Secret Avengers, Volume 1: Reverie

Secret Avengers (2013)

by Nick Spencer, Luke Ross (Illustrator)

The new Nick Fury leads an all-new, ultra-covert Avengers strike team including Hawkeye, Black Widow, the Hulk, Winter Soldier, Maria Hill and Phil Coulson on missions so dangerous, that even the team members themselves can't know about them! How is that even possible? The hush-hush answer awaits you inside! Fury knows who he wants as his next recruit for the Secret Avengers: the deadly mercenary known as Taskmaster! But how to extract S.H.I.E.L.D.'s newest prospective agent from the only prison cell in Bagalia - the nationstate built by, and for, super villains? Plus, learn the deadly secret of the new Iron Patriot, as the Scientist Supreme and the new High Council of A.I.M. launch their first attack, igniting global war - with Quake and Nick Fury caught in the crosshairs!

COLLECTING: Secret Avenger s 1-5, material from Marvel Now ! Point One

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Nick Spencer is a comic book writer known for his creator-owned titles at Image Comics (Existence 2.0/3.0, Forgetless, Shuddertown, Morning Glories), his work at DC Comics (Action Comics, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents), and for his current work at Marvel Comics (Iron Man 2.0, Ultimate Comics: X-Men).

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nick Fury 101

Samuel L. Jackson is a pretty cool guy, if for no other reason, than the fact that he reads comics. Marvel Comics thought so too, so when they created their Ultimate Universe, they modeled Nick Fury after Jackson’s likeness. [The regular Nick Fury was an old white guy who’d been around since World War II, led a bunch of commandos that howled, mixed super serum with whiskey, played at being James Bond back in the Sixties and smoked stogies.] A few years later, when Marvel started making movies based on their “regular” universe, Jackson was cast as the de facto Nick Fury. Now, the Samuel L. Jacksonesque Nick Fury is the go-to one for the regular universe, as well. He’s actually Nick Fury, Jr. aka Marcus Johnson. Apparently, Nick Fury, Sr. drank whiskey and super serum by the vat and has quite the brood to prove it. The old, white guy, Daddy-o Nick Fury is playing shuffleboard on the Moon or something. Don’t ask me about Max Fury.


This version of Secret Avengers is Marvel’s attempt at melding the comic book character versions with their media counterparts. You have Phil Coulson, who’s taller, funnier and has more hair in the comics. Hawkeye, Black Widow, Maria Hill, Nick Fury/Samuel L. Jackson model, Daisy Johnson and Mockingbird round out the team. Aside from an appearance from the Hulk, it’s all regular guy superheroes.

The gist of the story is that A.I.M. has a new supreme boffo grand poo-bah scientist who has crazy hat designs on world domination. The title of the collection comes from nana technology used by SHIELD on operatives to make them forget whatever mission they were on and can be activated any time. This way, if they’re captured, they’ll have no info to give up in case of interrogations.

Nick Spencer, the author of Superior Foes of Spiderman, penned this collection and I was expecting a lot more. Superior Foes was one of the best graphic novels I’ve read this year, so he set the bar high with that one. Sadly, a little too high.

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acting SHIELD Director Maria Hill has set in place an Avengers Initiative.

They take volunteers, but use memory implants in case anything goes wrong and once the mission is complete.

The new SHIELD is facing uncommon threats. AIM has destroyed their old base and created a nation that has joined the UN.

First I have to say I love the original Nick Fury, but what was be thinking. Daisy is great and all, but putting a 19 year old in charge of SHIELD just doesn't seem wise. The additional difficulties her age creates seems to outweigh the good at least in my mind. She's ready to head a team, but not all of SHIELD.


The Secret Avengers really puts an emphasis on SHIELD being big brother. Their actions while being made for the best of reasons are simply questionable at best and deadly at worst. Mind wiping their own agents and installing the methods before they agreed to sign up. This SHIELD while being its most effective self is almost the most detestable self. SHIELD displays none of the optimism of Marvel's heroes, it's more of the brutally pragmatic hand of justice.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea behind the series has some definite promise. Hawkeye and Black Widow have been tapped to go on SHIELD missions so deeply classified that they themselves can't be allowed to remember what they did afterward. They've both been fit with memory implants that will erase more than just the memory of the specific missions they work, but also the memory that they go on these secret missions at all. It sounds like a great way to use Natasha's skill set, which is what drew me to it.

