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Secret Warriors (2008) (Collected Editions)
Secret Warriors, Vol. 1: Nick Fury, Agent of Nothing
Exploding out of the pages of Secret Invasion and Mighty Avengers! Nick Fury and his new band of young heroes uncover the darkest secret in the history of the Marvel Universe! A secret that sends the Secret Warriors tumbling into an underworld of rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, super-powered spies, and global criminal organizations. Collects Secret Warriors #1-6, and Dark Reign New Nation story.
168 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2009
About the author
Brian Michael Bendis
4,417 books2,627 followersA comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
September 3, 2015
So if I'm being totally honest I read Nick Fury: Agent of Nothing for two reasons, Quake and The Secret Warriors.
I'm a big fan of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD and at the end of last season the show revealed that Skye was in fact Daisy Johnson otherwise known as Quake. I heard she was amazing in Secret Warriors so I wanted to read at least one comic prior to Season 3 which I hear revolves around Secret Warriors.
As it so happens Quake and her team weren't featured enough for me to get a good feel on them so perhaps I'll need to read the next volume. What I saw was interesting, but I didn't get exactly what I was looking for. Nick Fury was as expected elusive, confident, capable, and one bad man.
The story was fine, but until recently I never paid much attention to Hydra so their cabal wasn't all that familiar for me.
I didn't find them too interesting although Gorgon looks like he could a frighteningly fun adversary.
Nick Fury: Agent of Nothing wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I expected either. I'll have to check out the next volume.
I'm a big fan of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD and at the end of last season the show revealed that Skye was in fact Daisy Johnson otherwise known as Quake. I heard she was amazing in Secret Warriors so I wanted to read at least one comic prior to Season 3 which I hear revolves around Secret Warriors.
As it so happens Quake and her team weren't featured enough for me to get a good feel on them so perhaps I'll need to read the next volume. What I saw was interesting, but I didn't get exactly what I was looking for. Nick Fury was as expected elusive, confident, capable, and one bad man.
The story was fine, but until recently I never paid much attention to Hydra so their cabal wasn't all that familiar for me.
I didn't find them too interesting although Gorgon looks like he could a frighteningly fun adversary.
Nick Fury: Agent of Nothing wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I expected either. I'll have to check out the next volume.
August 8, 2010
I think I may have a little bit of a crush on Nick Fury now.
November 24, 2014
This has been on my radar of books to read for a long time. I finally decided to stop putting it of and sit down and read Hickmans Secret Warriors (I'm also planning to re-read all his Marvel stuff before Secret Wars hits next year, but we'll see if that actually happens or not).
And the second season of Agents of SHILED has put me in the mood for reading a good SHILED vs HYRDA comic.
Secret Warriors is the closest to a Nick Fury ongoing Marvel have done in a while. It's a team book, filled with people Fury has recruited off the grid before Secret Invasion went down, but at the centre of it is Nick Fury and his continuing war with HYRDA and Von Strucker.
This volume does a lot of set up, introducing us to the Secret Warriors team and the new heads of HYDRA that will be in the series as regular villains.
It's also set during Dark Reign, so there's a lot of hiding in secret bases and going on secret missions. It's all very espionage and secret.
And it's a good read. Hickman writes the weary Fury well, who has to know the line between going in quiet and going in guns blazing because he's no longer the Top Cop of the Marvel Universe.
And the second season of Agents of SHILED has put me in the mood for reading a good SHILED vs HYRDA comic.
Secret Warriors is the closest to a Nick Fury ongoing Marvel have done in a while. It's a team book, filled with people Fury has recruited off the grid before Secret Invasion went down, but at the centre of it is Nick Fury and his continuing war with HYRDA and Von Strucker.
This volume does a lot of set up, introducing us to the Secret Warriors team and the new heads of HYDRA that will be in the series as regular villains.
It's also set during Dark Reign, so there's a lot of hiding in secret bases and going on secret missions. It's all very espionage and secret.
And it's a good read. Hickman writes the weary Fury well, who has to know the line between going in quiet and going in guns blazing because he's no longer the Top Cop of the Marvel Universe.
March 12, 2015
Hot-diggity, this one was a gooder!
I've always been a Nick Fury fan and have enjoyed all the various incarnations of Marvels favorite spymaster. One of my earliest memories of books that I really liked as a kid were the S.H.I.E.L.D.: Nick Fury VS. S.H.I.E.L.D. comics. That six issue series captivated me and I fell in love with Fury and Shield and I soon found myself devouring all the Nick Fury stuff I could.
The six issues presented in this volume have managed to capture all those nostalgic feelings that I had so long ago as a little kid. SHIELD, HYDRA, the mother-fucking HOWLING COMMANDOS...its all here, and it's all freaking awesome! Got's ta say I'm pretty stoked to dig into Vol.2.
June 8, 2021
This was a pretty good volume and focuses on this new team after the Dark Reign led by Quake and she is working for Nick Fury and they do some tasks for him which is shady but also cool and their mission is to recon but being teenagers they delve into fights and all that entails and on the other side we have Nick Fury doing his thing, he meets with Contessa and then Dugan and their plan is to hit Hammer Hellicarriers to gain them back and then its the battle vs Hydra, triplicate war happens and some amazing stuff with Secret warriors. New intro to new members and the revelations and secrets that a man like fury has is great.
