Writer/Artist: Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman, Stefano Caselli

Publisher: Marvel, $16.99

I originally wasn’t that tempted to check this out despite liking Caselli’s artwork, but peeking through a bunch of single issues the scripting and art did grab my attention and overall concept seemed intriguing. After the events of the modern Secret War and Secret Invasion, Nick Fury returns from hiding with the knowledge that everything he’s ever fought for was a lie and that now more than ever the bad guys are in control. Forget Normal Osborn and the Dark Reign, it turns out that Hydra has been controlling SHIELD all these years and after the events of Secret Invasion Baron Strucker is spurred into a stronger push for world domination.

After reading Hickman’s Fantastic Four work, I’m pretty much up for trying anything he puts out at Marvel. While Bendis worked on the plot, the script is much tighter than Bendis’ current writing and Hickman doesn’t offer too much in the way of talking heads. He gets to the point and paces the story with plenty of action as well as plot exposition. The added bonus are some nicely designed secret files that lay out the hidden world of the SHIELD/Hydra infrastructure. Caselli has a smooth and organic feel to his work that when mixed with the coloring by Daniele Rudoni really makes the scenes pop and the atmosphere and tone come to life.

The only negative aspect is that if you aren’t too familiar with a lot of the details and characters in the book some of it just won’t matter to you as much. If you don’t know who the Gorgon or Eric Koenig are it's not a big deal but you miss out on some of the neater sub-plots and geek moments. The story does make it a point to call upon the history of SHIELD and HYDRA and all the related characters, but it also makes it a point to focus on the newer members of Nick Fury's super-powered team. Hickman does a great job of balancing the characters and the plots though, so Secret Warriors is pretty accessible to just about anyone.

A healthy mix of espionage, super-heroics, dynamic art, and plenty of twists, Secret Warriors is one of the stronger and inventive titles Marvel has been putting out for the past year. Well worth checking out, and the $16.99 price tag is fairly decent.

If you like this then try: Dark Reign: Fantastic Four, Pax Romana, Nightly News

Related Links: Hickman