Secret Avengers #6 Review

I always wished Jonathan Hickman's Secret Warriors lasted longer than it did, or at least spawned a more direct sort of spinoff series. It took longer than expected, but we finally seem to have that Secret Warriors follow-up in the form of Nick Spencer's Secret Avengers. While the grandiose dialogue and some of the more esoteric elements of Hickman's writing are toned down, this series picks up right where Secret Warriors left off in terms of the S.H.I.E.L.D. power structure and the challenges of fighting wide-scale, clandestine wars in a 21st Century Marvel Universe.

Issue #6 kicks off a new story arc called "Iliad," though in practice this issue transitions pretty naturally from the last. Within S.H.I.E.L.D., Maria Hill is forced to deal with the political fallout of Daisy Johnson's sanctioned (and failed) assassination of A.I.M.'s Scientist Supreme as well as the controversy of the new commissioned Iron Patriot fleet. Abroad, several Avengers are caught in the midst of the growing turmoil on A.I.M. Island. This is a densely packed start to the new arc. Perhaps a little too packed. Spencer has so many characters and story threads to juggle that the overall momentum of the story is very slow and drawn out. Still, it's tough to complain much when the various pieces are so engrossing.

Above all, I enjoyed Spencer's return to Jim Rhodes after his rather unceremonious early departure from Iron Man 2.0. Spencer quickly redeems Rhodey here as the character takes charge of the Iron Patriot fleet in epic fashion. This, as with many tidbits in the series, is a little blatantly movie-inspired, but it fits nonetheless. The controversy of US-sanctioned drone attacks has an all too tangible connection to the real world.

Elsewhere, Spencer finally brings Taskmaster back into the forefront and focuses heavily on the growing divide between Maria Hill and Daisy Johnson. While issue #5 disappointed me in its sudden depiction of Maria betraying her commanding officer, the sting is eased as Spencer focuses more on Maria's perspective. And more Taskmaster is never a bad thing. It's science.

Perhaps the most notable change with the new arc is the debut of Butch Guice as penciller. It's difficult to imagine a more fitting choice. As evidenced by books like Captain America and Winter Soldier, Guice thrives in the seedy, espionage-flavored underbelly of the Marvel Universe. We may never have the privilege of seeing Jim Steranko render another S.H.I.E.L.D. comic, but Guice is the next best thing. He brings a similarly striking sense of design and textured, James Bond-esque quality to the Marvel Universe.

I have only two visual quibbles with this issue, neither of which are necessarily Guice's call. One is that Maria and Daisy really need something more to help distinguish them from one another. The fact that Spencer acknowledges their bizarre physical similarities in the script doesn't help. The other is that Taskmaster looks a bit strange in his modified, capeless costume. If a sleeker, more stealthy look is required, why not bow to fan demands and finally bring back the UDON-designed Taskmaster costume? I'd be tempted to give this series a 10 just for that.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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