SPOILERS OF WAR: Secret Invasion #3

[Jonah Weiland]

In this week's “Secret Invasion” #3, the Skrulls take Manhattan, heroes turn on each other, and a long-absent ... well, we won't spoil it. Writer Brian Michael Bendis joins CBR to help navigate the intricacies of the issue page-by-bloody-page.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=16695

[HeckBoy]

I still don't get why Captain Skrull-Vell is attacking the Thunderbolts. Didn't he decide to rebel against his fellow Skrulls at the end of his mini?

[mikekerr3]

I still don't get why Captain Skrull-Vell is attacking the Thunderbolts. Didn't he decide to rebel against his fellow Skrulls at the end of his mini?

Did he hurt any of the good guys, one or more was probably a Skrull and he took them all down, Villian, Skrulls no good guys here to worry about. That my best guess.

[firstmode]

Wow.....

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff312/firstmode/vision.jpg

[firstmode]

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff312/firstmode/jarvis.jpg

[firstmode]

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff312/firstmode/tonyskrull.jpg

[firstmode]

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff312/firstmode/furey.jpg

[jackolover]

So Spiderwoman has been the Queen Skrull right from the very beggining, before New Avengers #1. That means she knows everything - Quake, and how she works, so there is no mystery, here, and when the Howlers come marching in, be prepared that Skrull Queen has a way to take Daisy out. I was hoping Jessica was switched at NA #15, when MA #14 showed the Skrull meeting, but now it seems like Jessica never existed, and the Skrull Queen just took a fresh identity. I feel cheated of seeing a kickass heroic Jessica Drew, when all the time it was a fake.

Bendis is so non-commital about Tony being a Skrull that it looks like Tony is just being messed with, instead of actually being Skrully, and that disappoints me.

[firstmode]

What are the powers of Nick Furey's team again?

[firstmode]

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff312/firstmode/skrulls.jpg




I knew these guys could not be taken out so easy by the New Avengers and the Initiative..... Seriously...... They were made to stop the Avengers, etc.

[hierro_boshid0]

*SPOILERS IN THIS POST*


Holy big s$#% @ Fury's gun lol

He totally plasma f$#%ed that skrull into apple sauce with that big s@#%.

But I'm gonna be pissed if Stark ends up a Skrull. Sneaky Marvel writters. I liked the fact Toney was a human leading the humans for the Civil War and I definantly liked seeing him "sort of" portrayed as the bad guy during the Civil War. That take on his character was well done I thought.

But yeah, this was an awesome issue.

Skrulls are brutal. If they had theme music, it would be Metallica.

[hierro_boshid0]

What are the powers of Nick Furey's team again?

They're all in Mighty Avengers 13.

I remember the Puerto Rican chick has super speed and some guy has a chain that catches on fire or somthing lol. Or he grabbed the chain and made it to fire lol.

[Bobby!]

I e-mailed Dan Slott and asked him, “I’ve got to start popping off some guys here, who can I pop off?” He gave me a list. I know people hate it when they find out there’s an execution list. They’re like, “I want to see that list!” But I ‘m telling you this because Dan put a lot of thought into these characters and some of them were built for this. He knew going in what was going to happen. So this is Dan Slott approved. Blame him!

Not to discount Bendis, but I wonder if this goes even deeper. Proton, IIRC, was the 616 version of Geldoff in Ultimate Spidey, right? Bendis created the original Geldoff and he turned out to be something of a joke (putting it lightly!!). The moment I saw Geldoff in 616 continuity, I just thought the guy wouldn't have much of a happy ending. I guess it's fitting for Bendis to put the final target on his head.

I loved the issue...Bendis did a great job of balancing the different scenes, characters and locales, which is not always his strong suit.

[carabas]

Nitpick: whomever is responsible for the recap page spoiled the spider-Woman reveil by clearly marking her as a Skrull on.

[GalactaSurfer]

My guess for what going on in that scene with Tony and Jessica is that shes activating some brainwashing the Skrulls did in NA:Illuminatti when they were caught. Stark has that same kinda look he had when he was their prisoner.

[timbox]

I love these Spoilers of War articles, nice to get some insight from the writer.

[Jmacq1]

My guess for what going on in that scene with Tony and Jessica is that shes activating some brainwashing the Skrulls did in NA:Illuminatti when they were caught. Stark has that same kinda look he had when he was their prisoner.

Ooooh, good thought.

[cpahl2000]

Secret Invasion is getting hot! I loved Issue # 3 and I can´t wait to read the next chapter.

[firstmode]

Dude, I did not spoil anything by pasting that page, this is a SPOILER thread, the whole issue is expected to be spoiled.

[Beast]

Nitpick: whomever is responsible for the recap page spoiled the spider-Woman reveil by clearly marking her as a Skrull on.
No they didn't. The reveal of her being a Skrull was clear in the first two issues.

Considering she was plotting against Tony Stark in front of his own loyal butler that was also a Skrull.

And manipulated events to ensure that both teams of Avengers were trapped in the Savage Land.

[Bobby!]

No they didn't. The reveal of her being a Skrull was clear in the first two issues.

Considering she was plotting against Tony Stark in front of his own loyal butler that was also a Skrull.

And manipulated events to ensure that both teams of Avengers were trapped in the Savage Land.

And that it was revealed in NA 40 (i think that was the number...the Cheung issue)..., and further reinforced in 41. It's actually relatively old news. Some may say it left it up to speculation in NA 40, but either way...it was pretty clear prior to SI 3

[HeckBoy]

No they didn't. The reveal of her being a Skrull was clear in the first two issues.

Considering she was plotting against Tony Stark in front of his own loyal butler that was also a Skrull.

And manipulated events to ensure that both teams of Avengers were trapped in the Savage Land.

And that it was revealed in NA 40 (i think that was the number...the Cheung issue)..., and further reinforced in 41. It's actually relatively old news. Some may say it left it up to speculation in NA 40, but either way...it was pretty clear prior to SI 3Yeah, maybe it's just b/c I've been reading it on the boards for awhile, but it seemed obvious to me that Spider-Woman was a Skrull prior to this issue. It just lacked the "proper" confirmation until now.

[worstblogever]

I always think back to the New Avengers arc in Japan... the first trip... where Captain America falls out of the Quinjet, and Spider-Woman has to rush into flying down to save him...

And I wonder if the Skrull Empress just did that to remove doubt from herself... or... I dunno...

[Jmacq1]

I always think back to the New Avengers arc in Japan... the first trip... where Captain America falls out of the Quinjet, and Spider-Woman has to rush into flying down to save him...

And I wonder if the Skrull Empress just did that to remove doubt from herself... or... I dunno...

Well, there's a precedent for a Skrull royal woman to have a thing for blonde-haired, blue-eyed moral paragons..... :wink:

Or it's possible that Skrull-Queen had plenty of "sleeper programming" just like Skrull-Vell, and thus for most of her New Avengers run was acting/reacting like Jessica normally would have. It then wouldn't be until recently that she was consciously acting as a Skrull.

[Kefky]

It would have been WAY too suspicious for her not to have helped Cap in that situation, specially when everybody in the team was already giving her funny looks because of the situation with Madame Hydra. She couldn't blow her cover like that.

[Jmacq1]

I wonder if they might do a "retrospective" after Secret Invasion is over and show us where all the little "clues" were leading up to it.

[Kefky]

I'm hoping Bendis does that in interviews and such. I definitely plan on asking him some questions about it in the bendis tapes.

[streator]

looks good, nice to have bendis' comments as well.

[Gnarl]

Pretty smashing. The Young Avengers and the Initiative going down that easy was actually a bit of a relief.

The sheer power of some of those Super-Skrulls...there is one with the powers of Black Bolt, Namor, Dr. Strange and Iron Man. A Thor plus one, a Phoenix, an Eternals Skrull.

Each of them should be able to massacre the assembled forces opposing them! Alone.

I have no idea what Fury thinks he is doing. I hope they are not going to just kill them off with some lame cop-out.

These could provide some truly powerful bad guys for years to come, don't devalue them right out of the gate!

[Magneto Rocks]

It was already very, very obvious Tony wasn't a skrull, but this interview just further confirmed it. I wish Bendis didn't spend quite so much time trying to convince us that this Cap is real and Tony may be a Skrull when we already know for a fact that neither of those things are true.

