!

[CyberHubbs]

Oh my god. Hybrid!

Way to dig deep, Gage.

[a fire in london]

Easily one of the best books on the stands.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Oh my god. Hybrid!

Way to dig deep, Gage.

Hybrid has been in the last two issues.

[The_Ronin]

Gage has become one of my favorite writers period. I love this series. Here is hoping it goes another 25!

[coconutphone]

Very very excited!

I love how excited he sounds about the book. :biggrin:

[strathcona]

Gage has become one of my favorite writers period. I love this series. Here is hoping it goes another 25!

As much as I am not going to be touching the main AvX mini, I hope the crossover issues give this book a bump in sales so we can reach the 50 mark.

Best Marvel book on the stands. Can't wait to see the Runaways!

[CyberHubbs]

Hybrid has been in the last two issues.

I haven't been keeping up yet.

What a crazy character to bring out of mothballs.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

I haven't been keeping up yet.

What a crazy character to bring out of mothballs.

As stated numerous times, it left a real impression on Gage, and many other people.
Gage is the C-List - Z-List best friend.

[CMBMOOL]

Man it seems that Gage is shaping up teh Avengers Academy as we head into Avengers vs X-men, something tells me that there may not be an Academy to come back to when that event ends. :frown:

Also I cannot wait to see how Gage uses X-23 in the event as well. :redface:

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Man it seems that Gage is shaping up teh Avengers Academy as we head into Avengers vs X-men, something tells me that there may not be an Academy to come back to when that event ends. :frown:

Also I cannot wait to see how Gage uses X-23 in the event as well. :redface:

Academy will get a boost from the event. You'll see! :smile:

[OldSchoolfan]

I am looking forward to reading these stories and how they affect the development of the characters.

You also have to figure that Veil and her benefactor are going to step in again soon, so there are a lot of pieces in play.

This is a fun book to read!

[coconutphone]

You also have to figure that Veil and her benefactor are going to step in again soon, so there are a lot of pieces in play.



Yes I agree with this.

[OldSchoolfan]

Best Marvel book on the stands. Can't wait to see the Runaways!

Yup! and double Yup!

[Swashbuckler]

Great interview! I love Avengers academy, although I am highly turned off by the Reptile centric plot we have unfolding. He's my LEAST favorite character.

[strathcona]

As stated numerous times, it left a real impression on Gage, and many other people.
Gage is the C-List - Z-List best friend.

Until Solarman (http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/solarman.htm) makes an appearance, I won't be happy.

[I am MODOK]

This book kicks butt every single month. As you guys mention, when someone like Whiz Kid shows up, you know the Z-list is getting some love.

As I mentioned in my blog (http://comicperday.blogspot.com/2012/01/avengers-academy-24.html), my one concern is how far Hybrid actually got with his potential mates! That dude is gross!

[PaxHouse]

More on the New Students (Lightspeed & White Tiger).
More on the Runaways (especially can't for this Runaways/Loners "Sequel").
Plus, the Academy within the AvX Event.

Excellent reasons for either getting and/or remaining on this series.:cool: :biggrin:

[Songbird/Diamondback]

More on the New Students (Lightspeed & White Tiger).
More on the Runaways (especially can't for this Runaways/Loners "Sequel").
Plus, the Academy within the AvX Event.

Excellent reasons for either getting and/or remaining on this series.:cool: :biggrin:

I know!
READ THIS BOOK IF YOU AREN'T ALREADY! Long live the Young Marvels!

[Disco_Magic]

Anyone who is concerned by the tie-in issues should go back and read the Fear Itself tie-in in AA (#s 15-20). I was not following the main FI book, but had no problem integrating the story with those AA issues. In fact, so many great moments of character development and solid superhero action gives me confidence that Gage can roll with whatever Editorial passes his way and still create a great comic.
As for the "characters I've written in the past" teaser, I'm hoping he checks in with some of his Avengers Initiative alumni.

Trust Gage and buy this book!:biggrin:

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Anyone who is concerned by the tie-in issues should go back and read the Fear Itself tie-in in AA (#s 15-20). I was not following the main FI book, but had no problem integrating the story with those AA issues. In fact, so many great moments of character development and solid superhero action gives me confidence that Gage can roll with whatever Editorial passes his way and still create a great comic.
As for the "characters I've written in the past" teaser, I'm hoping he checks in with some of his Avengers Initiative alumni.

Trust Gage and buy this book!:biggrin:

Must....resist....getting excited....over false Diamondback possibility...

[ian33407]

Hybrid in his first appearance was way more frightening, but that's a nice idea to bring back such character, always though SECRET INVASION should have been about Dire Wraiths than Skrullls..

