Review: Secret Avengers Vol. 1- Let’s Have a Problem

Quick Summary

Pros: The main storyline is interesting all the way through. The book has a unique approach that blends tension and comedy together. The entire volume helps build up future storylines.

Cons: The focus on comedy may not be as appealing to some readers. Logical gaps create some frustration in a few chapters.

Overall: This is a fun start to a promising new series. The collection begins a narrative about spies dealing with some of the world’s weirder problems. The situations created by these problems are often exciting and typically paired with some comedy. The resulting combination of laughs and tension works well and only trips up in a few places. Readers looking for a book about intense missions with a nice layer of humor on top should consider checking out this series.

Story

The previous Secret Avengers series, which this series directly builds upon, was a comic where action and suspense dominated but were occasionally broken up by some well-executed humor. This Secret Avengers series contains these elements but dramatically increases the level of humor, to the point where it becomes about half of the comic’s focus. This creates a comic that still contains tense moments but also contains a number of wacky adventures and comedically ridiculous situations. Understanding this change is important because readers expecting an unbroken reading experience from the previous series may be disappointed, while readers willing to embrace this volume’s focus on comedy will find a lot to enjoy.

With this change in mind, Secret Avengers Vol. 1: Let’s Have a Problem, by Ales Kot, is an enjoyable read. It shows the wild and unbelievable situations S.H.I.E.L.D. deals with on a regular basis. These situations can range from a thrilling fight with an incredibly powerful enemy to a problem where the solution is so ridiculous, you can’t help but laugh. The volume also hints at larger problems that S.H.I.E.L.D. will soon face, building material for future stories. There are definitely some problems in this volume, especially in the first few chapters, but the majority of the book is still entertaining.  

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The central narrative in Let’s Have a Problem kicks off when the Secret Avengers are reunited and pitted against new threats. They go head to head with a killing machine, deal with internal issues, and take down some isolated threats. Each of these challenges has a fair level of action and suspense, enough to make this feel like the spy novel it sells itself as.

As discussed above, a big part of Let’s Have a Problem is the humor. This is a book where Hawkeye dodges bullets naked and Spider-Woman convinces a sentient bomb not to commit suicide. This approach to humor is more over-the-top and quirky than a typical book about spies, which may turn off some readers. However, I really enjoyed it and found it to be a nice break from the serious concepts in other books.

While all of this is happening, Let’s Have a Problem is also consistently building up plotlines for the future. Spider-Woman has a conversation that implies that she has some hidden talents. Meanwhile, Phil Coulson is clearly struggling with the demands of his job, which could lead to an interesting exploration into his psyche down the road. Finally, the most significant development comes from Maria Hill, who is looking into a conspiracy that may exist within S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. The entire volume builds up excitement for the future and got me ready to read the next one.

The problems in Let’s Have a Problem come from places where logical gaps show up. Sometimes these logical gaps are places where the narrative relies too heavily on coincidence, like when Hawkeye just happens to end up at the same spa as his teammates. Other gaps appear when things just don’t make sense, like when a man is able to single-handedly infiltrate a S.H.I.E.L.D. base, threaten its director, and yet manage to allow M.O.D.O.K. to get away. However, the majority of these problems are found in the volume’s opening chapters so, hopefully, future volumes will feature the improved level of storytelling seen in the second half of this collection.

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Art

The artwork in Let’s Have a Problem, mostly by Michael Walsh, is a bit mixed. On one hand, the page layouts look great. There are pages here where the panel structures are able to wonderfully capture a moment in the story. This could come from a page where tons of panels help show short bursts of action or from a page where an atypical design helps emphasize the meaning of a flashback. However, on the other hand, there are also plenty of places where characters simply don’t look that great. The level of detail drops in a way that leads to some unpleasant visuals. In the end, I enjoyed the artwork in this book, but I could also see other readers not liking it quite as much.

Continuity

Secret Avengers Vol. 1: Let’s Have a Problem is the first volume in the Secret Avengers Vol. 3 series. However, this series directly builds upon storylines established in the Secret Avengers Vol. 2 series, which ended with Secret Avengers Vol. 3: How to MA.I.M. a Mockingbird (Review).

The story here continues in Secret Avengers Vol. 2: The Labyrinth.

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Secret Avengers #3 mentions Bullseye’s death, from the beginning of the Shadowland event, and his return to life, shown in Daredevil #26, collected in Daredevil by Mark Waid Vol. 5 (Review). 
• Original Sin: Secret Avengers Infinite Comic #1-2 are tie-ins to the Original Sin (Review) event.