A Death in the New Warriors?

By Eric Drumm

As the catalyst of CIVIL WAR, the New Warriors were blown to bits. However, it appears you can't keep a good team down, and a new team has risen from the ashes of the old. Led by the supposed-to-be-dead Night Thrasher, the New Warriors have ticked off all the right people, and it seems that it will cost them big time. Writer and "Underworld" werewolf (cool, huh?!) Kevin Grevioux stops by to give us an inside look at Marvel's team with something to prove.

These days, the name "New Warriors" incites a few groans and maybe even some cussing. Blamed for the tragedy at Stamford, the name is synonymous with a team of reckless rookies that should put away the toys and leave superheroics to the grown-ups. However, the man behind the Night Thrasher gear will no let the New Warriors go out like that, so he rebuilt the team with new young heroes. Launching a very public anti-Registration campaign via spray paint and an attitude, they attracted the attention of some pretty powerful people. The government is pressuring Tony Stark to sic the S.H.I.E.L.D. dogs after them, and NYPD detectives Sykes and Givens are hot on their trail. That's a lot of heat for even the Avengers, so how long can they allude capture?

"Well, the New Warriors are smart, savvy and have no fear," says Grevioux of the team. "If I could assign an attitude to them it would be TENACIOUS. They're survivors in the way the character Newt was in the movie 'Aliens.' S.H.I.E.L.D. is fervid about stopping them, but Night Thrasher will have the New Warriors ready to deal with anything they come up against."

They may be a team, but like any family they have their secrets. For starters, just who the heck is their leader? No one seems to know exactly who is behind the Night Thrasher mask. Could it be a still-alive Dwayne Taylor? A relative? A concerned citizen? Whoever is this current Night Thrasher, no one has any idea of his identity except for New Warrior Wondra. Last issue, Thrasher revealed…something to her, and she reacted with shock. Is Night Thrasher sharing the secret or just adding another layer to the mystery?

"Thrasher didn't reveal himself to her at all," corrects Grevioux. "At this point, NOBODY knows who he is. Wondra THINKS she knows, but she doesn't know for sure. As for the rest of the team, I don't think they really care. They've been given a second chance to be heroic and that's all that matters to them at this point."

When they aren't dodging the authorities or figuring out who leads them into battle, the new New Warriors still manage to fight bad guys, namely the Zodiac! NEW WARRIORS #4 showed us that these guys certainly have some power, dismantling the Initiative kids with ease. While they made short work of the junior Avengers, the New Warriors decidedly have some teamwork problems, so is this a fight they can win, or are they not looking before they leap just like the doomed previous team?

"That remains to be seen. They definitely have the power to give the Zodiac a run for their money," says Grevioux. "But as with all fights, it's about match-ups. Given the level of ferocity that the New Warriors fight with, and gravity of the situation, anything is possible."

Even this fight however appears to have its casualties. If there is one good thing about history, it can help you learn from past mistakes. It looks like the New Warriors missed the memo on that. Diving blindly into battle, Longstrike went toe-to-toe with Zodiac member Cancer. When you underestimate someone called Cancer, you can guess what the result would be. It appears that Longstrike got a very unwanted facelift last issue. Is there any hope for her, Mr. Grevioux?

"Given that she had her face melted off, I'd say she's out for the count!"

Cold!

Things aren't looking so good for the New Warriors. Out to prove that the NW aren't babykillers or rookies, they haven't done a very good job showing that they are real heroes yet. With hope and some luck, they might be able to sway the world's opinion and change "New Warrior" from an insult back into an honor.

Prove you're a hero and check out NEW WARRIORS #5 by Kevin Grevioux and Paco Medina on sale Oct 10.

NEW WARRIORS #5 (AUG072248)
Written by KEVIN GREVIOUX
Penciled by PACO MEDINA
Cover by NIC KLEIN
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—9/20/07, On-Sale—10/10/07

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