I love the fast paced nature and the charts complimenting the first issue and the plot of various Hydra council members and this pretty much being Shield vs these people has me excited to read more and the art is quite good and it serves as a good introduction to this team!
I love the fast paced nature and the charts complimenting the first issue and the plot of various Hydra council members and this pretty much being Shield vs these people has me excited to read more and the art is quite good and it serves as a good introduction to this team!
January 16, 2013
Best part of Dark Reign to come out of Secret Invasion so far...plotted by Bendis and Hickman, so it's going to be a long run story (Hickman) and Bendis helped keep it grounded and with dialogue, so pretty solid team, and the art is solid too.
I like Nick Fury in his element, and this is helping show how he ends up where he does by Original Sin...
Howling Commandos make their return, and the Caterpillars face HYDRA and HAMMER...also, one of the team gets taken out, and it's time to recruit another...
Plus, Nick finds out the deep secret that's been obscured since the end days of WWII...big wow.
There's also some cool database files at the end of one book worth perusing if you have the inclination and Marvel wiki handy.
Looking forward to more of this instead of the Norman Osborn victory parade...
I like Nick Fury in his element, and this is helping show how he ends up where he does by Original Sin...
Howling Commandos make their return, and the Caterpillars face HYDRA and HAMMER...also, one of the team gets taken out, and it's time to recruit another...
Plus, Nick finds out the deep secret that's been obscured since the end days of WWII...big wow.
There's also some cool database files at the end of one book worth perusing if you have the inclination and Marvel wiki handy.
Looking forward to more of this instead of the Norman Osborn victory parade...
March 7, 2021
4.5 stars but I’ll round up because I had a blast reading this. For those of you who read secret invasion, this follows Nick Fury and his band of super powered people he showed up with at the end of that book. We see them getting trained and going on some missions. Meanwhile, Fury learns that Hydra goes back further than he thought and have a reach just as far. Plus Hydra has some mysterious heavy hitters with them and someone resurrected from the dead. Fury plans to take it straight to them and take them out for good. But first he needs a bigger army and all of his toys back. This book shows him do just that. Great spy thriller with some great action and artwork. Well written and paced out with some cool revelations around each corner. Looking forward to continuing this run.
August 16, 2015
Story Synopsis:
Other Useful Reviews: Anthony's review
Book Info: This collection contains Secret Warriors issues #1-6, and "Declaration" from Dark Reign: New Nation .
ABSOLUTE RATING: {3.5/5 stars} (Rounded Up)
STANDARDIZED RATING: <4/5 stars>
"…There was a time when it would have made me physically ill to share the same air with something like you – an animal, appearing as a human. Your destruction, I'm sorry to say, would have been a necessity... But, times have changed and my ethos has evolved in what is a more tolerant, and enlightened view of global society. You see, I no longer need to cleanse the world, I simply wish to rule it. So understand, what is about to happen is a personal indulgence for me – a flight of nostalgic fancy. I'm trying to enjoy life more that I'm older. Come for me. I wish to feel young again.”
– Baron von Strucker
In this volume, Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors take on Baron von Strucker and HYDRA. Issue one does a great job setting things up for the remainder of the volume, and ends with a rather outrageous cliffhanger. If you've read Pax Romana or The Nightly News , you ought to be familiar with Hickman's meticulous writing style and vision. And while somewhat kept in check, he does indeed take that approach into Secret Warriors, still managing not to make things too overwhelming; if you can survive issue one, you'll have nothing to worry about for the remaining five issues.
Hickman really does nail the character of Nick Fury very well. This mastery is demonstrated in the very first issue, and only becomes more clear with subsequent ones. I think that most everyone who enjoys Secret Warriors would attribute much of that enjoyment to Fury, and fortunately, he's by far the most central of the protagonists. He's one of those characters you love to hate, but at the same time deeply respect. But this wasn't wholly a good thing; for me, I respected the guy so much that, with the exception of Daisy, the members of his Secret Warriors seemed juvenile and incompetent in comparison.
In reality, I've really enjoyed stories that feature main characters similar to the cast of Secret Warriors, and oddly enough, these are characters that I'd normally find no fault with. But in this context, the contrast was pronounced enough to be just slightly damaging, rather than very funny or cute. But I suppose that has its benefits; for one thing, at least this keeps Fury on his A game. Still, at the end of the day, I can appreciate the situation Fury has put these kids in, and understand if they're having difficulty shouldering, as Daisy puts it, "the burden of working for a badass."
And although the same sensationalized writing I've begun to associate with Hickman was more palatable this time around, it still comes off as pretentious and melodramatic at times. It worked extremely well for Pax Romana, and when it works here, which is most of the time, it's satisfying to read. You might be surprised how much quotable material lies in these six issues alone.
This has been my second reading of volume one, and this time around I've given it an extra half star. There's a lot to appreciate here, but just like so many other things out there, Secret Warriors ultimately suffered from too much compression of events. And the final battle was a bit of a let-down, considering all that went into its lead-up. But I'm cautiously optimistic; this is the first of six volumes for the series, and it managed to pull off four stars. With Hickman at the helm, I imagine that I might be really impressed with where he takes the story next...
Other Useful Reviews: Anthony's review
Book Info: This collection contains Secret Warriors issues #1-6, and "Declaration" from Dark Reign: New Nation .
