After a mediocre second issue, Secret Invasion is back in full throttle this month with some absolutely spectacular moments and some great food for thought. Let’s get to it…
“The Same Old Car Since I was Nineteen”
This was one of my favorite lines in the entire book, if not one of my favorite lines ever. The context is, for those who haven’t read the book, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellicarrier crashes yet again an Maria Hill claims that she’s had the same car since she was 19 and never had a problem with it, yet the Helicarrier crashes about once a week. Its a great line since it kind of break the fourth wall by mentioning the the “Helicarrier crashing” plot-device is used a hell-of-a-lot in comics, plus it sums up Hill’s character pretty well. You see, I never really got Hill up until this point. To me she was always “Not Fury”, as in she did things in a way Nick wouldn’t do, and she was very much anti-Fury. Then Tony took over, pretty much pushing her into the background. Watching Hill take command of the Helicarrier in the opening sequence was great, it is said that people’s true character comes out in times of crisis, and this is the first time I feel like I’ve seen Hill’s true face. It may have taken her a while, but she’s finally grown into her job, and I am now prepared to accept her as a true Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., not just a fill-in/replacement.
Jarviskrull showing up on the Helicarrier is downright creepy, the way he stands there all stoic and calm. It’s a great image drawn by Leinil Yu and just captures the hopelessness of the situation the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents find themselves in. I do wonder how exactly Jarviskrull got to Helicarrier all the way from New York, does he have teleportation powers? By the way, may I point your attention the the jets being washed away by the waves – if those waves are strong enough to wash away jets, what’s gonna happen to the people? I am definitely looking forward for an epic battle on the Helicarrier. Hill vs. Jarviskrull, to the death.
“It’s Me. Echo. I’m Not a Skrull.”
Can I just take this opportunity to praise Lenil Yu some more? One of his greatest improvements is in the field of drawing women. Just look at this side-by-side comparison of Jessica Drew (or Empress Veranke, whatever you like better):
On the left we’ve got Leinil Yu’s rendition of Jessica Drew from issue #36 of New Avengers (cover date Jan’ 2008), on the right – Jess in Secret Invasion #3 – that’s what I call improvement! Yu’s learned to give his women a more feminine look without sacrificing strength and poise. Just look at the shoulders, where the older Jess has got broad, man-like shoulders, the newer one is much sleeker and smoother. Well done, Yu, keep ‘em coming!
Another thing to note in the Spider-Woman/Echo battle is this little panel:
What’s the big deal? It’s very possible Echo just hit a branch, or maybe broken an arm or something like that, right? Well, let me jog your memory a little, let’s glance into the distant past:
Oh, well that’s not good… That tiny little “snap”, some say, ended the Silver Age of comics and started what comic-scholars claim to be the Modern Age. There is another claim to be argued that Echo bit the bullet – his name is Clint Barton. It’s no secret that Bendis likes fucking with poor little Clint, he’s killed him twice already. Clint may be catching a break with the return of his thought-dead wife Mockingbird, however Clint and Maya have been getting quite friendly in recent issues of New Avengers. It is very possible Bendis wants to lay the hurt on Clint by bringing back his lady-love, but a the price of his new beau. Only time will tell, though I hope Echo’s not dead, I’m quite fond of the character.
“You Can Relax Now. You Did It.”
Pretty much the biggest question brought up in the issue – is Tony Stark a Skrull?
There are equally convincing claims for both sides. Tony did place himself as one of the most important people in the post-Civil War world. Plus he was responsible for the Civil War itself and, to an extent, World War Hulk (if I recall, Tony was the one who suggested sending the Hulk into space in the first place). In addition he was one of the Illuminati, one of (if not the) most powerful groups in the Marvel Universe. Brainwashing the Skrull Kar’lai to make him think and truly believe he is Tony Stark is the only way he could do all these things with true convictions. He, personally, is responsible for pretty much handing Earth to the Skrulls.
Which, of course, is great way of screwing with Tony’s head. Thus effectively taking out one of the most dangerous opponents the Skrulls have. Iron Man, as I said, is one of the most and powerful people on earth. They’ve already taken out the “Iron” with the StarkTech virus, and now, with this latest twist they’ve thrown at him, it’s possible they’ve taken out the “Man”. When you think about it, they’ve pulled a similar trick on the Sentry, saying he was responsible for the entire invasion, and now the Sentry is neutralized (or Voidified, we’ll see how that works out).
If you want my personal opinion, I think it’s a bluff. A little bit of psychological warfare, as now the Skrulls have Tony doubting every single move he makes, constantly second-guessing himself, which is a great plan, but I’m sure Tony will come through at the end (besides, have you seen the cover for issue #6?)
“Okay Commandos! Let’s Trun This Thing Around!”
Okay, besides the overly ridiculous gun, this is a pretty awesome splash page. Nick Fury has been M.I.A. for several years (with a few exceptions, but still), so to see him return is one hell of an occasion. With him are his new team of “caterpillars”, i.e. people know one has ever heard of (with the exception of Daisy Johnson). Looking at the team, you really have to admire Fury’s strategic thinking. He’s put together one hell of a team. He’s got Daisy for long distance, massive damage (she blew-up a Giant-Man-Skrull on the previous page). Phobos, son of Ares is the god of fear, and is probably there for psychological warfare and to bring chaos to the enemy ranks. The Griffin’s daughter is a speedster, and is great for focused hits and quick extractions of wounded/fallen members. The grandson of Phantom Rider and the unknown big guy in the back are probably his up-close combatants, good for punching and whipping. That leaves the son of Dr. Druid, who I know nothing about, but is probably there for a more supportive/psychological role, if he’s anything like his dad.
