UPDATED.
Marvel has spoiled the fates of the two Captain America / Steve Rogers in Secret Empire #10. You won’t be happy. More here.
ORIGINAL.
Secret Empire #10 looms!
Secret Empire #9 plays a big part in setting the stage.
UPDATED with crisper pics and an interlude.
Marvel Comics Legacy and Secret Empire Spoilers follow for Secret Empire #9.
Despite the prominence of the Winter Soldier on th cover to Secret Empire #9 it was sad he didn’t have more comic page time, but it was nice to see his still has Thunderbolts decal on his metal arm. So, hopefully, more Winter Soldier and the Thunderbolts to come in a series of some fashion in the future.
Anyhow, Secret Empire #9 opens with the usual goodies including a summary or catch-up page and…
…a dramatis personae.
This book feels like one big fight scene with dramatic scenes in-between those pages where the sharp tongues become the weapons.
The odds still seem in Captain America and Hydra;s favor with big guns like the Odinson aka the Unworthy Thor and Scarlet Witch in his side.
Emma Frost confronts Captain America about the fragments of cosmic cube that he held out from her which, she believes, negates their truce and she wants a new one. Captain America, again in such an out-of-character fashion, says no and wants to have her the mutants submit.
She understandably balks and weaponizes her ace-in-the-hole: Magneto!
I’m a fan of John Walker, but nit a fan of his nom du guerre of USAgent. Anyhow, we have a John Walker / USAgent spotting!
The Odinson has had enough, for some reason, and decides to abandon Captain America and Hydra.
Taskmaster and the Black Ant, elsewhere follow suit, by releasing the Champions from Hydra prison.
Doctor Strange summons the Mighty Thor, Jane Foster, to take out the Scarlet Witch.
Black Panther and the Winter Soldier take out Baron Zemo.
Hydra and its allies have been vanquished with only one man left standing…
…Captain Hydra / Captain America in armor that makes no sense. It has an A on the helmet, but is all Hydra otherwise.
The real interesting moments in the issue are actually in Vanishing Point as “that” Steve Rogers…
…kibitzes with Kobik the sentient Cosmic Cube; which begs so many questions about if she is the Cosmic Cube, but about the physical Cosmic Cube at heart if the Secret Empire with a few of its shards scattered across the Marvel.
This Steve Rogers, in the Vanishing Point, remembers…
…what made Captain America noble and special, but…
…he’s not the real Steve Rogers. Captain Hydra is. This Steve Rogers is Kobik’s, the sentient Cosmic Cube’s, memories given form.
This is her / its remembering of a noble Steve Rogers / Captain America as portrayed since the Golden Age until writer Nick Spencer got a hold of him. Is Kobik is a stand in for a remorseful Marvel EIC Axel Alonso in response to fab outcry over Captain Nazi?
Anyhow, the previous ending to this issue, that scene outside of the Vanishing Point, was spoiled months ago since that armored Captain America / Hydra is in the cover of Secret Empire #10 by Mark Brooks.
The variant cover for Secret Empire #10 is by Alex Ross and seems to signal the Generations one-shots whose time travel moments seem to launch from events in Secret Empire #10.
Not sure how Secret Empire Omega #1 plays into all this nor…
…Marvel Legacy #1.
Interlude.
Secret Empire #10 is out this week. Here is the solicitation.
Published: August 30, 2017
Rating: Rated T+
Writer: Nick Spencer
Penciler: David Marquez, Steve McNiven
Cover Artist: Mark Brooks
Can there be any redemption for Captain America as the SECRET EMPIRE starts to crumble?
End Interlude.
So…
Secret Empire #9. Wow, ok. Writer Nick Spencer is brave, I’ll give him that. The story is dense and seems almost unmanageable with so many characters fighting for panel space. However, the revelation at the end that the Vanishing Point Steve Rogers is not the “real” one, but Captain Nazi is sure to make fans of Captain America more irate even if this is somehow undone in Secret Empire #10 or Secret Empire Omega #1 or even in Marvel Legacy #1. Pencillers Leinil Francis Yu and Joe Bennett did some solid art this issue telling the story of the action and drama, but with such a big cast it is clear neither artist has the skill to pull off such big casts like classic group shot artist George Perez has been established to be. These penciller do everything else really well in the issue though. 6 out of 10.
