CREDIT: Marvel
Rating: 4/5 – The 616 Nomad on the Run from Hydra!
By ComicSpectrum senior reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
If you were a fan of, or read writer Rick Remender’s work on Captain America then this serves as a continuation of that story. Most of the Secret Wars titles outside of the main series itself deals with an alternate version of the 616 character. Not so with the first issue of Hail Hydra. Hail Hydra picks up where the last issue of Remender’s Captain America leaves off, as Steve Roger’s “adopted” son and newly named Nomad enters the Battleworld , specifically into a region that’s a version of New York that was founded by Hydra.
I was a big fan of Remender’s Captain America run and although neither Steve Rogers nor Sam Wilson are in this first issue, it’s still an entertaining read that moves quickly and presents a vision of a world where the evil Hydra are in control of everything. Remender chooses to start the story small as Nomad attempts to help a graffiti artist who’s about to spray-paint over the Hyrda propaganda that permeates the city. This small encounter leads to bigger events and allows us to see just how depressing and all-controlling the world of Hydra is.
Artist Roland Boschi does a good job of visualizing the world while, colorist Chris Chuckry gives the entire city a greenish glow. Where the art didn’t always work for me was with the action scenes. Boschi draws a lot of action in this first issue and in some panels he chooses to elongate the limbs in order to show the speed and movement of the action. This artistic choice ends up skewing the image and makes the art seem off. For example, when Nomad punches a Hydra agent, his arm, as well as the Hydra agent’s head, are drawn much longer than they should be, making the proportions seem off in an attempt to give the image movement. It feels like the wrong choice in relation to the rest of the art, which for the most part is solid.
If you weren’t following Remender’s work on Captain America, then this first issue may not be for you as it spends a lot of time referencing the previous run and deals with a character that has only been seen in that title. Not only that, but the ending may lose it’s impact since it requires you to know Nomad’s history and origin. For me, I enjoyed this book quite a bit as it picks up where the previous series ended, while of course tying into the larger Secret Wars event. Nomad presents us with a rare perspective of Secret Wars since he’s born of an alternate dimension, has lived within and escaped from the destruction of the 616, and now finds himself in a domain of Battleworld. I’m excited to see just how that perspective shapes the remainder of this series.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
https://comicspectrum.com/ Covering the full spectrum of comics culture
Follow ComicSpectrum: 
ComicSpectrum Comic Reviews 
Goods review – I have to say I had high hopes of enjoying this book, but I was lost at the beginning. I hadnt read the previous series or secret wars so it was a bit of a let down. But over all it was a good read.