The 70/80 'characters -and ideas, will save Marvel !

[strathcona]

Anyone who is concerned by the tie-in issues should go back and read the Fear Itself tie-in in AA (#s 15-20). I was not following the main FI book, but had no problem integrating the story with those AA issues. In fact, so many great moments of character development and solid superhero action gives me confidence that Gage can roll with whatever Editorial passes his way and still create a great comic.
As for the "characters I've written in the past" teaser, I'm hoping he checks in with some of his Avengers Initiative alumni.

Trust Gage and buy this book!:biggrin:

I absolutely trust in Gage. He (along with Slott) made gold out of the horrible Secret Invasion story, and again (as you mentioned) with FI. He can take the editorially mandated storylines and weave really good stories with them... something the Architects seem to have trouble with.

[Tiamatican]

Giant Man wrestling a T-Rex.

Crazy awesome.



I'm always looking forward to the next issue of this series. It could come out every week, and it still wouldn't be enough for me.

[coconutphone]

Must....resist....getting excited....over false Diamondback possibility...

It's totally Diamondback. Guaranteed.

:tongue:

[Relique]

I only started picking up Avenger Academy because of X-23. Hopefully the next issue is worth picking up considering how her debut was out of character and last issue she had one panel and two poorly written lines.

[AnarCHris]

Gage is kicking so much ass on this book it isn't even funny. The BEST Avengers book on the market, and easily one of Marvel's best non-Icon/Max titles on a monthly basis.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

It's totally Diamondback. Guaranteed.

:tongue:

I wish!


I only started picking up Avenger Academy because of X-23. Hopefully the next issue is worth picking up considering how her debut was out of character and last issue she had one panel and two poorly written lines.

I guess you'll have to wait til issue 29 then for X-23 focus.

[Trey]

Mr. Gage, I need payoff on the premise of the series.

I need kids choosing to be villains. Followed by more at risk recruits. Its been 2 years now.

Enough of this obscure ROM characters crap.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Mr. Gage, I need payoff on the premise of the series.

I need kids choosing to be villains. Followed by more at risk recruits. Its been 2 years now.

Enough of this obscure ROM characters crap.

Wow, really? You want to this be a conveyer belt of characters?
If all you're caring about is "who is gonna turn evil," then you're ignoring a lot of good character development. Besides, the future time stuff shows that they all could be evil.

And really, 2 years is nothing in comic time. I mean, you don't wake up one day and say "I'm going to become a villain."

[Sighphi]

Is Tigra being bitch-slapped by lighting lad in one of those pics?

[Trey]

Wow, really? You want to this be a conveyer belt of characters?
If all you're caring about is "who is gonna turn evil," then you're ignoring a lot of good character development. Besides, the future time stuff shows that they all could be evil.

And really, 2 years is nothing in comic time. I mean, you don't wake up one day and say "I'm going to become a villain."

No not a conveyer belt of characters. I want payoff with the heroes fighting the ones that turned bad, trying to redeem em, etc.

You can still have character development. I want the plot, which is the most important thing a story to move ahead, otherwise the issues start to spin their wheels, hitting the same notes over and over.

We've had about 250 pages in this series, and its time to crack some eggs for the omelet.

The whole premise of the series is that if the Avengers mess up, some of the kids may do some bad stuff. It's time for that to come to roost, after i've spent 75 dollars on the series.

I don't understand, I know you are a big fan, when would you like for some payoff?

[West]

Mr. Gage, I need payoff on the premise of the series.

I need kids choosing to be villains. Followed by more at risk recruits. Its been 2 years now.

Enough of this obscure ROM characters crap.

Flark you man Hybrid is awesome, if you've read long enough there's plenty of development.

No not a conveyer belt of characters. I want payoff with the heroes fighting the ones that turned bad, trying to redeem em, etc.
And it's been building to that, hell their even encountering their future selves who are kind of assholes. And it's still focusing on the original group primarily, with exceptions

[Songbird/Diamondback]

No not a conveyer belt of characters. I want payoff with the heroes fighting the ones that turned bad, trying to redeem em, etc.

You can still have character development. I want the plot, which is the most important thing a story to move ahead, otherwise the issues start to spin their wheels, hitting the same notes over and over.

We've had about 250 pages in this series, and its time to crack some eggs for the omelet.

The whole premise of the series is that if the Avengers mess up, some of the kids may do some bad stuff. It's time for that to come to roost, after i've spent 75 dollars on the series.

I don't understand, I know you are a big fan, when would you like for some payoff?

Sure, but I don't want it to be forced.
Besides, if we're assuming it will be good kids vs. bad kids, wouldn't that be an expected payoff? Wouldn't it be better to give us the one we aren't expecting?
Frankly, I'd rather have the mythos continually build rather than ship half the kids who have been developed day one into the Hood's gang to be beaten for the Avengers to say a one-liner.

