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 #21 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Mirko Colak & Alessandro Vitti (art), Andres Mossa & IFS (colors), and Dave Lanphear (letters)

The Story: Nick Fury and the kids try to make good their escape and Phobos clashes katanas with Gorgon.

What’s Good: This issue is basically one gigantic action scene or, more accurate, one extended escape attempt.  As such, the book has a fast, frenetic pace that really feels frantic and desperate.  In that sense, it’s a fun, exciting, and easy read.  Don’t expect to have your brain challenged, but this is basically Jonathan Hickman going Michael Bay on us without tumbling cars in the air.

There’s also a really cool sword fight at the end of the issue that is genuinely epic.  The conclusion of it was breath-taking, leading to a really big ending for the issue and a really important event for the series, unless we’re being baited.

Part of the reason this sword fight is so enjoyable is Hickman’s use of Phobos’ prophetic abilities, which also lends a very engaging tone to the entire issue.  Fury’s escape route’s being dictated on the fly by Alex and what he has “seen” was both effective and foreboding.

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.

Dark Avengers #16 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: The aftermath of Siege is explored and the fates of the Dark Avengers cast are glimpsed.

What’s No So Good: Yes, I am reversing our usual review format, but why I’m doing so will soon be abundantly clear.

The first half of this issue just isn’t particularly inspired.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not at all bad or underwhelming, it’s just a bit by the numbers.  A couple of pages of Siege replay, Moonstone and Hawkeye make a futile escape attempt, and Daken goes Jason Bourne.  It’s decent action, but it’s the sort of ho-hum aftermath stuff that writes itself.  The mediocrity is such that I can’t even find a great number of words to write about it.

Mike Deodato also takes on a completely different approach this month, going for a brighter, more “digitally painted” feel.  For the most part, this works out really well and delivers a polished, epic feel, but there are points where you’ll be lamenting the lack of defined lines that comes with this style.  Also, I’m not a fan of Deodato’s take on Phobos, who looks like a cherubic five year old under his hand.

What’s Good: The second half of the issue is a completely different beast that is so strong it completely wipes away any and all memories of the mediocre first half.

The major shift starts with a scene between Thor and Phobos, as Thor informs the boy of his father’s death.  It’s tragic, and yet there’s also a “passing of the torch” sort of feel.  The conversational dynamic is superb, as Phobos’ dialogue is so uncompromising that while Thor sounds elevating and lofty in his praise of Ares, Phobos essentially deadpans him.  The God of Fear manages to look and sound like both a wounded, realist adult and a frustrated, torn child, with the latter being deeper below the surface.

Siege: Secret Warriors #1

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Alessandro Vitti (artist)

The Story: Phobos, the youngest member of Nick Fury’s Secret Warriors, and son of Ares, God of War, is dismayed to discover that his father has fallen in battle.  Recalling a promise made to his dad, the young God of Fear goes on a mission to get restitution from the person he holds responsible: The President of the United States!  Meanwhile, Nick Fury spends some quality time with the resurrected Steve Rogers during the Siege of Asgard.

What’s Good: The Siege specials that Marvel has published this month have fallen all over the map in turns of quality.  They’ve ranged from amazing (Loki) to forgettable (Captain America), and this one-shot centering on the Secret Warriors’ part in the war firmly plants itself in the “solid” category.  It’s also nice that, of all the specials, this story definitely deserved to be told considering it’s connection to the death of Ares, a huge moment in the parent title’s proceedings.

Phobos’ reaction to his father’s demise was handled fittingly.  I certainly didn’t expect him to break down and cry like a baby, but there’s always the worry that a writer might go for the melodrama in an issue like this, thereby sacrificing pre-established personality traits.  I shouldn’t have worried, as Hickman makes sure that Phobos responds in the only way he knows how: by getting revenge.  The writer’s choice as to who becomes the focus of our protagonist’s ire was an unexpected one, but upon retrospect makes perfect sense.  While the Sentry is certainly the man who pulled the trigger in Ares’ death and Osborn is, by that definition, the one responsible for loading the gun, then the President can easily be considered the one who supplied them the weapons.  Phobos’ decision to go straight for the supplier, so to speak, was a welcome plot direction that gave this issue a breath of fresh air.  Hickman also takes advantage of the story to reiterate that the God of Fear is a one bad motherf***er.  Watching as he tears his way through a small army of Secret Service agents with only a sword supplied some very cool visuals.  The character’s badassness is assured with his sign-off at the end of the issue:  “The God of Fear.  Son of War.”  Hardcore, man.

Secret Warriors #9 – Review

By Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Alessandro Vitti (Artist), and Sunny Gho of IFS (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: While it’s slightly sidetracked the main Secret Warriors plot, I’ve been enjoying “God of Fear, God of War” quite a bit. The dynamic between Ares and Phobos has been so well written that both characters have climbed up a few spots on my list of favorite Marvel characters.

