By nearly every measure, Secret Empire United #1 exceeds the expectations usually associated with tie-in issues. It's not simply a shameless plug for a larger story that creates one too many holes. It tells the kind of story that offers just the right kind of impact for a specific kind of story. It's essentially a targeted narrative, one that hits its mark in all the right ways. That, in the grand scheme of things, is still worth enduring more angry political rants. Read Full Review

A good check-in when it comes to the mutants and Cap's relationship with them. Read Full Review

It's a little surprising that the X-Men don't have their own dedicated tie-in mini-series for Secret Empire, but this one-shot does the trick well enough. Read Full Review

I mean we all know there are certain people in Hydra who are always going to be tools and the ending the way it turned out was not a real surprise. I mean I am really surprised that New Tian is ran by a certain character. I think that was the biggest twist in the whole book. And I'm also really super glad to see a return of some super old characters such as Sunspot, Marrow, BoomBoom and Strong Guy. But I just don't understand why poor Magik is considered a low priority character she is honestly top rank. But that's just me. I like how Zuh is slowly showing up a crack in the Hydra nation and the return of an X-Men villain. The art is just so basic nothing new to write about.

A complicated false flag operation exposes the tensions brewing between Hydra and New Tian. Writer Jim Zub is handed a tough job here: There's a *lot* of political backstory and event news to squeeze in around the actual story. It ends up being a reference book you read for those general Secret Empire updates rather than a compelling story about particular characters. Ario Anindito's art is mostly excellent, but it can't redeem the comic's detached "and then this happened after this happened after this happened" tone.