JT's Take: Avengers Academy #32

Hey guys, after my rant the other day on Red Hood and the Outlaws, I figured I may as well review something with a writer I always seem to enjoy, so let's look at issue number thirty-two or Christos Gage's Avengers Academy!

Avengers Academy #32

Summary: Things get underway with Juston, fixing his Sentinel, when he's approached by X-23, who's trying her hardest to make me not like her. Just like in the other issues, she's having a ton of thoughts on things that don't really concern her, and this time she's telling Juston he needs to shut down his Sentinel. Juston defends his Sentinel, saying he won't hurt anyone, and how it's his best friend, at some times, his only friend. X-23 mentions how it always says Destroy all Mutants, but Juston said he can't erase that from his memory without clearing the memory, which he doesn't wanna do to his friend. X-23 says he should shut it down, and Juston says that Avengers Academy is where you get a chance to be good, not judged for what you might do wrong, and if X-23 doesn't get that then she's the one that should leave. X-23 storms off and is met by White Tiger, who asks if she has a thing with Juston, because White Tiger has a crush on him. X-23 talks about how he treats the killing Machine like a pet, and Tiger asks if X-23 has ever had a pet, she says as a child she was given a puppy, grew attached to it, then was made to kill it or she'd have to watch as it was killed slowly in front of her. White Tiger asks what she did, but X-23 doesn't answer, and walks away saying it's not the same, as a Sentinel is not alive. X-23 is them summoned by Hank Pym, who tells her if she wishes to leave and join the X-Men, she may, since the Phoenix Five have been doing good around the world, but she says she will stay, she has no place in Utopia. X-23 then runs into Hazmat, who asks her if she thinks the Phoenix Five would be able to cure her, but before she can answer, Striker runs in and yells that somethings happening with the Sentinel. They rush outside to find the Sentinel powering up and telling Juston and his friends to get to a secure area, as a Phoenix powered Emma Frost shows up. She states that she is melting all the Sentinel's on the planet and this is the last one, but Juston pleads with her not to destroy his friend. After much talk, she says she'll simply erase the Sentinel's memory and they can redesign and paint it, so no one knows what it was. Juston says it's horrible, they wanna erase his mind and who he was, and the Sentinel has done nothing but try to be good, which I agreed with. Emma says she tried, but she's going to do what she has to. Pym tries to tell Juston that the Sentinel is just a machine, to which Striker replies that so is Jocasta. Hank says he's responsible for the kids and he can't let them risk getting hurt fighting a Phoenix powered being, as Juston cries that the Sentinel is his friend and he loves him. X-23 sees this and has flashbacks to her puppy and becomes enraged and attacks Emma Frost. Hank Pym says, what the hell, and stands alongside the Avengers Academy crew, telling Emma if she wants the Sentinel, she'll have to go through them, as the issue closes.


Thoughts: If you would've told me, I'd enjoy an issue about X-23 and a boy who loves a Sentinel, I'd probably have called you a liar, but damn I liked this issue. Christos Gage has been writing some excellent stories and this is no exception. Seeing X-23 change her mind when she saw how much Juston loved his Sentinel was great, as well as how he defended his friend, even when given another choice by Emma. Add that in with Striker's line about Jocasta and the fact Hazmat may try to get the Phoenix Five to cure her and this was a fun issue. I'm really looking forward to the conclusion of this two-issue story arc, as well as what's next for the Avengers Academy crew.


Score:  9/10

Hank Pym: Striker,  it's just a machine.
Striker: Jocasta's "Just a machine." Now I see why she left.