The problem is execution. None of the missions are terribly interesting, the characters are given no time to do anything but espionage and battle, and I'm not thrilled with the overarching AIM plot. And it lacks enough convincing details for me to buy it, honestly. It gets worse once the team expands. I would have been far happier if Spencer had just stuck with Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Nick Fury, Jr. Then they add Mockingjay. Which, fine, her skills fit the concept. But Hulk? By the end of the book, it was starting to feel like the concept was slipping away, which is a shame. That concept was the single best thing about the book.

[Otherwyrld · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a quote on the front cover of this graphic novel that says it "successfully merges the movie Avengers with their comic counterparts."

Sorry, no it doesn't, it doesn't do that at all.

The only connection is that they have someone called Phil Coulson on the team, but sticking the name Coulson on a generic SHIELD agent who looks nothing like Clark Gregg does not make for a valid connection. The rest of this book is pure Marvel comics, namely a lot of fighting and shooting against bad guys I have never heard of. Just who is Taskmaster and why should we care (copied for at least a dozen others).Why have some organisation called AIM taken over the real island of Barbuda (Marvel usually creates fake islands for terrorist states to inhabit, so why the change here?), and what happened to the 1600 or so inhabitants? Just who is this Nick Fury (apparently he is the son of the original, and not only looks exactly like him but has lost an eye as well, albeit the other one)

It might have been a better book if there had been less comic continuity and more actual continuity. The book just does not flow - too much is left unexplained or is there as set up for later stories. It just feels like a bunch of pages randomly put together with no thought as to how they would look in finished format.

Marvel comics has clearly put this book together with the aim of attracting people who love the movies but do not read the comics. If this is the case, they have failed miserably because there is no way that this is a good introduction to the Marvel Universe.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Remember that line from The Avengers movie during the Battle of New York where Black Widow says “This is just like Budapest” and Hawkeye says “You and I remember Budapest very differently”? Their Budapest story opens this volume. Also in this book is Agent Phil Coulson - whether that’s a good thing or no, depends on if you like him. Me? Nah. He’s boring. The guy’s monotone and wears a suit, I never got his appeal.

Nick Spencer, writer of the awful Image comics Morning Glories and Thief of Thieves, pens yet another dismal comic with Secret Avengers. Why Hawkeye and Black Widow sign up for covert ops isn’t revealed but it’s apparently a big deal - Coulson whispers it to them so we don’t hear - and Sam Jackson Nick Fury rounds out the team. Iron Patriot’s in it but not really because there are multiple empty Iron Patriot suits used as strike drones, and Hulk’s suddenly introduced to the team in the latter part of the book because as the recent TV series proved, SHIELD stories without superheroes are not interesting.

To help ease their guilty consciences, Black Widow and Hawkeye are given memory implants which wipe their memories after each mission and makes them perfectly able to withstand hostile interrogation (torture) by giving them no memory of why they’re there besides the target. The book mostly follows this rather bland powerless team (Hulk’s yet to make his cameo) through some rote missions - the Budapest story is ok but over very quickly - until they target a fairly big-ish villain, the head of AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics), also known as those beekeeper dudes you sometimes see pop up.

