From left to right: Normal Cover, 1:20 Steve McNiven Variant, 1:50 Leinil Yu Cover, 1:75 McNiven Sketch Cover, Dynamic Forces Mel Rubi Cover. My aplogies that I could not find a cover with the logos on it for the DF Cover.
Marvel Comics – July, 2008 – $3.99 – 32pg. – Color
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis – Artist: Leinil Yu – Cover: Gabrielle Dell’Otto
Issue two kicks off with the two groups staring each other down. The group from the crashed ship are confused as to why our heroes think they’re Skrull, themselves believing the heroes to be the Skrulls. Luke gets tired of it and a fight quickly breaks out, despite Ares trying to convince everyone it’s a trap and they should leave to face the real threat. During the fight, the Sentry is fighting the Skrull Vision, who changes mid-fight and impersonates the Void, scaring Sentry and making him run away like the little girl he is. Ronin (formerly Hawkeye, formerly dead) knocks out the Skrull Hawkeye and steals his bow and arrow, firing shots at the Skrull Beast and White Queen, as well as the Skrull Captain America, who blocks the shot, prompting Clint to wonder if he may be the real Cap. Shortly after a dinosaur breaks up the fight and everyone scatters.
Ms. Marvel escapes with Iron Man during the fight to an abandoned lab formerly used by Mutates, where he decides to use the one thing agains the Skrulls they can’t replicate: his brain. Back at the fight, Wolverine tracks Mockingbird to the side of a now-dead Skrull Hawkeye. She claims that she knew Skrulls were on their ship, but did not think he was one of them. Wolverine still thinks it to be an act and prepares to kill her, but Clint shoots him with an arrow and asks Mockingbird (to whom he was married) the meaning of October 12th. She explains that she had a miscarriage that they didn’t tell anyone about, though the assume the baby’s birthday would have been October 12th. This convinces him that she is the real Mockingbird and that she never really died. She also confirms that she thinks the Captain America on her ship is the real one and not a Skrull.
Back in New York, the Young Avengers can only help but watch as the Baxter Building continues to implode on itself. However, a Skrull ship descends upon the city, a cadre of Skrull warriors, all with mixed abilities come pouring out…
Hot damn, this series is GOOD. I loved that Ares turns out to be right and that crashed ship was just a ploy to pull the heroes away while the main strikeforce hit New York. One thing I really didn’t understand was how the Skrull Vision knew the Sentry was afraid of the Void. The Sentry is a new character and I don’t think the Skrulls would know about him at all, let alone his weakness. However, as if bringing back Hawkeye wasn’t enough for Bendis, now his wife Mockingbird is back after about 15 years. That should make for some good times. Should be interesting to see what Iron Man whips up in that Mutate lab…
Yu’s art showed some improvement this issue. His White Queen looked female in most panels this time. I really liked the Skrulls at the end, his Cyclops/Colossus/Wolverine Skrull was amazing.
Writing: 9.5 – Story: 10 – Art: 9.0 – Cover: 9.0
Overall: 9.4
