Written by Rick Remender
Illustrated by Gabriel Hardman– The ALL-NEW era of Secret Avengers begins here!
– Enter Captain Britain and Giant-Man as Hawkeye becomes the new leader!
– Sentinels hunt mutants, Adaptoids hunt Avengers!
A few weeks ago, Multiversity EIC Matt Meylikhov took a look at the Point One Initiative issue of Secret Avengers (#22.1), and overall, enjoyed the experience. This week saw the series’ kickoff with all the pieces of its newest creative crew, with Rick Remender writing, Gabriel Hardman drawing, and an amazingly cool cover by Art Adams.
But as any high school guidance counselor will tell you, it’s what’s inside that counts, so join us after the jump and we’ll give you the lowdown.
One of the more appealing titles to spin out of the big, post-Siege “Heroic Age” relaunch of 2010 was Secret Avengers. Helmed by super scribe Ed Brubaker, Secret Avengers starred a team of covert Avengers led by Commander Steve Rogers with the express purpose of taking care of the bad stuff before it got big enough to pop up on the not-so-secret Avengers’ radar. With a high-intrigue writer like Brubaker aboard, I think a lot of people were like me, and expected a street level book with plenty of grit, and a little espionage thrown in for flavor. Instead, we got a book that seemed to really struggle with finding its place within the Avengers franchise, despite being one of Marvel’s strongest books.
Brubaker ended up leaving after about a year and was replaced by comics wunderkind, Nick Spencer. Spencer brought his own brand of cool, but unfortunately only made it five issues before taking off. Secret Avengers #16 saw the arrival of Warren Ellis, which seemed almost too good to be true… and it was. Ellis was only going to be around for about six issues himself. With only two years on the stands and three different creative teams behind it, it was starting to look like maybe Secret Avengers was due for a little R&R.
Enter Rick Remender with Secret Avengers #22, and suddenly things are looking pretty good.
Picking up shortly after Captain America and Hawkeye’s torch-passing adventure in Secret Avengers #21.1, this issue sees the new team coming together for their inaugural outing and consequent thrashing. Of the old guard, only Beast, Black Widow, Ant-Man, and Valkyrie remain. The new recruits are, of course, Hawkeye, Hank “Giant Man” Pym, and Captain Britain, with Venom coming aboard next issue.
Now, from a marketing standpoint, it’s pretty ingenious putting Hawkeye front and center. Considering his soon to be elevated profile in The Avengers, it only makes sense. And afterall, the guy IS a solid leader, having pulled bossman duty for both the Westcoast Avengers and the Thunderbolts. Hawkeye I’m cool with. It’s Captain Britain who feels a little out of place here.
First of all, Captain Britain’s got his own stuff going on as protector of the Omniverse, something that even Remender himself draws attention to in the issue and his current arc over in Uncanny X-Force. Does he really have time to go on secret missions with the Avengers? And even if he does, why does Captain America think he’ll be an asset to the team? Secondly, why ISN’T Captain Britain leading the team? Like Hawkeye, he’s had plenty of leadership experience — Excalibur, the Captain Britain Corps., etc. And just like the outfit’s previous leader, Britain’s a national hero and journeyman adventurer. So if he’s not leading, I have to wonder exactly why he’s following.
Ahhh, but here’s the thing, though: I’m almost 100% sure we’re supposed to be asking these questions. No doubt, Cap’s role on the team will be explored over the next however many issues, and already the tension between him and Hawkeye is well worth having him there. But I’m confident Remenber’s got a masterplan in store for the good Captain, and if it’s half as awesome as what he gave us with Deathlok in Uncanny X-Force, I’ll be whipping tears out of my eyes somewhere down the road.
Continued belowCalling Gabriel Hardman “a great artist” just seems so pedestrian, and weak. But calling him a god amongst men is probably over doing it just a little bit, but only just a little. His layouts in Secret Avengers are astounding, and his figures are just beautiful and have a movement to them that speaks volumes about their personalities. Pay close attention to the Beast and Captain Britain and you’ll see exactly what I mean.
With Venom and Uncanny X-Force, Remender’s already writing two of my favorite Marvel titles right now. And with just one regular issue under his belt, and some very cool ideas and villains on the table, I’m already feeling some major anticipatory excitement for Secret Avengers that I don’t see going away anytime soon.
Final Verdict: 8.75 – Buy
