Secret Avengers #4 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Mike Deodato (artist), Rain Beredo (colorist)

The Story: In the conclusion to “Secret Histories”, Commander Rogers hijacks the Nova Force in order to take out Richard Ryder, while Sharon Carter and Ant-Man make a disturbing discovery about one of the Shadow Council’s agents.

The Good: To its credit, this issue of “Secret Avengers” was a huge improvement over the previous three. It was a delight to see Deodato’s art firing on all cylinders here, and the intensity of the fight between Rogers and Ryder was so furious that I practically feel the heat from the impact of their collisions. That kind of raw energy is what I like to see in my Avengers comics and this issue certainly delivers the goods! The mystery of the Shadow Council, while not necessarily clarified, is at least hinted at enough that I’m seriously tempted to pick up next month’s issue if only to learn more about what the hell Fury has been up to lately. I was also pleasantly surprised with Ant-Man’s run in the spotlight this month; I really admired his intrepid efforts against the Shadow Council’s suicide bombers, and I suspect that watching his journey as he learns to become a hero under the tutelage of living legends will have the potential to to be a hugely satisfying storyline in the months to come.

The Not So Good: Despite being a lot more entertaining than previous issues, I don’t know, this comic isn’t quite doing it for me. More to the point, I didn’t find this inaugural storyline to be quite entertaining enough for me to continue wanting to spend four bucks a month on it. This issue, for example, amounted to little more than an extended fight scene between Rogers and Ryder which, while expertly rendered, still amounted to precious little story. I was hoping to see much more espionage out of this team of hand picked heroes, but instead got more superhero slugfests–and yes, I realize that sounds slightly hypocritical when I just got done praising Deodato’s ability to render the smackdown with epic efficiency, but that’s okay because from the get go this was a book that was marketed as walking the fine line between espionage and classic Avengers action; thus far though it’s been all action and not enough covert asskicking, and I’m disappointed that this balance wasn’t reached more effectively. In a world where the Heroic Age is in full swing and heroes are more abundant, prominent, and….heroish than ever, Rogers’s team of commandos aren’t Secret as much as they are obscure and inconsequential…especially when you consider how other, arguably far more superior heroes are out there *also* saving the universe in the excellent “Thanos Imperative” storyline currently running. As a paying reader, I wanted to see these heroes stalking the shadows of some nameless metropolis, pursuing Rogers’s agenda with ruthless efficiency, not running around Mars beating down faceless, nameless stormtroopers while Rogers fights for a Macguffin that inevitably is far less threatening or interesting than it’s made out to be. For my tastes, this storyline was a weird, anticlimatic way to begin the series and seemed to go against Brubaker’s descriptions which had far more potential, although it’s entirely possible this potential has yet to be tapped. Additionally, I continued to be slightly disappointed with Deodato’s art, which seems more dynamic, yet less refined than what he achieved on “Dark Avengers”, which remains a benchmark of his abilities in my opinion. Seeing what Deodato was capable of, I feel his work on this comic seems either rushed or not always as inspired as it could be, and that’s a hard pill to swallow coming from such a talented creator as he is.

Conclusion:There are qualities I liked about this issue, and about this storyline in general, but not enough of any one of them to create that drive and need and incentive for me to want to continue buying “Secret Avengers” month after month. This can be a good comic, but I don’t think I’ll stick around to find out. Until things improve, I’m going to wait for this to be released in graphic novels.

Grade: C+

-Tony Rakittke

Secret Avengers #3 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Mike Deodato (artist), Rain Beredo (colorist)

The Story: The Secret Avengers and Archon fight valiantly to oppose a possessed Nova, while Ant-Man spies the machinations of the Shadow Council.

The Good: Uhhhhhh, God, I don’t even know. I mean, there wasn’t anything glaringly wrong with this issue, but I didn’t think there was anything overwhelmingly good about it to justify the $3.99 price tag, either. It was so slightly above average that when I finished it I was almost too apathetic about the experience to summon the strength to shrug my indifference. Is it just me, or is it slightly unreasonable to charge so much money for a comic that delivers so little?! In terms of actual plot, we are treated to an extended fight scene in which a throw character gets killed, Nick Fury and the Big Bad Guy talk ominously of the three Serpent Crowns, and Nova encourages subtly encourages Valkyrie to go back into the kitchen and bake him a pie. But what the hell is happening?! We’re three issues in and the Secret Avengers are still on Mars, seemingly no closer to understanding why the hell they are there or what their objective is. They haven’t actually thrown down with any serious villains or than some minor cannon fodder types, and aren’t even really functioning as a team. This story is plodding along to a destination that I’m not sure I care to reach at this point, and that is a huge shame to speak of a comic created by such esteemed talents as Brubaker, Deodato, and Beredo, none of whom have quite seemed to be firing on all cylinders on this book.

Secret Avengers #2 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Mike Deodato and Will Conrad (artists), Rain Beredo (colorist)

The Story: The Secret Avengers search Mars for Nova and answers as to why Roxxon Corporation was in possession of a Serpent Crown.

The Good: Brubaker has done a rare, wonderful thing with this book: he’s taken everything we’ve come to expect from an Avengers Comic and, with a generous dose of espionage intrigue, turned it into something different, but no less exciting. For a title with as rich a heritage as the Avengers, this is a rare feat, but Brubaker is pulling it of nicely and making this a priority comic for me to read each month. Reading Secret Avengers, I can’t help but feel like this is what it must have been like to read Steranko’s run on Nick Fury back in the 60s; it has that same, suave aesthetic to it. I like that Marvel has this kind of covert team out there in the field now. Incredibly powerful for a black ops unit, these Avengers are nonetheless a highly surgical strikeforce, and it’s immensely satisfying to watch Steve Rogers take command of these unique personalities and their abilities. Speaking of unique personalities, Brubaker has done a great job this issue of defining who these people are and how well they work together. I loved (and realized how much I have missed) the calm, assured confidence Rogers displays when going into battle, as well as the unspoken trust, forged through years of fighting together, between Rogers, Beast, and Black Widow. Add to that Moon Knight’s desire to be a good soldier and please his commanding officer, War Machine’s refusal to go easy on Ant-Man, and Ant-Man’s quest to get a little respect from his comrades, and I can’t help but see potential in the stories that can be told about these characters.