Sorrentino's art is pretty great, as it continues to remain the highlight of the series. Another solid, but not spectacular, issue from the team, Secret Empire, remains a promising event. A good issue overall, which some can be classify as a placeholder issue. Read Full Review

Balances so many threads it's a wonder it all makes sense by the end. It's also dark, morbidly so, which may be the most unique thing about it! Read Full Review

Secret Empire is not a perfect event comic by any means. The series is becoming crowded with characters even as the actual plot begins to lose momentum. And while Andrea Sorrentino's art is frequently gorgeous, Sorrentino isn't versatile enough to handle all aspects of the story. But despite its flaws, Secret Empire manages to grab the reader's attention in a way that too few crossover events ever truly manage. Read Full Review

Secret Empire has been steadily improving, but it feels that for every step forward, they’re taking at least one back as well. The narrative stakes feels real, and I love the way that Spencer is hitting his marks with the pacing. The color work is really clever in the transitions between artists and how it plays against the writing as well. But Sorrentino needs to step up his game and render the Marvel Universe more accurately, or the story just doesn’t have the same impact. Read Full Review

Secret Empire so far has had its problems but not to the level the internet would lead you to believe. Spencer has taken the freedom of an else world story and added some actual stakes. More attention needs to be placed on moving this story forward and less on shocking revels, but overall Secret Empire is a big event worth your time. Read Full Review

If Secret Empire has one thing going for it, it's that the pacing is precise. Even as more threads get strung together, to the point where it's not easy to quickly sum up what's going on, Nick Spencer never spends too long away from them or too long on them to distract from others. Read Full Review

Although this issue of Secret Empire has powerful symbolism, it also has an inescapable sense of being filler. It's all about moving the pieces into place for the endgame. Read Full Review

If you're a new Marvel reader, I can't imagine how it must feel to read this event. It can be entertaining at times like a certain scene with Star Lord in this issue, but there's just so much to wrap your head around that to me, feels like one big mess that got too complicated for it's own good. There are lots of characters and it's hard to tell them apart, I even forgot at first that the Tony Stark in this issue was the AI Tony Stark, signified by the red text in his word balloons, how would a new reader pick up on this? The bottom line is that this does not feel new reader friendly and it's hard for even this veteran Marvel reader to wrap my head around the story. Read Full Review

So, to review: an event book should stand alone; characters should be true to their intent; and this one can't end soon enough for me. Read Full Review

Keep in mind that Marvel is charging a whopping $4.00 for Secret Empire #3! That is a horrible return on your dollar. $4.00 can buy me several songs, several apps or even half a month of Netflix. There is simply no way Secret Empire #3 is worth a $4.00 admission price. Read Full Review

If you'resolely invested in this main Secret Empire title so far you've spent $18.96(cover price) on a total of four issues that feel like they could have beenshortened and cut down to two.  The paceis awful and this book is becoming less and less intriguing with each passingissue … wake me up when something actually happens. Read Full Review

This series just keeps digging its heels in, smacking readers across the face and telling them, "THIS IS GOOD YOU JUST DON'T GET IT." I'd normally stay the course, say "wait until the end!" But this is not fun. This is Zack Snyder-directing-Marvel-type of gritty, style-over-substance bullshit. Read Full Review

Continues to be good. Slows down to touch upon all of the threads but Spencer does a nice job with That. So many nice moments from the Guardians of the Galaxy with the Council to Namor's Atlantis to boomerang. But the best thing here is that the art enhances the story with Sorrentino's Dark themes with a heavily dark toned story and Rod Reis's cleaner more colorful style for more hopeful and beautiful scenes with the mystery Steve and the Lady.

I'm warming up to this series by just kind of letting it all go...looking at this as a story that's happening and ignoring the illogical elements or the fact it seems totally out of sync with every other Marvel book I'm reading (I am avoiding the crossover issues, though). I thought the Scarlet Witch-led underground Champions was cool, as was the ending, even though I'm not sure who it is Frank is taking down because Sorrentino's characters sometimes look the same. Despite this complaint, the art is great. Rod Ries' fill-in scenes don't seem out of place because they are all scenes with alternate-Steve. One question: does A.I.-Tony Stark get cold, or does he put on a hoody in Dakota just to fit in?

