REVIEW: Secret Invasion - 4

So we've hit the halfway point with Secret Invasion. But is it still the roller-coaster ride of previous months? Or is it starting to peter out a little?

***HEFTY SPOILER ALERT***

As you might expect after the cliffhanger ending of issue three (Nick Fury's entrance / Spider-Woman messing with Iron Man's mind) - the action picks up almost immediately, taking a quick moment out to link in some moments from the tie in books (The Sentry fleeing earth, Ms Marvel leaving a Skrull in space, Agent Brand in earth's atmosphere, etc), before throwing us into the heat of the battle in Times Square.

Nick's Commandos start kicking some ass and taking some names, and Phobos helps turn the tide of battle by turning the Skrulls against themselves. Not before Nick Fury blasts Ms Marvel into Skrull territory however.

Back in the Savage Land, Tony is still on the receiving end of Jessica Drew's mind-games, which are doing their job in making him believe that he could be a Skrull. The Black Widow provides a timely intervention in the shape of an injection of adrenaline, but Spider-Woman appears to escape...

Over in Times Square, a flash of lightening can be seen, and from the heavens the outline of Thor descends - all watched by Captain America from a distance... But which Captain America?

Happily - Bendis and Yu show no signs of letting up with Secret Invasion, once again delivering a golden example of good storytelling and excellent artwork. Every month that goes by is a testament to the sheer brilliance of this double-act, which I hope (perhaps vainly) will continue far beyond this series.

On a slight downer - I couldn't help but think that maybe it was time for the battle to change location. People are still fighting in Times Square and the Savage Land, and although this is only a few hours (or probably less) for everyone involved - its been nearly four months for us...

Pete's Score: 4 out of 5
(ongoing battle or no - still an excellent comic - recommended)

REVIEW: Captain America - 37

***SPOILER ALERT***

I've been wondering where this book will go for quite some time now. Since Steve Rogers' death just a month after Civil War, I've been expecting some kind of resurrection. I've been expecting it - but I really haven't been wanting it.

Killing Captain America was a hugely gutsy move. For me - it was more than another 'Death of Superman', or 'Broken Bat' storyline - it was Marvel strapping on a pair, and doing a Captain Marvel. Or at least - that's what I wanted it to be.

I really have no idea if Steve Rogers is going to stay dead, or if he'll be back in Secret Invasion - but I'd be hugely impressed if things stay as they are.

I'm a fan of change in comic books. Having Bruce Wayne take two years out from being Batman (in our time - not his) with Jean-Paul Valley and Dick Grayson filling his boots was a good move, killing Sue Dibney in Identity Crisis was a good call and snapping Gwen Stacy's neck was a master stroke.

Change in comic books makes for great unexpected storylines - and great unexpected storylines make me want to buy comic books in a big way.

At the moment, Captain America seems to be laying the groundwork for a new kind of storyline, giving more clues to a larger 'something', while leaving the 'will Steve return' question dangling.

Because of all of this - it's a tough comic to review. I'm pretty torn by it.

Looking at it from a standalone point of view - I can't talk about how much I loved it, because I was only mildly impressed with it. It was even lacking in some areas. But having said that - I can't say I didn't like it, because I actually did, quite a bit.

So - because I think this is laying the groundwork for something big - I'd recommend a buy. But - I can't rate it highly as a standalone issue.

Pete's Score: 3 out of 5

(I'm betting that reading this book will pay off in the long run)