WHO'S GOT A SECRET IN SECRET INVASION? – Episode #2
by Bruce! MacIntosh

In contrast to the series of jaw-dropping rabbit punches that was the first issue of this year's Marvel prize fight called Secret Invasion, this second part played rope-a-dope with the reader for about eleven rounds. So who won? Did the readers get a quality story, worth the $3.99 cover price? Did we get a good comic that furthered the story of Secret Invasion? Did we get enough action and character development? Or did Marvel and writer Brian Michael Bendis jab us with a half-hearted story barely connected to the earth-shattering event they promised? We'll analyze each round, and reveal the judges' decision will be revealed at the end.

SPOILER WARNING: Although not all of the punches thrown in this issue of Secret Invasion actually connected, it would be impossible to recap the events without spoiling them. So, if you haven't yet read the issue, you might want to wait before reading any further. Go read it, we'll still be here when you return!

Round 1: The Infiltration. When we last left both the New and Mighty Avengers at the end of Secret Invasion #1, they were confronting a third team of Avengers – emerging from a Skrull spaceship that had crashed in the Savage Land. (Actually, it may have been one of the first Avengers teams, from way back in the… uh… 1980s?) This left readers an entire month to ponder whether the costumed heroes who were emerging from the ship were the true heroes from over two decades past, whether they were all Skrulls, or some combination of both. The conduct of these atavistic heroes also indicated that they sincerely believed they were the real thing.

New Avengers #40 – recently published – hardly showed any Earth heroes (until the big reveal on the final splash page) but it did explain some things from the Skrull perspective. Although readers were disappointed if they actually expected any of the New Avengers in an issue of New Avengers, it may have given us a clue as to whether the characters who emerged from the Skrull ship in the first two issues of Secret Invasion were human, undercover Skrull, or Skrulls who truly believed they were the human heroes from the place. New Avengers #40 seemed to suggest that the new and improved Skrull replicating process was so thorough that the replicants themselves may even become convinced they were the "original".

Decision: The Readers – barely. The battles were great, but the lack of "reveals" meant that few of the blows really connected. We'll get pounded with this in later rounds.

Round 2: The Battle. All the "real" heroes (the ones not from the crashed Skrull ship) charged right in and started fighting, rather than discussing their "differences". This works a lot better in comics than it does for the U.S. Government, so it made for a fast-paced, action-packed issue. My big complaint, however, is that the non-stop action almost made the comic go too fast.

This feeling was not helped by the fact that there were four double-page splashes in the span of a mere 22-page story. This is unforgivable. (See Round 11: The Price, below.)

Decision: Marvel.

Round 3: The Warning. The only one urging caution was Ares, "It's a trap!" This was odd – but will surely have a lot to do with future events. It was annoying, however, that no one else even listened, paused or responded.

Decsion: The Readers. This was a decent teaser, because I want to know why Ares (of all people) is convinced it is a trap and what he means by that.

Round 4: The Android and the Psycho. Sentry and the Vison – what is with Sentry? At the very least, he is a dangerously unstable super being. Vision's statements, however, might reveal that this Crisis may have more to do with Bob Reynolds than we ever would have guessed. (My cynical prediction is that Sentry's unlimited "mental" power will be the typical dues ex machine that erases this whole Crisis six months from now – effectively making this another event that is reversed by the old standby, "It was all a bad dream.")

Decision: Marvel. This was too confusing and I felt like I had missed a lot. It could be a good tease as to future events, but I find Sentry's teary breakdowns irritating.

Round 5: The Dinosaur. The sudden dino attack actually made for a good turning point in this story: It seamlessly moved the focus from the all-out melee and the dynamic multi-hero double-page splashes - to some quiet time in the jungle between early-90s Mockingbird, and current Clint Barton, Luke Cage and Wolverine.

Decision: The Readers. You can never have enough dinosaurs in comics.

Round 6: The Archer.Clint Barton clocking his doppelganger with nunchuks and taking his bow and arrows. I have nothing against his recent assumption of the Ronin identity – this is a suitable step in the evolution of the character who has been around for over four decades. But this gave me the "Heck, yeah!" feeling that was so prevalent in the first issue of Secret Invasion, but was otherwise lacking in this issue.

Decision: The Readers. This was brilliant – the highlight of the issue for me.

Round 7: Revelations. Who's a Skrull? Spider-Man!

