Secret Warriors #1
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Matthew Rosenberg
Artist: Javier Garrón
Colorist: Israel Silva
Cover: Tradd Moore & Matthew Wilson
Daisy “Quake” Johnson takes center stage in the latest tie-in to Secret Empire as a new group of Secret Warriors come together in a world overrun by Hydra. Rosenberg weaves a team assembly story with plenty of superhero action and drama to make it a likeable tie-in to an event that has polarized the Marvel fanbase.
Rosenberg gives this one to us in a non-linear timeline and fills it with a solid Daisy Johnson to carry the whole thing. He doesn’t keep her on the run for the majority of the book either but has her taking the fight to Hydra in her attempts to find a certain Inhuman. As we go back and forth in Quake’s day here, Rosenberg introduces Ms. Marvel and Moon Girl to the story along with the ever helpful Devil Dinosaur. Their interactions were some of the lighter moments that hit just the right amount of fun while Rosenberg raises the stakes and keeps an air of danger throughout the issue. Rosenberg also nails the voice of each character which makes for a more authentic read and keeps things entertaining even though this is a story formula that we’ve seen before.
Javier Garrón’s art delivers a nice balance between superhero action when needed but also is just as strong during the smaller moments in the story. There really isn’t an entire page where you’re let down whether it be the art or even the panel arrangements that help to heighten the action taking place. Most of the characters look great though once again another artist makes the aged Sharon Carter look a little weird. It’s only a brief moment but stands out from the other characters who look better. Lets also take notice of the colors by Israel Silva that take Rosenberg’s narrative to another level with the flashbacks. Those scenes are some of THE best especially the first one which contains some fine dialogue. These sequences when juxtaposed with the brighter present day panels give the feel of two distinctly different stories being told but connect perfectly.
If you go into Secret Warriors expecting something like the original series then you might be disappointed. However, this is a very solid tie-in and the fact that it’s not a carbon copy of what came before should be a relief. We also get an actual team of heroes to cheer for outside of the Resistance who we briefly saw in Secret Empire #1. The creative team deliver a nice intro to Quake’s new team and should be on your radar if you’re looking for something a bit lighter in the overall Secret Empire storyline.
Infinite Speech
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