[Bad Wolf]

Hybrid in his first appearance was way more frightening, but that's a nice idea to bring back such character, always though SECRET INVASION should have been about Dire Wraiths than Skrullls..

Well, they did that already in Rom...it couldn't be a total copy.

[Dog]

Did I imagine Veil hitching her wagon to a sociopath?

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Did I imagine Veil hitching her wagon to a sociopath?

Ah yes, when will Veil and Jeremy Brigs be rearing their heads again?

[shadow panther]

Easily one of the best books on the stands.

i heartly agree

[Metal Sphere]

Did I imagine Veil hitching her wagon to a sociopath?

Apparently, you did. That was just a fever dream you had after binging on Avengers Academy.

Some people are really impatient, when the turns to villainy will be that much sweeter if the journey is well developed and natural.

[hugh45]

Should I buy the Korvac storyline?

[mugiwara]

Kuddos to Gage for using such an obscure villain.

There are hundred of characters in the MU, but unfortunately, most writers ignore it and always to use the same guys: Wrecking Crew, Puppet Master, Whirldwind.

In Christos Gage comics, we see not only well known villains like Whirlwind, but also obscure characters like Hybrid or Icemaster and recent villains like the Bastards of Evil.
That remembers us what is so awesome about the Marvel Universe: it's freaking huge and erver evolving.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Should I buy the Korvac storyline?

The first issue is mainly exposition, the second issue is where the good stuff happens.
Mainly the last two pages, which are pretty powerful.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Kuddos to Gage for using such an obscure villain.

There are hundred of characters in the MU, but unfortunately, most writers ignore it and always to use the same guys: Wrecking Crew, Puppet Master, Whirldwind.

In Christos Gage comics, we see not only well known villains like Whirlwind, but also obscure characters like Hybrid or Icemaster and recent villains like the Bastards of Evil.
That remembers us what is so awesome about the Marvel Universe: it's freaking huge and erver evolving.


Whirlwind
well known

Do you come from the universe where Ant-Man and Wasp have a 600+ ongoing series?

[West]

He was on the 90's Iron Man tv series at least

[Songbird/Diamondback]

He was on the 90's Iron Man tv series at least

Iron Man had a 90's TV series?

[Personamanx]

Honestly I love how Gage makes this book sound so great but it just has not been for a while.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Honestly I love how Gage makes this book sound so great but it just has not been for a while.

It's still good, just a bit of a start with the new status quo.
I mean, issue 22 was pretty great. Or has everyone suddenly forgotten about that one?

[Personamanx]

Honestly I love the new Status quos, was super excited for it but it was at best underwhelming. I gave the book the benefit of the doubt when it started going a little south with Fear Itself (Very few books come out of events for the better) but the book just has not really recovered. It's only gotten worse. Which is quite unfortunate.

Giving the book another go with the "Runaways" story as you all probably know by now but it's become hard to be optimistic.

[Tiamatican]

No not a conveyer belt of characters. I want payoff with the heroes fighting the ones that turned bad, trying to redeem em, etc.

You can still have character development. I want the plot, which is the most important thing a story to move ahead, otherwise the issues start to spin their wheels, hitting the same notes over and over.

We've had about 250 pages in this series, and its time to crack some eggs for the omelet.

The whole premise of the series is that if the Avengers mess up, some of the kids may do some bad stuff. It's time for that to come to roost, after i've spent 75 dollars on the series.

I don't understand, I know you are a big fan, when would you like for some payoff?
First, I think you may have missed the point of the series. The point is that the kids could become villains, not that they will become villains. They're all broken, but they have the opportunity to make their own fates. And they're all good kids, deep down. That's part of what makes the series so great. There was all this concern over whether they'd become evil, when really, all most of them want is to be happy. Hazmat wants to be able to not hurt people. Mettle wants to look normal. Striker wants fame, but I think he mostly wants acceptance. Finesse is the one who had both the greatest potential for villainy, and also seems to be the one becoming most dedicated towards heroism.

Further, they're still young. The series isn't really all that old. There's no rush to have any of them betray their friends.

And already, we've had Veil leave to go work for a sociopath. She left because she feels he's doing a lot of good, but he's absolutely a sociopath. A textbook case, really. And Gage plans on bringing him back, so we haven't seen the last of him, and there's no telling if other team members might decide to sign up with him, too.