Spencer’s writing is uninteresting at best. The SHIELD personnel just waffle on in the most interminable we’re-terribly-important-clever-and-so-very-cool language that’s so flat to read. You know the kind I mean where characters waffle on about nothing for pages and the dull writer pretends what they’re saying is witty - it’s just filler from a hack. Luke Ross’ art is similarly forgettable - ink heavy, decent but not very special or imaginative. Secret Avengers is definitely one of the most forgettable and boring titles in the Marvel NOW! lineup.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 3 out of 5]

Words to describe this: interesting, confusing, complicated, obsfuscating. That's a good start. I agree that readers who have come to the Avengers from the movie might like this. It also has some gems for long-term readers, characters that you won't know who they are unless you have followed the comic book storylines. I think the biggest strength of this novel is that you get to visit with characters you may have become fond of in the movie and who might not have gotten as much screentime. The downside is the story is pretty confusing. I will pick up the next volume and see if I feel like I have a clue about what's going on better in that one.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given that I've only liked a couple of Nick Spencer's marvel books (I've yet to read his Superior Foes. His Cloak and Dagger mini is probably his best Marvel work from what I've read though), I actually quite enjoyed this. But it does take as much as it can from the movies. Hawkeye, Black Widow, NuFury and Coulson are at the front of the story. Hawkeye and Widow have a similar relationship here to what they had in the Avengers film. You can tell there's history between the two that they don't like talking about, and sometimes they disagree when it comes to getting the job done. NuFury is built on from his appearance in Battle Scars. Marvel are trying to make him an actual character, rather than just putting him in stuff because he's Samuel L. Jackson. They have him start as an Agent and work his way up, just like what the original Nick Fury did. I'm still not fully sold on the character, but I'm getting there. And then there's Coulson, doing what Coulson does best: standing around in a suit, making smart ass one liners. Doesn't really add much, also doesn't distract much from the story.

Spencer also builds a new front for AIM. AIM seem to be appearing more and more in Marvel over the last few years, even more so since their semi-appearance in Iron Man 3. Spencer creates a new council for them from existing characters, one of which appeared in Agents of SHIELD (another thing that makes this feel this comic is more for the movie audience then comic book fans).


But like I said it is pretty good. There's under cover missions, which you want from a Secret Avengers title. There's also the angle of the heroes doing the dirty work for SHIELD and not being happy about it. This time around, SHIELD even go as far as to wipe their memories after each mission.

The problem is, I could just spend a review pointing out ways how they've tried really hard to make as many connections to the MCU as they could, which I have done for the most part. But Spencer and artist Luke Ross manage to pull it all together for a decent volume. Nick Spencer had to write a Marvel book I like sooner or later.

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

The team of the Secret Avengers is rebuilt with Hawkeye and Black Widow at the core. SHIELD, meaning Maria Hill and Nick Fury, offers them their mission objectives. They receive an implant that removes access from memories vital to the mission when outside mission parameters e.g. when being tortured. What they don't know yet is that it can be used to rewrite memories too.

After tracking a weapons' dealer, they put a stop to an AIM plot to take over the world using the stolen Iron Patriot armor controlled by Mentallo. This second mission is the meat of the volume and is quite impressive as an action-packed story with plenty of preparation and spycraft. There is even an assassination at the end, but it doesn't go as planned. In the next volume we should see why.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was initially uninterested in reading this comic, after hearing about the "mindwipe" premise. But then I heard it was actually the SHIELD comic, under Avengers trade dress, and that turned me around. And, I'm glad I picked this up.

This is (finally) a Secret Avengers done right. It's still a little rough around the edges, but it's got what made Secret Warriors great: espionage, questionable heroes, and complex and interesting organizations of bad guys. It feels like a little bit of ground is being retread, but nonetheless I like what I'm seeing.

(This volume ended at an awful spot, though: mid story.)

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

It occurs to me that I very rarely give one-star reviews to graphic novels. I do it so seldom that I had to stop for a moment and think if I really wanted to give one now. Turns out, I do.

The other Goodreads reviews warned me that this book was a mess. I really, really should’ve listened.

There is so much wrong with Spencer’s Secret Avengers that I don’t really know where to start. For the sake of starting somewhere, we’ll go with the blurb on this collection’s cover, which states that the volume “successfully merges the movie Avengers with their comic counterparts.”
Okay, consider me excited. As someone discovered Marvel Comics because of the MCU, I was looking forward to a series that focused on a substantial chunk of the movie-verse cast without throwing too many new names and faces into the blender. And, after reading the roster for this series, my interest would double piqued.

