Secret Invasion #1 of 8
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Leinil Yu
Company: Marvel Comics
Okay, before we get into the particulars of the issue, the spoilers and the rundown of the Cylo…I mean the Skrull’s secret plan to take over Earth, let’s first get down to the nitty gritty of the situation and answer the $1,000 question that some of you may or may not be wanting to know. Was the opening shot to Marvel’s newest summer blockbuster event either good, bad, or just decidedly ugly? The answer: Compared to the lackluster and slow moving events of House of M and the hit and miss, completely over the top antics of the more recent Civil War, the first issue of Secret Invasion shines. It isn’t perfect by any means. It isn’t a goldmine of goodness that from the word go grabs you by the throat and never lets up. No, Secret Invasion doesn’t quite reach that level of success. Instead, what it does do is the same thing that some of the better event books from both DC and Marvel have done over the years, which is to put forth an intriguing story that provides readers with a sizable amount of solid entertainment that they can sink their teeth into.
The entertainment begins with the actual pacing of the story. Bendis, whether you like him or not, is still a fairly decent writing. Like any other writer though, he’s got his tics and trappings that seem to plague him. One of those tics is that a majority of his stories seem to posture a very slow, very conversational tone that sometimes leads to monotonous and sometimes boring stories devoid of action. House of M, his last big event book, is a prime example of this as it was all talk an no action. Secret Invasion however, is a good mixture of the two things. The idea of a Skrull invasion alone is one that works. Sure, we’ve seen it before over the years in books like Fantastic Four and Avengers, but Bendis kicks the story up another level by making these Skrulls a more fanatical, religious sect of Skrull who are hell-bent on fulfilling an ancient prophecy. You could say that it sounds like an episode of Battlestar Galactica, which it does seem to parallel slightly, but the additional layers that are added to the Skrulls’ backstory is an inventive and unique way for the story to be grounded.
As for the specific items that take place in it, Invasion is no different from other event books. Thrown in amongst the action and plot points are some minor shockers to garnish some oohs and aahs from the crowd, and to give old and new readers the broad scope of the actual invasion that’s taking place. Bendis does both of these things with varying degrees of success. The scope and the tension of impending doom in some of the scenes, one involving the headquarters of S.W.O.R.D. and another that involves the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark Defense network in particular, is done rather well. The Skrull reveals all make sense for the story but none of them, beyond a certain FF member, are the huge shockers that I think people were wanting or expecting from the first issue. But of course with the good comes also comes the bad, and the one thing that still is shaky here is Bendis’ dialogue. Most of it works well enough but there are times where it’s too corny or just what you’re normally expecting from him that you get taken out of the enjoyable storm of chaos that’s taking place in the story.
Leinil Yu’s art is the other piece of the Secret Invasion puzzle, and while I still think he has some things to improve upon, like some of his more splash page action, the work here is probably some of his best to date. For anyone who’s been enjoying his New Avengers work lately though, they might notice a few differences in how his art looks. It still has the same sketchy quality that he’s know for, not to mention the same level of energy, but this time out those qualities are enhanced and given a much more defined sense of being by Mark Morales’ sharp inks. Add on to that the always vivid and striking colors of Laura Martin, the woman behind things such as Astonishing X-Men and Planetary, and the result is one that’s pleasing and that pops.
All in all, while it’s completely understandable that people may be burnt out by the constant deluge of crossovers that not only have their own title, but also ties into another eight to ten books as well, if this first issue of Secret Invasion is any indication where the rest of the series is going, this one might actually turn out to be one of the fun ones. So, if you’re in the mood for something along the lines of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, with your favorite Marvel characters as the leads of course, you might want to give this series a shot.
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i’m sort of burned out on crossover but it’s more crossover that put the entire Marvel univese in a place I DONT wanna be good bad or indiffrent that final reveil made me say “they DID exactly what i don’t want”
03 Apr 2008 at 3:19 pm
QuoteCan’t say I entertained the notion to buy this one for a second. Crossovers and events have just about driven me completely from monthly comics (as well as the expense, the inconsistent quality, and storage issues).
What happened to fat pants, anyway?
03 Apr 2008 at 3:43 pm
QuoteI have to say that the dialogue was the worst part of this issue for me. It came off as very expository and unnecessary for the most part.
03 Apr 2008 at 4:21 pm
QuoteI’m a wait for the trade, guy. So sometime in August, tell me if I should ask for the trade for Christmas.
Thanks!
03 Apr 2008 at 4:22 pm
QuoteThat was mostly me having time issues. Nick and I both sort of ran out of time each month to do Fat Pants.
