While this issue doesn't further the plot set up by the first six issues, it does give us the vital information about who Arcade is and how he got this dangerous and it really makes for a good, entertaining read. Read Full Review

Hopeless provides us a flashback issue this week, and it's a nice respite from the regular teenage drama that is starting to boil over with the current events of Murder World. The homage and cameos featured during Arcade's birthday party were hilarious and could have been milked a bit more, but having the likes of Taskmaster and Thunderball belittling the wimpy Arcade was a pleasure in itself to see. Read Full Review

Now that we're fully caught up on the life of Arcade, we're ready to get back to the action. I really want to see how the other Avengers Arena contestants react to Anachronism's actions. Chances are that people aren't too happy about it, and I'm looking forward to seeing that. Read Full Review

Issue 7 acts as a great introduction to the series, really. A new reader could conceivably pick up this issue and then go back and read the first six and have a clearer picture of the series as a whole. This issue answers a lot of the questions that previous issues have raised, but a new reader would merely wonder what Arcade was up to. Overall, a great issue for readers new and old. Read Full Review

For Arcade's birthday, he invites a bunch of villains to party at his place. This is by far the best part of the issue. Seeing Batroc the Leaper chatting with the likes of Taskmaster and Constrictor is beyond amazing, and it's a shame Hopeless didn't mine more material out of the scene. Also notable is Arcade's female assistant. While I enjoyed her no nonsense characterization, it's a stretch of the imagination even in comic book world for this woman to be able to assemble an assortment of weapons so dangerous that Arcade could go toe-to-toe with Thor in such a short period of time, especially without the likes of S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Avengers taking notice. Read Full Review

I consider myself a pretty devoted Hopeless fan, having thoroughly enjoyed everything of his I've read prior to "Avengers Arena," but for whatever reason -- flawed conception, editorial interference, poor execution, all of the above -- this book is a miss. I gave it as many chances as I could and I'll surely give Hopeless himself another chance as I know he can write a great comic, but "Avengers Arena," seven issues in, has had ample time to prove itself, but all it's outed itself repeatedly as not worth the time or money. Read Full Review