The one where we talk about Secret Invasion

[Steviekick 0]

So Secret Invasion #1 came out today, and this is what's happened so far:

 

• A Skrull spacecraft crashed in the Savage Land. Both the New and Mighty Avengers went to investigate, ironically leading them to Sauron's base from the first New Avengers story arc. The ship contains what looks like the seventies/eighties versions of White Queen, Spider-Man, Power Man, Beast, Thor, Wonder Man, Invisible Girl, Jean Grey, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Mockingbird, Jewel, Captain America, Ms. Marvel and Wolverine.

• Sue Richards has been replaced by a Skrull, who uses a portal device to send the Baxter Building into the Negative Zone. Inside the building are Johnny Storm and Sue's kids, Franklin and Valerie.

• Jarvis the trusty Avengers butler has also been replaced by a Skrull, who hacks the Avengers computer system, effectively taking out the Avengers, Stark Enterprises and SHIELD bases. The Skrull also uses it to take control of the Iron Man armor, and shocking Tony Stark into a seizure A Skrull posing as Dum Dum Dugan takes out SHIELD's space station SWORD, and now a bunchy of Skrull warships are haded towards earth.

• The issue ends with Yellowjacket zapping Mr. Fantastic with some sort of Skrull weapon and revealing that he is a Skrull.

 

The last couple pages are some epilogues from Joe Quesada and Brian Bendis that say that the Skrull invasion has clues that go back to Secret War. Basically, they recommend a rereading of a bunch of Bendis books since he started at Marvel.

 

Storywise, I enjoyed this first issue. Over on Newsarama, Bendis said that the one thing that he wishes he learned from writing House of M was that the first issue of an epic really needs to start out strong, and I really think he did. There were reveals and plot twists every few pages. I'm sold on this for the next seven months.

 

Art wise, Leinil Yu is solid. Inker Mark Morales does a great job of making Yu's art work on this story. The art really helps take Yu out of his "guy who draws crazy ninja and rooftop fights" shell.

 

So, what did you think?

[Nightwing 0]

Leinil Yu's artwork normally annoys the shit out of me, but not as much this time.

 

Plotwise, I'm very interested, and I love the 70/80's characters throwback. It's a great ploy by the Skrulls, and this time it really feels like an honest-to-God invasion: They've covered all their bases and actually seem like they could be successful. Overall, I have a lot more faith in this crossover than most of Marvel's recent big crossovers (House of M was bad, Civil War was uneven, and World War Hulk was horrifyingly crappy), and I really don't mean that as a backhanded compliment.

[Steviekick 0]

I'm betting all but one of the 70's/80's Invaders is a skrull.

[Nightwing 0]

I don't care who is a Skrull, I just love the idea of it as a mind-fuck strategy:

 

You know that if the Skrulls wanted to get a ship in without being detected, they could do it. And you know they have members on both teams. Drawing the two "Big-Name" groups to the middle of absolute nowhere, spring their plan, cut off their only line of communication (Tony), and then completely fuck with their minds by revealing this huge group of... themselves coming out saying they finally made it out of the Skrull empire... I mean, bravo. That's quality planning there.

 

Also, anyone notice the "He loves you" lines that the Skrulls kept repeating? Gotta wonder how that works into the invasion reasoning.

[Steviekick 0]

I noticed the "he loves you" line, too.

 

Unfortunately, I missed out on a few of the pages, since the copy I picked up was a printer error.

 

 

 

[starvenger 0]

I don't care who is a Skrull, I just love the idea of it as a mind-fuck strategy

I think that's mostly what it is - a mind-fuck strategy. To make a blanket statement that ALL the contemporary doppelgangers are Skrulls is asking a lot. Although it WOULD negate all that Brand New Day business, so it wouldn't be all bad, right?

[Steviekick 0]

Having a skrull as Spider-Man is too reminiscent of the clone saga.

[Vyce 0]

I'm just wondering a few things (haven't read this yet).

 

1. What's the purpose of this invasion?

 

2. Are they going to reference the Annihilation saga at all? If you've followed that, you'd know that the Annihilation Wave pretty much *decimated* the Skrull Empire.

 

3. I'd love for them to use this to explain the horrible, glaring mischaracterizations of many of their characters in Civil War, but I doubt that's going to be the case.

[Steviekick 0]

I'm just wondering a few things (haven't read this yet).

 

1. What's the purpose of this invasion?

 

2. Are they going to reference the Annihilation saga at all? If you've followed that, you'd know that the Annihilation Wave pretty much *decimated* the Skrull Empire.

 

In the Illuminati mini series, the Skrulls decided they were going to invade Earth again, kind of as retaliation for the Skrull/Kree war. The destruction of the Skrull throne world pretty much has sped everything up. They also reveal in the first issue of SI that the Skrulls will take over Earth as some sort of ancient prophecy.