Marvel point blank stated it, rather than being non-commital. And people continue to claim they've lied before and continue to not cite- for example, people are now claiming Marvel PROMISED Spider-Man would not be unmasked in the next year or so, when they... didn't. I should know, I was following pretty closely, and no-one ever sources it anyway. So, yeah... Tony's not a skrull. Let's move on.

[wooten16]

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff312/firstmode/furey.jpg

The guy in the top left who looks like Sagat from street fighter without the patch...did they ever explain what his powers were? Best as I recall Daisy payed his bail and got him out of jail and that was that. Or did I miss something along the way?

[RonnieThunderbolts]

The guy in the top left who looks like Sagat from street fighter without the patch...did they ever explain what his powers were? Best as I recall Daisy payed his bail and got him out of jail and that was that. Or did I miss something along the way?

No powers, and most likely no hints as to who he is connected to, as we only got his name (Jerry Sledge) and none of the others have names that correspond to their familial connections yet (Daisy Johnson was born Cory Sutter and is the daughter of Calvin Zabo, YoYo Rodriguez is the daughter of Johnny Horton) so we have very little, if anything at all, to go on yet for him.

[Excelsior]

Nick Fury's glock should have been called the RBFG
"Really Big F*n Gun"

[rZi]

What a joke

Again, nothing happend.

Bendis is stretching this out like every other book he's on

and Yu's art was so messy and busy i couldn't see wtfunk was going on in most panels.

What a dissapointment

[drinkblatzbeer]

Not sure if anyone pointed it out yet, but with Tony I am sure this is her playing a trick.
The clue to that, his eye...hasn't most other reveals in other books reevolved around a close-up or eye shot and it being red? Tony's stays blue...

honestly, I think that's the giveaway...

as for the story, i've been reading it at the local shop...it's been enjoyable and I do love the tie-in covers from new and mighty avengers, but glad I haven't been spending my money on it...

[wooten16]

Nick Fury's glock should have been called the RBFG
"Really Big F*n Gun"

Glocks are some of the finest hand guns in the world. I myself own a glock 21. Probably the best hand gun I have ever shot. So I personally think it's fitting to see Fury with a big ass glock.

[Beast]

What a joke

Again, nothing happend.

Bendis is stretching this out like every other book he's on

and Yu's art was so messy and busy i couldn't see wtfunk was going on in most panels.

What a dissapointment
Nothing happened? Are you serious?

[Ghost Shark]

Perhaps rZi read a different comic than the rest of us?

[Nate X-Man]

Craptasitc!

So glad i dropped marvel after HoM (with the exception of Annihilation).

[Nyssane]

I wanna know what Diamondback was hoping to achieve in a battle with Skrulls. She's gonna throw some diamonds at them? I mean, really...

She should be replaced by Anaconda.

[ColonelLee]

Great stuff. I dig it.

I hope that Tony is a Skrull. Man...that would be great.

Captain America? I hope he was on that Skrull ship from the 70's and is the real deal. Which makes sense if Tony was a Skrull. Because Skrull Tony orchestrated all the Cap funeral and stuff.

Great work on the Spiderwoman thing, Mr. Bendis.

I hated Civil War, by the way. But now I love it if Tony was a Skrull and Cap is alive. Because that is a twist that is so cool.

[rZi]

Nothing happened? Are you serious?

Most definatley, not exactly alot of story progression now was there? Alot of actions yes, if you like that sort of thing

[scouse mouse]

Im glad Bendis didn't go with a Spider Woman series with her Skrull copy and not the real Jessica. That would have infuriated a lot of people! His comments give me hope that Elektra's Skrullness wont mean retconning any of her ongoing series. I bought those books for her, not a dirty Skrull rip off!

[Jmacq1]

Most definatley, not exactly alot of story progression now was there? Alot of actions yes, if you like that sort of thing

Actions are story progression. If you don't like comic stories or mini-series that last more than one issue, don't buy them.

And if you don't like action...why the heck do you read superhero comic books?

[SeritoNiN]

Said it elsewhere, I'll say it here, series woulda been a home run had it been 5 issues and 48 pages each.

This is too little for 30 days, especially considering there's hardly any dialogue.

There's too much going on to make this a regular sized book every month.

I don't know what the DC fanboys are doing coming in here and ripping this apart though, they must not of gotten their copy of Final Crisis yet, oye, you want to talk about "nothing happening" holy Lord, I was all about jumping ship until I read that book, what a load.

Anyone else notice the 8 part new gods mini was supposed to be the most important part of final crisis, which had superman in it, yet in final crisis superman has no clue about the death of any gods. What is he a skrull? :rolleyes:

I'm not saying Invasion is a home run, or even a base hit yet, but I HATE when people come in here and claim dc is doing better. Not this time around. They're just as guilty of sloppy continuity, pointless tie-in's and milking directors cuts.

[rZi]

Actions are story progression. If you don't like comic stories or mini-series that last more than one issue, don't buy them.

And if you don't like action...why the heck do you read superhero comic books?

I like action, but i perfer Story.

And i cannot exactly ignore this book as it will have huge ramifcations on the MU, or atleast it's implied much like CW....soon all the tiein's will kick in, so i can't exactly not buy it.

And it's not a problem with the story being more than 1 issue long, i like these big epic events, CW was really enjoyable and that lasted 7. My complaint is enough has happend in the past 2 issues for my liking, and thats just opinion.

If you enjoy it congrats i guess

[sookibong]

I'm bothered by the fact that the final page of #2 implied that the story would explode from thereon when it really just plateaued in #3. The only major thing to happen was Fury's appearance at the end. Everything else was pretty much an extrapolation of select events from the last issue.

[Supermutant2099]

Damn joe q and bendis. Bendis been down hill since starting Avengers Disambled. Joe q orchstrated or let marvel go straight to hell. Few good books left and one of the books I was really looking forward now get told it was just one big fake out on fans. Spider-Woman has been a skrull since New Avengers #1. I was hoping it wasn't that far back but now to find out that it is. I hope Evil Joe Q, Bendis, Miller, Morrison, Dido all go to hell when they die torture by creators fan they have screwed over by messing up great charcters.

[sookibong]

Oy, just shut up.

[Beast]

Damn joe q and bendis. Bendis been down hill since starting Avengers Disambled. Joe q orchstrated or let marvel go straight to hell. Few good books left and one of the books I was really looking forward now get told it was just one big fake out on fans. Spider-Woman has been a skrull since New Avengers #1. I was hoping it wasn't that far back but now to find out that it is. I hope Evil Joe Q, Bendis, Miller, Morrison, Dido all go to hell when they die torture by creators fan they have screwed over by messing up great charcters.
Get some help my friend. It's only comics. No need to foam at the mouth over them.

You need to realize some fans are enjoying what's going on.

[Jmacq1]

So you registered simply to be a troll and bad mouth Bendis and Quesda as well as the fans? Bravo.

Shh! Don't cater to his desperate need for attention!

[Guest_1001]

If only Captain Britain wasn't blown up. He was made for punching the heads off Skrulls.

Only rather oddly, while the Skrulls were the fodder in CB&MI13 #1, it was the Young Avengers and Initiative who were the fodder here. Bit of a twist.

[Chiasm]

This series is fast becoming very disappointing. Which is especially sad because the development of it was great. I absolutely love how Bendis has been working this story in for four or five years now. But the payoff is just doing nothing for me as it seems all we are getting are big battle scenes with very little actual plot movement. I know Bendis is the king of decompressed storytelling but this series is ridiculous.

I also think Marvel screwed up with the timing on Nick Fury's return. SI #3 should have come out before the issue where we saw Nick gathering up his new team. That way his return at the end of SI #3 would have actually had a HOLY **** feel to it. Instead it was very ho hum since we knew it was coming. Had they held the gathering issue until next week it would have been much better.

[RazorBats79]

WOW! Right now Lenil Yu is my favorite working artist. He is truly great! The whole team is. The book is defiantly in top form. Alive and very well colored!
Yu even makes the new Venom look cool.

[RazorBats79]

Shh! Don't cater to his desperate need for attention!

Yeah, please don't feed the weed!

[Chiasm]

WOW! Right now Lenil Yu is my favorite working artist. He is truly great! The whole team is. The book is defiantly in top form. Alive and very well colored!
Yu even makes the new Venom look cool.

:eek:

To each their own I guess. SI hasn't been so bad since an inker has been covering up most of Yu's lines but his work on New Avengers over the last few years has made both my eyes and those of the characters he draws bleed.

[Brother Zag]

Well...

I guess now we know where the HATERS from the NEWSARAMA boards have gone after not being able to log in over there.

