Post by goldenfist on Sept 11, 2008 8:48:56 GMT -5
Read what Ign.com had to say about Secret Invasion #6.
At this point, if you're expecting anything out of Secret Invasion other than massively rendered fight scenes and trademark Brian Michael Bendis banter, you're barking up the wrong tree. It's been difficult to accept the fact that the real meat of the story takes place in the tie-ins, but that's just how it is. Issue #6 is really no different. It's light on story, heavy on action, and reads far more quickly than I'd like. Despite it all, it's one of the stronger issues the team has delivered.
The most glaring flaw of Secret Invasion has always been its slow-as-molasses pacing. The entire story takes place over the course of about a day, so it often feels as if each issue bleeds into the next. Fortunately, Bendis injects a sense of progress by finally - finally - removing his heroes from the Savage Land. That particular branch of the story had dragged on far too long, so I'm more than pleased to see the Avengers joining the fight in New York.
Another strong point, and one that carries over from last month, is an increased sense of the greater worldwide conflict. Last issue we saw it in the two-page spread of talking Skrull heads. Bendis continues in that vein this month, as we see the human reaction to the invasion. The script also provides numerous brief flashes of the battle raging elsewhere, referencing Black Panther, Secret Invasion: X-Men, Secret Invasion: Inhumans, and other books in the process. It's a nice bit of continuity referencing, even if it ultimately serves little purpose.
A handful of characters really stole the show for me this month. Unfortunately, Agent Brand wasn't one of them. She seems to have leaked out of the story altogether. My favorites were Captain Marvel, who finally justifies his place in this book, and Thor, who never needs to justify anything to anybody. Thor's role was far more brief than the cover would lead you to believe, but his appearance was undeniably cool. Captain America, however, felt wasted with his one line and no real role in the action. Overall, I feel that the cover heightened my expectations a little too much.
Overall, the script has some pretty entertaining moments this month, but it still suffers from poor pacing. You really can break down both House of M and Secret Invasion beat by beat and show how similar they are. In each mini-series, the first issue introduces a predicament, the next five leave the heroes mired in said predicament, the sixth issue sets the players up for the final battle, and then the final two depict the raucous conclusion. House of M was barely worth reading from issue #2 through 5. Secret Invasion is nowhere near that bad in my mind, but the similarities are certainly there.
As always, I tend to forget my complaints and just zone out on the gorgeous art. Leinil Yu is truly pulling his weight with Secret Invasion. The detail is impressive, and the the clear, strong inking and gorgeous coloring help elevate Yu's art to a new level. This issue features a jam-packed, two-page spread that reminds me a great deal of the final page of Civil War #6. Yu's spread clearly comes out on top, though.
Bendis is lucky he has such a stellar art crew at his disposal. Though he does many things right with his script this month, he doesn't mask the storyline's core flaws. Without Yu, this book would be something far less.
Review Score: 8.2 Impressive
At this point, if you're expecting anything out of Secret Invasion other than massively rendered fight scenes and trademark Brian Michael Bendis banter, you're barking up the wrong tree. It's been difficult to accept the fact that the real meat of the story takes place in the tie-ins, but that's just how it is. Issue #6 is really no different. It's light on story, heavy on action, and reads far more quickly than I'd like. Despite it all, it's one of the stronger issues the team has delivered.
The most glaring flaw of Secret Invasion has always been its slow-as-molasses pacing. The entire story takes place over the course of about a day, so it often feels as if each issue bleeds into the next. Fortunately, Bendis injects a sense of progress by finally - finally - removing his heroes from the Savage Land. That particular branch of the story had dragged on far too long, so I'm more than pleased to see the Avengers joining the fight in New York.
Another strong point, and one that carries over from last month, is an increased sense of the greater worldwide conflict. Last issue we saw it in the two-page spread of talking Skrull heads. Bendis continues in that vein this month, as we see the human reaction to the invasion. The script also provides numerous brief flashes of the battle raging elsewhere, referencing Black Panther, Secret Invasion: X-Men, Secret Invasion: Inhumans, and other books in the process. It's a nice bit of continuity referencing, even if it ultimately serves little purpose.
A handful of characters really stole the show for me this month. Unfortunately, Agent Brand wasn't one of them. She seems to have leaked out of the story altogether. My favorites were Captain Marvel, who finally justifies his place in this book, and Thor, who never needs to justify anything to anybody. Thor's role was far more brief than the cover would lead you to believe, but his appearance was undeniably cool. Captain America, however, felt wasted with his one line and no real role in the action. Overall, I feel that the cover heightened my expectations a little too much.
Overall, the script has some pretty entertaining moments this month, but it still suffers from poor pacing. You really can break down both House of M and Secret Invasion beat by beat and show how similar they are. In each mini-series, the first issue introduces a predicament, the next five leave the heroes mired in said predicament, the sixth issue sets the players up for the final battle, and then the final two depict the raucous conclusion. House of M was barely worth reading from issue #2 through 5. Secret Invasion is nowhere near that bad in my mind, but the similarities are certainly there.
As always, I tend to forget my complaints and just zone out on the gorgeous art. Leinil Yu is truly pulling his weight with Secret Invasion. The detail is impressive, and the the clear, strong inking and gorgeous coloring help elevate Yu's art to a new level. This issue features a jam-packed, two-page spread that reminds me a great deal of the final page of Civil War #6. Yu's spread clearly comes out on top, though.
Bendis is lucky he has such a stellar art crew at his disposal. Though he does many things right with his script this month, he doesn't mask the storyline's core flaws. Without Yu, this book would be something far less.
Review Score: 8.2 Impressive