Unfortunately, I should know enough by now to understand how woefully deceptive blurbs can be. In this case, “successfully merges” equates to “features characters with the same name as....” There’s this guy named Hawkeye. He’s an archer. Black Widow is an ex-Russian spy. Bruce Banner exists, which is about all that can be said for his role here. Ok, so far so good... We have Maria Hill, who is kinda-sorta-but-not-really the Director of SHIELD. Close enough. Then we have Nick Fury (junior??), who looks like Sam Jackson, a lowly field Agent. And we have Phil Coulson who...well, Coulson’s a total dick here. A dick who can make some mean scones, but still a dick. Seriously. If you like Coulson, you’ll kinda loathe this comic.

So Secret Aventers, is already pretty par out in left field and I’ve not even started the storyline yet. Fine. Since delving in to Marvel in earnest around two years ago, I’ve had plenty of time to become acquainted with alternate timelines, universes, etc. We have the same basic cast, the roles are just a bit scrambled. Moving on. Ok, so, if Fury’s not running SHILED and Hill’s not running SHIELD, who the heck is running SHIELD?

A 19-year old girl named Daisy.

I’m going to repeat that. A nineteen year old, and one with no qualifications that are remotely made apparently in the book (aside from a pair of pretty kickass gauntlets), is running SHIELD.
What on earth could possibly go wrong?

I’m glad you asked.

Let’s start with the basic premise of the book...the one where the Secret Avengers can only be part of the Secret Avengers if they agree to be implanted with a memory-wiping device that erases any memory of their missions once they are completed or compromised.

Because Hawkeye (who wasn’t totally brainwashed by Loki or anything during the movie and made to do terrible things he regrets) and Natasha (who’s trying to erase a lot of red from her ledger, and who’s been used as someone else’s brainwashed weapon more than once) and Banner (who’s a bit of a control freak due to the Other Guy) would totally consent to letting SHIELD futz around with their memories and send them on missions that they will never remember. Because there is totally 0% chance that that will ever get abused in any way. At all. Ever.

The rest of the collection is a mishmash of Marvel’s Greatest Hits, combining rogue Iron Patriot Suits, Taskmasker, AIM, and the apparently obligatory old, blond senator/father figure. I never really cared enough to pay attention, because I couldn’t get past the improbability of the mind-control and erasure premise. As readers, we are reminded of it at least once an issue and, even when characters (most often Black Widow) try to explain why they consented to allowing the procedure in the first place --

(which, by they way she didn't, unless "do you really think we'll let you walk out of here alive if you don't consent" counts as consent which, last I checked, it sure as hell does not...goes back to that whole Coulson beind a dick thing I mentioned earlier)

-- the entire premise ends up making even less sense than it did before, and generally just making me angry and frustrated.

I wanted to like this volume. I really did. It has some of my favorite characters in Hawkeye, Black Widow, Coulson and Mockingbird. It explained Budapest, for crying out loud, but it did so in the most unfulfilling, contrived way possible. But this collection ultimately left me with such a sour taste in my mouth that I can’t see myself ever picking up future issues.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hawkeye and Black widow are persuaded to help out Shield. Things are not as they appear.

This is an interesting take on the Secret Avengers with Shield being all wheels within wheels etc. It's more of a thinking comic, yes, it has actions. But the consequences make you think.