And, apparently, it takes about three pages before they show up.

I wonder if they have a standard rant about Bendis and Quesada they have saved on their desktop, ready to cut and paste whenever they have the urge to vomit their ignorant bile on the boards?

Me? I love it when a plan comes together...

Great story, fantastic art, loads of clues from the last couple years paying off in spades... this is a great example of what mainstream comics can be... actually, should be. Beautiful.

[Don't pee in the (Dead)pool]

If only Captain Britain wasn't blown up. He was made for punching the heads off Skrulls.

Only rather oddly, while the Skrulls were the fodder in CB&MI13 #1, it was the Young Avengers and Initiative who were the fodder here. Bit of a twist.

Being a fellow Brit, I think it's great that we're portrayed as badasses in this series. The Skrulls will learn the lesson, never try to invade Old Blighty!:smile:

[Guest_1001]

Being a fellow Brit, I think it's great that we're portrayed as badasses in this series. The Skrulls will learn the lesson, never try to invade Old Blighty!:smile:

I know, I totally agree. I tend to refrain from calling the CB&MI13 skrulls "fodder" and think it kind of shows how underrated the Brit heroes are by the average poster. It's Captain Britain, of course he can kick the crap out of skrulls. Same goes for Wisdom, Spitfire, John The Skrull, The Black Knight (obviously) . . .

I just used the term "fodder" here for fun.

[Monty_Cristo]

Being a fellow Brit, I think it's great that we're portrayed as badasses in this series. The Skrulls will learn the lesson, never try to invade Old Blighty!:smile:

i wish that Paul Cornell were writing the main Invasion series.

[brundlefly]

And i cannot exactly ignore this book as it will have huge ramifcations on the MU, or atleast it's implied much like CW....soon all the tiein's will kick in, so i can't exactly not buy it.

Been working pretty well for me so far. I have absolutely no desire to pick this overhyped 'event miniseries' up and I refuse to be bullied by "but you have to because of all the aftermath ramifications to the MU" into buying something that I know won't be very good, based on the writer's style & track record. I gave the SI issues a brief flip at my LCS to get the gist and then the posters and issue threads here @ CBR helpfully fill in any of the blanks as far as possible repercussions to other books go. You don't have to buy this series if you're not enjoying it, and the only way to properly register your non-enjoyment of it to Marvel is with your wallet. :wink:

[SeritoNiN]

This series is fast becoming very disappointing. Which is especially sad because the development of it was great. I absolutely love how Bendis has been working this story in for four or five years now. But the payoff is just doing nothing for me as it seems all we are getting are big battle scenes with very little actual plot movement. I know Bendis is the king of decompressed storytelling but this series is ridiculous.

I also think Marvel screwed up with the timing on Nick Fury's return. SI #3 should have come out before the issue where we saw Nick gathering up his new team. That way his return at the end of SI #3 would have actually had a HOLY **** feel to it. Instead it was very ho hum since we knew it was coming. Had they held the gathering issue until next week it would have been much better.

Exactly how I feel. 100%.

I really, really want to like this series, but it's going at a snail's pace. Honestly the first 3 issues read like one really good first issue.

[drakeon]

I have a feeling that Spider-Woman was replaced by the queen in the scene in the Spider-Woman flashback where the "hydra" agent offers to give her back her powers in return for service. I think it was in the Spider-Woman special one-shot and also it was shown in the pages of New Avengers #14-15.

Instead of her geeting her powers back she was taken and replaced by the queen, making every Spider-Woman appearance since New Avengers #1 the queen.

[Imraith Nimphais]

Been working pretty well for me so far...

And for me, as well. While I do love Yu's artwok tremendously...I really could not give a crab's buttock about the whole Skrull/Secret Invasion plot...When all is said and done It really and truly isn't going to change how I view the rest of the MU...so there really is no need for me to bugger my wallet over it...I too just flip through at the store and I'm okies with that.

[Fatguy]

Bah, there's no way Stark is a Skrull. It's too obvious. And boring.

[mikekerr3]

i wish that Paul Cornell were writing the main Invasion series.

YES .......

[mikekerr3]

Bah, there's no way Stark is a Skrull. It's too obvious. And boring.

But it would explain so much:biggrin:

[Darkjoe1990]

I always think back to the New Avengers arc in Japan... the first trip... where Captain America falls out of the Quinjet, and Spider-Woman has to rush into flying down to save him...

And I wonder if the Skrull Empress just did that to remove doubt from herself... or... I dunno...


That means that the green haired chick in hydra is definatly a skrull cause Jessica lett her go when they left japan. Wonder if skrulls in things like AIM or Hydra will get any light shed on them we still dont know why the prisons all realeased I'm thinking it's more than just to spread chaos.

[spidarwin]

And you can look forward to appearances by a guy with a hammer and a guy with a shield.


Clor and Taskmaster?

[Will.S]

Clor and Taskmaster?
Beta Ray Bill and US Agent.

[kidpernicious]

Not sure if anyone pointed it out yet, but with Tony I am sure this is her playing a trick.
The clue to that, his eye...hasn't most other reveals in other books reevolved around a close-up or eye shot and it being red? Tony's stays blue...

honestly, I think that's the giveaway...
Actually if you look at that zoom-in on his eye, the very last panel of page 24, around his pupil the color is very subtly blue-green. I wanna say that's deliberately trying to play up the Skrull possibility but making it easy to miss or think it's nothing. Or think it's something. Er, you know what I mean. I think they colored it to look at first pass like nothing, but just slightly put in a whisper of a clue to say just maybe otherwise. Like maybe that image is a split-second before his eyes fully change to green but we aren't shown that because it'd be too concrete a confirmation.

[Frank]

I wonder why Francis Yu's style has changed into a Kevin Nowlan-type parody. It isn't appealing at all. I wish he would go back to a more clean style he had during the adventurous Wildstorm series "Crossroad".

[storm_willing_slave]

Actions are story progression. 39°5 Le Soir. And if you don't like action...why the heck do you read superhero comic books?
Oh burn!
Well...

I guess now we know where the HATERS from the NEWSARAMA boards have gone after not being able to log in over there.

And, apparently, it takes about three pages before they show up.

I wonder if they have a standard rant about Bendis and Quesada they have saved on their desktop, ready to cut and paste whenever they have the urge to vomit their ignorant bile on the boards?

Me? I love it when a plan comes together...

Great story, fantastic art, loads of clues from the last couple years paying off in spades... this is a great example of what mainstream comics can be... actually, should be. Beautiful.
I agree. Some are trying to sell their disappointment to the masses. I wish I could say they are right about SI "moving at a snail pace or that nothing has happened", but those statements are widely false! Well at least those not liking it won't have to waster their money or come back...or will they?:smile:

[AZPolaris]

I cannot get enough of this series. I am loving every minute of it. I am not a fan of everything Bendis, but this story is a great ride. I have been a fan of Leinil's since his Wolverine run years ago. I think his growth as an artist has gone in a direction that you either love or hate. I love it. His New Avengers run put that book to my # 1, and I am all about the X. Bendis has weaved an exciting, fast-paced, intricate story and, IMO, it has not been predictable. I have been a serious reader since West Coast Avenger (MOCKINGBIRD RULES!!!) and I am 100% on board with this story, and cannot wait to see where it goes.

That being said, I really respect those that are not buying if they are not enjoying. I agree that we, the fans, need to voice our concerns and opinions to the powers that be. I think you can also be reading this story because of the characters, and not just because it is written by any particular writer. Read or not, I think big $&!# is gonna follow.

[AZSilverback]

Maybe Fury and the new Howling Commandos will kill some Skrulls, and along the way, bring some EXCITEMENT to this rather lackluster series. People talk about Morrison being slow to bring a story to fruition...Bendis isn't much better. I basically got the idea for this issue off of both covers, without really needing to crack the book. Thank God I didn't buy these books.

[Guest_1001]

You joined up to say that . . . you joined up . . . to say that . . .

[Monty_Cristo]

Clor and Taskmaster?

i wish it were Ant-Man and Taskmaster. i could see them hiding out in a hardware store during the invasion and being forced to kill a bunch of skrulls with power tools and whatnot.

[yeswad]

even after reading bendis' quotes in this, i still dont believe that spider-woman is the skrull queen. im betting that she was going to be abducted, but took out the queen and is now playing it up as a quadruple agent. shes spider-woman as the skrull queen masking as spider-woman. i think her interaction with iron man in this is just her trying to trigger him if he is a skrull. i also think thats why she hopped off new avengers to join up wight mighty avengers. shes trusting no one and tyring to pinpoint who the skrulls are. bendis is just trying to throw people off the scent with his comments.

