Matters of Trust

Secret Invasion # 1 Cover
Originally uploaded by Gordon D

To be honest, I am so tempted to take a page from the Gene Siskel playbook.

When Friday the 13th was released, Siskel decided - in his review - to spoil the movie by revealing the ending. He stated that by doing so, he could discourage people from seeing what he felt was a bad movie. Accordingly, he received a lot of criticism for doing so, but he stood by his decision.

And now, I am tempted to spoil the plot of Marvel's Secret Invasion # 1, which I found a great premise...spoiled by slightly inept plotting, trite dialogue, and a twist that....well, I won't spoil it, but needless to say, it makes me wonder aloud about the quality control at Marvel.

(And, ironically, makes Frank Miller's work on All Star Batman & Robin look professional, polished, and a model of clarity)

Simply put, a recap of the past years' events is put forth: Elektra, killed in action in Japan, is discovered to be a Skrull. Worse, her alien nature was undetectable. In this comic, big events happen. People, for no reason, chant "He Loves You." Things explode. A ship crash lands. Heroes fight in one of those "misunderstandings" that only happen in the Marvel Universe. And...well, it's a mess, really. An incoherent mess that, with a twist that may or may not refer back to this event....well, the best way to describe it is this:

This book, in my opinion, actually makes One More Day look cautious and well planned.

Ironically, I was actually looking forward to this series - a Marvel Universe take on classic who-goes-there stories (like the original basis of John Carpenter's The Thing, or Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Unfortunately, Bendis takes an extremely heavy-handed, almost Michael Bay-esque approach, sacrificing many attempts to weave a coherent story in service of meeting a set of pre-established plot points. Although the art is serviceable, the story doesn't engage - just infuriate.

There is nothing wrong with reviving continuity, or casting new light on old stories; however, there is everything wrong when you do so while insulting a reader's intelligence. I don't mind big event comics, but given both Marvel's (and, to be fair, DC's) tendency towards one-big-event-after-another-with-little-breathing-room publishing...it's getting a little stifling.

I'm going to take the high road and not directly spoil the book - I think I've written enough for people to "read between the lines", and quite frankly, doing so would mean that I respect the book enough to warrant aggressively dissuading people that this book is bad.

And it's not. I will ask that, rather than purchase Secret Invasion # 1, use the money to buy an indie/small print comic. You will thank me for it later. Honest.

Not recommended