A good read.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heft Secret Avengers 1:
SHIELD will eine besondere Eingreiftruppe für streng geheime Regierungseinsätze aufstellen. Nach Erledigung der Einsätze oder falls etwas schief läuft, sorgen Implantate dafür, dass die Erinnerungen an die Mission bei den Agenten gelöscht werden. Die ersten beiden Avengers, die in das Projekt reinrutschen, sind Hawkeye und Black Widow. Sie sollen dafür sorgen, dass ein Magier nicht die Al Kaida bei einem Attentat auf den amerikanischen Präsidenten unterstützt.
Die erste Mission in Budapest hat erzählerisch kaum Substanz, was auch daran liegt, dass auf wenigen Seiten auch die Grundidee der Secret Avengers erst einmal transportiert werden soll.
Die deutsche Übersetzung klingt gelegentlich sehr hölzern, und das korrespondiert leider damit, dass auch Clint und Natascha auf vielen Panels sonderbar verrenkte, der Situation vollkommen unangemessene Körperhaltungen einnehmen. Luke Ross weiß offenbar nicht, wie er die Panels gestalten soll, in denen die Helden in einem Besprechungsraum sitzen und eingewiesen werden in das Projekt. Mich erinnern die Körperhaltungen an die kleinen Plastik-Cowboyfiguren, die ich als Kind hatte: es war einfach zu ärgerlich, dass die dynamische Pose, die zum Erschießen des Indianers gerade gut war, auch beibehalten wurde, wenn sich der Cowboy mit seinem Kumpel unterhielt. Da brauchte es Fantasie, um darüber hinweg zu sehen. Ross kann die Panel frei gestalten, aber die unangemessenen stereotypen Haltungen und die mal übersteigerte, mal unpassende Mimik der Figuren bleiben.
Fazit für Heft 1: schwache Story, bestenfalls mittelprächtige Artwork, und die Idee eines besonderen Einsatzkommandos ist auch nicht neu (siehe z.B. X-Force; DC war mit dem Suicide Squat deutlich innovativer).
Ich hoffe auf Besserung, wobei ich jetzt schon gespannt bin, wie man den Hulk in eine geheime (!) Operation einbinden will.
Was außerdem verwundert: Dass Bruce Banner, Clint Barton und Natasha Romanova einverstanden damit sind, dass in ihrem Gedächtnis rumgepfuscht wird (wie auch immer eine einzelne Erinnerung überhaupt gelöscht werden soll); dass die Direktorin von SHIELD 19 Jahre jung ist (was immerhin Anlaß zu einem kleinen Witz bietet).

Heft 2:
Die Rekrutierung von Taskmaster (optisch der Schrecken aller unter-zehn-Jährigen); ein bißchen Mad Scientist Charm bei AIM; insgesamt langweilig.
Wie schon zuvor der verzweifelte Versuch, fehlenden Inhalt durch Sprünge in der Erzählung zu kaschieren. Wirr, aber nicht komplex.

Heft drei versucht, den größeren Zusammenhang herzustellen und hat sogar einige charmante Panels. Der „Besuch“ von AIM ist allerdings sinnbefreit und die Figuren bewegen sich weiter wie Schmierenkomödianten mit völlig überzogenen Gesten. Auch wer gerade nicht gebraucht wird, steht trotzdem sinn- und reglos im Bild herum.
Die letzten Worte eines Sterbenden Senators: „Heh…das hat man nun davon.“
Immerhin: gelegentlich blitzen Ansätze von Ironie auf, und auch Kritik am amerikanischen Militarismus.

In den letzten beiden Heften kommt immerhin so viel Zug in den Kamin, dass dem Band die 1-Stern-Bewertung erspart bleibt, wenn auch nur knapp.

[bri 🧸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

besides the point of the plot but nat looks so good in this run thank u lord

[Soph · Rating 2 out of 5]

This starts out with such an interesting premise (agents performing missions for SHIELD but will then have their memories wiped later for security reasons) and there's so much about where that could go that I find interesting. But the book itself never follows up. It basically uses it as an excuse to be a mess of storytelling. It's never entirely clear what is supposed to be going on, and the intention could be to build up mystery for a reveal later on, but mostly it just seems like they're avoiding having to come up with logical reasons for why the characters are doing things.

Also, the art is pretty bad too. All the female characters appear to have the same body shape (thin waist, massive breasts), Black Widow is continually shown in a way that makes her breasts prominent with a zipper impractically far down (to the point where I think she must have some impressively strong Hollywood tape to stay in that thing when fighting) and in my "favourite" panel, her butt is incredibly defined by the light while the guy standing next to her seems to have a butt that draws in all light because there is pretty much nothing but black there at all. (I also showed this panel to a friend who is an artist and she pointed out how the lighting used in the panel made absolutely no sense). Oh, and two female characters with short hair were drawn so similarly that I had trouble differentiating them if they weren't referred to by name. And my comics knowledge is not great, but I'm pretty certain they had about a 20 year difference in age, and were of different races.

