“Secret Avengers” strikes a nice balance between the character-driven stories in “Avengers Assemble” and solo titles like “Hawkeye” and “Captain Marvel” and the longer arcs slowly building in “Avengers” and “New Avengers”. If you're reading the latter two, which I recommend, you'll no doubt appreciate how this story folds neatly into those grander ones, but even if you aren't, “Secret Avengers” is a lot of fun. And if you didn't already know, Nick Spencer joins Jonathan Hickman on “Avengers” #12 in May, so it's likely the link between the titles will continue at least through then. Read Full Review

Science cults, man. There's a bit of that over in Archer & Armstrong this week, too, where brainiacs obsessed with destroying the universe and leaving a peaceful void form their own cult of nothingness and actually succeed " well, they think they do, anyway. A.I.M. may not be obessed with the absence of all that is, but given Forson's screed against greed, we can see they've got some kind of high-minded agenda and that they won't be bought off. Read Full Review

While there may be some work to be done on the characterization of some of the characters here, Nick Spencer still manages to give us a great issue thanks to some great concept, a sense of scope and some lovely art from Luke Ross. Recommended. Read Full Review

Spencer continues to write the only Avengers title worth reading at the moment. Where Avengers and New Avengers fail, Secret Avengers seems to be shining. Read Full Review

The art is smooth just like its story counter-part, and Secret Avengers is a great pick up for anyone looking for a good story without the crazy theatrics and antics of the grandiose super heroes. It’s a bit grittier but not dark and overly well-balanced. Read Full Review

Nick Spencer's SECRET AVENGERS is off to a very solid start. While I'm not the biggest fan of seeing a very different take on Taskmater, I'm just happy to see the character is getting some focus. He's bringing a more lighthearted tone to the table, and with the seemingly bleak things to come in this title, that can absolutely be a good thing. Also, with the way Spencer writers Clint Barton, I really, really, reaaaally hope there's some strong interactions between these two down the road. Give this book an honest shot and I think it'll definitely clench your attention. Read Full Review

While I wasnt too sure about this book when it first started, its beginning to grow on me. Spencer delivers slick and fairly clever story, with plenty of intrigue to go around. The use of memory manipulation, as with the last issue, is proving to be quite an interesting prospect, as S.H.I.E.L.D. continues to use assets like Hawkeye and Black Widow without their knowledge. Ross pencils have a gritty, cinematic feel to them, and are well-complemented by Matthew Wilsons dark and dramatic colors. Overall a tight and attention-grabbing read. Read Full Review

Artist Luke Ross has the unenviable job of making the new A.I.M. baddie come off as a badass, and I was surprised at how effective his design was. He did away with the beekeeper outfit and replaced it with an imposing suit of armor that still bears the signature A.I.M. square headpiece and yellow color. He may as well be a cousin of Mortal Kombat's Cyrax -- a good thing in my book. There are a few panels where the body language comes off stiff, as if the characters were mannequins and not people, but those instances are fortunately not the norm for most of the book. Read Full Review

Secret Avengers is one of the biggest surprises out of Marvel Now. This is a series that I did not have high expectations for but Nick Spencer and Luke Ross have turned it into one of the most intriguing Marvel titles. Secret Avengers #2 effectively conveys this with Spencer moving the series at a methodical pace that never feels slow. This issue had a strong balance between Nick Fury Jr. continuing to build up the Secret Avengers membership and AIM rising to power once again with its new High Council. If your into action/adventure comics with an espionage tone than pick up Secret Avengers. Read Full Review

Now being the brain trust that I am, I don't know what all this is going to lead up to, but it will be an interesting (albeit methodically paced) ride to say the least. Pieces are placed on a proverbial table and it is only a matter of time before we see how they are arranged. Read Full Review

Although, whatever is going on right now before that explosion happens isn't too bad. Right now it's mostly team building and exposition, so I think that things will pick up more in an issue or two. I had this same problem with 'Thunderbolts'. I like the characters that are being brought together, but I'm just not latching onto the events that are playing out. However, Danny Way's book is much more along than 'Secret Avengers', so there's still a chance that Spencer can throw in some more things to hook me. I mean, it's already got a bit of an edge because of this new memory implant protocol, but I'm not 100% on board yet. The stage is still in the process of being set, so once the curtain fully opens in an issue or so, I think I'll have a better idea of how I like this series. But for now, I'll just say that it's interesting enough to check out so far. Read Full Review

"Secret Avengers" #2 is the sort of issue that I feel will work better in a collected format. This is a chapter of a larger story, and while on its own it's just all right, when taken in as part of a greater whole it will almost certainly feel much smoother and more interesting. Still, it gets the comic from point A to point B, and the seeds that are planted here look like a lot of fun. Not the most thrilling of installments, but it works for now. Read Full Review

It's always fun to see Taskmaster as he is just this weird, likable character especially when he was an instructor at the Avengers Academy some years back. Putting him with the likes of the High Council of A.I.M. is a smart move for Secret Avengers but it is the overall missions that bother me. There just doesn't feel like anything is at stake for any of the characters and it's like we're going through the motions that we've seen a hundred times before: that is to say a great big terror organization that is threatening the world with a power far beyond something that human's should wield. Read Full Review