It’s finally begun: “Secret Empire.” And while I’m not going to take a look at that specific “event,” we will be taking a look at one of the comics leading into it. Can the U.S. Avengers tell their own story while being drawn into the events of “Secret Empire,” or will they be caught up in the oncoming storm?
Written by Al Ewing
Illustrated by Paco Diaz
Colors by Jesus AburtovThe time for goofy solicits is over. A.I.M. is getting serious – and Steve Rogers is here to make sure of it. But where does this leave Roberto Da Costa? Meanwhile, Sam Guthrie is a man of two worlds. Which will he choose?
Let’s just get the “Secret Empire” bits out of the way first. A little more than half of this issue of “U.S. Avengers” is Captain America chatting with Roberto about his mistakes, failures, or otherwise unsavory actions, with little bits of off-hand comments about gathering information.
“You know just how I like my coffee, you must have mind-readers! Speaking of mind readers, how are your psychic defenses these days? No, that’s not a suspicious thing to ask, I ask all my friends about their resistance to mind control.”
It does a good job at upping the intensity of Cap’s criticisms, until it reaches the point of “Uh-oh, now he’s mad.” The scene grows more tense as it reaches that point, and one may notice the not entirely subtle bit of anti-immigrant ranting he includes in there. Story-wise, as Cap illustrates near the end, the serves its purpose, even if the story it’s meant to serve is… ill-conceived at best.
While it’s nice that Roberto’s U.S. Avengers will be playing a key role in the arc (defences against mind control being perhaps the most important), this is one event I wouldn’t mind sitting out.
Unless it gives us another America Kaiju, like “Standoff” did, because that part was pretty cool.
On one other “Secret Empire” related note that should be praised, the final page looks spectacular. It’s a powerful moment where Roberto sees every screen light up with alerts, showcasing the many disasters Steve Rogers has orchestrated. We don’t need to see his face, as the cup of coffee falls from his hands (there’s something of a recurring coffee motif in this issue) and he looks up in shock. The colors from Jesus Arbutov do a great job at illuminating the scene, and every image on the screen looks intense and dangerous. This does a great job at illustrating the disasters ahead, and makes great use of the entire page for it.
Indeed, the artwork throughout the entire “U.S. Avengers” issue is very solid. It’s crisp and clean, and makes great use of colors on the characters and backgrounds to make it visually appealing. This is especially true when the comic takes to space, and shows us Sam and Smasher on a Shi’ar colony. The pink skies and blue trees, along with the unique architecture of the city, make it feel like the alien world it is, and the multiple citizens on the world all have unique designs about them.
Speaking of Smasher and Cannonball, they have a scene that provides a lot of heart to the story. Sure, there’s plenty of action in their opening scene, but that’s just background to the heart of their conversation. Even though they’re talking about traveling between planets and Sam’s obligations on Earth, it’s still a conversation that’s relatable to anyone who had to deal with loved ones spread out across locations and annoying commutes keeping them apart. It’s a great scene that serves the characters and their growth well.
Similarly, we get a heart-to-heart scene with Aikku and Toni. It does a fine job illustrating their relationship and personalities, adding new layers to the characters, how they work, and how they care for each other. Indeed, this is the first real breather we’ve had to really get to know them, and it works very well.
For less of a breather, we have Red Hulk battling Gorilla Men. Sure, that sounds awesome, but so far General Maverick (the U.S. Avengers’s Red Hulk) hasn’t been the most impressive. Fortunately, Squirrel Girls is there to liven up the scene, and I have yet to find a comic she couldn’t improve with her presence. Yet while this could be a moment of development for Maverick, perhaps even learning what he can do when he’s not Hulked out, it instead turns into another little hook for Hydra’s schemes, albeit one delivered rather nicely.
Continued belowFortunately, even those scenes are illustrated remarkably well. There’s just the right level of detail to make even the most ridiculous of setups (i.e. a gorilla with a human’s head getting attacked by flying squirrels) look great. The action, the expressions, and the way the panels just seem to pop all work just right. Paco Diaz does a great job on every page, and the color work of Jesus Aburtov enhances it wonderfully.
Overall, this issue of “U.S. Avengers” has a lot of heart and some great character moments, but it’s impeded by its necessary tie-in to “Secret Empire.” Still, it works well with everything it has, and it looks fantastic.
Final Verdict: 7.1 – Great art, great character moments, unfortunately connected to a less-than-stellar event.
