COMIC REVIEW: FTN reviews Avengers Arena #13

Written by: Christos Gage

Penciler: Karl Moline

Inker: Mark Pennington

Colorist: Jean-Francois Beaulieu

Published by: Marvel

Avengers Arena has always been one of my favorite current Avengers titles. While usually written by Dennis Hopeless, every once in a while Christos Gage takes over and we get a story about what’s happening outside the arena. This week is one of those times.

Normally when a comic strays away from the main story line it comes off to me as a filler issue. Maybe the writer needs time before the next arc, or maybe they just had a case of writers block and this was all they could come up with. However with this series this is never the case. What happens outside the Arena is always just as important. Whether Hopeless or Gage is behind the wheel you know you’re gonna have a good solid issue.

In previous issues we were given a look outside of the arena to see how Arcade, the arena mastermind, came to be. In this issue you get to see what’s happening in the world the arenas “contestants” live in. Do people miss them? Do they think it’s strange all these teenagers went missing at once? These are all things Gage addresses in issue #13.

The artwork for this comic is spot on as always. The three-person art team works really well together. And I always enjoy looking at the artwork they come up with. The colors work well together, and Beaulieu knows how to use contrast the correct way, which is always a plus in the comic world.

I think this is a comic many can enjoy. It’s easy to understand for a new comic reader, yet has characters a comic junkie would enjoy. The writing style makes it appealing to both teenagers and older comic readers alike. And with the diversity in characters males and females both have a reason to stay interested. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

4 out of 5 nerds