The Good
I have not been reading SECRET AVENGERS consistently each month, but I had been looking to start and I have to admit, this is a great introductory issue Between the first page that sums up the events thus far and the very clear dialogue in this issue, Rick Remender makes this issue a great place to start reading SECRET AVENGERS. His clear script is paired with great art by Matteo Scallero who does a great job illustrating some very gruesome action scenes -- particularly the one with Taskmaster and Venom. The dialogue between the characters is great, and the story is really exciting. The issue is unpredictable and Remender does a fantastic job depicting Hawkeye's sense of humor (who knew the guy was so cool?) and Taskmaster has some great lines here as well. If you love these characters, you're definitely in for a treat; and if you don't know much about them, this serves as a great introduction.
There are definitely some moments where I questioned Hawkeye's abilities as a leader, but he certainly redeemed himself as the issue progressed. Villains will be villainous and untrustworthy, and you definitely see that in this issue. It's clear that you can't have a team of villains because they simply can't work well together. Between the action, the dialogue and the cliff-hanger at the end; Remender executes an awesome, edge-of-your seat, action packed adventure. The man knows these characters and he writes them extremely well.
The Bad
There were some moments I felt the art was unclear, but overall it was still really well executed.
The Verdict
I thoroughly enjoyed this issue and felt it was a great introduction to this team and to this series. In general, it's a great place to start reading SECRET AVENGERS because it feels like it's the beginning of something really big. The dialogue and the characters are written really well, and I definitely enjoyed their interactions with one another.
Overall, I think the art was pretty great. I loved the thin inking -- I think it really served the close up panels of the faces of the characters really well. Some of the action scenes did look a little bit convoluted, but others gave me the impression of the thrill and fast-pace of the battle itself. I think this was well done when Taskmaster and Hawkeye were riding bikes. You could feel the story moving quickly. However, some of the panels in the beginning during Venom's fight with Taskmaster were a little bit muddled. Still, overall, it was really well done.