ABSOLUTE RATING: {3.5/5 stars} (Rounded Up)
STANDARDIZED RATING: <4/5 stars>
"…There was a time when it would have made me physically ill to share the same air with something like you – an animal, appearing as a human. Your destruction, I'm sorry to say, would have been a necessity... But, times have changed and my ethos has evolved in what is a more tolerant, and enlightened view of global society. You see, I no longer need to cleanse the world, I simply wish to rule it. So understand, what is about to happen is a personal indulgence for me – a flight of nostalgic fancy. I'm trying to enjoy life more that I'm older. Come for me. I wish to feel young again.”
– Baron von Strucker
In this volume, Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors take on Baron von Strucker and HYDRA. Issue one does a great job setting things up for the remainder of the volume, and ends with a rather outrageous cliffhanger. If you've read Pax Romana or The Nightly News , you ought to be familiar with Hickman's meticulous writing style and vision. And while somewhat kept in check, he does indeed take that approach into Secret Warriors, still managing not to make things too overwhelming; if you can survive issue one, you'll have nothing to worry about for the remaining five issues.
Hickman really does nail the character of Nick Fury very well. This mastery is demonstrated in the very first issue, and only becomes more clear with subsequent ones. I think that most everyone who enjoys Secret Warriors would attribute much of that enjoyment to Fury, and fortunately, he's by far the most central of the protagonists. He's one of those characters you love to hate, but at the same time deeply respect. But this wasn't wholly a good thing; for me, I respected the guy so much that, with the exception of Daisy, the members of his Secret Warriors seemed juvenile and incompetent in comparison.
In reality, I've really enjoyed stories that feature main characters similar to the cast of Secret Warriors, and oddly enough, these are characters that I'd normally find no fault with. But in this context, the contrast was pronounced enough to be just slightly damaging, rather than very funny or cute. But I suppose that has its benefits; for one thing, at least this keeps Fury on his A game. Still, at the end of the day, I can appreciate the situation Fury has put these kids in, and understand if they're having difficulty shouldering, as Daisy puts it, "the burden of working for a badass."
And although the same sensationalized writing I've begun to associate with Hickman was more palatable this time around, it still comes off as pretentious and melodramatic at times. It worked extremely well for Pax Romana, and when it works here, which is most of the time, it's satisfying to read. You might be surprised how much quotable material lies in these six issues alone.
This has been my second reading of volume one, and this time around I've given it an extra half star. There's a lot to appreciate here, but just like so many other things out there, Secret Warriors ultimately suffered from too much compression of events. And the final battle was a bit of a let-down, considering all that went into its lead-up. But I'm cautiously optimistic; this is the first of six volumes for the series, and it managed to pull off four stars. With Hickman at the helm, I imagine that I might be really impressed with where he takes the story next...
October 22, 2010
I have heard almost nothing but constant, unending praise for Secret Warriors, and I *think* I am going to love it. But, after the first volume, I'm not quite there yet. This was incredibly enjoyable, yes, and I think Hickman (and Bendis I guess, though it doesn't seem like he had a ton to do with this beyond creating the characters) does an exemplary job of mixing espionage with superheroics in a highly original way. It all just kind of moves too fast, though. I haven't felt like I've had a moment to sit still and give a crap about any of these characters. Each issue moves from big mission to big spy event to big fight in a huge (and maybe justifiable) hurry, but I as the reader just don't really know who these people are, even though I read their origin stories in the earlier Mighty Avengers issues in which they appeared.
I'm willing to compromise my need to know and appreciate the characters, though, as long as the plot and set pieces are interesting enough, and so far these haven't failed to impress. HYDRA is actually a formidable, imposing enemy now, instead of the laughable mess of cannon fodder idiots it's been in the past. The revelation that they've been controlling SHIELD for years had a similar impact on me as it did when this was revealed in the 2nd Captain America movie. I was like "Oh damn now what." The action sequences are a blast, the team is a bunch of misfits and that actually makes sense this time, and Nick Fury is exactly as mysterious and gruff and likable and then unlikable and then likable again as I want him to be. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this series, and if it gives me something to hold on to with the characters, I think this will be a 5-star book. I can't wait to see where this goes!
I'm willing to compromise my need to know and appreciate the characters, though, as long as the plot and set pieces are interesting enough, and so far these haven't failed to impress. HYDRA is actually a formidable, imposing enemy now, instead of the laughable mess of cannon fodder idiots it's been in the past. The revelation that they've been controlling SHIELD for years had a similar impact on me as it did when this was revealed in the 2nd Captain America movie. I was like "Oh damn now what." The action sequences are a blast, the team is a bunch of misfits and that actually makes sense this time, and Nick Fury is exactly as mysterious and gruff and likable and then unlikable and then likable again as I want him to be. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this series, and if it gives me something to hold on to with the characters, I think this will be a 5-star book. I can't wait to see where this goes!
June 10, 2010
Re-reading this in advance of WRA’s Hickmania. (Just because Matt & Chris don’t want to read Hickman’s SHIELD saga doesn’t meant I don’t want to relive said glory days)
It’s still pretty stunning how strong Hickman came out of the gate - pulling all sorts of big strings to build a world we didn’t even know existed - and which took the post-SHIELD events of the day to an ambitious upsell.