SCORE: 8.1

While it is not the greatest issue so far of the series, it definitely is a solid read. I have enjoyed Secret Empire so far, so fans will enjoy some of the story pieces falling into play. If you are not a fan then I do not know why you made it this far if you are not going to try and enjoy where it is going. Overall a good read with great art.

Still have reservations about some of Sorrentino's faces. But this is a good issue, with a nice slow-burning tension.

Can we stop having covers that mislead us to what the story is inside the book? This cover has little to do with what is really happening in this issue #3. This has been a trend for this series. I get that it starts with the galactic heroes but then we quickly move on. Has an old man Logan style to the art. Slowly building but to what we don't have a clue. I mean really what is "Secret Empire" about other than bad Cap and we know that's not even the case. Very dark and lack of color but catches up here and there with each ongoing plot. Hope this gets better because it's currently nothing to brag about. Anytime Marvel has an event, they always end up interrupting other great books due to the fact they have to talk about what is happening in this story. more

+ Like • Comments (2)

•

Pants24 - Jun 1, 2017

It has an Old Man Logan style to the art because Sorrentino does the art for both books.

whoishe90 - Jun 1, 2017

That's why i felt that vibe with the art. Thank you.

Sign in to comment

Again there were parts like the ending that made you excited for the series but a lot of this feels like it could be better edited ...this needs more actual contact between heros and villains. This could be the next dark avengers epic but it's like it refuses to be good despite the incredible art and decent concepts

The story of Captain America becoming a villain and taking over is an interesting one to a point. The need for Marvel to sell books has turned an interesting concept and dragged it out a bit longer than I would have liked. This new installment does little to change my mind. While the opener with the duplicate Steve is there to create some hope, the rest seemed like fillers and twist thrown in to keep the tale going. Still the writing and art is engaging and makes it an issue worth reading. If you have not already jumped on board for the story then there is little here that will make you change your mind. If you are already in for the ride then settle in because this is going to take a while.

Bit cluttered, both art and story, but an enjoyable read.

Super slow for my taste. I am happy to see some new HYDRA agents are shown. One thing I didn't understand is the Champions with the Widow. It's just an odd set up. As for the first major spoiler. Damn I'm happy to see that baddy. It should make for an interesting twist. And what's up with Emo Sam Wilson? I swear I'm like really, don't act stupid just do what they ask for already. The best best best part of the story will have to be the first part of the story. The monologue about asking for help was hilarious. Sorrentino and Reis were perfection with the art. I just wished there was a little bit more gusto in this issue.

Stevil trundles toward his first direct conflict with some good guys, but he's not there yet. This is a connective issue that mostly spools up stories to be told in spinoffs. It offers up a bunch of conflicts without resolution, which is frustrating: Natasha is asking a bunch of too-idealistic teens to turn into assassins, Stevil is failing to convince Sharon that Hydra's not so bad, Sam Wilson is sure the war is lost yet also doing everything the heroes ask him to, and so on. And beardy hero Steve is still waiting in the wings in his mysterious blue Forest Of Allegory. Add in the usual Andrea Sorrentino art - incredible layouts starring barely-recognizable mannequin-people - and you've got a workmanlike issue that's more of a plot point briefing than a fun read.
more

This was a very slow issue. Nothing of particular intrigue or plot development happened. Last page reveal wasn't even surprising, such things are expected at this point. I have been so excited about this event but up to this point, it seems like meandering. Extra issue definitely wasn't needed, because it's just compressing the story development in a negative way.

As earth-shattering as the premise of this event is, there's not that much going on. All of it just feels like an alternate reality (Elseworlds?), which is not helped by talk of cosmic cubes that will invariably play a role in solving the event by hitting the big-reset button -- assuredly minus one earth-shattering thing that'll get retconned one year down the line or so when the editors can no longer milk it. What I'm trying to say is, it all sounds terribly inconsequential.