Secret Invasion: Mighty Avengers #13 Review

The Revolution really enjoyed the last issue of Mighty Avengers. Bendis did a fantastic job writing Nick Fury’s character and filling the reader in on the back-story about what Nick has been doing in connection with the Skrull invasion. Mighty Avengers #13 continues to follow Nick Fury as he attempts to deal with the Skrull infiltration. It also appears that we are going to get treated to an all new version of the Howling Commandos. I have a good feeling that Mighty Avengers #13 is going to be a fine read. Let’s do this review.

Creative Team
Writer: Brain Michael Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev

Art Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10

Synopsis: We begin with a flashback scene from six months ago. We see Nick Fury meeting with Daisy Johnson at a park bench. Nick is using a disguise that makes him look like the Ultimate universe Nick Fury. (This joke is getting a bit old.) Daisy is still a bit resentful about the secret war that Nick Fury led her and a bunch of other SHIELD agents on in Latveria. That secret raid cost Daisy her job with SHIELD.

Nick then reveals that he kept his “caterpillar” files all to himself and that no one knows about them. Nick wants Daisy’s help in gathering all of the caterpillars. Nick says that it is time that he turned them into butterflies. Nick reveals that something bad is about to go down. That they can’t trust any of the existing super heroes. That no one knows about these kids so they can trust them. Daisy agrees to help Nick and adds that his disguise is the worst one ever.

We shift to the Bronx where Ares tells his little son to behave while he is gone on Avengers business. Ares pretty much acts like a lousy trailer park dad. Ares reminds his son that he will respect him. His son retorts kind of like how Ares respects his dad. Ares glowers and storms off.

A couple of neighborhood kids walk over and harass Ares’ son about his dad. They taunt the boy about his dad being on steroids and looking like a pro wrestler. The boy refuses to answer or respond to the other kids’ taunts. The boy simply stares at the other kids and the neighborhood kids suddenly run away in terror.

Daisy walks up to Ares’ son and tells him that his ability to instill fear in anyone is the coolest power she has ever seen. Daisy says that the boy is Phobos, the god of fear. Phobos was the son of Ares and the grandson of Zeus. Daisy says that his dad is Ares, the god of war. The boy is stunned. Daisy replies that he has the power of a god in the body of a ten year old boy and that he didn’t even know about it. The boy then replies that this news certainly explains so much.

We cut to San Juan, Puerto Rico. We see some thugs stealing a girl’s purse. The girl chases after the purse snatcher and suddenly bursts into super speed. The girl comes to a stop and is stunned. Suddenly, the girl is snapped back at super speed to the exact location where she started running.

Daisy then appears on the scene and introduces herself to the girl. The girl’s name is Yo Yo Rodriguez. (Yo Yo. Get it. She runs forward and then snaps backwards. She is a human yo-yo. How witty.) Daisy tells Yo-Yo that her dad is Johnny Horton aka The Griffin. That Yo Yo’s father’s “messed up junk” caused You Yo to manifest super powers. Daisy tells Yo Yo to come with her so she can take her to someone who can help her.

We slide over to a convenience store in Atlanta, Georgia. Daisy watches as the clerk behind the counter sees a guy shoplifting and does nothing to stop the shoplifter as he leaves the convenience store. Daisy approaches the clerk and asks him why he let the shoplifter leave. The clerk responds that he gets paid minimum wage so he gives minimum effort.

Daisy then tells the clerk to show her his super powers. The clerk’s name is J.T. J.T. is surprised that Daisy knows about his powers. J.T. agrees to give her a display of his abilities. They go to an alley outside. J.T. grabs a chain and powers it up full of fire and then throws it and it makes a huge explosion. J.T. tells Daisy that his powers manifested out of nowhere recently when he was attacked by some bikers.

Daisy tells J.T. that his grandfather was the original Ghost Rider also known as the Phantom Rider. That is how J.T. got his powers. J.T. is totally psyched about learning this information. Daisy tells J.T. to come with her and make more of his life than working behind a counter at a convenience store. J.T. asks how much money he will be making if he goes with her.