While Hickman’s never entirely comfortable illustrating a character’s softer side, it’s kinda amazing how hard-as-titanium-nails he makes Nick Fury. No apologies, no explanation, just setting an impossible goal and getting out of the way.
And a team of loose-cannon supes is fun to watch - but more fun to see lambasted by Fury every time they screw up.
Art by Caselli is great, but what really strikes me is how subtle, rounded and painterly the colour art is. That makes this style really pop, but not in the house style way.
It’s still pretty stunning how strong Hickman came out of the gate - pulling all sorts of big strings to build a world we didn’t even know existed - and which took the post-SHIELD events of the day to an ambitious upsell.
While Hickman’s never entirely comfortable illustrating a character’s softer side, it’s kinda amazing how hard-as-titanium-nails he makes Nick Fury. No apologies, no explanation, just setting an impossible goal and getting out of the way.
And a team of loose-cannon supes is fun to watch - but more fun to see lambasted by Fury every time they screw up.
Art by Caselli is great, but what really strikes me is how subtle, rounded and painterly the colour art is. That makes this style really pop, but not in the house style way.
February 27, 2012
Secret Warriors is a great series from Marvel. The book offers the best take on Nick Fury in years. The first trade, Secret Warriors Vol. 1: "Nick Fury: Agent of Nothing", offers great dialogue and action. This book is so good it shouldn't be a secret.
To understand Secret Warriors you must understand Nick Fury. Fury first appeared in the World War II combat series Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, as a cigar-chomping NCO who led a racially and ethnically integrated elite unit. (May 1963 - Dec. 1981). In 1965, Strange Tales #135 (Aug. 1965) gave a new take on Fury, who became a colonel was a James Bond-esque Cold War spy for the covert organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division) against its nemesis HYDRA (and featured great art by Kirby and later Steranko). In addition to being an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury continued to make appearances in the other Marvel books, from Fantastic Four to The Avengers. By the 80s and 90s, Fury and had been converted into a Macguffin guest star. Want Spidey to go to Europe? Fury would show up with an assignment. The fact that Daredevil needs information that the reader knows could be fixed with a convenient cameo. (I also don't want to even guess how many times Marvel has killed him or crashed his Helicarrier in the name of summer events).
I should also mention that he has been played in the movies by both Samuel L. Jackson and David Hasselhoff (and if that is not a statement, I don't know what is). Of course, when Marvel created it's Ultimate Line, they created an all new-all different Nick Fury--master manipulator and chess player rather than a spandex wearing superspy and even used Mr. Jackson as the reference model. Eventually, that characterization became more dominant in the main Marvel Universe (616 for you uber-geeks).
So where is Fury at the beginning of Secret Warriors? If you don't follow the Marvel Comics Universe, let me bring you up to date real quick. Fury secretly recruited several superheroes (led by the mysterious Daisy "Quake" Joihnson) to infiltrate the country of Latveria (Doc Doom's country. When the public found out, Fury became a pariah and went deep deep underground. There was an intervening Civil War (with Fury manipulating behind the scenes for some secret agenda) that resulted in the death of Captain America. Then, there was a Secret Invasion of Earth by alien shapeshifters called Skrulls. No one saw it coming . . . almost--Nick Fury was ready. He discovered the plot, which was why he went underground. Daisy secretly recruits a new team of "caterpillars", young, untested superhumans, whose existence is known to Fury alone. Nick Fury and his team of Secret Warriors arrive and rescue the defeated Young Avengers and Initiative members before withdrawing from the battle. Long story short, with Fury's help the Skrulls are vanquished (and he has the best line of the series. "My God has a Hammer.") But, the war had an unintended consequence, bad guy (and former Green Goblin) Norman Osborn became a hero and was given total control of the 50 state Avengers Initiative and has become a Dark Reign of terror. Osborn dissolves Shield and creates Hammmer and forms Dark versions of the X-Men, Avengers, and Young Avengers.
Now, Fury is on the run again--this time from Hydra, Osborn's villains, and his former Agency. Moreover, Fury has discovered a startling secret involving a connection between SHIELD and Hydra that makes him question everything he knows about his past. Once again, the Secret Warriors take up his challenge.
The Secret Warriors are: Nick Fury, Quake (who has been revealed to be the daughter of Mister Hyde); Phobos (the son of Ares); The Druid (the son of Doctor Druid); Slingshot (the daughter of the Griffin); Hellfire (the grandson of the Phantom Rider); Stonewall (background unknown Bendis has revealed that his father is a "major Marvel icon" first name "Henry"); Eden Fesi (who trained with Gateway).
The Trade includes Secret Warriors #1-6 and material from Dark Reign: New Nation and is subtitled "Nick Fury: Agent of Nothing." I almost didn't read this book. I'm not really that interested in the whole Dark Reign storyline (and even dropped Wolverine, which I consistently had collected (in its various incarnations) since 1988 when it became "Dark Wolverine"). I only got this hardcover because it was fifty percent off from DCBService.com. While I really like both Brian M. Bendis (who plotted) and Jonathan Hickman (who scripted), there are just too many out there.