[Big Red Spider]

even after reading bendis' quotes in this, i still dont believe that spider-woman is the skrull queen. im betting that she was going to be abducted, but took out the queen and is now playing it up as a quadruple agent. shes spider-woman as the skrull queen masking as spider-woman. i think her interaction with iron man in this is just her trying to trigger him if he is a skrull. i also think thats why she hopped off new avengers to join up wight mighty avengers. shes trusting no one and tyring to pinpoint who the skrulls are. bendis is just trying to throw people off the scent with his comments.

Then why did she kill Echo?

i wish it were Ant-Man and Taskmaster. i could see them hiding out in a hardware store during the invasion and being forced to kill a bunch of skrulls with power tools and whatnot.

Ant-Man should stow aboard a skrull ship. Maybe spy on some hermaphrodites in the shower.

[Monty_Cristo]

Ant-Man should stow aboard a skrull ship. Maybe spy on some hermaphrodites in the shower.

my money's still on him offering his own unconditional surrender rather than fight the skrulls. someone has to do it and Eric is that man! could lead into an 'Ant-Man: Treason' mini.

[SirIvy]

Beta Ray Bill and US Agent.

From the cover to issue six it looks to be Thor and Bucky.

[Monty_Cristo]

From the cover to issue six it looks to be Thor and Bucky.

image inducers???

[SeritoNiN]

i wish it were Ant-Man and Taskmaster. i could see them hiding out in a hardware store during the invasion and being forced to kill a bunch of skrulls with power tools and whatnot.

If that happened, i'd start liking this series real quick. :biggrin:

[yeswad]

Then why did she kill Echo?





Ant-Man should stow aboard a skrull ship. Maybe spy on some hermaphrodites in the shower.


i dont think she did. you know how death works in comics. yah there was a crack noise but i dont buy it. echos just safely sleeping it off in the jungle. spider-woman was just being careful not to be spotted by other skrulls.

[SirIvy]

image inducers???

Looking back at the interview and and realizing that he was talking about issue four and reading the solicit I hope it is Beta Ray Bill and USAgent.

[Don't pee in the (Dead)pool]

i wish that Paul Cornell were writing the main Invasion series.

Oh, I agree, I very definitely agree!

[Don't pee in the (Dead)pool]

I know, I totally agree. I tend to refrain from calling the CB&MI13 skrulls "fodder" and think it kind of shows how underrated the Brit heroes are by the average poster. It's Captain Britain, of course he can kick the crap out of skrulls. Same goes for Wisdom, Spitfire, John The Skrull, The Black Knight (obviously) . . .

I just used the term "fodder" here for fun.

Sorry if I came across as criticising you, Guesty, I didn't mean to. I was trying to say it was nice to see the Brit heroes stand their ground and not get their arses kicked by the green-skinned Bruce Forsythe lookalikes!:biggrin:

[Beast]

even after reading bendis' quotes in this, i still dont believe that spider-woman is the skrull queen. im betting that she was going to be abducted, but took out the queen and is now playing it up as a quadruple agent. shes spider-woman as the skrull queen masking as spider-woman. i think her interaction with iron man in this is just her trying to trigger him if he is a skrull. i also think thats why she hopped off new avengers to join up wight mighty avengers. shes trusting no one and tyring to pinpoint who the skrulls are. bendis is just trying to throw people off the scent with his comments.
There's a point when denial of the obvious becomes absurd. Congratulations.

The signs have been there all along. And it's quite clear by the events of Secret Invasion #1.

[yeswad]

There's a point when denial of the obvious becomes absurd. Congratulations.

The signs have been there all along. And it's quite clear by the events of Secret Invasion #1.

hah! i just dont think that he would go so far to destroy the reputation of a character he has claimed to be a geek over since he was a kid. plus, cant i just hope that the writing is going to be more clever than this?

[Guest_1001]

Sorry if I came across as criticising you, Guesty, I didn't mean to.

You didn't, trust me. :smile: I just felt I should clarify my own position.

And yeah, next Marvel event; Paul Cornell for head writer!

[AZSilverback]

I'm just waiting to see how this event will change the Marvel Universe at the conclusion of this series. I mean, all Spider-man has to do is make a deal with Mephisto, right? Did I guess right?

[Will.S]

From the cover to issue six it looks to be Thor and Bucky.
I was kidding :tongue:

[Beast]

hah! i just dont think that he would go so far to destroy the reputation of a character he has claimed to be a geek over since he was a kid. plus, cant i just hope that the writing is going to be more clever than this?
Ever heard the old saying... "You always hurt the one you love."

Most writers employ it. Just look at Mike Carey's X-Men work. It's all about abusing his favorites.

[Monty_Cristo]

Ever heard the old saying... "You always hurt the one you love."


yeah, it was coined by an abusive spouse.

[Beast]

yeah, it was coined by an abusive spouse.
No. No it wasn't. But thanks for playing.

[yeswad]

Ever heard the old saying... "You always hurt the one you love."

Most writers employ it. Just look at Mike Carey's X-Men work. It's all about abusing his favorites.

i know i know, i just got done saying goodbye to kitty pryde. i just hope that it turns out that jessica drew is just playing the skrulls. id like that story. just like id really like the jean grey that came out of the ship to be the real phoenix. i know that would fuck with years of continuity but i think it would be a lot of fun.

[Beast]

i know i know, i just got done saying goodbye to kitty pryde. i just hope that it turns out that jessica drew is just playing the skrulls. id like that story. just like id really like the jean grey that came out of the ship to be the real phoenix. i know that would fuck with years of continuity but i think it would be a lot of fun.
Spider-Woman fooling the Skrulls would be the most illogical hacky writing in the history of comics.

[Monty_Cristo]

Spider-Woman fooling the Skrulls would be the most illogical hacky writing in the history of comics.

yet completely consistent.

[mikekerr3]

Spider-Woman fooling the Skrulls would be the most illogical hacky writing in the history of comics.

No OMD has that humor, :eek:

That Idean is not as hackneyed than Millars FF.:smile:

[SeritoNiN]

yeah, it was coined by an abusive spouse.

Hank Pym? :evilsmile:

[atomicturtle]

Hey. New here. I'm much more of a DC guy, and I have my issues with the Marvel Universe, so if I ever come off a little hard on them, just know that it's fanboy prejudice speaking. So you get an idea of who I am when it comes to Marvel, allow me to tell my pick for "Greatest Moment in Marvel History"... Zombie Shulkie eating Franklin Richards. (I hate Franklin Richards so much.)

That said, despite my DC leanings, you won't hear any smack talk from me about Secret Invasion. It's been pretty freakin' sweet so far. I obviously don't know the complete history behind a lot of stuff (like Spider-Woman - the only Spider-Woman stuff I've read is that Luna Brothers "Origins" story) - but I've been closely following anything with The Initiative or Secret Infiltration on the cover, and I've kept New, Mighty, and Initiative Avengers on my pull since after Civil War (FYI, Taskmaster as drill instructor at Hammond - awesome awesome awesome.) I found my way in here through the Spoilers of War article - which was really cool by the way.

I agreed fully with the comment about Fury. SO should have waited until after SI:3, and then given us a couple flashback issues to fill in the blanks. They kind of took the wind out of their own sails on Fury's comeback - probably not a big deal though, if you're not reading the tie-ins (which many people don't.)

I have to admit, I was a little lost with the Young Avengers bits - mainly because I know precisely squat about them. Still, I think it's very cool the way Bendis has played that scene in New York. All the grown-ups are scratching heads and throwing fists in the Savage Land - but who's ACTUALLY fighting the invading force? Children. It's the kids, the YA and the fresh crop of Initiative kids. And so far, they're getting their butts handed to them (shouldn't have washed out the fat invincible kid, huh guys? Although maybe Yellowjacket did that on purpose!) Pretty good plot device actually, sending the kids after the Super Skrulls - they can really work up a whole "extermination of the next generation of superheroes" angle. I wonder if we'll see The Order and the New Warriors show up anytime soon. Or what about those Liberteens from Avengers Initiative Annual #1? They made it a point to show that there was a skrull there. Is that going to ever have a purpose, I wonder? Or was it just to remind us how deeply the Skrulls have ingrained themselves ("A skrull in every state!")

