Avengers - the Initiative #8 - Marvel

This has actually turned out to be a very good series. This issue we see back to the very beginning of the Initiative, when Tony, Reed and Hank are all in Reed's "idea" room, and are tossing ideas back and forth. Hank is really the one who came up with the 50 State Initiative. The only thing they're worried about is having enough "cadets" to fill all the ranks. So they're looking at different ideas to get the sheer numbers. Villains, clones, SPIN-tech, nanotech, soma-tech, Guardsman armor, "Iron-Spider" suits, and a revised Ant-Man/Giant-Man suit . . . . are all considered. And, I think, to one point or another, have all been used. The reason it's going to be set up in Stamford is to give the civilians a sense of protection from just the sheer number of "heroes" that will be in their community. But, of course, what we see this issue, is how the best ideas can ofter go astray. I mean, for the most part, with these "cadets" here . . . when it comes down to it . . . we're really just dealing with teen-agers. They're impulsive, they act on emotion, and they make mistakes. Which is why they've come to handle them in a "boot-camp" type of situation and training. After all, if a kid with these types of powers makes a mistake, the results could be a lot more disastrous. So Gyrich has brought in the Taskmaster to be their new drill Sergeant. And yes, I'm talking about the Taskmaster from Moon Knight. Kind of a scary thought, huh? But it may be to little, to late because things already get out of hand this issue. Cassie's father Scott was also an Ant-Man. When the Taskmaster and a recruit, in the new Ant-Man armor, start joking around about him, it's a bit more than she can take. She goes up to Giant size, and tries to bully her way through the crowd. The new recruit, in the the new Ant-Man armor, decides this is his chance to show what he's got, so he also goes up to Giant size and starts beating her up. Which infuriates Hank, so he also goes to Giant size to beat him up. In the melee that follows one of the "cadets", Hardball, threatens to let the world know what happened to MVP if Gyrich doesn't get off their case. So now, Gyrich, Hank and the Baron have a decision to make. Do they make more MVP clones to fill the ranks? It's an easy fix, and they seem to be more subservient. Obviously they make that choice, but, it may be a mistake, because on the final page of this issue, one of them has a wounded Hank dead in his sights. I have to admit, I really like what Dan Slott and Christos Gage are doing with these stories. And, while I wasn't thrilled with Stefano Caselli's art at first, I'm really coming around. This particular issue . . . looked amazing. Fantastic stuff all around.