03 Apr 2008 at 4:27 pm
QuoteI haven’t been following either Avengers book, but I must say I enjoyed this first issue quite a bit. They definitely set the stakes high right off the bat, and threw in plenty of reveals that weren’t already known from the promotion (something many first issues of “event” books have struggled with). I also like that this has the feel of a major event within the Marvel Universe already. World War Hulk didn’t really do it for me because it just felt like a Hulk story that also happened to feature other Marvel characters. And I agree, Lenil Yu’s art looks much better with inks too.
03 Apr 2008 at 7:38 pm
QuoteI agree. While this is by no far a stretch of the imagination, it’s still much better written then the recent House of M and Civil War. I enjoyed the skull’s first strike and the antics of both avengers teams, but the best part so far was the nice cliffhanger at the end of the issue. I wonder if Bendis can keep up the momentum.
03 Apr 2008 at 8:47 pm
QuoteMan I was really counting on you guys trashing this. I thought it was ok, but others seem to think that this is the greatest single issue ever and totally justifies all the crap Marvel has thrown at us. For months now, everything Bendis has written has said that something huge was going to happen. And these were the Skrull reveals we got? The most shocking one was already revealed by Previews. Also, look again at that FF sequence; I don’t think that member was replaced by a Skrull for more than a few minutes.
*SPOILERS if you can call them that*
Also, how many times has Tony’s armor been taken over (like the recent Ultron story, also Bendis) or the hellicarrier had issues?
*End SPOILERS*
I know it is only the first issue, but consdiering that it’s all anyone at Marvel had talked about for months, I was expecting more than the obvious reveals. I guess I can’t blame Bendis too much, at least the reveals made sense. Then again, he was the one talking up the reveals saying even the weakest one had to be strong.
Also, where is the Wasp?
Anyway, this does make the new season of Galactica look even more exciting.
03 Apr 2008 at 11:02 pm
QuoteI enjoyed the heck out of it. I keep hearing comparisons to Battlestar Galactica, but I’ve never seen anything other than the original series, and that had robots with one eyeball and… (wait for it)… THEY WORE LOINCLOTHS. Soooo… I wouldn’t be too critical.
Also, you keep insisting that there were no huge reveals and yet, how is Susan Storm NOT a huge reveal..?? Seriously… she’s the most powerful member of the Fantastic Four and that’s supposed to be a trivial reveal..? She also collapsed the Baxter Building onto itself.
Were there glitches..? Sure. It’s a comic book. One thing you learn from this book is what an amazing talent Laura Martin is. Man… I’d love to have her color TSSTG just to see how it would look.
And the cover kicks ass. Love the logo.
Anyhoo… just my two cents.
04 Apr 2008 at 12:09 am
QuoteBecause the first issue of Secret Invasion is better than Civil War and House of M, it’s going to better than those events? Civil War and even Infinite Crisis had a good first issue but flattered in the end. Could happen to SI.
The skrull changed from some man to Susan in the Baxter Building lobby, so it seems to indicate that the skrull impersonate Susan not to long ago. So the real Invisible Woman wasn’t gone a long time ago. unlike some of the other skrulls where they were implanted quite a while ago.
04 Apr 2008 at 1:01 am
QuoteDidn’t Stark show Reed the Elektra-Skrull in The Illuminati, and yet he reacts like he’s seeing it for the first time here?
04 Apr 2008 at 1:45 am
QuoteI love Skrulls, I do. But in Bendis’s and editorial’s hands, I have no faith in this crossover. Bendis keeps saying when it’s over “the power shift will be huge.” Just like the repercussions of House of M? He points to how different things are after Civil War, but will it be the same after Secret Invasion? I just don’t feel any big changes are going to be made and nothing will stick for long term. And a lot of this stuff (Hawkeye, etc.) seems to be backpeddling from Bendis due to fan outcry.
04 Apr 2008 at 7:11 am
QuoteHe did but I think Reed’s reaction is written like that for the benefit of readers unfamiliar with the Illuminati. Marvel are obviously trying to make this issue new reader friendly. Another example of this are the Thunderbolts explaining who they are.
As for the issue, I enjoyed it a quite a bit. Not a classic by any means but a solid read
04 Apr 2008 at 7:42 am
QuoteI liked it, sure it may go south from here, but as first issues go it had plenty of action, good pacing and fun twists and turns. Like Nick said, Bendis can still tell a good story, heck I still maintain his run on Daredevil is leaps and bounds better than Bru’s, but that’s another story, and besides that’s gritty street storytelling, which we know he can do, it’s the big four color guys where he’s fallen short for me. But this, was a pretty good start for a super-epic. Also I have to agree that Yu’s art is the best it looked, I guess he should have Morales ink him more often, cause I normally don’t care for Yu style at all, but there were times in this issue I actually liked the art.
04 Apr 2008 at 8:06 am
Quotei cannot wait for this (we get comics later in Greece). Probably the most anticipated crossover in my 20 years of comics book reading … really …
there is Bendis,Yu and aliens in this one .. what can go wrong?
