Review- SECRET AVENGERS VOL. 2: EYES OF THE DRAGON

SECRET AVENGERS VOL. 2: EYES OF THE DRAGON (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Secret Avengers Nos. 6-12 (cover dates December, 2010- June, 2011)

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Mike Deodato and Will Conrad

Since Marvel is doing their Marvel Now campaign, I figured that I should catch up on my “current” Marvel then reading so that I can make an informed decision on which titles to continue reading. I am so far behind on my reading that it's not even funny. 

This is the “black ops” Avengers, sort of like X-Force for Avengers. There are so many flavors of Avengers these days that I can hardly keep them straight. The roster of this crew is Steve Rogers the Super Soldier (the artist formerly known as Captain America at the time of publication), Black Widow, Moon Knight, Ant-Man (3), War Machine, Beast, Sharon Carter (of S.H.I.E.L.D.), and Valkyrie. This is a pretty loose knit team, and I dig it. The Prince of Orphans is brought in as a ringer on this mission as well. Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung-Fu, is targeted by his father, Fu Manchu (referred to as “Shang-Chi's father” or his real name, Zheng Zu, since the Estate of Sax Rohmer won't allow Marvel to use the name of likeness of Fu Manchu any more) to complete a ritual which will bring him fully back to life. He is a quasi-zombie, half-life creature in this story. (The Rohmer estate declined a license to Marvel for the Master of Kung Fu Masterworks. Boo-urns.)

Max Fury, the rogue Life Model Decoy of Nick Fury, employs John Steele, the original super soldier, to assist Fu Manchu in his scheme. I won't go into any more specifics since I try to keep this as spoiler-free a zone as possible, even with “older” comics like this.

Ed Brubaker knocked another one out of the park, and the art team of Mike Deodato and Will Conrad is superb. If this creative team had stayed together I would have stuck with this title. Vol. 3 is by Warren Ellis, and I must try to resist the urge to buy it. Bottom line: this volume is great, and if they ever do a Secret Avengers Omnibus, I'm in.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Standard fare Marvel Premiere Edition Hardcover, with that great smelling glue. I am ill but I own it.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Thick coated stock with a slight sheen, perfect for material done with modern computer coloring.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Glued binding. I don't mind glued binding on thinner books like this. These books are made pretty solid and should hold up over the long haul.

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Review: Secret Avengers Vol. 1- Mission To Mars

SECRET AVENGERS VOL. 1: MISSION TO MARS (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)
Collects Secret Avengers Nos. 1-5 (cover dates July- November, 2010)
Ed Brubaker is one of the best talents writing for Marvel these days, and this title is no exception. While I was leery of the whole "X-Force" Avengers angle, it works just fine in Brubaker's more than capable hands. The line-up: Super Soldier (a/k/a Steve Rogers, the original Captain America), War Machine, Ant-Man (as in the Irredeemable, not Hank Pym), Nova, the Black Widow, Valkyrie, the Beast, and Moon Knight. Yes, Moon Knight. The Beast was an Avenger back in the '70s, so it was interesting to see him back in the fold. I wish that someone would undo Grant Morrison's uber-retarded secondary mutation, and pretty much every other change that Morrison did to the X-Men some 10 years ago. Enough is enough! This third incarnation of Ant-Man is interesting, in that he isn't much of a hero at all. War Machine was an Avenger when he was the second Iron Man in the mid-80s, so it's interesting to see him back in the group now that he's fully come into his own. This is a solid line-up, and I am in for the long haul with this title.