Secret Warriors #23 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Alessandro Vitti (art), IFS (color), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: John Garrett tells Druid he’s not done and trains him to reach his true potential.

What’s Good: It’s great to see Sebastian back.  He was always my favourite of the Caterpillars, as I found him to be likable and the most relatable.  He’s a cool character with a lot of untapped power and I’ve been looking forward to this issue ever since Alexander’s prophecy about him being a great hero.

And really, watching the transformation process here is a treat.  It’s really fun to see Druid go from portly, incompetent dude to spec ops badass.  Jonathan Hickman also pulls no punches when it comes to Druid’s power levels here; once trained, he does some truly amazing, “holy shit” type stuff.

The bond between Garrett and Druid is also a good one and happily fulfills the always-enjoyable gruff teacher/student lacking self-confidence dynamic as Garrett cuts to the heart of Druid’s psychology.  In many ways, I think Druid’s story here is wish fulfillment for many readers here.  Hickman’s work has often been about defying limitations, and while these limitations are often cosmic in scope, here we see him applying the same message to personal limitations.  Basically, if you want to be in shape, work out.  If you want to be good at your job, apply yourself.  And if you want to be a badass, learn to believe in yourself.  It’s the sort of message, and narrative, that is easy for a reader to get behind and it’s hard not to love Druid even more afterward.

Alessandro Vitti delivers what you’ve come to expect from him, and his depiction Druid’s power is impressive.  More than that though, I was especially impressed by Vitti’s depiction of Druid’s physical transformation.  After his training, he’s not ripped or anything, but it’s clear he’s a different guy and that he’s in shape.  Despite that though, Vitti makes it clear that the character is still most definitely Sebastian.  It’s no mean feat to so dramatically change a character’s body type while keeping him completely recognizable.

Secret Warriors #22 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Alessandro Vitti (art), IFS (colors), and David Lanphear (letters)

The Story: Nick Fury and the Secret Warriors try to make good their escape from a soon-to-explode Gehenna.

What’s Good: I’ve made it no secret that the Night arc has been dismal thus far and a low-point for the series as a whole.  It made me question whether Hickman had let the series get too unwieldy for him to control and I couldn’t help but worry that we were heading to an unsatisfying, possibly haphazard ending.  Thankfully, Hickman does his very best to right the ship this month and ends up churning out a very good issue of Secret Warriors, one that’s probably better than it had any right to be.

Hickman makes the wise decision of letting his character’s emotions take center-stage over the fighting and running.  What results is a comic that steers far clear of the mediocrity that it could have fallen into.  Instead, we have a book that’s sincere and, for the team, traumatic.  Daisy and Nick’s reactions to Alexander’s death last month are simply expressed, but effective and the bonds between these kids are emphasized even under these hectic circumstances.

What really steals the show this month, however, is an event that is absolutely shocking, perhaps one of the biggest jaw-droppers in a series that’s been full of them.  I won’t even hint at what it is, but suffice it to say that Hickman writes a very tense scene and conversation that leads us one way, before dropping us in the complete opposite direction.  Nick Fury has never been more of an ice-cold badass and Jonathan Hickman has balls of steel.  This was the most shocking moment of any comic I’ve read this month, and I’ll leave it at that.

But it’s not just this one scene that carries the comic; much like his new issue of Fantastic Four, Hickman actually gets a lot done this month, story-wise and at a perhaps uncharacteristic speed.  JT’s betrayal of the team reaches its head and, perhaps, its resolution and the fate of Gehenna is decided.  Meanwhile, very interesting new plots are opened up: Daisy is placed in a very tough emotional situation and a power struggle for HYDRA’s top spot looks to begin, as Baron Strucker takes a stiff left hook.

Secret Warriors #20 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Mirko Colak (art), IFS (colors), and Dave Lanphear (letters)

The Story: The series’ conclusion looms in site as Nick Fury initiates the assault on Gehenna.

What’s Good: Jonathan Hickman does a solid job this month of establishing the scope of the current status quo in Secret Warriors.  As things come together, it is abundantly clear that there is a war going on, and it’s huge, finally exploding outward in a big way, no longer capable of being kept in the shadows.  Everything that’s made the series all cloak-and-dagger boils over in a big way.

Mirko Colak’s art does in many ways help to establish this feel.  The opening few pages are haunting in the gravity of the destruction they convey.  There’s a disquieting sense of silence and desolation despite the explosions illustrated and a grim, desperate feel throughout.