04 Apr 2008 at 8:59 am
QuoteWell, Bendis can.
04 Apr 2008 at 11:27 am
QuoteThis might seem a bit ironic, coming from King Cynic (especially regarding anything that’s DC-related), but … can we change the title of this thread to Poo-Poo Pants? Seriously!
I had a lot of fun with this issue. I had figured out the Hank Pym thing a long time ago, but there was some good action, a few shocks (Skrull-Pym shooting and incapacitating Reed) and some better Yu artwork than we’ve had for a while.
I, for one, am looking forward to subsequent issues, as well as some of the tie-ins. I pretty much guarantee this will make more sense … and that it will come out on a more timely basis … than Grant Morrison’s “Final Crisis.” When issue #1 of that comes out, let’s talk again.
04 Apr 2008 at 11:47 am
QuoteI wish Bendis would go back to doing more crime/noir. That’s what he does best. All his superhero stuff sounds like one voice: a sarcastic Peter Parker.
I know a lot of people here aren’t big fans of Lenil Yu but I have always loved his work. It’s not too often you can see a single panel from an artist and tell right away who it is. He would be my only reason to check this book out.
04 Apr 2008 at 12:20 pm
QuoteHmmm … maybe Marvel/Icon should do a crime-themed anthology book. Bendis and Rucka could contribute. Matt Fraction, too. I’d definitely buy that!
04 Apr 2008 at 12:53 pm
QuoteTom, trust me on this… the Galactica comparisons are more than fair. You’re talking about the original series, and that’s basically like saying “How can you guys like Lost? I’ve only seen Gilligan’s Island, but it’s basically the same thing, right?”
Trust me. New Galactica is a much better, much more intelligent show than the original, and linking it to old schlocky Galactica does it a huge disservice. Rent the first season on DVD, you won’t be sorry.
At any rate, the Cylon/Skrull comparison is totally accurate. I’m not going to say Bendis ripped them off or anything like that, or even that it was an influence, but it’s completely fair to make comparisons. However, I think making the comparison is a compliment to Secret Invasion, because the way the Cyclon infiltrators have been handled on Galactica has been great, if folks actually think Bendis is doing things that well, that’s saying something.
I think my issue is that thus far, we don’t really have any reveals. What we have are teases of reveals. So Sue was a Skrull? A bunch of Marvel characters might be skrulls? What does that mean? I mean, if Sue was a skrull for 10 minutes before that happened, it’s not a big deal. If she was a skrull for a long time, it raises a lot of questions that need to be dealt with.
When were they taken? How did these skrulls pass for so long, why did they take actions that seem to indicate they *were* the character (in one character’s case, actually sacrificing her own life). These are important questions, and given the “It’s magic, we don’t have to explain it” style of explaining questions at Marvel these days, I can see where people aren’t extending a lot of faith. And I know that for my part, I can’t be excited about reveals that don’t make any sense. I mean, it’d be shocking if Hulk started firing laser blasts from his palms in the middle of a battle, but that doesn’t mean it’d be a good story.
We don’t actually have a lot of reveals yet. There are some interesting teases, but neither Bendis nor Marvel in general have shown a great skill at paying off these teasing reveals in a manner that doesn’t require you to leave your brain at the door. I suspect that’s where some of the disappointment with the reveals come.
However, I will admit that we’re only one issue in, and it’s probably unfair to expect too much in the way of explanations. But I think that’s where some of the people underwhelmed by the first issue (like myself) are coming from.
04 Apr 2008 at 2:53 pm
QuoteIf you already made up your mind about Final Crisis before it’s out, what’s the point?
04 Apr 2008 at 6:58 pm
QuoteHey, if it comes out on time and makes sense, I’m more than willing to eat my words. And at least I’ll be willing to give it a shot. But it sounds like there’s a few posters who made their minds up … and kept theirs closed … about “Secret Invasion.” That was the point I was trying to make.
05 Apr 2008 at 11:08 am
QuoteI keep going back and forth with this title. I kind of want to like Bendis’ stuff again, and from what I’ve seen and heard, Secret Invasion #1 seems to be put together better than House of M was. I’m just worried about who Bendis will reveal to be a Skrull. For example, will he make cat-Beast a Skrull so Marvel can bring back the Perez version? Will characters who’ve gone through a lot of development and changes like Emma Frost and Luke Cage (Bendis himself did some very nice work with the latter) turn out to be Skrulls? Will these revelations mess up or ruin my enjoyment of previous Marvel stories (i.e. if the Elektra in “The Murdock Papers” was a Skrull, I’ll be pretty bummed)?
I mean, maybe Secret Invasion will turn out great. But will it be at the expense of earlier Marvel stories?
05 Apr 2008 at 1:22 pm
QuoteOkay, that makes more sense than the comments you’re copying & pasting on other sites.
06 Apr 2008 at 4:05 am
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