Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Secret Warriors #20

Right on the heels of the dark and impressive "Last Ride of the Howling Commandos" story in Secret Warriors, writer Jonathan Hickman begins what appears to be the final story arc for Nick Fury and his young (but powerful) team.

And this storyline promises to be just as intense as the one before it. Hydra, the Leviathan organization and Nick Fury's agents are taking turns launching devastating attacks against each other, resulting in countless deaths and massive destruction.

I have to say that, even nine years after 9/11, it's still disturbing to see these kinds of attacks depicted. Fury decides it's time to bring the conflict to a close, so he puts a plan in place.

But there are other forces at work, and Fury may have some surprises ahead.

The art by Mirko Colak gives a dark, painted look to the adventure, and I like it a lot. It's not perfect - it's difficult to follow the action in a few panels, and a few of the characters don't look quite right - but that's just being picky.

I've been enjoying this comic a lot, which is somewhat surprising since it focuses on a different Nick Fury - here the Colonel is deadly serious and focused on doing the right thing, even when that means making difficult and life-altering decisions. It's not all jokes, cigars and high-tech trickery - this is a battle to the finish against a powerful enemy and overwhelming odds, and it's tough to see how Fury is going to win this fight.

It's a serious story that this comic has been building to since the first issue, and I can't wait to see where it goes from here. Recommended!

Grade: A

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