Spotlight Review : Secret Invasion #8 (of 8)

Secret Invasion #8 (of 8)
Publisher Marvel Comics
Writer Brain Bendis
Pencils Lenil Francis Yu
Inks Mark Morales
Colors Laura Martin

I had read another online review that was gushing praise of this book, but unfortunately certain "big" news websites are so dependent on the major companies giving them press releases and access to their creators that all of those reviews I have to look at with a hint of scepticism.

This book sucked - plain and simple.

The big death was the Wasp! I mean, sure she has been around since the sixties, but come on this character has never been anything more then a supporting player and most often a very minor one at that. Killing off an "original Avenger" is supposed to be a big deal, but even her death scene sucked and we know how long this type of death will last (see : Hawkeye and now Mockingbird).

Next the glowing reviews of the art. Listen Lenil Yu is a great draftsmen and has done some solid work, but the man is not George Perez or even Jerry Ordway, Ivan Reis, Dale Eaglesham, George Perez, Phil Jimenez, John Romita Jr (who I dislike) or a another 10 to 12 artist would have been much better for this crowd book and major fight scenes. There is a double page spread that the top half is all the humans being mad and ready to take it to the Skrulls and the characters look like crap and this was a big emotional moment of the book.

The actual battle was easily won by the good guys and the whole Skrull menace did not really change the world, the world changed because of manipulated "comic book" politics that puts the bad guys in charge of the MU.

By the way the bad guys consist of Namor (who has always been a Monarch of Atlantis and his bad guy good guy status wavers based on what is going on) and the White Queen, who has been firmly established as one of the good guys. I get that this is Bendis "evil Illuminati", but it comes across as very false. Also Loki has been played so subtlety and so dangerous as she fakes being a"good gal" in Thor, that putting her in this group is a crock. Which reminds me, about the art again - look at Loki and then go read Thor and look at Oliver Copiel's art and then tell me again that Yu's art is any good.

I will give Marvel credit for a few things, first they managed to sucker me in to buying this event, but I outsmarted them and did not pay all the hanging on mini-series. Second they have re-set the status quo again like they did with Civil War. And like Civil War last time, I believe only certain books will really feel the impact of these changes. Other books, like Brubaker's stuff, Nova and other books (X-titles) will be (I HOPE) left alone.

My summation, the war that was built up in so many books ended too damn easily. The ruination of Tony Stark was too damn easy and Norman Osborn pulling together this group is also way too easily accomplished. For all of Marvel's trumpeting how well this has been planned out for five years there were a f**king lot of rabbits being pulled out of hats to make this story go the way they wanted it to go.

My concern is that Marvel is allowing Bendis (and often Loeb) too much power and they may screw up other people's work that has been going well (books like Thor and Captain America are my major concerns).

If nothing else Marvel gets my dander up and manages to squeeze a little more out of what little love I have left for some of their characters.