Everything a good tie-in should be. Solid character-work, a message that's powerful but not cheesy or sappy, and a really good representation of everything Fear Itself should be about. Very well done, and hopefully more than enough to keep a few Brubaker fans on-board for the time being. Read Full Review

Scot Eaton returns for a solid go round, ably capturing both the big and small moments in issue #13. Spencer really runs the gamut on this issue, from high octane explosions to subtle character interactions, and Eaton nails them both. It's hard to buy a big blue cat person expressing his feelings for a human being, yet Eaton's scenes ring true and combine with Spencer's script for maximum poignancy. The only distraction in the art is some of the lettering for the sound effects. Dave Lanphear opts for GIGANTIC intrusive letters to emphasize the enormity of the explosions. I realize that the explosions are huge, but covering up entire panels (even with transparent letters) is detrimental to the read. Luckily, this only occurs in a few places, leaving the rest of the lettering to fly under the radar as needed. Read Full Review

It's nice to see a tie-in issue that doesn't demand the reader have first checked out a different title. Spencer's script gives us just what we need to do, and then hits the ground running. I know Spencer's run is short so that Warren Ellis can come on board for a story arc, but I hope that down the line Spencer gets another crack at the characters. Based on this issue alone, I'm more than willing to read more Spencer-written "Secret Avengers." Read Full Review

For fans of this series since it began a year ago, this issue is a bit jarring considering how different it is from Brubaker's work on the title, plus the omission of Steve Rogers, Moon Knight, Sharon Carter, Black Widow and others. It's a good issue, but does little to convey where Spencer's going in the future, nor how he'll be able to handle the actual team, as the Point One issue and this issue both had such a narrow focus, at the detriment of showing how the group dynamic will actually function under his guiding hand. We'll see how the next issue unfolds, as well as how this issue's Fear Itself tie-ins end up going. Read Full Review

Mind you, I found the political aspects and idealism to be appealing. Nick Spencer is shaping up to be Marvel's Law & Order-esque writer - you know, "ripped from the headlines" kind of stories. He touched upon Wikileaks in the Point One issue of this series, and terrorism played a big part in the first arc of his Iron Man 2.0. Here, the plot evokes memories of the recent 9/11 workers health-care legislation and Wisconsin Democrats' use of proper process to delay controversial budget/union-busting legislation at the state level. I appreciate the topical parallels that Spencer uses in his super-hero stories, but the execution isn't always there. For example, in this issue, the plot about a bill to help a dying group of miners is cast aside as the story shifts to a Night at the Museum-esque plot device that's fun at first but ultimately doesn't quite make sense in the larger context of the Marvel Universe. Read Full Review