Yes, Spidey. But this is the "old" Webslinger, with the underarm webbing – and not the current version. Sorry.

Who else is a Skrull? Hawkeye. The "old" version that emerged from the Skrull ship was also a Skrull, supposedly verifying that the Clint Barton currently wearing the Ronin uniform was indeed human.

But it made my mind race for a minute. After all, besides the speculation that Iron Man was a Skrull, Spider-Man are the prime candidates to have been little green shape shifting aliens. And when you think about it, what better way to erase all the Civil War-unmasking and Mephisto mind-wipe nonsense, but by blaming the Skrulls!

Oh, and Captain America. Could this be how Marvel brings back Steve Rogers... saying he was actually trapped on a space ship for a few years? What reinforces this possibility is that the Cap that stepped off the Skrull ship had an arrow-resistant shield – not the garden-variety type that any Skrull could have picked up at Shields-'R-Us.

Some of the reveals and events teased in the first issue were completely ignored – forcing us to wait at least two months to before learning more. Most importantly, what's going on with Hank Pym and Reed Richards?

Unlike the first issue which set the table with a full buffet of events, this issue was more like a quick happy meal, in the form of a quick but nutrition-less battle followed by a tasty-but-even-quicker "dessert" in front of the Fantastic Four's building.

If you'll remember, the Baxter Building had been engulfed by a big ball of Negative Zone in the previous issue, and now New York City is being invaded by… Nah, I'll leave something for you to look forward to. Next month's installment of Secret Invasion promises to a knock-down drag-out battle.

Decision: Marvel. After the blockbuster reveals in the first issue of Secret Invasion - and those occurring in SI tie-ins like New Avengers #40 - this one was too much of a tease.

Round 8: The Armor. Iron Man's armor shorting out as the result of a "virus" attack. Is this a simply a plot device to take two of the more powerful "real" heroes (Iron Man and Ms. Marvel) out of the action, or is it more crass commercialism? The cynic in me again thinks that this is a way to introduce new armor – to capitalize on the Iron Man movie.

Decision: Marvel. So far, it seems pointless, which makes me suspicious.


Round 9: The Art. I complained in Who's Got a Secret…? last week that Leinil Yu's characters can look a little angular and jarring. I'm convinced now that this becomes more prevalent for the artist when the artist is rushed. The wonky anatomy improved a bit this issue, no doubt the result of the fact that Yu had to draw one-third fewer scenes than any normal comic.

My suspicion is reinforced by the variant cover featuring Hawkeye and Mockingbird. This art by Yu is spectacular. If the interior art looked even close to the quality of that cover, I would be ignoring the cynical urges about the story and singing the praises of Secret Invasion from the top of that funky Avengers Tower.

Decision: A Draw. The art is decent, and even though I feel I'm getting less for my money – the double-page battle scenes are pretty exciting.

Round 10: The Price. I'm still not digging the $3.99 tag. Marvel, please don't try to tell me this is for extra content. The four page Eternals preview adds no value - it is just a big advertisement. And as I mentioned above, over one-third of the issue was comprised of double-page splashes

Decision: Marvel.

Round 11: The Return.Finally, Secret Invasion #2 featured the return of Mockingbird, and her reunion with Clint Barton (Hawkeye/Ronin). Is she the "real thing", is Clint Barton (Ronin)? Will they rekindle their romance that was cut short prematurely 14 years ago?

For those readers who are unfamiliar with Mockingbird, or have forgotten much of her story since she has been gone so long, the next installment of Who's Got a Secret In Secret Invasion? – Episode 2.1 will examine her story in a week. Meanwhile, who won that round?

Decision: The Readers! This was a nice nostalgic moment, and it will be a good way to bring Clint Barton back into the mainstream Marvel Universe. (Hawkeye was always one of my favorite Marvel characters. In addition to having that wisecracking and swashbuckling persona, he was probably the only comics character who still looked cool in a purple costume!)

The Final Decision?
Readers: 5 rounds.
Marvel: 5 rounds.
Draw: 1 round.

It's a split-decision, which would make it a pretty average boxing match. As a comic - and the second part of a big event – it didn't connect with me too much. In the final analysis, I think Marvel had better connect with the next one, if they want to knock readers out!

Fun Question: Based on their costumes, what time-period in Marvel's part are these heroes from? 1978, 1980, 1985? I have my own guesses, but we'd like to hear what you, the readers, think!