The Good
There was something about the recent crossover 'The Culling' that didn't quite work for me. It might have been the villain, Harvest or maybe just the fact that the story felt like it was getting too long. With RAVAGERS, we're seeing some of the surviving meta-kids that were abducted and experimented on. Thankfully, the cover lists the names of many so we can immediately start getting to know who is who. It might make you wonder why we don't see all the kids that appear in the opening pages on the cover…
One of the great things about the "New 52" is seeing little tweaks made to previously existing characters. Having Caitlin Fairchild try to keep this kids safe and in line is a great thing to see. I may not have followed all of Gen 13's adventures but seeing Fairchild take on a big role in the DC Universe is fun.
Caitlin is not the only Wildstorm character we see here. It's interesting to see how a certain other character is being used as well.
Ian Churchill's art captures the characters nicely. Fairchild has two different forms and seeing how they are each dawn is something. Another challenge for an artist is being able to draw team books. There are a lot of characters here and he has to stay on his toes to ensure everyone maintains their look without suffering from meeting a deadline. I'll be curious to see if the characters eventually take on other costumes and whether or not they'll maintain a team-like atmosphere.
The Bad
The familiar characters are great to see but it's always hard getting used to new ones. New characters are good so we don't simply have the same old characters all the time but at the same time, the challenge is to make me care about these other ones. The benefit of these new characters is they can be expendable.
We may be out of 'The Culling' storyline but because this immediately follows those events, we still have the taste of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. chasing the kids. I don't know if that's going to be the main focus of the series. It would make some sense if it was but I am truly ready to see a different set of 'bad guys' since N.O.W.H.E.R.E. was basically all we had in both TEEN TITANS and SUPERBOY.
The Verdict
The first issue is off to a strong start. We're seeing Fairchild try to maintain control over the kids that escaped. It would be too easy for the story if they all got along right away. We have plenty of tension and mistrust which is understandable given what the kids have been through. We still have shades of 'The Culling' storyline along with N.O.W.H.E.R.E. here which I am ready to see go away for a while. We could use a different set of villains or problems for the characters to cope with. Ian Churchill excels at drawing the numerous characters, giving each their own look and feel. It's hard to say where this series is going to and how this group of survivors will get along as a team. That's going to be part of the fun in this new series. It's great to see Howard Mackie back in comics. I'm not sure where he's been but I know the series is in safe hands with Mackie and Churchill.