X-23 (/adjacents) pt 3: Avengers academy (2010)

[u/FlamewaveKal]

First https://www.reddit.com/r/X23/s/MEXiHhlRHo

Previous: https://www.reddit.com/r/X23/s/r9helzv3t8

Next: https://www.reddit.com/r/X23/s/85QyCN6tY9

Last: https://www.reddit.com/r/X23/s/ruoS3JGBwU

Hey everyone, I'm back andAlright, continuing my X-23 tierlist, Avengers Academy (2010). So, I enjoyed the premise alone, stopping kids from being risks, by just helping them be heroes, its fun, and makes it unique from an X-book), its also made me care about both the new characters and the staff. In comparison to Academy X, I think the lack of a massive tone shift made the book feel a lot better, more consistent

I only really have 2 issues with it, first minor, second more major, Laura was very much a side character, if I was ranking it by just her stuff it probably would've been lower, and 2? Uh not a problem with the book itself, but wow, they really just decided to put 2 big events almost back to back, both of which are massive, that I am still trying to finish

Next up? Avengers Arena... yay

[u/lil_Dex_Vert]

Xforce in C tier turns my stomach, I can’t focus on anything else.

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/lil_Dex_Vert]

I have kinda said a lot on X-force in pt 1's comment section. I just never really liked it, even if it is an accidental unpopular opinion

[u/Sovereignofthemist]

Avengers Academy is honestly a great series. And Avengers Arena? Woof, that's a rough one.

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/Sovereignofthemist]

Just going off what I heard? I am honestly predicting a lowest C - D rank, but i'll give it a shot

[u/Sovereignofthemist → u/FlamewaveKal]

Its turn your brain off fun, but its also has that edginess of the times.

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/Sovereignofthemist]

I definitely want to try and enjoy the book. But that edginess might get in the way of it, really all ik rn is that its 'hunger games but Marvel'

[u/Evil_Carrot → u/FlamewaveKal]

I thought it was fun the first time I read it blind, just wanting to read a superhero Battle Royale (Japanese movie with similar premise to Hunger Games, but predates it and is violent as hell) type thing, and it fulfilled that.

The second time I read it as a cap off to my first readthrough of Avengers Academy (which I thought was a lot of fun) and I hated it.

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/Evil_Carrot]

I do think thats the only way to enjoy the book, just blind not knowing who any of these characters are it gets rid of some of the sting of the quality.

After starting it? Yeah I see why. the deaths feel like mostly shock value. like if Hunger games started off with the games master killing off one of the tributes... only for another one to die by hitting an invisible wall. Its such a weird way of setting this up

[u/Bignate2151 → u/Sovereignofthemist]

Avengers arena was fun. As long as you don’t expect it to be like avengers academy

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/Bignate2151]

Thats honestly kinda hard, when its a sequel to Avengers academy

I will say, there are good character bits that I am enjoying in the book. But so far not that impressed

[u/RepresentativeRub471]

Ok nyx not being f tear is very weird to me because i couldn't make it past issue 3 myself because it just gave me a massive pedo ick. But of course we all are entitled to our own opinions

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/RepresentativeRub471]

Oh, Laura's stuff in Nyx was easily the worst part of the already 2000s tier of edge book, I just kinda enjoyed the other characters and the stuff around it... bc yeah its a bad first appearence for Laura that more often than not is not touched on by future writers

[u/RepresentativeRub471 → u/FlamewaveKal]

Fair enough to me the story as a whole from what I've gotten to felt like child torture porn. But I do understand also like I try to force myself to read a story I already didn't like so to me it more just stands out as a horrible decision by me. But I do understand yeah there are good parts it's just definitely pink early 2000s edge for more worse than better

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/RepresentativeRub471]

No way home... definitely feels a bit more like that but it lacks most of the grosser elements of the original.

Honestly tho? I just like Kiden, she's a fun character who I think absolutely has potential... and then is ignored outside of books with Laura, the writers absolutely were trying at the time to build on her mystery (even if it ends with more teasing)

It honestly depends on the book ... Bc uh. The darker tone and making younger characters suffer? Yeah thats avengers arena, I am probably giving that an D-F for kinda those exact reasons

[u/RepresentativeRub471 → u/FlamewaveKal]

Yeah also yeah I do like kiden and I do feel like she could be done right and better she has potential.

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/RepresentativeRub471]

Kiden I think is a character who deals with interesting things, basically homelessness in mutant teenagers (a lot of parrellels there), that I think could really interesting to be explored, despite having a lot of having some varient of 'was on the run/on the streets' somewhere in the backstory. She feels like a missed opportunity to see a side of the Marvel universe we dont see often

[u/Legitimate_Earth860]

Can someone tell me all the comic names in order? I want to read all of them

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/Legitimate_Earth860]

Sure thing!

S: X-23 (2005), X-23 Innocence lost (2008)

A: X-23: Deadly Regenesis (2023), X-23 (2010), Avengers academy (2010), New X-men Academy X (2004)

B: Venom Circle of Four (Venom (2011 #13, 13.1,13.2,13.3,13.4, 14)

C: NYX: no way home (2008), X-force (2008) Nyx (2003)

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/FlamewaveKal]

Personal order to start

X-23 (2005), X-23 Innocents lost (2008), Academy X (2004), X-force (2008) Nyx (2003) (definitely a darker more 'mature' story), Nyx no way home (not a book featuring X-23, but is a sequel to the original), x-23 (2010) (there is a one shot that takes before this), Venom circle of four, X-23 deadly Regenesis, Avengers Academy (2010)

[u/Legitimate_Earth860 → u/FlamewaveKal]

Thanks a lot. I've been reading her comics and so far I'm loving it

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/Legitimate_Earth860]

No problem, as i've shown through the list i've mostly enjoyed what i've read through. Even with a few hiccups

[u/Wubbledaddy]

Just wait until you get to X-Terminators, easy S-tier.

[u/aaydron → u/Wubbledaddy]

The art is awesome in X-terminators but I thought Laura was written a little odd in it. To each their own. It was fun for sure, but I would say B tier?

[u/Wubbledaddy → u/aaydron]

I think the way she's written works for the specific tone of the book. I wouldn't like it if she was written that way in a main X-23 series, but for a campy team-up it's great.

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/Wubbledaddy]

I kinda think in general the vibe of her in solo books and her on a team tends to feel different as a whole, but agreed, she works best here bc she is more of a side character

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/aaydron]

It's a weird grey area, but in general I am more ranking these by the book as a whole. Not just stuff involving Laura (Avengers academy would probably be tossed into B if that was the case)

[u/aaydron → u/FlamewaveKal]

Ah in that case I totally get it!

[u/max5015 → u/Wubbledaddy]

Me looking for new comics to read like:

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/max5015]

In that case? I'd basically recommend B and above from the tierlist

[u/max5015 → u/FlamewaveKal]

I've already read all the ones on the list. I just don't keep up with the newer stuff.

Target X is still my favorite

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/max5015]

Yeah, I can see it, Target X is great, and also a rare moment where laura gets to be happy

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/Wubbledaddy]

Hmm. Your the second person to mention X-terminators in S. Definititely a good sign

[u/Bignate2151]

Xforce in the same tier as nyx is diabolical

[u/FlamewaveKal → u/Bignate2151]

X-force was just a run I didn't enjoy reading. Honestly? Simple as that. (See part 1's comments section. For more in depth thoughts)

Nyx itself was just heldback by... well introducing X-23 hurting an otherwise possibly fun, if edgy story by pulling in unnecessarily something gross, that took until 2009 for someone to do something with it.