REVIEW: Secret Invasion #6

Reviews

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Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Leinel Francis Yu

Wasn’t it just a week or so ago that I wrote a Gold Standard thrashing this mini-series? Ripping apart it’s piss-poor pacing and it’s complete lack of an event feel? Didn’t I say that the last three issues would have to be phenomenal to make up for the crap we’ve had to put up with in this mini until now?

I think…..Bendis made me eat my words.

This is far and away the best issue of the series so far, and it does an incredible job of speeding through the bullshit in favor of ending the book on it’s logical point….the big fight scene.

We’re treated to all sides of the equation pretty evenly, and it helps to set up the battle. We see the two teams of Avengers set aside their differences in favor of focusing on the Skrulls, we see Nick Fury’s Secret Warriors team up with the Young Avengers and the Initiative, hell, we even see the Hood and his army of super villains and the Thunderbolts! And we see them all join the fight together, all fighting on the same side against the Skrulls. That’s the first thing this mini has truly done right, and it helps capture the event feel of it all. It really does feel like it’s the entire Earth on one side of the fight, and not just the Avengers.

Everything seems to start to come together finally, all of the little plots start finding their way to resolution. Even the Skrull Mar-Vell finds a conclusion to his story. He’s made his choice, that he’s Captain Marvel, not just a Skrull. He’s fought his empire, and in this issue he finds his end in the arms of someone most fitting, as he gives a small moving speech to Marvel Boy before turning Skrully and dying. The new follower of his legacy, with any luck. A great way to involve Noh-Varr into the invasion, and a nice way to give him a boost into his future. I can tell that big things are on the way for this Grant Morrison creation, and it’s about damn time.
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The Skrull reveals as of issue #6 are still pretty limited. We know about Jessie and Hank, and we know about Dum Dum and Jarvis. But who else? I mean, the tie ins have had their own little minor reveals, but where’s the meat of it? Where are the “Oh shit!” moments that we’ve been promised? I want to be shocked and surprised, I want to be completely knocked out by a reveal. I want one I would never in a million years see coming. Kinda like the Hank Pym reveal, only now DO IT AGAIN!
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It’s been one day.

The highlight of the issue, from a fanboy perspective, has to be Thor. His exchange with Captain America, his summoning of the fight to himself, the fact that he’s the God with a hammer? Thor is the MVP of this issue, despite not having as much panel time as many of the other characters. Bendis wisely uses him here to make it very clear that he doesn’t need to say much, he just needs to stand there with Mjolnir extended, and that alone is enough to turn the tide of a battle. It’s an epic Marvel moment that hasn’t been used in years, and it gets used perfectly. Thor is the big gun of Marvel, period.
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Biggest let down of the issue? Somebody finally asks who “He” is, and the answer? “God”. For a second I wasn’t seeing Skrull Jessie Drew, I was seeing Six from Battlestar Galactica. It felt like a bit of a let down and….yeah, I think I really just wanted to make the BSG reference.
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My God has a hammer, bitch!

I’m always pretty critical on the art style of Leinel Yu, but in this issue…gorgeous. I almost hate to say that, honestly, I REALLY do, but here I am saying it. His art doesn’t look sketchy, his people don’t look even slightly deformed for a change. Everything maintains an epic feel that’s rare to find these days. It’s one of the best efforts I’ve seen from the artist in the short time I’ve been following him (since he hopped on New Avengers).

All in all, is this issue worth it after the disappointments of the last five? I think so.

8/10
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A lifelong reader and self proclaimed continuity guru, Grey is the Editor in Chief of Comics Nexus. Known for his love of Booster Gold, Spider-Girl (the real one), Stephanie Brown, and The Boys. Don't miss The Gold Standard.