And that’s that. There were still some big things left hanging – mainly the fate of Agent Brand (who was last seen floating in a bubble with limited air) and, more importantly, the fate of Reed Richards. Only 3 and half weeks left till #4 comes out.
Skrull Watch
7 AprSo Secret Invasion #1 had finally been released. The wait, at last, is over, and we can finally get to some skrully goodness.
I decided, out of the pure goodness of my heart, to provide an analysis of the issue, and give you some of my theories and predictions. Just so you know – this is not a review. My review can be found elsewhere (for those who don’t read Hebrew, here’s a quick translation – it rocked!). So with that said, let’s get on with the analysis (naturally, there are spoilers here – so if you haven’t read the book, come back later).
Yu Da Man!
Many, including myself, have criticized Leinil Francis Yu’s pencil work. His art is very “messy” and in issues of New Avengers he’s been inking himself, which doesn’t look all that good. Secret Invasion is Yu’s claim to fame. He absolutely rocks on this book. Don’t believe me, check out this gorgeousness:
Let us list the possible turnoffs of Skrullectra:
Having said that, Skrullectra looks almost, dare I say it, beautiful in that panel.
Still not sold? Check out some of Yu’s “special effects” (i.e. things getting blown up):
On the left you see the Baxter Building getting sucked into the Negative Zone. The small image doesn’t do it justice, as the effect, on page, looks amazing. Filmed movies haven’t accomplished this effect as well as it looks here. On the right, is S.W.O.R.D., being blown to smithereens. Granted, the majority of the props go to colorist Laura Martin, but she had to have something to work off of. And that’s a damn good looking explosion.
It’s in the Eyes!
I think I may be on to something here. But take a look at these revealed Skrulls:
For those who don’t immediatly recognize the pictured persons, from left to right: Jarvis, Sue Storm, Hank Pym. Notice something funny about these three?
Yep, all three have clear, near ice-blue eyes. Is this a coincidence? Am I reading to much into the issue? I would think so, except the issue include so many shots of eye close-ups, you’d think you’re watching an episode of Lost. So my theory is this – the Skrulls may be master shape-shifters, but they have one weakness, one flaw – for some reason, they can’t do eyes. No matter what shape they take, they’re stuck with these blue eyes.
If this is indeed true, and the blue eyes are a Skrull marker, then a run through the issue reveals the following as possible skrulls:
Yep, that’s a big one. Tony Stark, a.k.a Iron Man. Could one of the biggest heroes in the Marvel U. actually be a Skrull? He is the biggest target, and there are about 3 close-ups on Stark’s baby-blues throughout the issue.
Ah, Generic S.W.O.R.D. Agent #552, how deceptive of you. Ok, this has absolutley no effect on the actual story, but it doesn’t it just look like Generic S.W.O.R.D. Agent #552 is speaking to Skrull-Skrull Dugan rather than Agent Brand? And G.S.A #552 could have helped Skrull-Skrull Dugan sneak a ginormous bomb on board…
This one’s important, as it’s another clue to the Blue-Eyes thing. Those reading Ms. Marvel‘s own series (or following up on interviews) know that Ms. Marvel is a Skrull. Or at least one them is, apparently there’s more than one walking around. If someone can get the eye-color of the other one, it may help…
So Songbird‘s a Skrull. Makes sense – seeing how she’s been on the Thunderbolts since day one. A good way to keep tabs on the most dangerous team currently operating in the Marvel U.
That’s Wolverine. He’s the only character in the book to get more eye-attention than Iron Man. And we’ll get back to him in a bit. Just, hold that thought.
The 70′s aren’t dead…
My basic theory is that some of these heroes are the real deal, while some are Skrulls in disguise. What I would guess is that wherever the Skrulls kept the heroes, they threw some undercover folks as well, and when the good guys escaped, the Skrulls came with them, to keep tabs on them and cause more confusion. Alright from left to right:
A Glance into the Past
I re-read New Avengers #1-6, House of M and Avengers: Disassembled, and I have to admit – there really are clues to Secret Invasion in those stories. In New Avengers #3 or 4, Wolverine joins the team. How does he join? He just shows up out of nowhere, in the middle of the Savage Land. When asked what he’s doing there, he replies with some cock-eyed reply. At the time, I just accepted it, but reading it now – it really reads as a lame excuse. Couple that with the fact I have a copy of the X-Men Encyclopedia, which states Wolverine’s eyes as being brown – and you come to the conclusion that Wolverine is Skrull. I don’t know if there are two running around, or if for this whole time Wolvy was a Skrull, but I’m willing to bet on it. Mark my words – Wolverine is a skrull.
Another potential Skrull I discovered while re-reading the older stories – Wasp. First off – notice how she’s conveniently absent from Secret Invasion #1 – the only Avenger not to be shown? That’s… suspicious. Secondly, if she is a Skrull, then she is single-handedly responsible for both Avengers: Disassembled and House of M. How so? In Disassembled (Avengers #502), Wasp and Wanda, in a flashback, are sitting by the pool chatting. Wasp brings up the topic of kids, and follows with “And you [Wanda] thought you could have two”. This follows:
If that’s not being evasive – I don’t know what is. Granted, Wasp wasn’t supposed to talk to Wanda about the kids. But had the Skrulls wanted Wanda to snap – wouldn’t that be the best way to go about it? Thus, of course, causing deaths amongst the Avengers and the decimation of the mutant population. If this theory turns out to be true, that my hat is off for Mr. Bendis as his planning of this whole thing has been nothing short of masterful.
Well, that’s it for now, hopefully the second issue will be just as good (if not better) and provide another lengthy post.