[comics] Avengers: The Initiative: Is that a jheri curl?

I really love that they brought back the Skrull Kill Krew for this whole Secret Invasion thing. And I dig the hell out of Stefano Caselli's art. And I do realize that this character is a shapeshifter.

...But, man, it's pretty lame that Ryder has apparently turned himself into a white dude.

Right, so the image on the left is from Ryder's initial appearance in Skrull Kill Krew #1. The image on the right is from his reappearance (after 13 years of limbo, far as I'm aware) in Avengers: The Initiative #16. And, to be perfectly fair, I don't really think Caselli actually intended to draw the character as a white guy. The dude is from Italy, and perhaps isn't quite as familiar with what dreadlocks look like as an American artist might be.

...And, hell, the dreadlocks / jheri curl confusion has long been a pitfall of some Marvel characters. I think Bishop is an example, although maybe his Rick James hair was totally intentional. Hell if I know. Terrible freakin look, either way.

[comics] Avengers: The Initiative: Oh, snap!

Okay, as long as I'm talking about comics, I might as well say some nice stuff. In Avengers: The Initiative #13 (written by Christos N. Gage, drawn by Steve Uy), lame flash-in-the-pan character Prodigy lays this awesome dis on lame perennial character Henry Pym. I just love it when characters (and writers) in comics actually remember shit like this: Hank smacking the crap out of his wife in The Avengers #213 (writer: Jim Shooter, penciller: Bob Hall). (Damn, can you believe this dude is back is to wearing his costume from 1981? Wow. Whose idea was that?)

There's a contingent of nerds out there who are quick to point out the fact that the infamous panel was an isolated incident that was intended to be seen as wildly at odds with Pym's established personality, and turned out to be the result of some kind of manipulation by some forgettable (and, indeed, forgotten) character called Egghead (not making this up, serious), and I guess they've got a point. But I don't think the dude was actually being mind controlled or anything, so I figure he still deserves to get abused for the incident. Also, it achieved LOL, and that's all the justification need.

So, yeah, I'm kinda digging The Initiative. I even really like their quasi-costume of a pair of camo pants and a shirt with an individual logo on it . . . but it really gets pretty lame when they start with an existing costume and just add the pants to that.


Prodigy, you fuckin tool. (To be fair, his costume is the source of his powers, but in that case, they really oughta waive the pants and boots.)