Writer: D![]()
ennis Hopeless
Artist: Timothy Green II
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Buy on ComiXology
Avengers Underground continues to challenge the blurred lines of good and evil and what people are capable of when pushed to their limits. With the aftermath of Avengers Arena, we follow the surviving contestants of Arcade’s game to Bagalia, a place where criminals and villains rule. A rescue mission that leads to a nightclub called The Hole is turned into a recruitment for Arcade’s assassination.
Before we go any further, let me just say that issue #3 is exactly what I’ve been waiting for. I couldn’t have predicted what would have happened, but I’m going to go ahead and say that I loved this as much as Avengers Arena #1.
We left off where Daimon Hellstrom, son of Satan, had teleported Cullen and the Arena Gang to Massacrer Casino where now-famous Arcade is presiding over a paid re-creation of Murder World. Although Cullen has one single mission in mind (to kill Arcade), Cammi is the bold voice of reason to question his actions.
Issue #3 is the first since Arena where the group is in the same space as Arcade, so the biggest question is just how will they react to this encounter? I love that the former loner Cammi is put in a position where she feels like she must take charge of the group. Since the end of Arena, she definitely took on the role of an aggressive mediator, but now that they have Arcade in their sights, it’s hard for her to speak her mind when others oppose her. Another fabulous character in this issue is Hazmat, who has always been the the most traumatized from Murder World, and seeing her reaction in this issue is both heartbreaking and astounding.
Timothy Green II takes over the art here. He is able to implement his own style, but still doesn’t defer too much from the track that Kev Walker had set up. At no point does it take you out of the story, but I must say, I can’t wait for our characters to be out of their formal attires and back into their regular outfits. Hazmat and that yellow hoodie go hand-in-hand! Nonetheless, Green does a fantastic job with his action sequences and until the very end, your eyes will be hooked on these pages.
Overall, Avengers Undercover #3 was a great issue and a definite game changer for the story. Baron Zemo and company make bets on our heroes, and in this sick Meta-way, we’re left again to watch those who are watching others for entertainment. Hopeless continues to dish out surprises and put so much development into these characters that we’ve come to cherish. I am constantly trying to predict what could happen next, but I think after all that’s said and done, this series takes no prisoners and anything could happen. If you’re not following this series, I highly recommend it (start with reading Avengers Arena) because not only has the journey been amazing and gut-wrenching up to this point, but this issue is worth building up to.