I'm also a little lost with the Captain Marvel bit. He's a skrull, but he won't use lethal force? What, did the skrulls brainwash him TOO much? So much that he's now less-skrull and more Captain Marvel? And now he's under Norman's wing, no less.

Jarvis was horrifying. I will now have nightmares about butlers for the rest of my life. The point made about the Helicarrier splashing down in Bermuda was a good one. No matter what city it was over in #1 - Bermuda is, at a minimum, like 500 miles off the east coast. With complete systems failure, do they really expect us to believe that it soared 500+ miles from air to ground? But I can overlook stuff like that for sake of suspended belief.

Despite the AWESOME scenes, both visually and in terms of emotional impact - I'm not really buying the Super Skrulls. They've got a Black Bolt/Hulk skrull for pete's sake. Either one of those two alone could level the city in under an hour. And they're satisfied in slapping around the youngin's? I mean, don't get me wrong - they are super cool looking and great ideas in theory, but both DC and Marvel screw this up all the time. Overpowered bad guys who end up being beaten because, for no good reason whatsoever, they weren't using their power. I mean, it's not like Sentry who's a good guy and doesn't unload both barrels because he's worried about collateral damage. What do the skrulls care about collateral damage? I suppose it's arguable that if Black Bolt/Hulk Skrull were to start shouting and smashing, he'd kill his fellow skrulls... but, like I said, I'm not buying it.

I'm curious if Bendis has plans to bring Jacinda (from She-Hulk) into this.

Visually, the Tony/Jessica scenes were aces. You have to admit, Bendis is doing a good job keeping the biggest "Is he? Isn't he?" question since Civil War open until the very last second. We can make educated guesses, but we're still not 100% about that guy. Personally, I've suspected he was a Skrull ever since he started going to AA meetings. (I kid, I kid.) Also, I couldn't tell - is Echo confirmed dead?

Finally, my big burning question. My buddy and owner of my comic shop is convinced that I am the only person on the planet that would ever think to ask this: Who is the Skrull in the Great Lakes Initiative?

It better not be Squirrel Girl. Because Squirrel Girl is the only one with any chance of defeating the entire Skrull Armada. Please god, let the GLI have a role to play in this.

Looking forward to #4 and following the discussions about it all!

[jackolover]

Finally, my big burning question. My buddy and owner of my comic shop is convinced that I am the only person on the planet that would ever think to ask this: Who is the Skrull in the Great Lakes Initiative?

It better not be Squirrel Girl. Because Squirrel Girl is the only one with any chance of defeating the entire Skrull Armada. Please god, let the GLI have a role to play in this.

Looking forward to #4 and following the discussions about it all!

Heh, heh. Squirrel Girl? Galactus can't even defeat her, and the Skrulls can capture her, and do nasty experiments on her? And........... well, that would make her say it, wouldn't it? We all know what that is, don't we?

[Beast]

Actually, they should reveal Squirrel Girl as a Skrull.

It would explain her crazy ability to defeat folks she has no chance against.

Same way they had Spider-Woman pull powers out of her ass in Mighty Avengers.

[XPac]

Actually, they should reveal Squirrel Girl as a Skrull.

It would explain her crazy ability to defeat folks she has no chance against.

Same way they had Spider-Woman pull powers out of her ass in Mighty Avengers.

If Squirrel girl is a skrull, that's it... game over. Skrulls win.

[Nyssane]

I wouldn't want any of the GLI to be revealed as a skrull... :frown: However, if there HAD to be one, it should either be Doorman or Big Bertha.

[Wild Card13]

I'm also a little lost with the Captain Marvel bit. He's a skrull, but he won't use lethal force? What, did the skrulls brainwash him TOO much? So much that he's now less-skrull and more Captain Marvel? And now he's under Norman's wing, no less.


Actually, that's more or less right on the nose.

Despite the AWESOME scenes, both visually and in terms of emotional impact - I'm not really buying the Super Skrulls. They've got a Black Bolt/Hulk skrull for pete's sake. Either one of those two alone could level the city in under an hour. And they're satisfied in slapping around the youngin's? I mean, don't get me wrong - they are super cool looking and great ideas in theory, but both DC and Marvel screw this up all the time. Overpowered bad guys who end up being beaten because, for no good reason whatsoever, they weren't using their power. I mean, it's not like Sentry who's a good guy and doesn't unload both barrels because he's worried about collateral damage. What do the skrulls care about collateral damage? I suppose it's arguable that if Black Bolt/Hulk Skrull were to start shouting and smashing, he'd kill his fellow skrulls... but, like I said, I'm not buying it.


I figure the Skrulls want the planet in as good of shape as possible, with the people as willingly submissive as they can get. They're smacking around the Initiative to show the whole world they mean business and that they can back their own word. They're not levelling Manhattan because they want submissive subjects, and a great way to keep people on your side is to not destroy their homes.

Just my theory, though.

[XPac]

I wouldn't want any of the GLI to be revealed as a skrull... :frown: However, if there HAD to be one, it should either be Doorman or Big Bertha.

I think Tippie Toe is the skrull.

[esc0]

Wouldn't it be awesome that the GLI ended up being the ones to stop the invasion!!@!!@!! I can only imagine the different ways Mr immortal would get killed, poor guy lol

[midnightman2001]

What the hell are some of you talking about? Tony is a skrull!

I say, bring back all those heroes back the way they were in the 1970s!

I am all for it damnit!

woohoo

[XPac]

What the hell are some of you talking about? Tony is a skrull!

I say, bring back all those heroes back the way they were in the 1970s!

I am all for it damnit!

woohoo

In some cases, it would be an improvement.

70's Dazzler and 70's Beast would be a vast improvement.

In in regards to other characters like Cage and Wonder Man, I don't think we need any metal tiarras or red saffari jackets making their return.

[Samy]

Since Bendis bothered with a blow-by-blow, how can I do any less?

This is just as much a psychological war as it is a physical war. If he took the form of a Skrull it’s more of an offer to fight but he’s not offering to battle her here. Here he’s saying, A) I’m creeping you out and B) I want you to fold.This was an okay scene. I can see what he's going for here and there was no major point of confusion.

Of all the sleeper agents, he’s taking it the worst. Having someone take the form of the noblest Kree warrior and a protector of humanity and not telling him who he really is may have been a slight misjudgment on the Skrull Empire’s part.So he's confirming that Mar-Vell is a skrull? We're down to giving out the skrull reveals on interviews now? Isn't that a big enough thing that it should've been included in the comic somewhere? Or maybe it was somewhere in the recent Marv LS, but I thought you didn't need to read the tie-ins to understand this story. If it was revealed there, it really needed to be pointed out here too. In the STORY, not on the recap page which is as cheap as doing it in an interview. The knowledge that Marv is a Skrull *should have been somewhere in the content pages of SI by now*.

We flat out know he’s full of shit. Here he’s like, “Go! Go!” which we know really means, “Go get your asses kicked.” This is a fun little scene because now the audience knows things the characters don’tNo, I'm sorry, but we don't. For all we know, this could be the real Pym while the Skrull is still dicking around with Mr Fantastic's body. It is at no point stated that this is the same dude that zapped Reed in #1. So I'm sorry, but if the intent was that we *know* that this dude is a skrull, the intent failed. We *suspect*, but we don't *know*, because the real Pym's whereabouts are unknown, and this could just as well be him. Bendis needed to be clearer that this was the skrull impostor who shot Reed, if he really wanted us to be "in the know" and not "I wonder"ing.

The name Anelle was the wrong thing to say. It means he’s on the wrong side. Plus he’s a half-breed so to them he’s not pure.Neither of these seemed to piss the skrulls off in the comic particularly much. It came more off like the skrulls just didn't care either way what Hulkling was saying. Bendis really needed to insert some dialogue here that would have indicated that the skrulls were particularly annoyed by the name Anelle and by Teddy's halfbreed status. Right now, it was more like Teddy says all of that, the skrulls shrug their shoulders, "whatever" and blast him anyway like none of his words mattered for better or worse. So again, the intent may have been one thing, but the scene came off different because of insufficient exposition. Just assuming the reader automatically sees things the same as the writer even when they don't have access to the same info. (For example, where in the series has it been said that Anelle is a bad word to these skrulls?)

I also think we should take a moment to enjoy [series artist] Lenil Francis Yu’s work because there’s a lot being asked of himTo be honest I appreciate Yu's work, but he's not working out well for me here. He doesn't have Perez-like compositional eye. He's great with scenes with a few characters, but he just can't make chaos work like somebody of Perez's vein. A lot of the layouts were a jumbled mess that hindered the storytelling and made the story less clear rather than more clear.