[Lupinus Texensis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. This was bad. The story was poorly plotted, no one was in character (either movie character or comics character), and the art was gross and porny.

I send no compliments to your mother; she deserves no such attentions.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nie wszystko co ma Avengers w nazwie złotem się świeci...

Młodziutka szefowa SHIELD, Daisy Johnson zleca stworzenie nowego, wielozadaniowego zespołu, który podejmował się zadań na jakie "normalny" zespół Avengers by sobie, chociażby ze względów wizerunkowych, nigdy nie pozwolił. Członkowie tego zespołu to znakomicie przeszkoleni zabójcy, którzy posiadają w ciele implanty, które kasują informacje o zadaniach, po wykonaniu misji, dla spokoju ducha wojowników lub w przypadku gdyby wpadli w ręce wroga. Takie rozwiązanie ma zapewnić anonimowość SHIELD. Nikt nie powiąże wolnego strzelca bez pamięci z taką organizacją.

Początek należy do Hawkeye'a, Czarnej Wdowy, nowego Nicka Fury'ego (Samuel L. Jackson we własnej osobie) czy agenta Coulsona (ten z kolei ma niepokojąco dużo włosów na głowie i rysy Marsa, ale... działa), którzy wykonują pewną misję w Budapeszcie. Nawiązanie do filmu Avengers zapewne niezamierzone... Głównym problemem pierwszego tomu Sekretnych Mścicieli jest nuda. Nużyły mnie dialogi, akcja, postacie, waga przedstawianych wydarzeń, a raczej jej brak. Dopiero w piątym zeszycie, kiedy to SHIELD obiera na cel Najwyższego Dowódcę organizacji A.I.M. coś zaczyna się dziać, ale to zdecydowanie za mało. Zwłaszcza, że Spencer ma manierę kończyć pewne wątki po środku opowieści i zostawić je "na później".

Będzie to zwłaszcza widać w Iliad i wątku Mockingbird, ale do tego dojdziemy przy "recenzowaniu" kolejnego tomu. To co zapamiętam po lekturze tego tytułu? Hulka stającego naprzeciw baterii Iron Patriot oraz "przekabacenie" na swoją stronę Taskmastera, aby był wtyką SHIELD w Najwyższej Radzie A.I.M. Cieszyła mnie ta opcja z prezentowaniem poszczególnych antagonistów. Widać, że się do tego przyłożono. Kreski. Tonacja jest ciemna, a talent Rossa spisuje się tu naprawdę dobrze, pasując do całej tej szpiegowskiej otoczki. Nie jest może to mistrzostwo świata. Ot, rzemieślnicza robota, ale spełnia rolę.

Jako "stosunkowo świeży" tytuł Secret Avengers troszeczkę zawodzą. Mając już za sobą dwa kolejne tomy odniosłem wrażenie, że Spencer był na tym etapie za bardzo zachowawczy, gdyż dalej jest dużo lepiej. Tutaj nie czułem tego napięcia w niektórych scenach. 3/5

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 4 out of 5]

¡Que chasco me he llevado! Ahora mismo viajaría a ver a mi yo de hace seis o siete años y le daría una colleja para que siguiera haciendo esta colección.

A ver, en su momento, cuando comencé a leer este segundo volumen de Vengadores Secretos, con guiones de Nick Spencer y dibujos de Luke Ross me pareció tan aburrida que dejé de hacer la colección, y ahora, cuando he hecho la relectura, ¡me ha dado mucha rabia quedarme a medias de la historia! Nick Spencer plantea un concepto completamente nuevo de los Vengadores Secretos, y es que después de los eventos de los Descendientes, al parecer el equipo fue disuelto, así que Spencer parte prácticamente desde cero, y lo hace actualizando la colección que Marvel dedicaba a SHIELD, convirtiendo Vengadores Secretos en la colección oficial de SHIELD, pero de la SHIELD de nuestro tiempo, no de la historia pasada como había hecho, con gran acierto, Jonathan Hickman. Y nos vamos a encontrar con que los nuevos "Vengadores Secretos" son un grupo de operaciones encubiertas dentro de SHIELD, donde los protagonistas serán Phil Coulson, Furia Junior, María Hill y Daisy Johnson, que irán captando miembros para el equipo según se vayan planteando sus necesidades especiales.

