Secret Invasion #4 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler: Leinil Francis Yu

Secret Invasion #4 is the last issue for which I will be a crossover zombie for either Marvel or DC Comics. In the last few years, I've happily bought the crossovers for many different stories, starting with Infinite Crisis and ending (finally) with Secret Invasion.

It has become apparent that Secret Invasion, which started with almost infinite promise in its fantastic first issue, has no story line to speak of, and this issue, which reads like an issue-long "previously in Secret Invasion" fails to advance the story any further.

For example, Jarvis is still on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier demanding surrender. He has been doing this for three issue now. The heroes that headed to the Savage Land are still there. Each issue of the fight in New York has simply ended with someone new showing up, this time with Thor and the new Captain America.

The problem with the Marvel crossovers is that no one seems to have put any thought into telling a story. They are more like premises repeated endlessly. Nothing ever happens, and the same scenes just continue month after month.

A lot of the Secret Invasion crossovers have been very good, especially the Avengers titles, which I intend to continue to read. However, the main title is almost completely flat. I can probably pick up issue #8 and find the end of the four scenes, with only slight variations on who has arrived.

Secret Invasion is especially disappointing, as its initial premise is incredible. The Skrulls have been on Earth for years, and they have already won the war. There is an opportunity for a rich, guerilla-style battle on the part of the few heroes who have somehow been able to continute trusting each other.

Instead, we have none of that. The entire war will likely be over in less than forty-eight hours of comic time. This entire issue takes place over about twenty minutes. Somebody should explain to Marvel the a World War or a truly dangerous invasion should take more than a few days.

The main story has become a hook on which other books can tell stories about Skrulls. That is a lot of fun in books that are doing it well (Like Captain Britain). However, the main book has become completely glacial and uninteresting.

C-