The Skrulls are out to make a point and they want to do it publicly. They want it televised for the whole world to see. They’re letting people know, “If you stand up to us we will break you.”I can understand that motivation. It would've worked better if we'd known for certain that the Pym a few pages earlier was the skrull Pym and not the real one.

Now you know why the “Spider-Woman” series didn’t happen.Again, I think it's really cheap to spill the beans on whether Jessica is a skrull or not in an interview when it has not yet been confirmed in the comic itself. So far, by the end of the Jessica/Tony scene, I was still assuming the possibility that Jessica knew the skrulls were monitoring her and she was playing the part of the queen she had taken out of the picture, preparing to turn the tables on the skrulls down the road. But noooo, have an interview confirm that she's a skrull rather than doing it on the page. What a complete and utter anticlimactic letdown.

What’s she’s saying certainly seems to be true. When you look at the things Tony Stark has done over the years you’re like, “That does make sense.”I liked the Stark mindscrew. It was very nice. Best part of the issue.

Or are there certain people the Skrulls want to fuck with until they dieMan, even the skrulls want some Stark in them. Can't blame them I guess, he is good looking.

When you see 80 guns going off all at once in a movie, all of a sudden the air is full of smoke. Now imagine that with superpowers.So when the skrulls all use their powers at the same time, all their power blasts turn purple. Okay, noted, but I'm not sure what story purpose that serves. But noted, whatever.

As for the Vision, wtf is Bendis' beef with the character? Every time he writes the Vision he feels compelled to take him out? It's as annoying as Giffen's vendetta against Karate Kid. If this is just a stage, to bring back the original Avengers Vision (as opposed to the Young Avengers one) when he repairs himself from that damage, then I'll forgive this, though. But if this is a case of, "What, they brought the Vision back after I killed him? Time to wipe him out again!" then it's bullshit.

Dan put a lot of thought into these characters and some of them were built for this. He knew going in what was going to happen.Again, he's assuming that we read the scene and think that Proton was killed. I didn't see anything of the kind. I saw him zapped with a purple beam, and that's it. No charred skeleton, no gaping hole in the chest, nothing. There was nothing in the scene to indicate he was killed rather than just smacked down. Again, Bendis is just assuming things and assuming the reader knows what he intended, without clarifying. It's becoming a running theme. He makes nothing clear, and just throws a lot of flashbang distraction out there and hopes nobody notices the shortcomings of his writing.

There’s going to be plenty of information on these characters next issue but if you’re looking for their first appearance it’s in issues #12-13 of “Mighty Avengers.”No big objection to the Commandos.

Overall, I felt this was a weak issue. The Stark mindscrew was the only moment that I'd call "good". The Hill/Jarvis opening and the Commandos entrance were "okay". Everything else was a lot of confusion spurred by insufficient exposition.

* Captain Marvel is a skrull? Wha-huh? Where did that come from? Oh, an unrelated LS? Oh, a recap page? How about putting it somewhere IN THE STORY?

* We're supposed to automatically assume the Pym at Camp Hammond is the same one that was *just* in conference with Reed? How about some narration and thought bubbles to LET US KNOW that?? Especially when we DO NOT KNOW the real Pym's whereabouts and it's perfectly reasonable to assume he's showing up SOMEWHERE.

* Hulkling's words -- how about actually SHOWING them having an effect on the skrulls? If they pissed the skrulls off, the reader should have some way of being able to TELL!

* If Jessica is supposed to be confirmed as a skrull, how about giving confirmation to the reader! Show her chin ridges and green skin, for god's sakes! Don't play still ambiguous in the comic, where she could either be a skrull or the real Jessica infiltrating the skrulls, and then suddenly drop the bomb of confirming in a damn online interview! I want my emotional bomb while I'm reading the damn comic, not when I'm browsing the web!

* If Proton is supposed to be dead, then how about clearing that up too, while you're at it? Show a charred skeleton or a hole in his chest or something! Not just his eyes going pupil-less! Storm does that on a daily basis and she's not dead! For god's sakes, we just saw three *dozen* guys zapped by purple blasts and assumed unconscious, now we're supposed to assume that a guy gets the exact same thing done to them and we're supposed to assume he's dead?

Also, the Reed subplot? Hanging. The Sentry subplot? Hanging. The Mockingbird subplot? Hanging. The guys in the Savage Land? Forgotten. Eeesh. ADD writing.

Jeezus. Unless the game improves dramatically in the next few issues, Bendis is about to join Way on my list of "actively avoid" writers whose books never to pick up.

Frankly, Bendis is a great idea man, but the technical quality of his writing is journeyman at best. He can come up with great ideas, but he can't write a coherent polished script to save his life.

I'm becoming more and more convinced that the reason I liked Illuminati was because of Brian Reed's involvement.

If Bendis is "plotter" and somebody else is "scripter", this would work out a lot better.

[carabas]

I don't get the Hank Pym confusion.
Why would there be two Hank Pyms running around? How could a Skrull successfully impersonate Pym if the original isn't gone? It'd be a bit awkward, if there were an Initiative meeting or whatever and they'd both show up...

[Frank]

Since Bendis bothered with a blow-by-blow, how can I do any less?

This was an okay scene. I can see what he's going for here and there was no major point of confusion.

So he's confirming that Mar-Vell is a skrull? We're down to giving out the skrull reveals on interviews now? Isn't that a big enough thing that it should've been included in the comic somewhere? Or maybe it was somewhere in the recent Marv LS, but I thought you didn't need to read the tie-ins to understand this story. If it was revealed there, it really needed to be pointed out here too. In the STORY, not on the recap page which is as cheap as doing it in an interview. The knowledge that Marv is a Skrull *should have been somewhere in the content pages of SI by now*.

No, I'm sorry, but we don't. For all we know, this could be the real Pym while the Skrull is still dicking around with Mr Fantastic's body. It is at no point stated that this is the same dude that zapped Reed in #1. So I'm sorry, but if the intent was that we *know* that this dude is a skrull, the intent failed. We *suspect*, but we don't *know*, because the real Pym's whereabouts are unknown, and this could just as well be him. Bendis needed to be clearer that this was the skrull impostor who shot Reed, if he really wanted us to be "in the know" and not "I wonder"ing.

Neither of these seemed to piss the skrulls off in the comic particularly much. It came more off like the skrulls just didn't care either way what Hulkling was saying. Bendis really needed to insert some dialogue here that would have indicated that the skrulls were particularly annoyed by the name Anelle and by Teddy's halfbreed status. Right now, it was more like Teddy says all of that, the skrulls shrug their shoulders, "whatever" and blast him anyway like none of his words mattered for better or worse. So again, the intent may have been one thing, but the scene came off different because of insufficient exposition. Just assuming the reader automatically sees things the same as the writer even when they don't have access to the same info. (For example, where in the series has it been said that Anelle is a bad word to these skrulls?)

To be honest I appreciate Yu's work, but he's not working out well for me here. He doesn't have Perez-like compositional eye. He's great with scenes with a few characters, but he just can't make chaos work like somebody of Perez's vein. A lot of the layouts were a jumbled mess that hindered the storytelling and made the story less clear rather than more clear.

I can understand that motivation. It would've worked better if we'd known for certain that the Pym a few pages earlier was the skrull Pym and not the real one.

Again, I think it's really cheap to spill the beans on whether Jessica is a skrull or not in an interview when it has not yet been confirmed in the comic itself. So far, by the end of the Jessica/Tony scene, I was still assuming the possibility that Jessica knew the skrulls were monitoring her and she was playing the part of the queen she had taken out of the picture, preparing to turn the tables on the skrulls down the road. But noooo, have an interview confirm that she's a skrull rather than doing it on the page. What a complete and utter anticlimactic letdown.

I liked the Stark mindscrew. It was very nice. Best part of the issue.

Man, even the skrulls want some Stark in them. Can't blame them I guess, he is good looking.

So when the skrulls all use their powers at the same time, all their power blasts turn purple. Okay, noted, but I'm not sure what story purpose that serves. But noted, whatever.

As for the Vision, wtf is Bendis' beef with the character? Every time he writes the Vision he feels compelled to take him out? It's as annoying as Giffen's vendetta against Karate Kid. If this is just a stage, to bring back the original Avengers Vision (as opposed to the Young Avengers one) when he repairs himself from that damage, then I'll forgive this, though. But if this is a case of, "What, they brought the Vision back after I killed him? Time to wipe him out again!" then it's bullshit.