We cut to Daisy arriving at X-Factor’s brownstone. Before Daisy can say anything, Layla Miller tells Daisy that she knows why Daisy is here. That if Layla joined their motley crew that they would fail. However, without her they will succeed. Layla says that she has to be here for something later anyhow. That the mutants need her. Layla tells Daisy that Daisy is going to be one of the greats. Maybe. However, Daisy is going to lose a lot before that happens. Daisy walks away stunned by Layla’s ability “to know stuff.”

We shift to Greenwich Village, New York where we see a guy standing outside of Dr. Strange’s house. Daisy approaches the guy. The man tells Daisy that he has these magical powers and doesn’t know what is going on with him. That he came here for Dr. Strange’s help. Daisy answers that his powers aren’t magic. That his father was Doctor Druid and it is monster DNA inside of him and not magic. Daisy says that she is here to take him to a man who can help him. The guy hugs Daisy and says he is thrilled to have help.

We slide over to a jail in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Daisy bails this big bald headed guy is named Jerry Sledge out of jail. Daisy tells the guy that his entire record has been wiped clean. Daisy says that the guy really shouldn’t hit cops. The guy protests that the cop hit him first.

We cut to Nick Fury’s safe house. Daisy is standing there with all of the “caterpillars” assembled before Nick Fury. Nick states that every day for the rest of their lives they will do what he says. That if they don’t, they will die. That is a statistical fact. But, the good news is that every day they will make the world a better place than it was the day before. Nick says it is time to start the training. Nick then asks them if they know what a Skrull is. End of issue.

Comments
The Good: Mighty Avengers #13 was another good read. Bendis is doing an impressive job with these Secret Invasion tie-in issues. They are better than what we are getting on Secret Invasion itself. I am completely fascinated with learning what Nick Fury has been up to trying to get ready to deal with the Skrull invasion.

I will admit that Mighty Avengers #13 was a slow paced read. And yeah, there are no action scenes at all. However, this is a set up issue that introduces the members of the new Howling Commandos. The purpose of this issue to give the reader a feel for each character’s background and powers. There really is no other way to handle this other than a slower paced issue.

Even though Mighty Avengers is a slower paced story, it still is a well plotted issue. Bendis moves the story along with a purpose and a clear direction. It is interesting to see Fury calling in his “caterpillars” as he begins to assemble his super human team to deal with the Skrull invasion. Bendis manages to create some excitement in the reader as we anticipate seeing Nick leading this team of character into action.

I dig the concept of Nick Fury leading a new version of the Howling Commandos into the Skrull war. I like that Bendis is taking an old concept like the Howling Commandos and creating a fresh and updated version of that team for the modern 616 universe. It certainly makes sense that Nick would opt for a group of heroes that no else knew about. This was a smart move that guarantees Nick that he won’t have any Skrull’s infiltrating his team.

Bendis dishes out plenty of good dialogue. We actually get nicely developed voices for each character rather than nothing but “Bendis speak” from everyone. However, the biggest reason why I enjoyed Mighty Avengers #13 so much is the strong character work that Bendis delivers. I am digging the cast of characters that Bendis has assembled for Nick’s new team. It is rare that I actually am interested in all the characters on a single team. But, Bendis has managed to get me intrigued by the cast of characters that Nick has assembled for his new team.

Yo Yo Rodriguez is probably the member that I am the least interested in. Part of that reason may be that Bendis got too cute with her name. I almost always hate it when a character’s name is a cute reference to the powers that they possess. But, the fact that Yo Yo is Hispanic makes me cool with her character. There is a total paucity of mi gente in comic books so I won’t complain when one of us actually appears in a Marvel comic book.

I dig the twist that Yo Yo is the Griffin’s daughter. We last saw the Griffin over on New Avengers as one of the criminals that the Hood enlisted to help him take over the criminal underworld in the absence of the Kingpin. It is possible that one day daughter and father will clash.