I was surprise to discover that this book has almost nothing to do with Dark Reign. Instead, the story focuses on Fury's battle against the forces of Hydra. Granted this story takes place against the backdrop of Dark Reign, but that's all it really is. There are some nice Fury character moments, which show him to be the bad ass that he is. The book has some great dialogue from Fury. My favorite is the updated version of the Death Star independent contractor speech from Clerks featuring Enron (which is a subsidiary of the evil Roxon Corporation in the Marvel Universe). Readers also get to see the power that Fury wields in the Marvel Universe. Plus, the last page reveal made me curse out loud. Plus, the art by Stefano Caselli is fantastic. I am definitely glad I bought this book and will keep going when volume two comes out.
To understand Secret Warriors you must understand Nick Fury. Fury first appeared in the World War II combat series Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, as a cigar-chomping NCO who led a racially and ethnically integrated elite unit. (May 1963 - Dec. 1981). In 1965, Strange Tales #135 (Aug. 1965) gave a new take on Fury, who became a colonel was a James Bond-esque Cold War spy for the covert organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division) against its nemesis HYDRA (and featured great art by Kirby and later Steranko). In addition to being an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury continued to make appearances in the other Marvel books, from Fantastic Four to The Avengers. By the 80s and 90s, Fury and had been converted into a Macguffin guest star. Want Spidey to go to Europe? Fury would show up with an assignment. The fact that Daredevil needs information that the reader knows could be fixed with a convenient cameo. (I also don't want to even guess how many times Marvel has killed him or crashed his Helicarrier in the name of summer events).
I should also mention that he has been played in the movies by both Samuel L. Jackson and David Hasselhoff (and if that is not a statement, I don't know what is). Of course, when Marvel created it's Ultimate Line, they created an all new-all different Nick Fury--master manipulator and chess player rather than a spandex wearing superspy and even used Mr. Jackson as the reference model. Eventually, that characterization became more dominant in the main Marvel Universe (616 for you uber-geeks).
So where is Fury at the beginning of Secret Warriors? If you don't follow the Marvel Comics Universe, let me bring you up to date real quick. Fury secretly recruited several superheroes (led by the mysterious Daisy "Quake" Joihnson) to infiltrate the country of Latveria (Doc Doom's country. When the public found out, Fury became a pariah and went deep deep underground. There was an intervening Civil War (with Fury manipulating behind the scenes for some secret agenda) that resulted in the death of Captain America. Then, there was a Secret Invasion of Earth by alien shapeshifters called Skrulls. No one saw it coming . . . almost--Nick Fury was ready. He discovered the plot, which was why he went underground. Daisy secretly recruits a new team of "caterpillars", young, untested superhumans, whose existence is known to Fury alone. Nick Fury and his team of Secret Warriors arrive and rescue the defeated Young Avengers and Initiative members before withdrawing from the battle. Long story short, with Fury's help the Skrulls are vanquished (and he has the best line of the series. "My God has a Hammer.") But, the war had an unintended consequence, bad guy (and former Green Goblin) Norman Osborn became a hero and was given total control of the 50 state Avengers Initiative and has become a Dark Reign of terror. Osborn dissolves Shield and creates Hammmer and forms Dark versions of the X-Men, Avengers, and Young Avengers.
Now, Fury is on the run again--this time from Hydra, Osborn's villains, and his former Agency. Moreover, Fury has discovered a startling secret involving a connection between SHIELD and Hydra that makes him question everything he knows about his past. Once again, the Secret Warriors take up his challenge.
The Secret Warriors are: Nick Fury, Quake (who has been revealed to be the daughter of Mister Hyde); Phobos (the son of Ares); The Druid (the son of Doctor Druid); Slingshot (the daughter of the Griffin); Hellfire (the grandson of the Phantom Rider); Stonewall (background unknown Bendis has revealed that his father is a "major Marvel icon" first name "Henry"); Eden Fesi (who trained with Gateway).
The Trade includes Secret Warriors #1-6 and material from Dark Reign: New Nation and is subtitled "Nick Fury: Agent of Nothing." I almost didn't read this book. I'm not really that interested in the whole Dark Reign storyline (and even dropped Wolverine, which I consistently had collected (in its various incarnations) since 1988 when it became "Dark Wolverine"). I only got this hardcover because it was fifty percent off from DCBService.com. While I really like both Brian M. Bendis (who plotted) and Jonathan Hickman (who scripted), there are just too many out there.
I was surprise to discover that this book has almost nothing to do with Dark Reign. Instead, the story focuses on Fury's battle against the forces of Hydra. Granted this story takes place against the backdrop of Dark Reign, but that's all it really is. There are some nice Fury character moments, which show him to be the bad ass that he is. The book has some great dialogue from Fury. My favorite is the updated version of the Death Star independent contractor speech from Clerks featuring Enron (which is a subsidiary of the evil Roxon Corporation in the Marvel Universe). Readers also get to see the power that Fury wields in the Marvel Universe. Plus, the last page reveal made me curse out loud. Plus, the art by Stefano Caselli is fantastic. I am definitely glad I bought this book and will keep going when volume two comes out.
June 26, 2014
I am very tardy at writing this review! I have read so many graphic novels in the past couple of months, and I've just been fatigued and sadly, writing reviews has felt like a chore lately. Having said that, I am glad to get back and review this very good graphic novel.
When one thinks of Marvel characters, your mind doesn't necessarily go right to Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, but honestly, he's a bit like the glue of the Marvel universe in some ways. Or at least the Kevin Bacon (as in Six Degree of Separation). Definitely when it comes to the Avengers-related storylines. Well, in this one, it's his show. He's a man on a mission.
