Secret Warriors #6

Nick Fury was once a major power player. As head of S.H.I.E.L.D., he commanded respect in addition to having access to every iota of information available on everyone’s personal details. Despite this, he is often written as a kind of gristly uncle with a cigar firmly set in his stubbly face and a snide comment in his quiver. But gone are the days when Nick would rub shoulders with Reed Richards and trade industry info with Tony Stark.

After waging his own Secret War on villainy, the world has changed forever for Nick Fury. The trust and privelege he once enjoyed is gone forever. Living off the grid, Nick has discovered that his lifeling nemesis Hydra has secretly gained control over most of the world. With no favors to call in and unsure of who to trust, Nick has assembled a team of green recruits to battle this new war. They don’t have much in the way of battle smarts, but they have enough moxy to follow Fury into a firefight.

Sometimes, that’s where it counts.
Entering it’s sixth issue, this series by Brian Bendis and Jonathan Hickman has won me over. Full of tight writing, intelligent plots and clever (but not distractingly so) dialog, this could be one of the hidden gems of Marvel Comics. The latest storyline involves a desperate assault on a flying fortress dock where Nick’s team of ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agents is hopelessly out-gunned by Norman Osborn’s H.A.M.M.E.R. soldiers. Just when things looked their worst in issue 5, Hydra showed up to remind everyone just how bad things could get. But was Nick worried? Hell, no. His Secret Warriors arrived on the scene ready to dish out whatever Hydra could give.

Today the sixth issue hits the stands and from the looks of the two-page spread below is going to be wall-to-wall action in the mighty Marvel manner.

Pre-order on Amazon: Secret Warriors: Nick Fury Agent of Nothing Book One.

Dark Reign: Lethal Legion

This year’s event Dark Reign has touched upon nearly every Marvel Comics title (except for the Fantastic Four and Daredevil, of course). In addition to the logo emblazoned across the top of several monthly titles, a barrage of mini-series have also launched upon the reading public. From the Sinister Spider-Man to Mister Negative to Elektra and even Hawkeye, it’s hard to know what’s going on.

Add to the mix the Lethal Legion and you can be well confused. Unfortunately or fortunately, all are very good series (some moreso than others).

Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #2 by Tommy Lee Edwards

Gaining control of first S.H.I.E.L.D. (before dismantling it) and then the Avengers, Norman Osborn (better known as the Green Goblin) is the main man in the MU today. After taking over, Norman invited his good friends Dr Doom, Loki, the Hood, Namor and the White Queen to share this power. Declaring a dark Cabal as the antithesis to the Illuminati that swayed influence before them, Osborn is feeling pretty sure of himself but he has made enemies of both heroes and villains who are equally eager to see him fail.

While the Cabal of supervillains may seem to have a lock on the power base in the Marvel U, there are some evildoers who don’t care to tow the company line. Led by Eric Williams the Grim Reaper, the group calls itself the Lethal Legion and they are dead set on taking down Norman Osborn’s house of cards. But the group is not made up of only bad guys, Eric’s brother Simon is a member as well. You may know him as the former Avenger Wonder Man.

Writer Frank Tieri

Writer Frank Tieri is very interested in the relationship between the Williams brothers and hopes to use the Lethal Legion mini-series to touch upon the family dynamic.

“Yeah, they’re still the guys who have tried to beat each other’s brains out over the years,” Tieri notes. “You can’t ignore that. But on the flip side, I also think that sometimes people forget why Eric became the Grim Reaper in the first place. That he was so upset over his brother’s apparent death that he actually became a super villain in order to get revenge. To me, that speaks volumes. It speaks of a connection there.

“One thing we’ve tried to do with LETHAL LEGION is to maybe show a somewhat different side of the Grim Reaper/Wonder Man relationship than people are used to. To show how the relationship of two brothers-one hero, one villain-might really be.

“If you look at most of the Grim Reaper’s significant appearances over the years, they all revolve around Simon in some way, and I don’t see that changing any time soon,” he says. “That being said, this time, in LETHAL LEGION #2, one thing has changed, hasn’t it? Now, for once, the Williams brothers are together on the same side, against a common foe. So I think the real question to ask is how will their relationship ultimately be affected by the events of this series? When all’s said and done, will there be reconciliation here – or will they be back at each other’s throats?”

Dark Reign has been a hit so far and with so many mini-series and spin-offs it’s hard to tell what to get. That said, the Lethal Legion is a great series which smacks of classic Marvel style. Issue 2 of 3 hits the shelves today.