The Story: H.A.M.M.E.R. and the Dark Avengers launch a strike on one of Fury’s bases. The kids fight back with all they’ve got as the base’s self-destruction sequence counts down. Meanwhile, Nick Fury and John Garrett continue the investigation that leads to the events that take place in Dark Reign: The List – Secret Warriors.

What’s Good: For as much as I like Nick Fury and the way Jonathan Hickman writes the character, I’ve been waiting for kids to finally take front and center in Secret Warriors. In Secret Warriors #9, the kids finally get another chance to shine and that’s really the issue’s greatest strength. Fury wouldn’t have picked the team members if they weren’t capable to taking the fight to the bad guys, but until now, few issues of Secret Warriors have shown exactly why Fury chose the kids that he did. Seeing the Warriors stand tall against the Dark Avengers is a real treat that goes a long way towards establishing and legitimizing Hickman’s team in the Marvel Universe. From Yo-Yo’s epic return to Edin Fesi’s explanation of the logic behind his powers, it’s clear that, as far as bringing the pain is concerned, the Warriors have serious legs as a team for the future.

I continue to find myself impressed by Jonathan Hickman’s character work. He never allows the reader to forget that the Warriors are, for the most part, just kids helping to fight the good fight. From the way the team members interact with each other to the individual personalities that are starting to form, Hickman does a fine job of keeping the series grounded and defined by the characters.

Artist Alessandro Vitti handles all the action in Secret Warriors #9 really well. It’s chaotic and crazy, yet executed in a way that’s easy to follow and a blast to look at. On nearly every page of action something really cool happens. My favorite thing, Yo-Yo going all “Ed Norton in Fight Club” on Hawkeye/Bullseye.

What’s Not So Good: Since I already knew how Nick Fury’s part of the story ended thanks to Marvel’s odd releasing schedule for The List, his entire segment felt painfully tacked on. I suppose it was a necessary part of the story, but knowing how it ended left the scene completely devoid of surprise or tension. More Hickman-written Nick Fury is always a good thing, but I wish I had yet to read The List – Secret Warriors.

Conclusion: Secret Warriors #9 is loaded with action and makes the team really look like a force to be reckoned with. Be sure to pick it up.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny

 

Secret Warriors #8 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Alessandro Vitti (art), Sunny Gho (colors), and Dave Lanphear (letters)

The Story: The kids get stuck in front of Norman, Hawkeye, and Ares.

What’s Good: This month’s issue in the always solid Secret Warriors was a bit of a jump in quality from last month’s book, and that’s largely due to two big surprises.

First off is Norman Osborn/Dark Reign’s presence.  Often cringe-worthy whenever he shows up to disrupt a book, Hickman writes him amazingly well and manages to load Osborn’s scenes with such a malevolent intensity, that it seeps off the page.  Norman’s monologue to Nick Fury about his rise and Nick’s respective fall pinpointed what Dark Reign should be about and this scene really showed the potential that this status quo can have, if used properly.  Osborn was fantastic, written perfectly, and his presence actually enhanced a book for once.

The second surprise is Alessandro Vitti’s art.  Vitti still isn’t Casselli, but he felt a lot more comfortable this month, feeling more consistent in style and detail.  Sunny Gho’s change of heart aids this significantly.  Last month, it felt like Gho had worked the colors to make Vitti’s art as similar to Casselli’s as possible, which invited unflattering comparisons and ultimately exposed Vitti’s weaknesses.  This month, Gho actually adds colors more appropriate to Vitti’s style, and the book is the better for it.  Gone is the gloss and sheen, and in its place is a lot of darkness and shadow, making this feel like more of a cloak-and-dagger spy comic than the all-out action of Casselli’s arc.  As such, Vitti’s work finally manages to shine on its own, working with the more subdued, less action-intensive story, while evoking a different sort of Japanese/anime influence.

The other big hit this month is Phobos.  It’s always great to see a character, especially a kid character, act like a badass and show his superpowered muscle.  His interplay with his father, Ares, was also well-done.  Hickman avoids any possible overwriting and goes minimalist, making the interaction between the two speak volumes as a result.

Outside of Phobos, we also get some solid character moments and promising new issues for the Caterpillars and a mandatory “Nick Fury is a badass” scene.

What’s Not So Good: It’s better and he’s standing on his own, but Vitti’s art still isn’t perfect.  While he hits far more than he misses, this is particularly noticeable in some of his facial expressions, which can feel a bit off, strange even.

There’s also the Nick Fury scene.  While funny, this was so detached from the rest of the book, that I wondered how necessary it really was, aside from its fulfilling the need to have Fury in every issue of Secret Warriors.  Worse still, it felt a little too stretched out and decompressed.

Conclusion: This book is at its best when the kids are at the forefront, as they are this month.  Though still not perfect, Vitti is also coming into his own.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Dark Avengers #9 – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Mike Deodato (Art), and Rain Beredo (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: With Utopia out of the way, I fully expect Dark Avengers to get back to being a favorite of mine. With a kick-ass cover and the promise of a guest appearance from Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Warriors, it’s a pretty safe bet that Dark Avengers #9 will deliver.

