Review of Secret Avengers Vol.3 #1

Review of Secret Avengers #1 (Vol 3)
Written By:
Art By:
Marvel $3.99 March 12th 2014

Who are the Secret Avengers?
This is the start of the 3rd volume of Secret Avengers titles and the basic premise is the same as before......S.H.I.E.L.D. partners with the Avengers and creates a black-ops squad that remains secret from the other Avengers and the rest of the world to tackle secretive and questionable missions that must remain a secret. This incarnation of the team evolves directly out of the previous series (Nick Fury, Agent Phil Coulson, Black Widow, Maria Hill and Hawkeye) but now the team includes MODOK( the other team members aren't aware yet) and Spider-Woman.



This title is unlike the other volumes of the Secret Avengers in a very clear way. The tone and presentation is forcefully meant to be lighthearted and cartoonish......which is an odd perspective to take on a Black-ops plot of espionage and covert ops missions. The humor played to the stories benefit at times by familiarizing readers with the relationships and quirks of the team members, but all the humor combined with the art style really did a disservice to me because there was simply too much of it.

The humor with Hawkeye was the only portion of the goofiness that seemed like an organic portrayal of a character that could fit the tone of a book about spies and secret missions. The inclusion of MODOK could also serve as an outlet for comic relief but I am still not sold on his inclusion in the team ranks.....does anyone really believe MODOK will ever have dreams of redemption? No, I see he is a coward and an opprotunist so I am hoping that Ales Kot stays true to the character and that this wasn't a forced decision to bring him into the book. My hope is that he actually will develop into an intriguing inclusion over time. I'm not sold on MODOK yet, but I am willing enough to keep an open mind.

So, in this issue we see Spider-Woman and Black-Widow enjoying some rest and relaxation when their mutual ex-boyfriend busts in needing help from pursuing AIM agents.... Coulson and Fury need rescued in space.... and Maria Hill and MODOK continue exploring their secret working relationship and suddenly they are under attack within their secured SHIELD base. It isn't clear what is going on or why these three simultaneous assaults on the heroes are occurring. But issue #2 will have to tie up all those questions as well as resolve them, because this is only a 2 part opening arc.

The Verdict?
Will I be coming back for more? Yes, for one reason alone. I have collected the first 2 previous volumes of the title so I feel a sense of loyalty to my collection to give the first arc a chance. I am hoping that the Secret Avengers will develop into a dynamic team with meaniglful plots and missions that live up to what someone wants from an Avengers Black-Ops team. It may be unfair to judge soley based on a single issue but this one hasn't completely sold me enough to recommend you buying it. The art is inconsistant at best, at worst it is downright sloppy and boring at worst.

If you are going to charge $3.99 for a title, then put great art on the pages....stop thinking that slapping the name Avengers on the title entitles you to more money regardless of the quality.

Until next time,
Brian
Rating: Borrow it