Así, tendremos en el equipo a Ojo de Halcón, la Viuda Negra, Pájaro Burlón, el Supervisor, Hulk, Máquina de Guerra... pero todos ellos envueltos en una trama de espionaje en la que una nueva IMA se plantea como una amenaza verdaderamente escalofriante, y los "buenos" no lo son tanto, pues cuando los héroes se incorporan al equipo, reciben una serie de implantes nanotecnológicos que permiten a SHIELD manipular sus recuerdos, tal y como hizo Furia con los héroes que participaron con él en su ataque a la Latveria de Lucía von Bardas en Secret War, muchos años atrás. Y la verdad es que el ritmo de la serie es bueno, los episodios interesantes... Vamos, que no sé por qué dejé de comprarla en su día, la recordaba mucho peor.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read that had you questioning what is real due to the unreliable narration within the volume. The characterisation of the protagonists was leaning more towards the movie iterations than the usual comic versions, but for someone who doesn't read a whole lot of Avengers comics then this made it easier to get into since I am more familiar with the movies.

However, the way this collection was put together left you on a cliffhanger that didn't really feel earned and this does not detract from the story itself, but I did feel that it did seem a bit unnecessary and unfortunately although I am intrigued, it did not make we want to run out to get the next volume to find out what happens or happened, right away

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first full read for the year is this darker take on the Secret Avengers storyline, although it could be argued that Secret Avengers titles are always rather dark given the focus on espionage.

This volume starts with a very disturbing premise - the likes of Black Widow and Hawkeye agreeing to become SHIELD assets despite the need for memory implants that will erase all knowledge of their operations. This is some pretty dark stuff for anyone and you already want to know what kind of a mission they were offered that made them agree this was worth the sacrifice of personal freedom.

This is when they introduced the concept of AIM Island - something that went into weirder directions later on, especially in other books. But I'd really like to see where this goes.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the spy-themed superhero book that Spencer and Ross put together here. Readers are left in the dark about a lot things but so are the characters and it makes it interesting as long as there is a pay off. The internal SHIELD drama is intriguing although Daisy Johnson is being portrayed differently that I remember. I like the team makeup and A.I.M. being the big bad makes a ton of sense. Luke Ross does some really nice linework as always. Overall, a fun and mysterious action book.

[Jdetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll just write this for the first of these trades, although its true of all three of them. This is not an Avengers series, its a SHIELD series. It has an interesting cast, but the plot is scattered. I think Nick Spencer sometimes is too clever for his own good, and with the time jumps it is sometimes hard to follow.

[Johnny Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collected in the Marvel's Mightiest Heroes collection alongside Nick Fury Jr's first look.
This is pure espionage S.H.I.E.L.D action with Nick Fury Jr leading an all new secret avengers team to take on A.I.M. Maria Hill, Agent Coulson, Black Widow and even Hulk get caught up in a deadly game of chess.

[Miguel Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story and brought the Secret Avengers back to how they originally began. Espionage and secret missions. I wish the members were still the original, but the different mix of personalities in this one still fit and apply to the way the secret avengers were meant to be. Solid read.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

[review for volumes 1-3]
The art is the best thing about this series. Otherwise, there are some good ideas here but it seems unnecessarily complex. Maybe it's just me.

[superhero fan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly this book was the worst book I have read this year, very disappointing

[Tim Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't follow all the internal 'politics' bits, but that said a fun read with some good action.

[Anchorpete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right before the Winter Soldier film came out, I finished reading this book. The marvel Cinematic Universe and the 616 Marvel universe are starting to merge- heck it even says it in one of the blurbs on the cover of this book.