Again, he's assuming that we read the scene and think that Proton was killed. I didn't see anything of the kind. I saw him zapped with a purple beam, and that's it. No charred skeleton, no gaping hole in the chest, nothing. There was nothing in the scene to indicate he was killed rather than just smacked down. Again, Bendis is just assuming things and assuming the reader knows what he intended, without clarifying. It's becoming a running theme. He makes nothing clear, and just throws a lot of flashbang distraction out there and hopes nobody notices the shortcomings of his writing.

No big objection to the Commandos.

Overall, I felt this was a weak issue. The Stark mindscrew was the only moment that I'd call "good". The Hill/Jarvis opening and the Commandos entrance were "okay". Everything else was a lot of confusion spurred by insufficient exposition.

* Captain Marvel is a skrull? Wha-huh? Where did that come from? Oh, an unrelated LS? Oh, a recap page? How about putting it somewhere IN THE STORY?

* We're supposed to automatically assume the Pym at Camp Hammond is the same one that was *just* in conference with Reed? How about some narration and thought bubbles to LET US KNOW that?? Especially when we DO NOT KNOW the real Pym's whereabouts and it's perfectly reasonable to assume he's showing up SOMEWHERE.

* Hulkling's words -- how about actually SHOWING them having an effect on the skrulls? If they pissed the skrulls off, the reader should have some way of being able to TELL!

* If Jessica is supposed to be confirmed as a skrull, how about giving confirmation to the reader! Show her chin ridges and green skin, for god's sakes! Don't play still ambiguous in the comic, where she could either be a skrull or the real Jessica infiltrating the skrulls, and then suddenly drop the bomb of confirming in a damn online interview! I want my emotional bomb while I'm reading the damn comic, not when I'm browsing the web!

* If Proton is supposed to be dead, then how about clearing that up too, while you're at it? Show a charred skeleton or a hole in his chest or something! Not just his eyes going pupil-less! Storm does that on a daily basis and she's not dead! For god's sakes, we just saw three *dozen* guys zapped by purple blasts and assumed unconscious, now we're supposed to assume that a guy gets the exact same thing done to them and we're supposed to assume he's dead?

Also, the Reed subplot? Hanging. The Sentry subplot? Hanging. The Mockingbird subplot? Hanging. The guys in the Savage Land? Forgotten. Eeesh. ADD writing.

Jeezus. Unless the game improves dramatically in the next few issues, Bendis is about to join Way on my list of "actively avoid" writers whose books never to pick up.

Frankly, Bendis is a great idea man, but the technical quality of his writing is journeyman at best. He can come up with great ideas, but he can't write a coherent polished script to save his life.

I'm becoming more and more convinced that the reason I liked Illuminati was because of Brian Reed's involvement.

If Bendis is "plotter" and somebody else is "scripter", this would work out a lot better.

I think Bendis is writing it as confusing as possible to leave everything up in the air. Is he dead, or isn't he? Is it a Skrull even after we said he/she was or that person is not as Skrull afterall. There were several things Bendis did on purpose.

[Guest_1001]

I don't get the Hank Pym confusion.
Why would there be two Hank Pyms running around? How could a Skrull successfully impersonate Pym if the original isn't gone? It'd be a bit awkward, if there were an Initiative meeting or whatever and they'd both show up...

Yeah, I agree. I thought it was REALLY obvious that there was only one Pym, and that Pym has already been introduced as a Skrull. Same goes for Mar-Vell being a Skrull. Jessica Drew was a bit less obvious, especially considering I'm only following the main SI series and Captain Britain as far as Secret Invasion is concerned and I was confused when I saw a green box around her picture on the recap page. It was way too sudden. Still, I can't deny I'm looking forward to seeing how her meetings with Nick Fury will affect the coming issues.

Also, the Reed subplot? Hanging. The Sentry subplot? Hanging. The Mockingbird subplot? Hanging. The guys in the Savage Land? Forgotten. Eeesh. ADD writing.

Think of it like a season of 24. Some plotlines are left alone for an episode or two, not unlike Secret Invasion. I really get the feeling this is just nitpicking. You know the plotlines are going to be resolved, just as the Captain Marvel one was revisited this issue. The guys in the Savage Land? They've had two issues to themselves. The Reed subplot? Confirmed as revisited next issue. Mockingbird? There'd be a lynching if she wasn't elaborated upon (and technically she counts as "the guys in the Savage Land"). The Sentry? Well, although I like the guy, that one might end up left alone.

It seems like you're picking out the tiniest flaws and making them out to be far worse than they are.

[Jay R]

I think Samy is on to something here.


No big objection to the Commandos.

I agree. Although, as another poster said...this reappearance would have been more effective if we saw this scene before we saw that issue of New Avengers.


* Captain Marvel is a skrull? Wha-huh? Where did that come from? Oh, an unrelated LS? Oh, a recap page? How about putting it somewhere IN THE STORY?

Again, we agree. I was a little confused here as well. My familiarity with Mar-Vell isn't too good. If we see the event begin in the story, we should see the follow-thru and the end in the story.


* We're supposed to automatically assume the Pym at Camp Hammond is the same one that was *just* in conference with Reed? How about some narration and thought bubbles to LET US KNOW that?? Especially when we DO NOT KNOW the real Pym's whereabouts and it's perfectly reasonable to assume he's showing up SOMEWHERE.
I didn't even think this Pym was a skrull. I thought he was the real deal. Maybe we should have had a scene of his green eyes and a smirk. The last time I saw Pym was when he splattered Reed. I didn't make the connection that this was the same one. This may play out better in a trade.


* Hulkling's words -- how about actually SHOWING them having an effect on the skrulls? If they pissed the skrulls off, the reader should have some way of being able to TELL!
I just thought the Skrulls didn't care what he was saying. I didn't realize there was an actual history behind it. I think it works either way.


* If Jessica is supposed to be confirmed as a skrull, how about giving confirmation to the reader! Show her chin ridges and green skin, for god's sakes! Don't play still ambiguous in the comic, where she could either be a skrull or the real Jessica infiltrating the skrulls, and then suddenly drop the bomb of confirming in a damn online interview! I want my emotional bomb while I'm reading the damn comic, not when I'm browsing the web!
This too should be referenced with a asterisk. Remember those Marvel? An asterisk linked to a box saying that this was revealed in blah blah blah. If I wasn't reading NA and MA, would I have known this? The poster, Samy, does have a point. The story should be self contained without having to search for an online interview.


* If Proton is supposed to be dead, then how about clearing that up too, while you're at it? Show a charred skeleton or a hole in his chest or something! Not just his eyes going pupil-less! Storm does that on a daily basis and she's not dead! For god's sakes, we just saw three *dozen* guys zapped by purple blasts and assumed unconscious, now we're supposed to assume that a guy gets the exact same thing done to them and we're supposed to assume he's dead?
I don't know who Proton is/was. I don't read the Initiative. But I agree here as well.


Also, the Reed subplot? Hanging. The Sentry subplot? Hanging. The Mockingbird subplot? Hanging. The guys in the Savage Land? Forgotten. Eeesh. ADD writing.
There is no doubt we'll be getting back to these.

All in all, I guess the issue was okay, but wasn't as colossal as I thought it was going to be. I'm still liking the series though. It's just too bad that the tie-ins are essential, and not just to build upon the events in the main book.

-Jay

[Samy]

I don't get the Hank Pym confusion.
Why would there be two Hank Pyms running around? How could a Skrull successfully impersonate Pym if the original isn't gone?The original Sue Storm isn't gone that I know of, and they still impersonated her.

[Samy]

It seems like you're picking out the tiniest flaws and making them out to be far worse than they are.
I'm picking out what ruined my reading experience. Nothing more, nothing less. They may be tiny to you, but they were big enough to get in my face constantly.

[XPac]

I don't get the Hank Pym confusion.
Why would there be two Hank Pyms running around? How could a Skrull successfully impersonate Pym if the original isn't gone? It'd be a bit awkward, if there were an Initiative meeting or whatever and they'd both show up...

They actually did that with Carol though. There were 2 in fact running around (a very stupid idea, which led to her being caught). The Skrulls in Reeds books in general are a lot stupider and less sneaky than the Bendis skrulls for some reason.

But yeah, I never thought for a second the Pym we saw in SI wasn't a skrull.

