Avengers the Initiative #29 - Marvel

I continue to like this book. I think because it doesn't fit into any defined definitions, as do the other Avenger books. Right now Norman is in control of the Initiative. But . . as we've seen right from the beginning, it doesn't seem like anyone stays in control of this beast for long. Even now it seems like Norman's grasp is tenuous at best. Last issue he capture Night-Thrasher. This issue he's trying to keep Donyell around by promising him to return his brother Dwayne to him. Well, actually . . the good Doctor has cloned him, and the Hood is supposed to be able to return his soul. Tigra goes after some more members of the Brother's Grimm, but . . they've decided to be proactive and lay a trap for her. Not that it matters much. She still gets the upper hand. But she's not after revenge this time. This time she wants information on where Norman is keeping Thrasher, and she wants security information about Camp HAMMER. But before she can get any info, or hurt them to much, Komodo arrives in her human form. She wants to join the resistance. Since Norman took her powers away, with the spin-tech, she can't transform. But she does have information and knows the layout of the camp. Cloud 9 gets disciplined for not taking the kill-shot with Night-Thrasher last issue. I guess she's getting . . demoted. It looks like Constrictor and Diamondback are going to have a little tryst. They're all fighting a new group called RAID, at the Baltimore-Washington Airport when their fight puts a landing plane and it's passengers in jeopardy. It looks like the skidding plane is going to roll right over Diamondback, when . . Constrictor stops it. He saved her life, and those of the passengers. I think this guy is going to change. He seems genuinely moved when one of the passengers kids thanks him for saving his daddy's life. He and Diamondback have a little 'exchange', and later when camp HAMMER is attacked by the New Warriors, we see them in bed together. He tells her to ignore the alarm. But the attack may be in vain . . for a couple of reasons. First of all, Taskmaster and the Hood are trying to ferret out their mole so they've been feeding Komodo and Cloud 9 false information. Komodo is trying to help this group, but . . she may be leading them into an attack. Secondly, with the fate of his brother at stake . . I don't know that Donyell is going to want their help. And finally, through all of this, Trauma has been trying to help Penance . . but he also has to do what Taskmaster has order . . 'keep him screwed up'. It seems like he's reaching his breaking point. He's tired of having to do this to this guy. And the stress is really getting to him. On the final page we see that Nightmare has used him to once again enter our world. I'm not saying that this will necessarily be bad for the New Warriors. I don't know that Nightmare has any choice of 'sides'. But . . I don't think that this series of events is going to be good for anybody . . New Warriors, or Initiative. This may be the wrench that finally tears everything apart. I guess we'll find out next issue. Christos Gage has done a great job with this book. I was certain this book would be cancelled somewhere about 15 issues ago. But . . it's hanging on. I don't know what will happen after Norman gets done with it, but . . I think, at least, it'll still be around in some form or another for us to find out. At least I hope so. Jorge Molina does the pencils this issue.