The Nick Fury of the 616 Marvel Universe is now the Nick Fury of the Cinematic Universe, and I am totally fine with that. I also like that this team is mainly composed of SHIELD agents- Coulson, Black Widow, and even Hawkeye.

We get a little AIM action, which is something I enjoy from the Avengers Proper title, and it is so in sync with the AIM from the Hickman Avengers series that it seems like Spencer and Hickman are working in Collusion. I couldn't think of two brighter minds I would want running my Avengers franchise, at the moment.

If only the Agents of Shield tv show was something like this, it would be one of the most watched shows on Television. I really love how this book is basically everything I just said- a Tasty SHIELD sandwich and then it is also a continuation of the greatness that Rick Remender brought to this title, before it was relaunched, and the Mythology and Characters Hickman set up so well, way back in Secret Warriors. If Captain America: The Winter Soldier's success influences Marvel books to head a little more in the action/espionage direction, as long as the books are something like this, I am on board.

[J'aime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secret Avengers is an excellent hybrid of the MCU (films) and the MU (comics). We have a Samuel L. Jackson -style AGENT Nick Fury (see 'Battle Scars' for where he came from), Agent Phil Coulson, Acting Director Maria Hill, Black Widow and Hawkeye derived from the film side of Marvel, seamlessly blending into the post-Dark Reign continuity with characters strictly from the Marvel Universe such as Daisy "Quake" Johnson from 'Secret Warriors' and Mockingbird. It's very well done and gives fans of the films a foothold in the comic world.

Though the title is Avengers, this is a SHIELD series. And it's dark and gritty as such a series should be. The hook here is that this team is sent on missions that they aren't even allowed to remember afterwards, via memory controlling nanite implants. This allows the characters to pop up in other Marvel Now series without any conflict. The story has a many twists and turns which keep it from being predictable. Plus, there is a power struggle between Daisy, the unconfirmed director, and the Acing Director, Maria Hill. I loved it!

Overall, fans of the films can easily jump into this series without reading anything else, but there's also a lot here for established comic fans. Note: this volume ends on a cliffhanger so you'll want to have Volume 2 handy! Highly recommended.

[Jonathan Schildbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't the book I meant to pick up. I was actually just looking for the Secret Avengers that had Moon Knight in it. This has Taskmaster involved although it doesn't get too far into what that's all about--and why all the other superfolk where he's being held are so pissed off at him. Taskmaster's appearance here is a symptom of the larger problems, in that there are just too many different threads and subplots and references to other characters and storylines running into this book, along with jokes about why Nick Fury's appearance changed, and on and on. The central story elements are basically that Hawkeye and Black Widow are enlisted into the Secret Avengers--carrying out missions that involve them having their memories of the missions wiped out, and that A.I.M. is trying to establish itself as a sort-of-legitimate nation.

Oh, and then the book I picked up as the follow-up to this one wasn't really the follow-up--it was volume two of the 'Secret Avengers' storyline from the following year--and also not connected to the original Moon Knight run I was looking for So, maybe the 'Secret Avengers' could have been better organized than having been put out as at least three different versions of issues one through whatever.

[Alex Sarll]

Even in amongst Marvel's current relaunch addiction, Secret Avengers has always felt like a book that wasn't quite finding its groove. Big writers would turn up, retool the whole set-up, put in motion plans which suggested a grand scheme...and then head off to another project, letting the cycle begin again. Nick Spencer's turn at least starts with a novel premise (a team so secret even its members don't know they're part of it - this would have impressed me more had I not just finished another book which did memory-manipulation stunningly well, The Quantum Thief), and has a line-up which makes sense as a covert outfit (contrast previous incarnations which featured big, showy characters like Giant-Man, Nova and Captain Britain).It also does a good job of fitting various characters fans of the Marvel films will recognise into the comics, working around their more complicated backstories without violating anything. And yet, for all that, it still feels a fair way short of Nick Spencer's best. Perhaps this is just one of those comics franchises that is never going to soar.