SHIELD has been infiltrated and disavowed by the government. It's essentially been rolled over into HAMMER, headed up by Norman Osborn. Nick knows something is stinking in Denmark, and he's going to make things right. Even though SHIELD is no more, he still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. He's been a warrior, spy, and commander, so he knows what he's doing, and ruthless and determined enough to do it.
The villains are nasty and formidable. The good guys feel like underdogs, even though Nick, Dum Dum Dugan and his Howling Commandos are very skilled at taking on 'nasty' bad guys (see what they did in WWII, if you have questions about it). Fury called in his contingency plan, activating SHIELD assets and individuals with potential. Some of them are quite young, but needs must. If I think really hard, it seems really scary for teens to be taking on nasty foes like the Gorgon and Lady Hydra. However, they know what they are getting into and want this opportunity to serve their country, even knowing that some of them will die in the process.
I liked the way this book was put together. It had plenty of graphics and visuals about the enormity of SHIELD and their long-time adversary, HYDRA. Being a geek, I read each and every chart, table and map. It helped to expand my understanding of the incredible task that Nick has set for himself.
This was a great find at the library. I'm just sad that my library doesn't have the rest of this series. I want to finish it. It's kind of pricy to buy, so I have decide if I'm willing to splurge to read the rest of these. I was glad I took a chance on this. No, it's not the X-Men or The Avengers, but it was just as cool in a different way. I didn't underestimate Fury before, but I have gained even more respect for him.
Secret Warriors is a very good adventure series with a touch of the superhero fiction vibe to satisfy comic book lovers. If you can find a copy, it's worth reading.
When one thinks of Marvel characters, your mind doesn't necessarily go right to Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, but honestly, he's a bit like the glue of the Marvel universe in some ways. Or at least the Kevin Bacon (as in Six Degree of Separation). Definitely when it comes to the Avengers-related storylines. Well, in this one, it's his show. He's a man on a mission.
SHIELD has been infiltrated and disavowed by the government. It's essentially been rolled over into HAMMER, headed up by Norman Osborn. Nick knows something is stinking in Denmark, and he's going to make things right. Even though SHIELD is no more, he still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. He's been a warrior, spy, and commander, so he knows what he's doing, and ruthless and determined enough to do it.
The villains are nasty and formidable. The good guys feel like underdogs, even though Nick, Dum Dum Dugan and his Howling Commandos are very skilled at taking on 'nasty' bad guys (see what they did in WWII, if you have questions about it). Fury called in his contingency plan, activating SHIELD assets and individuals with potential. Some of them are quite young, but needs must. If I think really hard, it seems really scary for teens to be taking on nasty foes like the Gorgon and Lady Hydra. However, they know what they are getting into and want this opportunity to serve their country, even knowing that some of them will die in the process.
I liked the way this book was put together. It had plenty of graphics and visuals about the enormity of SHIELD and their long-time adversary, HYDRA. Being a geek, I read each and every chart, table and map. It helped to expand my understanding of the incredible task that Nick has set for himself.
This was a great find at the library. I'm just sad that my library doesn't have the rest of this series. I want to finish it. It's kind of pricy to buy, so I have decide if I'm willing to splurge to read the rest of these. I was glad I took a chance on this. No, it's not the X-Men or The Avengers, but it was just as cool in a different way. I didn't underestimate Fury before, but I have gained even more respect for him.
Secret Warriors is a very good adventure series with a touch of the superhero fiction vibe to satisfy comic book lovers. If you can find a copy, it's worth reading.
April 17, 2019
starting the stage of my life where ‘i read stupid comic books and write terrible reviews of them on goodreads and call it a hobby.’
decided to dive head first into the Hickman-verse. only comic ive read by him was SECRET WARS (which i totally loved). im interested in his upcoming X-Men book and thought this was as good a time as ever, to binge read every single books he’s written at MARVEL.
got a library card recently so i checked out every single trade by him they had (6 vol. Secret Warriors, 6 Fantastic Four, 3 FF, 4 Ultimate Universe vol., and like 10 Avengers= like 30 books!!). gonna try to get through them before that +:) due :( 💕 date ok ! * +
decided to dive head first into the Hickman-verse. only comic ive read by him was SECRET WARS (which i totally loved). im interested in his upcoming X-Men book and thought this was as good a time as ever, to binge read every single books he’s written at MARVEL.
got a library card recently so i checked out every single trade by him they had (6 vol. Secret Warriors, 6 Fantastic Four, 3 FF, 4 Ultimate Universe vol., and like 10 Avengers= like 30 books!!). gonna try to get through them before that +:) due :( 💕 date ok ! * +
July 7, 2019
Great art and amazing story telling
July 31, 2025
such a great plot, i’m just now realizing that there’s a lot of the hydra/shield plotline that was taken out in the movies and that really should’ve been left in. now i need to watch agents of shield…
January 18, 2010
On second thought I am re-rating this as 2 stars instead of 3. I've come to expect a lot from Bendis, his capacity for realistic and exciting dialogue is almost unparalleled in the "comics" field, with characters who seem real, are consistent, and who talk like people do. His plots are usually brilliant. This felt like something unfinished from him or else very rushed. I am rereading a "POWERS" book, and even this which I already read is awesome, and thinking back on this Secret Warriors,... it just seems weak by comparison. He almost gets us to care about the worlds' de-throned super-spy, but not too much. And ultimately Nick Fury doesn't really do all that much in the story except talk tough. Oy vey. It is his own fault for being so awesome most all of the time. I have no complaints about the art though.
