General Information

Title: Secret Invasion #5
Author: Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrator(s): Lienil Francis Yu (pencils), Mark Morales (inks), Laura Martin and Emily Warren (colours)
Cover Date: October, 2008
Cover Price: $3.99 US, $4.05 Can

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Premise

The various factions of the human resistance are not only acting, but they're starting to join forces.

High Point

My favourite line of dialog is as follows: "Ladies and gentlemen of the human race... New York City is under siege and the Earth is under the control of the Skrull empire. Anyone in the mood to do anything about that... hop on board. We're leaving now." My favourite aspect of the issue is the fact that Earth's greatest weapon (SPOILER: Reed Richard's brain) is back in play and pointed in the right direction.

Low Point

The last splash page shouldn't have been an isolated image, but rather should have been a character leading the charge.

The Scores

It's not all that original. I've seen stories with this emotional content before. You know those movies where the hero gets beaten down by the villain and is assumed dead, but then there's that one moment where an arm moves or the eyes open, and the audience knows that the hero is about to stand up and kick major tuchas? This issue is that moment, but instead of a single hero, we've got Earth's entire superhero community. It's highly enjoyable, but it's not original. I give it 2 out of 6.

The artwork is still holding up very well. The emotions are there, and Morales was a great choice to ink Yu's work. We've got those little victories depicted oh so well, and I'm really pumped about the big victories I expect to come. I give it 5 out of 6.

The story feels a little light at first, because it's all about positioning characters physically and emotionally. The human resistance is about to weed out the infiltrators and take the invaders head on. I give it 4 out of 6.

The characterization is solid. I never would have expected the Director of S.W.O.R.D. to come this close to being as cool as the One True Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., but here it is. Add in some really great moments for two of my three favourite Marvel characters (only Daredevil is missing), plus some moments that might move some others higher up the list, and we've got a great issue. Nobody gets enough time to show depth, but just about everyone in this 34+ member cast has a great in character moment. I give it 4 out of 6.

The emotional response is fantastic. As mentioned above, two of my three favourite Marvel characters have some stellar moments in here, and I found myself cheering and laughing with glee at the actions of characters I didn't care much about before the series started. Add in the whole "good guys are regrouping, and the bad guys are going to go down" feeling I get, and it's just a really fun read. I give it 6 out of 6.

The flow is surprisingly good given the number of scene changes. Each scene showcases different characters, but there are clear interconnections and a common direction to all of it, so it reads very nicely. I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, it's the most fun issue of the series to date, and one that may change the opinions of some of those who complain that nothing happens in this series. I give it 5 out of 6.

In total, Secret Invasion #5 receives 31 out of 42.

Additional Notes and Comments

Expect a review of Captain Britain and MI 13 #4 tomorrow.