Further, the plot is not what's important. The characters are. If it was the plot that mattered, then Bendis's Avengers run wouldn't be so maligned. There's no question that Bendis has come up with fantastic plots, but the execution failed, because he didn't make it about the characters. When a writer puts the characters first and foremost, it's an enjoyable read. Avengers Academy, X-Factor, Journey Into Mystery, Uncanny X-Force, Amazing Spider-Man - these are some of the best titles on the stands right now, because the writers know that the single most important thing in any story is the characters.

As for pay-off, I feel like I'm getting it every issue. I don't need big climactic moments. I'm quite content with the smaller moments. If there has to be a big pay-off, I don't want it to come for a long time. And I certainly don't want it to be shoehorned in. I want it to flow organically from the story, because it works best for the characters in it.

[West]

Iron Man had a 90's TV series?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBbnT-cIDVM

[destro]

Nice to see a good Bill Mantlo creation get some use.

And from the topic title it appears that someone at CBR is a Misfits fan.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBbnT-cIDVM

Huh....never knew about taht

[Joe Franklin]

Gage is an awesome writer, but I can't stand the kids Gage and McKone created for this book. Worse new characters as a group that Marvel has ever produced. If Finesse, Hazmat, Mettle, Reptil, Striker, and Veil all left the book, I would start buying it again. I bought the first 2 issues, and these new characters are as boring/generic looking and acting as it gets.

But Gage is still the man, because his Avengers Initiative run was the best Avengers run in the last 10 years.

And I'm buying Gage and Baldeon's current X-Men Legacy run as well. It's good stuff.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Gage is an awesome writer, but I can't stand the kids Gage and McKone created for this book. Worse new characters as a group that Marvel has ever produced. If Finesse, Hazmat, Mettle, Reptil, Striker, and Veil all left the book, I would start buying it again. I bought the first 2 issues, and these new characters are as boring/generic looking and acting as it gets.

But Gage is still the man, because his Avengers Initiative run was the best Avengers run in the last 10 years.

And I'm buying Gage and Baldeon's current X-Men Legacy run as well. It's good stuff.

I think you jumped the gun.
I think the first reaction was supposed to be these kids are messed up, but then you realize that there's more to them.
You know, like High School.
I mean, I didn't start picking up AA til a friend pushed me to, and that was at issue 8, and I've become a diehard fan ever since.

[Tiamatican]

Gage is an awesome writer, but I can't stand the kids Gage and McKone created for this book. Worse new characters as a group that Marvel has ever produced. If Finesse, Hazmat, Mettle, Reptil, Striker, and Veil all left the book, I would start buying it again. I bought the first 2 issues, and these new characters are as boring/generic looking and acting as it gets.

But Gage is still the man, because his Avengers Initiative run was the best Avengers run in the last 10 years.

And I'm buying Gage and Baldeon's current X-Men Legacy run as well. It's good stuff.
Veil, I disliked. It wasn't that she was a bad character. I just plain didn't like her. She was a frustrating person, and I just wanted to slap her upside the head a lot of the time. Striker, I disliked after issue 5, and his whole "I wanna be a star" mentality, but he's grown on me, as he's grown as a person. The others, I've liked from the start. Finesse, Mettle and Hazmat are among my favourite Marvel characters.


I think you jumped the gun.
I think the first reaction was supposed to be these kids are messed up, but then you realize that there's more to them.
You know, like High School.
I mean, I didn't start picking up AA til a friend pushed me to, and that was at issue 8, and I've become a diehard fan ever since.
I started reading right from the first issue, and loved it off the bat. I actually eagerly anticipated each of those early issues, to get the next character viewpoint.

[tommyman]

Quite simply one of the best series marvel has produced in decades.
Long may it continue.
The fact that it's not in the top ten in terms of sales is a sad indictment of all humanity.

[West]

Huh....never knew about taht

I can't believe you didn't grow up with this

[Venom Melendez]

I love the New White Tiger and i love that we saw her backstory in the recent issue. Hope she gets more focus in the future.

I am curious to learn where Angela Del Toro is now, but I understand what Gage means by wanting to establish Ava first.

Gage has done excellent work on this book.

[PaxHouse]

Well, it's almost time for AA #25 to be released Next Week's (hopefully) and I hope there'll be some excellent moments for said Issue.....especially with whatever Preview will be shown soon......:cool:

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Well, it's almost time for AA #25 to be released Next Week's (hopefully) and I hope there'll be some excellent moments for said Issue.....especially with whatever Preview will be shown soon......:cool:

Wait, next week?
It's released in February.

[PaxHouse]

Wait, next week?
It's released in February.

Somehow, I believe that it'll be released Next Week; because Issue #24 was shipped Two Weeks ago.....

Of course, I could be wrong, you know.....

Okay....I've seen the release date for Issue #25......My Bad...!! :redface: :tongue:

[Umbra]

Love this book from start to finish.