What or where the heck is Pleasant Hill? What does that have to do with the Marvel Universe? Reading this issue, you find out exactly what it's about. The secret behind Pleasant Hill has the makings of being pretty explosive for the Marvel Universe.
Starting out with the idea seen in Captain America: Sam Wilson with S.H.I.E.L.D. possibly thinking of using Cosmic Cube fragments to alter reality, you can feel the tension and unease beginning to build up. Having Winter Soldier show up is another indication of something big about to happen. As you may be aware, Bucky has taken Nick Fury's place as Earth's protector against cosmic-level threats.
If you've watched the TV show Wayward Pines or read the three novels, you'll get a familiar sense of what Pleasant Hill is sort of like. As we're introduced to the town and its residents, you know there's much more going on beneath the surface. The great thing about the story here is that feeling of the unknown. You know perfectly well something is going to be revealed. Nick Spencer does a great job creating a weird and slightly eerie situation.
Mark Bagley handles the art with ease and, with Paul Mounts on color, creates the setting for the little mystery we watch unfold. Because Pleasant Hill is a new location, the visuals are crucial in helping to set up the story. We get just the right amount of teases throughout that lead up to the reveal at the end. This is one of those cases where you really need to experience the reveal rather than allow yourself to be spoiled. I'd give a good example of this but even that would be a spoiler.
Within the story, you'll see the huge problems that could result from Pleasant Hill existing. You almost have to ask, how could so-and-so actually be involved with something like this? It may feel like we can see where this story will go, but this is just the prologue. There's no telling where this will lead us, but it's not looking good for those in charge. I do have to say I kind of love the name and why it was chosen.
Something big is about to happen in the Marvel Universe. With a prologue that lights the fuse on a big powder keg, you won't want to miss the groundwork being laid out here. Nick Spencer and Mark Bagley set up the idea of Pleasant hill nicely, and you can see just how bad things could get. What made this issue really enjoyable was having no idea what to expect and reading the reveal or twist before getting spoiled. Find out what Pleasant Hill is all about. Once you visit, you'll probably find you can't leave this special place. It'll be very very interesting to see how this complete story plays out. Get ready for some serious stuff about to be unleashed upon the Marvel Universe.