Sunday, September 4, 2011

Secret Avengers #16

So far the Secret Avengers book has mostly flown under the radar.

It has an odd, Defenders-like lineup and it often seems to operate outside normal continuity.

But in the hands of the right creative team, that can work to the book's advantage, and that's the case with this issue.

Written by Warren Ellis, it takes the team to a city hidden beneath Cincinnati, Ohio. It was built by the Secret Empire for a sinister purpose (natch), and Steve Rogers has assembled a team to investigate, which includes the Black Widow, the Beast and Moon Knight.

What follows is a strange menace, an atomic-powered car, shootouts and more than a few plot twists.

The art is by Jamie McKelvie, and the visuals are fantastic. The line is clean and deceptively simple, but the depictions of the hidden city, the action scenes and the interaction between the heroes is a pure delight.

The odd sideways cover by John Cassaday is impressive, too.

If you haven't been following this series, this would be a good "done-in-one" issue to check out. If you have been following it, this may be your favorite issue in the series.

Grade: A-

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