I like Daisy Johnson. She operates as the perfect right hand woman for Nick Fury. Daisy provides the necessary experience that this team of rookies is going to desperately need. Also, Daisy is the logical choice for being the field leader when the Howling Commandos go into battle. Of course, that is assuming that Nick stays in his behind the scenes role and doesn’t lead the Howling Commandos into battle himself.

Doctor Druid’s son is a neat character. I will sheepishly admit that I actually always like Doctor Druid’s character. I’m interested in learning more about his son and his powers.

However, my three favorites are Ares’ son, J.T. and Jerry Sledge. Obviously, Jerry Sledge is the most physically imposing of all the recruits. I dig his look and his tough guy persona. Every team needs a bad-assed brawler and it looks like Sledge will fill this role. I’m definitely curious to learn more about Jerry’s character.

J.T. was awesome. I love his slacker attitude. His answer that minimum wage means minimum effort was classic. And I know plenty of people who share that attitude. I dig that J.T. is the grandson of the original Ghost Rider, who later went by the name the Phantom Rider. What a cool twist.

I have always liked the original Ghost Rider and it is great to see Bendis reaching deep into Marvel’s continuity and link a modern character with a relatively obscure character from the past. DC always does a great job reaching back into their deep and rich history and using older characters as the foundation for new characters. I’m glad to see Marvel doing the same here.

Ares’ son is by far my favorite character. I dig the concept of the power of a god in the body of a ten year old boy. And talk about a pretty wicked power. I am definitely interested in learning more about Ares’ son. And it should certainly be exciting when daddy finds out that his little boy has joined Nick Fury’s new Howling Commandos. Given Ares’ personality I am sure that it will be a highly explosive reaction.

Bendis does an excellent job showing how the various “caterpillars” react to their powers and Daisy’s offer to join Nick Fury’s team. Yo Yo gets past her initial shock of her new powers and is rather giddy over what she can now do. Doctor Druid’s son reacts as if a great weight has been lifted from his shoulders and readily accepts the offer to join the team.

Ares’ son is similar to Doctor Druid’s son as the knowledge about his father and his powers offers him much needed answers that makes sense out of his strange life. Jerry Sledge is a bit guarded and doesn’t react with much emotion. J.T. could care less about “the greater good” and making more of his life. Instead, J.T. is all about the money and is more interested in how he will be compensated for joining this new team.

Bendis uses the varying reactions of the “caterpillars” to Daisy Johnson’s information about their powers and the offer to join Nick’s team shows how their personalities differ. This gives the reader a preview of how these characters are going to interact with each other.

And, of course, being a huge Layla Miller fan, I loved her cameo appearance in this issue. I dig that Layla is revealed as one of Nick’s “caterpillars.” Honestly, Layla’s character just gets more and more intriguing.

Bendis continues to write an excellent Nick Fury. Serious, Marvel has got to get Bendis writing a Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos monthly title. I would certainly buy it. Bendis flashes such a good feel for Nick’s character. I am glad to see Nick finally assuming a more active role. I really have missed his character since he went into hiding. I find this entire back-story about what Nick has been doing over the past year to be completely enthralling.

Bendis ends Mighty Avengers with a cool ending as we see Nick Fury addressing his recruits for his new Howling Commandos. I am excited to see this team clash with the Skrulls. And I am interested to see what Bendis has in store for us next.

Alex Maleev delivers plenty of solid artwork. Even though I like Maleev, I still would not have tapped his style of art for this storyline. I prefer Maleev on darker, edgier and moodier titles like Daredevil and Moon Knight.

The Bad: I have no complaints with this issue.

Overall: I found Mighty Avengers #13 to be an enjoyable read. This issue was a solid set-up issue as Bendis continues to fill the reader in on the back-story with what Nick Fury has been up to in the past year. I continue to find the Secret Invasion tie-in issues to be much more captivating reads than what we get over on Secret Invasion itself.

To be sure, this is a slow issue, so readers who prefer faster paced stories and a bit of action in their comic books will probably not enjoy this issue that much. However, if you dig a story that centers around strong character work then you will probably get into what Bendis delivers in Mighty Avengers #13.