Secret Warriors MPE Vol. 1
by Brian Bendis, Jonathan Hickman & Stefano Caselli
Covers by Jimmy Cheung
The next chapter in Bendis' meta mythology unfolds and it's a nice addition to the epic tapestry being woven.
I always had a soft spot for olde Nickie so he's a welcome sight and thank god this is the original, not that bald black imposter eating up cinema screens.
Val was also a sight for sore eyes, in more ways than one. She can go head-to-toe with Natasha when it comes to svelte, sexy and lethal. Speaking of Natasha, she'd be a natural fit here.
Always good to see Baron Strucker and Hydra return too. Let's face it, when it comes to big, global baddies, they don't get better or meaner than a bunch of fresh frozen Nazis, unless you crack open a tin of the originals.
I could've done without resurrecting the original Howling Commandoes but I guess that's the price of having Fury as a headliner. Nevertheless, I grudgingly admit it was good to see the old red-haired walrus, even though his longevity is stretching my credulity beyond breaking point. Or has some rationale been provided for the Howlers' long life?
The plotting is tight and the new cast of characters interesting. The dialogue is crisp and believable, leading me to believe that Hickman was mainly responsible for the scripting.
The whole "everything you thought you knew is wrong" angle has been done to death and I even seem to recall that the Fury vs Shield mini-series from the 90s was based on the premise that Shield had always been the tool of the bad guys. So I'm not that enamoured with the retread going on here but Bendis and Hickman execute it with a lot of panache, providing enough thrills and intrigue to make me want to come back next time.
Things are less rosy in the art department. Caselli's artworks shows sporadic flashes of more than mere competence but it's pretty spiritless. It gets the job done fair enough but adds little. Besides that, it's too European for my tastes, and particularly ill-suited for a sleek, espionage series. It would be better suited for a medieval romance or something more archaic and the colors are too muted AFAIC.
Special mention must be made of Jimmy Cheung's gorgeously designed and executed covers, continuing the proud Steranko tradition of outstanding Shield covers.
by Brian Bendis, Jonathan Hickman & Stefano Caselli
Covers by Jimmy Cheung
The next chapter in Bendis' meta mythology unfolds and it's a nice addition to the epic tapestry being woven.
I always had a soft spot for olde Nickie so he's a welcome sight and thank god this is the original, not that bald black imposter eating up cinema screens.
Val was also a sight for sore eyes, in more ways than one. She can go head-to-toe with Natasha when it comes to svelte, sexy and lethal. Speaking of Natasha, she'd be a natural fit here.
Always good to see Baron Strucker and Hydra return too. Let's face it, when it comes to big, global baddies, they don't get better or meaner than a bunch of fresh frozen Nazis, unless you crack open a tin of the originals.
I could've done without resurrecting the original Howling Commandoes but I guess that's the price of having Fury as a headliner. Nevertheless, I grudgingly admit it was good to see the old red-haired walrus, even though his longevity is stretching my credulity beyond breaking point. Or has some rationale been provided for the Howlers' long life?
The plotting is tight and the new cast of characters interesting. The dialogue is crisp and believable, leading me to believe that Hickman was mainly responsible for the scripting.
The whole "everything you thought you knew is wrong" angle has been done to death and I even seem to recall that the Fury vs Shield mini-series from the 90s was based on the premise that Shield had always been the tool of the bad guys. So I'm not that enamoured with the retread going on here but Bendis and Hickman execute it with a lot of panache, providing enough thrills and intrigue to make me want to come back next time.
Things are less rosy in the art department. Caselli's artworks shows sporadic flashes of more than mere competence but it's pretty spiritless. It gets the job done fair enough but adds little. Besides that, it's too European for my tastes, and particularly ill-suited for a sleek, espionage series. It would be better suited for a medieval romance or something more archaic and the colors are too muted AFAIC.
Special mention must be made of Jimmy Cheung's gorgeously designed and executed covers, continuing the proud Steranko tradition of outstanding Shield covers.