[agrich]

Mar-Vell was revealed to be a Skrull in his miniseries. It wasn't "unrelated," the issue had the Secret Invasion banner. And once they've shown a character to be a Skrull in any one related series, I can't see why they should devote the page space to showing it again.

Once we found out in issue 1 that Pym was a Skrull, it makes sense that if Pym shows up in the series, he's a Skrull. I don't think that's asking a lot of the reader.

I pretty much feel the same way about Spider-Woman being a skrull. Where you see ambiguity, I see them giving the reader a little credit. They don't need to lead us by the hand in everything. You'd find it less confusing; others (me) would find it annoying to have every last thing spelled out.

[Guest_1001]

Well said agrich.

[Beast]

So he's confirming that Mar-Vell is a skrull? We're down to giving out the skrull reveals on interviews now? Isn't that a big enough thing that it should've been included in the comic somewhere? Or maybe it was somewhere in the recent Marv LS, but I thought you didn't need to read the tie-ins to understand this story. If it was revealed there, it really needed to be pointed out here too. In the STORY, not on the recap page which is as cheap as doing it in an interview. The knowledge that Marv is a Skrull *should have been somewhere in the content pages of SI by now*.
Seemed like it was pretty clear in the book. And yes, the reveal was in the Captain Marvel Mini.
No, I'm sorry, but we don't. For all we know, this could be the real Pym while the Skrull is still dicking around with Mr Fantastic's body. It is at no point stated that this is the same dude that zapped Reed in #1. So I'm sorry, but if the intent was that we *know* that this dude is a skrull, the intent failed. We *suspect*, but we don't *know*, because the real Pym's whereabouts are unknown, and this could just as well be him. Bendis needed to be clearer that this was the skrull impostor who shot Reed, if he really wanted us to be "in the know" and not "I wonder"ing.
Actually we do know. Because we've been told that someone high up in the Initiative was ensuring a Skrull was placed on every team. All signs pointed it to being Pym, and we got the confirmation in Secret Invasion #1. There's not two Pym's running around, that would screw up the Skrull's plans, if there was something obviously out of place. Like Pym making decisions that the other Pym wasn't aware of, and vice versa.
Again, I think it's really cheap to spill the beans on whether Jessica is a skrull or not in an interview when it has not yet been confirmed in the comic itself. So far, by the end of the Jessica/Tony scene, I was still assuming the possibility that Jessica knew the skrulls were monitoring her and she was playing the part of the queen she had taken out of the picture, preparing to turn the tables on the skrulls down the road. But noooo, have an interview confirm that she's a skrull rather than doing it on the page. What a complete and utter anticlimactic letdown.
But it's been horribly obvious and pretty much confirmed in the books since before Secret Invasion #1 confirmed it for sure. The beans weren't spilled in an interview, it's right on the page. Especially her pulling powers out of her ass in Mighty Avengers. And there's no way that Jessica is not the Skrull Queen. It would be illogical if she were able to fool the entire Skrull army by pretending to be the Skrull Queen. Lame.

[agrich]

I guess in the old days there would have been a thought balloon by Pym's head as he's giving the order. It would have said something like, "They believe me....but little do these fools know that I'm NOT the real Henry Pym, but in fact a Skrull doppelganger, who's replaced the real Henry Pym and is sending them all to their doom! Ah-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!!" And then there'd be a little asterisk by the word doppelganger, and a box at the bottom of the panel that included the text "As seen in Secret Invasion #1 - Ed."

[carabas]

Well thank god that the old days are gone. I hate it when a writer assumes I have no brain.

[Will.S]

I guess in the old days there would have been a thought balloon by Pym's head as he's giving the order. It would have said something like, "They believe me....but little do these fools know that I'm NOT the real Henry Pym, but in fact a Skrull doppelganger, who's replaced the real Henry Pym and is sending them all to their doom! Ah-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!!" And then there'd be a little asterisk by the word doppelganger, and a box at the bottom of the panel that included the text "As seen in Secret Invasion #1 - Ed."
Heh, that's exactly how it would have been done.

[Beast]

Well thank god that the old days are gone. I hate it when a writer assumes I have no brain.
It's a shame that a lot of the complaints prove that this is almost necessity though.

[Abrojo]

It's a shame that a lot of the complaints prove that this is almost necessity though.

Well, congratulations on your brain. You clearly have the power to know stuff you havent read. I havent got to that point yet.

I dont follow Thunderbolts, or Captain Marvel Mini but i do read an awful lot of other Marvel comics including Avengers and other tie ins. Yet I was lucky i had read this forums about CM being skrull here because if not i wouldnt have had a clue. But yeah, i guess notes are only for dumb people.

[carabas]

Well, congratulations on your brain. You clearly have the power to know stuff you havent read. I havent got to that point yet.

I dont follow Thunderbolts, or Captain Marvel Mini but i do read an awful lot of other Marvel comics including Avengers and other tie ins. Yet I was lucky i had read this forums about CM being skrull here because if not i wouldnt have had a clue. But yeah, i guess notes are only for dumb people.That is clearly not what we're talking about.
When character X is shown to be replaced by a Skrull, it should be obvious he's still going to be Skrully when he shows up a couple of pages later. Not understanding this seems absurd to me.

[nikx]

While we're nitpicking...


* If Proton is supposed to be dead, then how about clearing that up too, while you're at it? Show a charred skeleton or a hole in his chest or something! Not just his eyes going pupil-less! Storm does that on a daily basis and she's not dead! For god's sakes, we just saw three *dozen* guys zapped by purple blasts and assumed unconscious, now we're supposed to assume that a guy gets the exact same thing done to them and we're supposed to assume he's dead?


The panel before he went "pupil-less" had a Skrull standing over him, one hand on top of his head the other hand on his chin and Proton himself begging. The next panel has him going "pupil-less" and in big capital letters KRAAAZZCCTT.

I've never heard a person's neck being snapped, so I'm not sure that's the sound it'd make, but my guess is the Skrull snapped his neck. Apparently it wasn't clear enough. The writers and artists should take note and heed your advice. The readers need to see big gaping holes in people's chests.

And yes, I did sign up on these boards just to write that.

[Monty_Cristo]

While we're nitpicking...



The panel before he went "pupil-less" had a Skrull standing over him, one hand on top of his head the other hand on his chin and Proton himself begging. The next panel has him going "pupil-less" and in big capital letters KRAAAZZCCTT.

I've never heard a person's neck being snapped, so I'm not sure that's the sound it'd make, but my guess is the Skrull snapped his neck. Apparently it wasn't clear enough. The writers and artists should take note and heed your advice. The readers need to see big gaping holes in people's chests.

And yes, I did sign up on these boards just to write that.


didn't look like a neck snap to me. KRAAAZZCCTT makes me think energy discharge; like massive static electricity being projected. and it was a really lame death scene; far from conclusive. they could have at least shown Proton face down with his head smoking. and, if the intent was a broken neck, they should have shown his head turned in a way that would suggest that.

[mikekerr3]

While we're nitpicking...



The panel before he went "pupil-less" had a Skrull standing over him, one hand on top of his head the other hand on his chin and Proton himself begging. The next panel has him going "pupil-less" and in big capital letters KRAAAZZCCTT.

I've never heard a person's neck being snapped, so I'm not sure that's the sound it'd make, but my guess is the Skrull snapped his neck. Apparently it wasn't clear enough. The writers and artists should take note and heed your advice. The readers need to see big gaping holes in people's chests.

And yes, I did sign up on these boards just to write that.

A breaking neck does not sound like that,, if you remove the ZZZ maybe. The way they wrote it sounded electrical.

[Seikun21]

A breaking neck does not sound like that,, if you remove the ZZZ maybe. The way they wrote it sounded electrical.

Maybe Proton was a robot.

[Monty_Cristo]

Maybe Proton was a robot.

a doombot maybe. he was from latveria.

[yadadaimhollaing]

Personally I don't feel like seeing asteriks on each skrull that's been revealed in the main book. As I read some older back issues of comics I dislike when the characters are shown with thought balloons telling you exactly what's drawn. I know that pym is a skrull when I see him. Captain marvel would be the exception. He was outed as a skrull in a seperate mini series so I would be okay with an asterik on his firsr appearance in the main book.

[Elitehaxxor]

Liked the book, can't wait for the next one along with the X-men tie ins.

[Gnarl]

I am going to be really disappointed if Furys team survive more than one page. How the hell do they expect any kind of suvival against the Thor Skrull, Phoenix, Eternals, Black Bolt, etc?

Charge of the light brigade is what we got.