Secret Avengers (Marvel)
Writing by Ales Kot, Art by Michael Walsh
I’ve been very hopeful for Secret Avengers and so far in the series I haven’t been disappointed. With issue #7 however, I’ve become extremely worried, and it can all be summed up in one word…Deadpool.
It’s no secret that I’m not a particularly big Deadpool fan. I got into comics right as Deadpool got huge and I was unimpressed with all of the Deadpool titles in print at the time. They tried way too hard to be funny and fell flat every time. The latest issue of Secret Avengers takes everything I couldn’t stand about Deadpool and turns them up to eleven. For several pages, Deadpool argues with the writer off and on while talking about living in a comic book, much to the confusion of the other characters, not to mention myself. Yes, that is correct: Ales Kot is writing Deadpool having an argument with himself (Kot) about how his writing of Hawkeye isn’t as good as Matt Fraction’s. I’m fairly certain most mental health professionals would have something to say about this. When Deadpool isn’t in the picture, the book is still pretty solid. I’m still really having fun with Spider-Woman and Vlad the talking bomb and their bizarre relationship. I’m perfectly fine with goofy stuff in a comic book, but my advice to the writers is to stay in the comic and keep reality out of it.
I still can’t decide what to make of this.
Admittedly, I wasn’t a huge fan of the art when Secret Avangers first came out. Since then, Michael Walsh has grown on me, much in the way David Aja did with Immortal Iron Fist, which is also fitting given how close their styles are. Walsh also helps bring some humor to the otherwise disturbing sections involving Deadpool, including one panel where Hawkeye and a Hydra henchman attempt to re-create William Tell with less than successful results. I am curious to know if Walsh has been pushed to make his style more like Aja’s, especially given the use of multiple small panels, much like Aja has been known to do with Hawkeye.
Very much like Aja’s style in Hawkeye.
While one bad issue is not enough to make me drop a book that has been otherwise enjoyable, if the writers can’t move past this writing style in a reasonable amount of time, my pull will be one book lighter. 2.5/5 Death Stars
