Secret Avengers #22

Wow. Talk about a huge increase in quality. I wasn’t impressed with the Point One issue of Secret Avengers, and it had me worried about Rick Remender’s take on the team. For a book that I had been so excited about, I was pretty worried. I didn’t need to be, because once the real “first” issue hit, I couldn’t be happier.

Remender makes a brilliant move in making Captain Britain our POV character as we get to know the Secret Avengers. The opening scene on the Avengers Lighthouse HQ has two or three tremendous moments that left me grinning.

Once the team actually ships out to see some action, there are another handful of brilliant panels to keep the excitement level high. I’m not sure which I liked more, seeing Hawkeye spear his tiny foe, or imagine the glee Black Widow takes in beating the heck out religious extremists.

This book is absolutely jammed. I haven’t counted pages, but it sure feels like more than the normal 20 that Marvel puts in their books these days. You have a character moment, a team introduction, villain prologue, an actual fight, and a nice cliffhanger. That’s a great value for your $3.99!

I’m a huge Gabriel Hardman fan, after his wonderful work on Agents of Atlas. I’m not surprised that his Cap Britain looks powerful, his Beast is charming, his Black Widow a great mix of hot and dangerous. Instead, I’m going to give Hardman the highest praise I can imagine: he actually makes the new Hawkeye costume look cool. (I know, I can’t believe it either.)

(That Arthur Adams cover is pretty wonderful too!)

Excellent