Though Reptil had a cameo recently in King in Black: Spider-Man #1, the young hero hasn’t had a real spotlight since the Avengers Arena and Avengers Academy days. Reptil #1 by Terry Blas and Enid Balám rectifies this, giving Humberto his biggest story in years — and it does a fabulous job to boot.
With Outlawed rendering teenage superheroics illegal, Humberto has put his Avengers Academy days behind him, focusing on his family. Blas introduces Humberto’s extended family, including his aunt and his cousins. Humberto’s dynamic with them is quite sweet and it’s a testament to Blas’s ability to instantly create such a lovable cast and crew for Reptil. At no point in this book is it ever boring to read a story about these unfamiliar characters playing off Humberto.
Reptil #1 also gives Humberto his own villain, delving into his backstory involving the amulet. And by the book’s end, a major revelation about Humberto’s life is teased — one that seems poised to change him forever.
If you enjoyed Avengers Academy, this book is everything you’ve wanted from a Humberto solo, delving into his past and creating an intriguing future for him. But even if you’ve never read Avengers Academy and know nothing about Reptil, Reptil #1 has the perfect learning curve that it doesn’t even matter — Blas spends the earliest pages giving an outline for the character’s history. In short, Reptil #1 is everything longtime fans have wanted and it’s the perfect jumping-on point for new fans who want to learn more about this character.
Blas’s writing is charming and extremely fitting for this beloved character. The story beats he’s chosen are interesting and it makes issue #2 all the harder to wait for. Enid Balám was the perfect artist for this series, breathing life into every page.
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