***SPOILER ALERT***
Been wondering what happened when the Baxter Building disappeared during the first issue of Secret Invasion? Well wonder no more - this mini-series is going to tell you everything you need to know...
Issue one opens with a short prologue, telling the backstory of how Sue Richards was replaced by a Skrull (which could easily have been nicknamed / subtitled as: "how an alien posing as my husband almost used his extra terrestrial probe on me"). Soon after, the story jumps straight into the middle of Secret Invasion, allowing us to watch a different angle of the disappearing skyscraper, and a brief conversation between Johnny and Skrull-Sue.
After a few 'transition panels', Skrull-Sue confirms that the Baxter Building was (in part - only the top half) transported over to the Negative Zone. And - not just your average Negative Zone - but a sector of said zone that's filled full of giant bug like aliens (perhaps best described as a cross between big old spiders and something close to the Breed), all baying for the blood of The Thing, Franklin and little Val. So as you might expect, a fair old bit of 'running away from giant bugs' goes on throughout the book.
Bugs aside - an interesting question presents itself as the book reveals some of the finer details within its plot. "Does the Skrull agent that marooned Johnny, Ben, Franklin and Val have some kind of connection to the Fantastic Four...?"
I'll leave you to find out the answer to that one however (which is revealed on the last page of the book), as it's a doozy.
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Barry Kitson both do grand jobs of fleshing one of the sub-stories around Secret Invasion, keeping you interested enough to keep turning pages, and almost certainly coming back for issue 2.
Whether this is just a good start to a potentially mediocre mini-series, or the beginnings of something truly special however - remains to be seen...
Pete's Score: 4 out of 5
(one to watch - should give some interesting insights into the larger storyline within the Marvel U)