October 3, 2015
That was good! Reading this before starting season 3 of Agents of SHIELD. A lot of familiar faces here in a very intriguing setting.
December 29, 2025
I think there’s an argument to be made that this is Hickman’s best work at Marvel. I love his Fantastic Four run, and it certainly has its share of memorable moments and strong character work, but it’s also pretty messy. I also, of course, love his Avengers run, but he throws a lot of things at the wall that do not stick. And his X-Men run, particularly HoxPox, is an all-timer, but it sort of fell a part at the end.
Secret Warriors plays very well to his strengths. There’s a lot of Nightly News in this. He ups the stakes with a huge conspiracy to kick things off. He imbues Hydra and Shield with a greater mythology and a renewed focus. There’s plenty of big ideas, but, to my memory, it remains pretty contained and cohesive. We shall see.
We get a bunch of cool characters surrounding a big table, the first of many such scenes Hickman will write. We get the first data pages in a Hickman Marvel book, and I think they work particularly well here. This is some of his best written dialogue. The characters feel distinct, and his Nick Fury is my favorite version of the character. And each issue ends with such a strong punchline.
The art in this trade is also incredible. Stefano Casseli does some of his best work here, the expressive acting is especially strong. And Daniele Rudoni’s colors are exceptional. I love the sickly green color palette of most of this. It reminds me a bit of the color grading of a lot of 2000s films such as The Matrix or The Ring.
The only minor ding on this book is that this isn’t actually the beginning of the story. That happens in Secret Invasion, New Avengers, and Mighty Avengers, which really have to be read to fully get this.
Secret Warriors plays very well to his strengths. There’s a lot of Nightly News in this. He ups the stakes with a huge conspiracy to kick things off. He imbues Hydra and Shield with a greater mythology and a renewed focus. There’s plenty of big ideas, but, to my memory, it remains pretty contained and cohesive. We shall see.
We get a bunch of cool characters surrounding a big table, the first of many such scenes Hickman will write. We get the first data pages in a Hickman Marvel book, and I think they work particularly well here. This is some of his best written dialogue. The characters feel distinct, and his Nick Fury is my favorite version of the character. And each issue ends with such a strong punchline.
The art in this trade is also incredible. Stefano Casseli does some of his best work here, the expressive acting is especially strong. And Daniele Rudoni’s colors are exceptional. I love the sickly green color palette of most of this. It reminds me a bit of the color grading of a lot of 2000s films such as The Matrix or The Ring.
The only minor ding on this book is that this isn’t actually the beginning of the story. That happens in Secret Invasion, New Avengers, and Mighty Avengers, which really have to be read to fully get this.
September 27, 2023
Kind of a cool look into Shield after being broken up after the events of Secret Invasion.
It's a fun story. Nick Fury is as mysterious as ever leading a group of people to handle situations no one else dares to go. Less superheroish and more spy thriller. I did enjoy that tone and the characters were neat enough but the whole working for the bad guy the whole time plotline gets boring, and I just felt like the plot didn't give enough to these characters to do something special.
It's a fun story. Nick Fury is as mysterious as ever leading a group of people to handle situations no one else dares to go. Less superheroish and more spy thriller. I did enjoy that tone and the characters were neat enough but the whole working for the bad guy the whole time plotline gets boring, and I just felt like the plot didn't give enough to these characters to do something special.
May 20, 2012
Hot damn this book is Good. With a capital 'G'. Here we get to see Bendis and Hickman use Fury to his full potential during the 'Dark Reign'. You know, doing what a super spy does- espionage, double-agent, special ops, search-and-destroy, James Bond meets Dirty Harry type stuff.
What makes them (Bendis and Hickman) such brilliant writers at times, is the fact that they can give us a completely new team, characters we have never met before, and make us really care for them, care about them. Its a damn fine job all around. High Five!
What makes them (Bendis and Hickman) such brilliant writers at times, is the fact that they can give us a completely new team, characters we have never met before, and make us really care for them, care about them. Its a damn fine job all around. High Five!
January 23, 2014
This is Nick Fury at his most grizzled badass. He's a veteran of everything since WW2 and it shows. He looks old and tired. His work seems to have been for naught.
The Catepillars themselves are interesting premises. There isn't a lot of character development here. Thiere are hints of things to come, but this is mostly intrigue and action.
I like the art. It's comic book without being ridiculous. Everyone is defined enough to be recognizable.
The Catepillars themselves are interesting premises. There isn't a lot of character development here. Thiere are hints of things to come, but this is mostly intrigue and action.
I like the art. It's comic book without being ridiculous. Everyone is defined enough to be recognizable.
February 18, 2016
Waiting for Agents of SHIELD 3B got me like
November 10, 2022
Nick Fury se esconde entre las sombras, las cosas no son fáciles para el, la empresa donde trabajaba ahora no existe y fue adquirida por un villano jodisisimo con vinculos con el gobierno, ¿podrá hacer algo Fury con un puñado de heroes sin experiencia? .
