Okay, I've been putting off reviewing this book because I just couldn't believe I was actually in love with Avengers The Initiative #13. This does not seen like the type of book that gets picked as best of any week, but I think this may be the best single issue story I've read all year.  Christos Gage and Steve Yu made this little gem, and you can really see Yu's anime influences all across the board. His approach to drawing armor and clothing is somewhat realistic since you don't see everyone bulked up like Thor. You can pick this issue up without any reference and read it as somewhat of a one-shot.

The story centers around Emery Schaub, aka "Boulder" (also called "Popcorn and "Captain Man-Boobs"), a new recruit to The Initiative, who is entering Camp Hammond for his first day alongside Prodigy, Annex, Gorilla Girl, Sunstreak and... get this... Batwing. Boulder is quickly labeled "Butterball" by the drill instructor, Taskmaster (It's SO hard getting used to him and Constrictor being on the side of the good guys! When did these guys become such weenies?), and his extreme excitement for joining The Initiative has him at polar opposites from his resentful teammates. Taskmaster immediately starts in on the kid, and you get a very objective view of life inside The Initiative.

*side note: what we now know about Hank Pym (see Secret Invasion) makes his reaction VERY INTERESTING to being asked a question about what it was like to get Captain America out of the ice.

It's actually fascinating seeing the dissection of a character whose power is simply being indestructible. He's not fast, strong or fit with any special abilities, but you can't hurt him or damage him for anything. He doesn't get winded from activity, but can't push himself, and he doesn't get faster or stronger no matter how much he exercises!

There's so much that happens in this issue, but it all goes so smoothly. You've got lots of dialogue, interaction and even a well-staged fight scene, but it's never hard to follow. Much of what you see can be referenced by reading Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics".

My big problem is that I don't see why they kick him out of The Initiative. Didn't the Civil War happen so that people with powers would be trained to use them responsibly? Wasn't that the whole point, not just using super people for military applications? War Machine tells Butterball... er, Boulder... that he might be good for search and rescue, or hostile environment exploration. Okay, great, but why isn't The Initiative where he can learn these things. It's just because his power is not good for use in a battle. How about for rescuing people from a fire, like the last class of The Initiative ended up doing at the end of the last issue?!?! No, the kid has to learn these things on his own 'cause he can't fight. (This is a complaint about government program The Initiative, not the issue)