Secret Empire #10

By Nick Spencer, Steve McNiven, Rod Reis, David Marquez, and Paco Medina

This is the moment too many people have been waiting for: the conclusion of Secret Empire. Whether you’re a fan of the story or a disgruntled reader who has hated everything about this event, it all ends with a bang this issue. Nick Spencer has been getting some undeserved hate for this storyline, and that’s not fair. If nothing else, he got people talking and passionate about Captain America again.

The hard thing about reading Secret Empire #10, is that you pretty much know how all of this is going to end. There isn’t a twist or a turn; everything is as you would expect it to be. Nick Spencer delivered a decent, if predictable, final issue. At no point while reading this will you find yourself feeling worried about Captain America. If you read the previous issues, there really wasn’t any other way for this series to end. What Spencer does well, is write characters like Bucky, Sam Wilson, and Hawkeye impressively. Something as little as Hawkeye calling for the Avengers to assemble is a big development in his character and fits right in with his role as a leader in Occupy Avengers. Spencer has done a good job with continuity too. While it’s not hard to figure out that Winter Soldier and Kobik have a bond, it’s good that Spencer used it in this issue. There have been other crossovers in the past (AvX) that have not had the fortune of being tied to other books in the Marvel U. If you’ve been a detractor of Secret Empire, this issue probably won’t bring you around, but if you’ve been a fan, you won’t be terribly disappointed.

There are many artists on this issue, including Steve McNiven, Rod Reis, and David Marquez. Colors are also a grab bag, but Paco Medina gets credit on the cover. Rod Reis’ pencils are the panels with Steve Rogers and Kobik. The pencils, inks, and colors are very good, with a sharp painterly application. It really gives you an alternate or flashback feel to it. Steve McNiven’s work on this issue is very good. The details in Steve Rogers outfit on the full-page as Hawkeye calls for the team to assemble look great. The detail on every character as a full team attacks Hydra Cap is amazing, as no character looks bad. That’s comic art at its finest. The epilogue drawn by Marquez looks sharp and comparable to what McNiven laid down. It’s hard to pinpoint who colored what in this issue since there are several colorists on this book, but the colors are important in this issue. Seeing the blues pop off of Captain America’s uniform is a sight to see. There are also some nice reds used as Ant-Man shrinks down and we see his ghosted size behind him. This was a well drawn and colored book. Art-wise, Secret Empire goes out with a bang.

There is no telling where the Marvel Universe will go from here, but Secret Empire is sure to play a role in it. This issue was a bit of a let down because it was predictable. As a series, it was entertaining, but there wasn’t a chance this series ended with a Hydra Marvel U. The pencils and colors this issue were great and probably one of the best things about the issue. With so many hands drawing and coloring the issue, things didn’t get messy and looked nice together.