Avengers Arena #7-9, by Dennis Hopeless (writer), Alessandro Vitti (artist, issue 7), Kev Walker (penciler/artist, issues 8, 9), Jason Gorder (inker, issue 8, & pgs 6-15 of issue 9), Rain Beredo (colorist, issue 7), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colorist, issues 8, 9), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - Dave Johnson does some good cover work. Now I want a game called "3. . .2. . .1. . .Death!"Issue 7 explains how Arcade's doing what he's doing and why. The "how" is that his new girl Friday, Ms. Coriander wired Magneto's old base underground in the Antarctic into Arcade's suit so he can control pretty much everything there by thought. The "why", is Arcade had a birthday shindig and learned all the other super-villains think he's a loser. He decided they were right, and it nearly destroyed him. Which is why he took a stint as a bartender in Bargalia, I guess. But he's rediscovered his muse, that it's about making other people do what he wants, more than the killing. Maybe.
I'm going to want to spend more time on it later, so for no, let's say I'm conflicted on this take on Arcade. Certain parts of it I like, other parts not so much. I do like the idea of super-villains as being essentially gossipy high society ladies. All polite smiles and hugs to each other, then horrible gossip behind their backs.
Vitti's work isn't quite on the level of Walker's but he does give Arcade appropriately deranged looks for most of the comic. He's always slightly bug eyed or with a creepy grin. Or both, which is especially unnerving. I will say, people seem to really like gritting their teeth. Constrictor and Arcade both do through most of their run-in in Bargalia. And for the record, Constrictor should not be talking shit about anyone. Omega Red ripped off his shtick, and does it better. Oh, you were a member of the Serpent Society? Too bad Black Mamba, Asp, and Diamondback are the only members anyone cared about. Oh, you tried going straight for a bit? Get in line.
The other two issues bring us back to the present. X-23 finds Juston and what's left of his Sentinel. Bloodstone asks Cammi and the 2 Runaways to help bury the now headless Kid Briton. And it turns out Apex has a twin brother who shares her body, except she's kept him sealed up inside for 2 years. Also, I was right about Apex being some sort of a technopath. Go me. The kids vote not to kill Apex while Tim's in control, Nico gives Chase the boot when he goes for it anyway, and it all goes balls up. Apex stuffs Tim back into the hole, regains control of Deathlocket, kills Juston, and steals his Sentinel. Well done there, team!
I expect better from Cammi and X-23, honestly. But I also thought Cammi and maybe Bloodstone would vote for killing, so I've clearly given all of them too much credit. I suppose I shouldn't encourage them to murder, but they clearly don't have it together sufficiently to keep Apex detained. They're smart enough to not let anyone reliant on technology guard Tim, but not smart enough to keep Deathlocket the hell away, because aww, puppy love. No, cyborg killing machine already occasionally commanded by amoral teenage psychopath hiding somewhere within the person you've tied up. There's a part of me wondering if Katy let Tim out on purpose.
I'm curious what big secret Cammi saw in Bloodstone's eyes, but I'm surprised it turned out he is romantically interested in Anachronism. Did Kid Briton know that when he described him as Bloodstone's boyfriend, or was he just being a sneeering, homophobic jock asshole? I'm inclined to think the latter, because the former would require Briton to have thought of anyone other than himself, but you never know. And we never will, with Briton dead.
So Jason Gorder inked a fair amount of Kev Walker's work over these two issues. I will confess, I'm not sure there's a substantial difference. I do think he probably helps, as some of the faces in Walker's pages look a little rushed. Understandable, given the 3 issues every two months pace the book is on. I like the look Bloodstone gets in #8 when he asks the others to help bury Briton. There's not much expression at all, mostly he looks weary, but you get the feeling he doesn't really care, he's just doing it because Aiden mentioned it as something they should do. The colors Beaulieu uses for issue 9 are pretty good too, especially the shift between 7 and 8. All the dark blues, then the change to orange with the campfire. it's light, it ought to be warmer, more reassuring, but it makes more shadows, too. Emphasizes how cut off they are, how isolated, how much they don't know. Later, there's the spotlight from what's left of Juston's Sentinel. It can highlight whoever has the floor at that moment, but it also casts even sharper shadows to highlight to divide over what to do with Tim. It isn't subtle, but it's effective.
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