SECRET AVENGERS VOLUME 1: MISSION TO MARS TPB
(Marvel Comics, August 2011) by Ed Brubaker (Text), Mike Deodato (Illustrator). 168 pages. ISBN #07851-146008
Summary from the Goodreads website . . . . .
Steve Rogers has a secret: The former Captain America has assembled a special-ops team to counter the world's deadliest threats. Who are the Secret Avengers? Spy intrigue meets super-hero action as Steve Rogers, Super-Soldier, and a lineup sure to shock and surprise take a case that crosses dimensions and lands on Martian soil - and somehow involves none other than Nick Fury! Collecting SECRET AVENGERS #1-5.
my review on the Goodreads website . . . . .
It’s a fun book to read and escape for awhile, but it's not that memorable. Kind of a ho-hum effort for Ed Brubaker, a very capable writer. I wonder if trying to write a team book was asking too much of him. This is awfully cluttered with details and story elements and doesn't give enough time for character development. Result: I didn't really care what happened.
Don't get me wrong. I love Ed Brubaker, especially his amazing crime comics (Criminal, Fade-Out, Kill Or Be Killed, etc). His plotting and character development skills seem better suited to a single protagonist or two, not a whole group of them. His best work in superhero comics was on Daredevil and Captain America -- those are awesome books.
Mike Deodato is a great artist. His photo realism style and sense for action is often something to marvel over, but not here. There was so much dialogue and information to convey that the action panels are smaller than they should be and often too cluttered to get a good sense of what's going on.
Steve Rogers is not acting as Captain America here, but is in Super-Soldier mode and putting together a secret special-ops team to handle the world's deadly threats that no one can talk about. The action here takes place on both Mars and Earth and the teams split up to investigate the discovery of a serpent crown and the unleashing of yet another Celestial-like race of giant beings set on world domination. There’s a secret society that's been following these activities for years, and possibly not with the best intentions. And Nick Fury might be a part of it. (Don't want to spoil the big reveals).
Moon Knight and Beast don't get to do much. Ant Man is depicted as the dumb newbie in the group. Nova has been corrupted by the crown's influence. Valkyrie just acts tough. And Steve oversees it all. I do like his new shield, though.
In spite of all I find off-putting about this, it's not a bad start to yet another Avengers title. This one originated in 2010, and there have been too many different Avengers side groups for anyone to keep track of. How many super-team books do you really need, Marvel?
Secret Avengers was popular enough to run for 37 issues before cancellation, and despite the creative teams seeming to change with every new story arc.
I picked this up because I couldn't resist the bargain bin price at my local comic shop. If you find yourself as fortunate as I did, by all means don't pass this up. However, if you'd like a better read I would recommend Steve Rogers: Super Soldier or any of the trade paperbacks reprinting Brubaker's lengthy run on Captain America.
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