The casts of Avengers Academy and Runaways are still in Murderworld, an intricate closed environment filled with deathtraps created by the villain Arcade, and the last man standing deathmatch a la Battle Royale/Hunger Games continues. Some characters died in the first volume, some more die in the second, and probably a few more will die in the third. Dialogue is spoken in between fight scenes. It is a non-comical comic. My edition was printed on paper. The first volume didn’t blow me away but I

This was even better than the first volume. We get a cool strategic "villain" type, which in turn causes other characters to bring out their big guns, upping the stakes and really getting the deathmatch going. Katy's and Nico's arcs are amazing in this volume. Not gonna spoil anything in this review though, so I'll keep my excitement contained.Unfortunately, the art had some changeups. Luckily, it still looks great. Some amazing spreads in this one.This series is just a lot of fun. Refer back to...

Questions for you to ponder:Does loving this series make me human garbage? Did, my girl, Nico Minoru really just kick some fucking ass like that? Is this a collection of the most absurd unbalanced characters ever? Is the last book going to let me down??

I really didn't care for the first volume. On the other hand, I LOVED! LOVED! LOVED! Volume 2. I was unimpressed by the first volume, I almost hesitated from picking up the second volume---I was definitely going to read it in a Tony Stark blase fashion: AND THEN I LIKED the back story of the villain or AA Gamemaster. He IS a sucky villain, I love it! He's so sucky, he creates a sucky world, and puts little sucky teenagers to have an overload of hormones, problems, friendships, self-esteem/contr...

What sense does it make to read volume 2 of a series that has thirteen plus characters being juggled around eight months after reading volume one? Rhetorical question. It makes no sense whatsoever.Here’s the scoop - twelve teen-age super heroes are teleported to an outdoor arena by Arcade. They’re forced to battle till only one remains. Who bit the dust in volume one? (view spoiler)[Pelican Girl flew too high, Lil Cap’n Britain got decapitated, Metal Butt Boy got blown up (hide spoiler)]The firs...

Things Nico did: That!Still fun, but not as fun as the first volume. This series seems together dragged through the dirt by many reviewers, and I understand why, but also... it's not that bad. It's just mindless fun, but maybe I'm biased because Laura Kinney is my girl.2.75 stars!

Again, surprisingly good. My biggest complaint is killing off Kid Briton so quickly and easily in the last volume. But, I guess you couldn’t have someone with that much power and get the story moving. I don’t know much about the characters, but I feel for them. This was very well written with complimentary plot and action. Maybe I should read more by Hopeless!

Avengers Arena #1-12, so this volume and Avengers Arena Vol. 1: Kill or Die. Just when I was considering dropping all the Avengers titles (and I've dropped a few), I got to read this. Lord of the Flies meets The Hunger Games meets Battle Royale meets Brian K Vaughan's Runaways, Vol. 1: Pride and Joy. Braddock Academy, Avengers Academy, Runaways, Blackhawk and Cammi are kidnapped by a superbly re-imagined Arcade and are set-up to kill each other within 30 days. Astoundingly well written and drawn...

2.75 starsNot as good as the first one, but still moderately enjoyable. The concept has begun to feel familiar, though. At time, I kind of forgot that they were trapped in Murder World.But this volume does reveal some character complexities, specifically of Nico, Katy/Apex, and Bloodstone. Bloodstone's is actually more character-driven, because we find out that (view spoiler)[ he's gay! I love it. He has unrequited feelings for his best friend, Anachronism. So cute. (hide spoiler)] Katy's and N...

Murder World gets interesting!! Dennis Hopeless gives readers a much needed look into Arcade's past, an intriguing look into the world of Apex, and some amazing fight scenes. There is still a big disconnect with me around a large handful of the cast. The art was hit or miss but there was some stunning panels scattered throughout. The book is leading to a conclusion that I hope is fitting and...real. Overall, a good read with a high ceiling.

This comic is very fantastic.

This second volume of Avengers Arena was a bit more engaging to read. And that's natural since we as readers now have a better feel for all the characters and we get more establishing issues like the one that sets up how Arcade ended up creating this new Murder World scenario.Our little groups do present interesting dynamics and how they respond to pressure is really what this story is all about. Again, still not too far in tone from the likes of Battle Royale, but definitely a decent Marvel spi...

A new character enters the arena, but they were already there from the beginning. More fights, bleeding, betrayals, and even shark meat! We get a glimpse into Arcade's past, what's made him tick and the inspiration for the Arena that the youngsters find themselves in. Good stuff!

Things ramp up as a proper villain reveals themselves and does what they feel they must in order to win the game. So the last volume presented the kids as just that: kids. And they really had no idea what was happening and were just very reactionary. They're scared, they got powers, they fight. That was pretty much it. But here, Hopeless begins to show us that some of the kids are more than they appear. In particular, X23 and Apex. From the moment this started, X23 began to think of ways to kill...

Longtime readers may remember that we looked at the first issue of this series some time ago. That ended with one of the lowest scores ever given to a work of fiction on this website. Unfortunately it turned out that first issue was the high point of quality for this series. Everything proceeded to drop like a stone from there.The series follows the story of the villain Arcade as he kidnaps multiple teenage and young characters of the Marvel universe to pit against one another in Murderworld. De...

Almost a 4 but not quite. Much stronger middle than the start

The arena's set, the players are in place, and Arcade's having the time of his life watching his young charges murder the absolute bejeezus out of one another at his behest. The first volume might be mostly introduction and back-story, but Volume 2 of Dennis Hopeless's mean-spirited trilogy is pretty much all action, with a few surprises thrown in to boot. There's a bit more character exposition, some explaining of background, and a cut-away to explain why none of the adult mutants who should be...

A continuation of the story. Interested to see what happens next.

A villainous backstory! An evil, narcissistic, single-bodied twins! Death! New alliances! Betrayal! Trauma! And a serious-as-hell-long-needed-power-upgrade! This was an interesting volume indeed :)

I’m still really enjoying this series. It’s a little bit brutal and I kind of totally love it. I’m growing attached to all of the characters and I’m excited to continue!