Marvel invades local comic store

This summer Marvel launched its most ambitious project in years, Secret Invasion. This story’s origins can be traced back as far as the 1960’s with introduction of the Skrulls, an alien species of shape shifters who first appeared back in the second issue of the Fantastic Four. Since then, their home worlds have been destroyed and they have been determined to expand their empire. The concept has been a running theme in past stories, often without either artist or writer knowing what was being planned. Secret Invasion will be running over several different titles each month revealing a little more about the invasion.

This new invasion began roughly six years ago, secretly starting with Avengers Disassembled. Since that time Marvel has had several other major events such as Civil War, The Initiative, and World War Hulk. We now know these events have also been infiltrated and manipulated by the Skrulls. Because of these actions, we are now faced with uncertainty headed into the next few months. We are also left with many questions: Did Captain America really die? Is a Skrull really the director of Shield? Is Mr. Fantastic dead? These are just some of the many questions readers will be asking over the next few months.

Long-time comic reader Zane Leatherock states, “Secret Invasion is a good story at heart, but I think it’s a quick fix to problems created by multiple back-to-back crossovers, which have created fan backlash and have alienated long-time fans.” Others feel that this story could be a great place to start. Like new reader John Cadek who said “I really like all the reveals and I think after it’s all over I’ll have a better understanding of the Marvel Universe.” This could be the turning point that so many have been wanting and waiting for in the Marvel Universe.

Secret Invasion has also given the readers back one of their favorite characters with the return of Nick Fury. Nick Fury has been basically unseen since his role in Secret War. Other characters like Captain Marvel have also returned under the guise of being a Skrull.

Previous Marvel crossovers have left some fans feeling unsatisfied. Some have felt that characters have been acting out of place (i.e. Black Panther’s marriage to Storm, Spider-Man revealing his secret identity, and Wolverine in just about everything). Plot holes have been created that have made readers feel like they’ve missed issues. Secret Invasion has already begun to correct some of these problems, and hopefully will continue to do so. Unlike most other summer crossovers, this story has actually had brilliant tie-ins that have allowed for a much richer story. Secret Invasion could well be the best crossover Marvel fans have been given in years and for years to come.

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