Its the big reveal issue.  The major development.  The… well why don’t you read on and find out.

 

Striker comes out as gay in this issue.  There is a very intense, very emotional scene between him and Lightspeed that will most likely go down as an all time great, all time important, moment in comics.  The conversation is very real, and has nothing to do with great powers, just great responsibility.  Striker needs to be responsible to who he is.  If he is gay (well, no if anymore) then this is where and when he needs to accept that.  He needs to become a man, not necessarily a hero nor a villain, but a man.  A man who is strong enough to know and accept his true self.  Only by knowing who he is can he then be happy.  I mean even the asshole you have to work with knows he is an asshole and through that knowing and acceptance, can be a happy person when he heads home.  Lightspeed shows responsibility by accepting her role as a “big sister”.  She is a little older, has already gone through the same thoughts and questions that Striker is now going through.  Sure its probably only a couple of years but that brief amount of time is enough to gain insight.  If we saw her years earlier she would be in the same confused state as Striker.  But here she is, confident in herself and who she is, and that confidence is what Striker needs.  He needs to see her as an example, as a role model and at times as a therapist.  Seeing Striker break down crying and Lightspeed comforting him propels both characters into all time favorites.  In just under two years of stories Avengers Academy has created two characters more loved and more well rounded than others who have been around for decades.

Of course, there are other stories here too.  Reptil from the future is in the body of current time Reptil.  He has to make sure everything takes place the way it originally did so … well we don’t know why yet.  He could be heel or hero, depending on his reasons for making these things happen.  The burden of the man who knows the future.

Also X-23 joins the school and is like a rock star.  She’s been with the X-Men, she’s killed numerous people, and she’s had a tough life.  Of course other “kids” are attracted to her.  She would be a huge personality in this world.  The best part is that X-23 is only beginning in this book.  She will grow and become more interesting in this title than in any other.

Don’t be a fool.  Add this comic to your pull list today.