Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Secret Invasion #8 of 8
Marvel Comics
Bendis, Yu, Morales & Martin

The invasion is over and the good guys won! Well, the war is over with the aliens, so now the war can begin anew among the heroes. The issue wraps up the war with an artistic display that you want from a full universe worth of heroes. There isn’t too much drama or crazy twists with the Skrulls which was a little disappointing, but there was an odd twist at the end. I liked the arc as a whole, but found the ending to be a little lacking.

There is a lot of fighting in the first third of the comic. The art tells a story in ways that no dialogue can accomplish. Whether it’s a simple hammer throw or the kill shot that takes out the Skrull queen, the art is the star of the battle by far.

Then we find out that the Skrulls did have humans stored away for safe keeping. In a moment that is very reminiscent of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the heroes come staggering out after years of being held prisoner. There are a couple of surprises in there but nothing too different than what we’ve seen in the first seven issues.

Next the issue deals with reunions and some various shuns. The Fantastic Four reunite with the kids, the real Jarvis, and on and on. Nick Fury throws a cold shoulder at some people and one hero really gets the big diss. In some cases said hero doesn’t seem to deserve it. And from what I can tell some of the heroes that turn away from him really have no history with him, which makes it all a little puzzling.

Finally the issue ends with a strange turn of events. The hero I mentioned that gets the cold shoulder also gets into some trouble with the government. While this is happening, another gets a ton of credit and is given a huge role in the government agencies. It sets up Marvel’s next big event.

The issue covers a lot of ground that I felt is really setting the places for the next arcs and stories in the various titles. I didn’t feel enough of this issue was spent on Secret Invasion. Sure, some plot threads are left open like the Cage’s baby still being missing, but more basic things weren’t really hit upon too well. For example, the battle was over so quickly. Where was the planning we saw in the beginningfrom the Skrulls? Where were the Super Skrulls? Were was the secret weapon? The Skrulls got revealed by Reed Richards and then immediately lost the war? It felt like a cheap ending to me.

As I mentioned repeatedly the artwork deserves a lot of credit here. The comic didn’t just capture the action perfectly. It also captured the emotions. Character after character, the faces have feelings like you might see from someone who is exhausted and relieved all at the same time.

I enjoyed the event and this comic was a fun read as well. I can’t say this was the best of the bunch, but it did have an ending (or is it a beginning?) that I didn’t see coming. Enjoy your new status quo.

3.5 out of 5 geek goggles