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Brian Michael Bendis uses this Secret Invasion crossover to reveal the history of Spider-Woman and how she came to be replaced by the Skrull Queen to lead the invasion. Drawing from the last couple years of New Avengers stories and showing us the missing pieces of the puzzle, Bendis is able to spin a new perspective without trashing the original stories.
The issue begins back when Jessica Drew met with Nick Fury to discuss HYDRA’s plan to restore her powers. Nick, of course, told her to go for it and to be a double agent. This is where the Skrulls stepped in and were able to replace her. It’s simple and easily works without ruining anything that has come after, because Bendis uses the issue to move through the history of the New Avengers and explain how Spider-Woman’s actions at every turn played into the Skrull’s plan for domination.
Without giving away too many of the secrets revealed within, long time readers can take heart in the fact that there are many instances within this issue where you’ll smack your forehead after reading yet another revelation. Each aspect seems to add to the character and the overall Secret Invasion storyline instead of taking away from the established Avengers history.
The artwork from Jim Cheung and John Dell is very detailed and well done, though it seems very typical of the Marvel style that has emerged over the last few years. It is clean, bright and inoffensive and while it’s certainly nothing to be frowned upon, it lacks individuality.
Some readers may wonder why such revelations as can be found here would not be told in the main Secret Invasion series. After all, the Skrull Queen is a central character and Jessica Drew’s betrayal is an integral part of the Secret Invasion storyline. The answer lies in the fact that Jessica Drew’s storyline is so intricately tied to the New Avengers that the average mini-series reader won’t particularly care about her past as would a long time New Avengers reader. Those long time readers will get exactly what they wanted from this story and most likely feel that the cover price is a bargain.
Without destroying the history of the New Avengers, Brian Michael Bendis weaves a story that will satisfy the long term readers of the series. New Avengers 42 has a cover price of $2.99 and is available now.