Dennis Hopeless: Not so hopeless!

Every week, I always check out comic reviews on IGN.
Usually the most kickass comics of the week get great grades. Same for the stinkers.
And sometimes...I think they just get it wrong.

IGN has pooped on the first issues of both Avengers Arena and Cable & XForce. I was excited to check them out, I love Kev Walker's art, and I grew to love Larrocca on Invincible Iron Man.
I was also interested in Dennis Hopeless...a mostly unknown, getting a big break, with interesting concepts to play with.
I loved....LOVED....Avengers Arena #1. And IGN said "meh".
I also loved Cable & XForce #1. IGN didn't really at all.

Opinions are subjective, I know that, we all know that. But IGN's reviews tend to have a lot of influence, and because of the mixed/negative reviews, maybe people won't give the title (and Hopeless) a chance.

So here's what I like about them.

***

AVENGERS ARENA
-Teen characters that kick ass, but aren't famous enough for there own books. Couple of Runaways, Avengers Academy kids, Darkhawk, X23, etc etc.

-Also, the new characters created for the book, from the Braddock Academy, were introduced properly in issue #2. And they have character, in spades. Between Kid Briton, and a new Bloodstone kid, you can tell we're gonna end up with some keepers from this series after all is said and done.

-also , Death Locket!! a young teen with Deathlok technology, the daughter of Ryker. So sweet and innocent, and unintentionally deadly!!

-I love the high stakes. These kids have been groomed to play with the big boys. Well, now they're knee deep in it. I look forward to the pretenders being weeded out. And the inevitable tough choices to be made down the track.

-Hopeless made his case for me in that first issue. He set up the rules of the game. And he showed that he (and Arcade) are not playing around. Issue #2 showed me that there's a lot of reasons to stay, namely these new characters who I already wanna see more of.

***

CABLE & XFORCE
-characterisation. Spot on. The dynamic between Hope and Cable is touching. Domino is her charming self, Forge is a crazy paranoid, and Dr Nemesis shoots off one-liner after one-liner.

-I agree with IGN that maybe Hopeless should put more cards on the table...but the writing has been solid enough to make me want more of this team, the great writing really comes out when they're stuck in a lab together, arguing and yelling.

-Cable sees the future. And he knows its his job to shoot the future in the face. As of issue #2, the team is all done being recruited. Issue #3 looks ready to throw gasoline on the fire.



I've read a lot of books. And these books are nowhere near as bad as IGN makes them out to be. If you're undecided on the fence, just pick up a copy and check it out for yourselves, I feel they both deserve more attention than they've been getting.

Thanks for reading!