 

3. I'd love for them to use this to explain the horrible, glaring mischaracterizations of many of their characters in Civil War, but I doubt that's going to be the case.

 

Maybe. It should be interesting to see who gets revealed as a Skrull or not.

 

[Vyce 0]

I'm just wondering a few things (haven't read this yet).

 

1. What's the purpose of this invasion?

 

2. Are they going to reference the Annihilation saga at all? If you've followed that, you'd know that the Annihilation Wave pretty much *decimated* the Skrull Empire.

 

In the Illuminati mini series, the Skrulls decided they were going to invade Earth again, kind of as retaliation for the Skrull/Kree war. The destruction of the Skrull throne world pretty much has sped everything up. They also reveal in the first issue of SI that the Skrulls will take over Earth as some sort of ancient prophecy.

 

They're going to have to jump through some serious hurdles if they want to make it not egregiously lame.

 

Because so far, that premise sounds awful.

[Steviekick 0]

I'm still giving it time before I give a final verdict. At least for now, it is has my interest.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

So any chances of Captain America returning?

[Steviekick 0]

I'm going to say no for now.

 

The Steve Roger-less Captain America book is doing well both commercially and critically. I don't think Marvel would mess it up.

 

HOORA....new 6,000th post.

[Steviekick 0]

http://uk.comics.ign.com/articles/865/865334p1.html

 

Great interview with Bendis. Best line is that they are going to have an Avenger mocked by the Skrulls that he/she wasn't even worth posing sa.

[starvenger 0]

http://uk.comics.ign.com/articles/865/865334p1.html

 

Great interview with Bendis. Best line is that they are going to have an Avenger mocked by the Skrulls that he/she wasn't even worth posing sa.

Hasn't Dr. Druid been mocked enough?

[FroGG_NeaL 0]

Who're you to doubt Dr. Druid?

[starvenger 0]

Who're you to doubt Dr. Druid?

Well, have you read those issues? There wasn't much to the character until that Druid miniseries...

[Steviekick 0]

I like how Dr. Druid predates the Fantastic Four.

[Steviekick 0]

 

This cover for Secret Invasion #4 was posted over at IGN. It looks like Nick Fury will beback very soon.

[Sideburnious 0]

That's pretty cool, Fury being in hiding has been a pretty cool storyline. I'm guessing the Secret war they're refering to is the Bendis one from a few years back.

 

The first issue was definatly a solid opener. They've set up several plot points that probably won't be put in motion till about 4 issues, but it's an issue of good storytelling. I've always liked Yu's artwork and have felt Bendis has been always harshly, unfairly criticised. He's probably one of Marvel's best writers.

 

Edit: Also, has it been explained to what happens to people who have been replaced? In the New Avengers before the Invasion it was implied that a skrull was going to kill Echo to take her place. Elecktra has supposedly been dead for a while, so it could have been a skrull since her return. I just doubt Pym/ Sue Storm are dead.

[starvenger 0]

Was there really a need to make Fury look like Hasselhoff?

[FroGG_NeaL 0]

yes. for 20 years now.

[Steviekick 0]

The Hasselfhoff Fury movie wasn't totally awful.

[starvenger 0]

Speaking of the Hoff-er, Nick Fury, this week's Mighty Avengers is all about Nick. And the last page seems to have clues as to who may be a Skrull...

[Steviekick 0]

So Secret Invasion #2 came out this week. Not as heavy hitting, but the following things happened:

 

Iron Man

is building a

new secret base in Magneto's old lair in the Savage Land because the Skrulls have taken out the rest of his bases.

 

Spidey and Hawkeye from the space ship

are revealed to be Skrulls.

 

On the other side,

Mockingbird

is not a Skrull.

This seems to be legit because Hawkeye/Ronin asks her what significance Oct. 12 has (the birth of their stillborn child).

 

Spaceship Vision

reveals himself to Sentry to be

Sentry's evil the Void personality

.

 

Manhattan

gets invaded by

an army of Super Skrulls!

 

Enjoy!

[Steviekick 0]

Oh...here is Steve McNiven's variant cover for Secret Invasion #3....

[starvenger 0]

Mighty Avengers was a pretty fun read. The Ultimate Nick Fury disguise was played off well, and the Layla Miller cameo was nice.

[Steviekick 0]

Yeah. As a whole, Secret Invasion has been fun. I hope it has a decent ending.

[Steviekick 0]

Yeah. As a whole, Secret Invasion has been fun. I hope it has a decent ending.

[Nightwing 0]

God, I wish I could get that Fury picture without the other characters as a desktop. That pose and outfit looks badass.