LO BUENO: Aca esta Hickman !!!, escritor top donde se le busque, que te mete diálogos duros e inteligentes, conspiraciónes, grupos poderosos contra otros no tanto, un Fury que tiene planes escondidos dentro de los secretos de sus planes, y aca, los malos son potentes, dan miedo , son igual o mas inteligentes que los buenos y eso, se agradece.
LO MALO:Mucho de Fury, algo de Deisy, pero del resto...no termine de aprenderme mas de un nombre y no me interesa que pueda pasar con ellos , además, el Baron Strucker es algo de opereta en algunos momentos, y el arte...me gusta Caselli pero esta serie no era para el, no se, ¿algo mas oscuro?, ¿un color menos brilloso?.
LO BUENO: Aca esta Hickman !!!, escritor top donde se le busque, que te mete diálogos duros e inteligentes, conspiraciónes, grupos poderosos contra otros no tanto, un Fury que tiene planes escondidos dentro de los secretos de sus planes, y aca, los malos son potentes, dan miedo , son igual o mas inteligentes que los buenos y eso, se agradece.
LO MALO:Mucho de Fury, algo de Deisy, pero del resto...no termine de aprenderme mas de un nombre y no me interesa que pueda pasar con ellos , además, el Baron Strucker es algo de opereta en algunos momentos, y el arte...me gusta Caselli pero esta serie no era para el, no se, ¿algo mas oscuro?, ¿un color menos brilloso?.
October 13, 2019
So, I have been away from Marvel comics for so long that I hadn't even known that Hickman and Bendis had worked together on certain titles.
Yes, calm down, I'm catching up.
Now that I have discovered that these two paired up I am not shocked to discover how goddamn great it is.
Hickman's adept storytelling compliments Bendis' knack for zippy dialogue and the results are top notch. We get an expanded view of some newer characters introduced during the last major event and it is all delivered with Castelli's gorgeous pencils with have all the wow factor of Jim Lee without any of that ridiculous posting that makes his panels look self-congratulatory.
The first arc is fun, and allows almost all of the characters a chance to shine, all the while moving the story forward in a fun direction. I'm anxious to see what comes next.
Yes, calm down, I'm catching up.
Now that I have discovered that these two paired up I am not shocked to discover how goddamn great it is.
Hickman's adept storytelling compliments Bendis' knack for zippy dialogue and the results are top notch. We get an expanded view of some newer characters introduced during the last major event and it is all delivered with Castelli's gorgeous pencils with have all the wow factor of Jim Lee without any of that ridiculous posting that makes his panels look self-congratulatory.
The first arc is fun, and allows almost all of the characters a chance to shine, all the while moving the story forward in a fun direction. I'm anxious to see what comes next.
May 16, 2020
I've been in a whole Marvel espionage mood and going through the Secret Avengers books eventually brought me back to the Secret Warriors. This was a weird Dark Reign book that featured Nick Fury and his little team trying to do the work that SHIELD used to do before it was dismantled and replaced with HAMMER. The big Hydra plot that drives this first volume certainly set the stage for an interesting adventure truly worthy of Nick Fury, but did little to really build the individual character narratives of his supporting team. There's a lot of good narrative twists and turns as we learn od intrigues and secrets left and right but there's just so much happening around people instead of because of people.
July 14, 2017
OK, so the ending was only slightly predictable (really - there were parts were I was like "oh I'm not super surprised by this" but mostly I was like "OK, cool. Did not think about that happening."
Most of this is about Daisy's team or Nick trying to get his Howling Commandos back together, which is why I picked it up in the first place. I read the Pleasant Hill hardcover and it had some Howling Commandos issues in it (well, not at all like this Howling Commandos, but the monster version) and was interested in some more backstory. Which, again, this isn't the monster one but is still giving a lot of helpful information for my interest.
Most of this is about Daisy's team or Nick trying to get his Howling Commandos back together, which is why I picked it up in the first place. I read the Pleasant Hill hardcover and it had some Howling Commandos issues in it (well, not at all like this Howling Commandos, but the monster version) and was interested in some more backstory. Which, again, this isn't the monster one but is still giving a lot of helpful information for my interest.
December 29, 2021
It's Nick Fury facing down Hydra! But this time it's not Nick Fury with the backing of S.H.I.E.L.D., but a ragtag group of whoever he can muster on reputation alone as S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone, he's a war criminal, and Hydra is making their moves. It's neat that this whole story is framed as not yet another Hydra story, but as THE Hydra story. All of Nick Fury's history is wrong, this is the one that counts. This is the big war, this is Nick Fury having to pull out all the stops to fight an enemy bigger than he ever realized. It's a good set-up, with lots of different sides and the reader left with no clue who to really trust and what angles are really being played.
July 26, 2022
I loved this series when it came out and dec8ded it was time to revisit. This first arc is good but really follows Nick reassembling the Howling Commandos in the wake of Norman Osborne taking over and then dismantking SHIELD, while the titular Secret Warriors themselves are kinda side characters. I can't explain why but this tracks for Bendis in my mind. Anyway, soeaking of Bendis, this first arc is him co-wriring with Hickman but with the second arc Bendis steps away and leaves it all to Hickman, and while this arc is really solid (and I love me some Dum Dum Dugan) that's really when the series kicks into gear IMO. Still, a very solid opening.
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