The Story: Ares discovers that his son, Phobos, isn’t exactly heading off to school during the day. Meanwhile, something strange is going on at Avengers Tower while some of the Dark Avengers chat it up about funny heroes.

What’s Good And What’s Not So Good: Before I really get into the review, I have to first toss out a quick suggestion: Do yourself a favor and try to ignore the cool image on the cover of Dark Avengers #9. While Ares goes on a little rampage and some stuff is destroyed, Brian Michael Bendis (I almost want to say, “as usual”) opts to let dialogue do almost all of the work in the latest issue of Dark Avengers. Is this a bad thing? Turns out, it’s not at all.

Bendis’ decision to let words bring resolution to an explosive situation works extremely well because of how the scene plays out. It gives the characters involved a little extra depth and goes a long way towards humanizing a character that, most recently, has been little more than muscle in superhero battles. I do, however, have one major issue with the dialogue in regards to how Phobos is portrayed. Bendis handles him as though he is a normal kid afraid of his father. While that works as far as what’s happening is concerned, Bendis’ take on Phobos seems to go against what Jonathan Hickman is doing with the character. It’s hard to really call what Bendis does a negative, but it is something that must be mentioned.

So the Ares/Fury/Phobos scene is pretty great. Thankfully, the rest of the book doesn’t disappoint. The exchange at Avengers Tower is something really close to hilarious, and the weird stuff happening left me thinking “WTF!?” in a good way. In short, it’s clear that the series is back on track and I really couldn’t be much happier. That said, I do wish that the Dark Avengers would stop being stuck as the supporting characters in their own series. I buy Dark Avengers to read about the Dark Avengers damnit…

The artwork in Dark Avengers #9 is, as expected, moody, gritty, and impressive all around. The unfortunate thing is that there really isn’t a whole lot of ways for Mike Deodato and Rain Beredo to show off given the script. The characters look good and the emotion on display certainly works, but it’s clear that neither artist is really being put to the test.

Conclusion: Dark Avengers fans… it’s safe to come back to the series now.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny

Secret Warriors #3 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Story), Jonathan Hickman (Story & Script), Stefano Caselli (Art), and Daniele Rudoni (Color Art)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: To simply say that I was looking forward to the launch of Secret Warriors would not do my anticipation for the series justice. A quick look through the “Best of ’08” feature will reveal that Secret Warriors is being worked on by what pretty much amounts to my personal creative dream team of sorts. And let’s not forget that Nick Fury is one of the main characters… Always a good thing. So since I didn’t review the first two issues, let me just say that I’m loving the series so far and can’t wait to read more.

The Story: The team’s assignment is to head to a shadow S.H.I.E.L.D. psi-agent processing and quarantine facility to make sure Hydra doesn’t get any hands on the vital assets kept there. Unfortunately for Fury’s “Caterpillar” team, the Hydra group targeting the S.H.I.E.L.D. building happens to include the recently resurrected Gorgon. Meanwhile, Nick Fury takes some time out in order to have dinner with an old flame.

What’s Good: Intensity. Only a few issues in and I can comfortably say that nearly every Secret Warriors panel is loaded with it. From the tight writing to the moody, kinetic artwork, no other series brings intensity to the reader so damn effectively. And Secret Warriors #3 may be the best issue yet.
Jonathan Hickman’s slick script is packed with sharp dialogue and great character work. It really is that good. I truly believe you are going to have a tough time finding a more gripping read this April. A particular scene worth noting is the chilling moment between Phobos and Gorgon.  The scene really drives home the type of villains the Secret Warriors are facing. In addition, the dinner scene featuring Nick Fury is prime example of what makes him such a memorable character.
As for the artwork, Stefano Caselli and Daniele Rudoni absolutely knock it out of the park for the most part. The characters are full of emotion and the action absolutely jumps off the page. I do have one complaint though…

What’s Not So Good: If Secret Warriors #3 has any flaws, they have more to do with something the creative team has to overcome as opposed to anything that’s wrong with the individual issue.  For example, since Fury’s team is made up mostly of a group of unknowns, the characters carry around a bit of baggage.
Furthermore, I have found that the battle scenes tend to be a bit confusing, as discerning powers and keeping up with the frantic pace set by Caselli’s artwork can occasionally be a bit frustrating.  In Secret Warriors #3, I definitely found myself trying to decipher an action panel or two.   Also, Phobos, Quake (Daisy), and Hellfire (J.T.) are really the only three team members I feel I know anything about. I thought by now I’d have a better grip on the team as a whole. A small complaint considering how great most of the cast is, but worth mentioning regardless. I’m sure everyone will be fleshed out soon enough, but as of now I can’t help but feel as though some of the character development is a bit lacking.

Conclusion: I highly recommend Secret Warriors #3. And while I wish a few of the growing pains would go away, they do little to detract from the quality of the issue. In this reviewer’s opinion, if you aren’t reading Secret Warriors, you’re missing out on a potential “series of the year” candidate.

Grade:  A-

-Kyle Posluszny