The Good
If this issue is anything, it's consistent. This is great, considering the series was mired in a little bit of a muck before Warren Ellis took over. There wasn't exactly much secret about the Secret Avengers, and Ellis added a much-needed bit of espionage and flair.
Beast's role as the "eye in the sky" in this mission was definitely a good fit for him. Seeing him in his element reminds me how smart Hank is, and that was something this team needed. While Steve was a valuable leader, we needed brains; this was how Beast should have been written since the beginning of the book.
The Bad
Not much. The art style in this book is gritty without seeming messy, and that's important, considering the characters and premise. Though the team is supposed to be a "black ops" team, they're not necessarily "wet work"; there isn't that murder-and-death that would warrant a messier style.
The Verdict
Keeping with the "done in one" formula of Warren Ellis' SECRET AVENGERS, we get another look into the true "black ops" role of this team. While I had extremely high praises for this book last month, it seems that it can't shake the feeling that it borrows heavily from GLOBAL FREQUENCY, another Ellis title.
The whole "super soldier, forgotten by the people that made it, deadly as hell" storyline is extremely similar to a FREQUENCY story, stunning conclusion and all. However, in that story it was a bionic man, and nukes were involved.
There was even the whole "end abruptly with a snappy quote" thing, which just left me with a weird taste in my mouth. If you're an Ellis fan, you'll enjoy this issue, but if you've read GLOBAL FREQUENCY, you might be left wanting something new. This is what ended up happening for me, which is reflected in the grade.
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