CREDIT: Marvel
Rating: 5/5 – Saving One of the Best Stories for Last.
By ComicSpectrum senior reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
The Secret Wars books are beginning to wind down as new series and titles set in the post Secret Wars Marvel Universe start up. With some scheduling issues troubling the main Secret Wars book, series that were scheduled to launch after the final issue came out are already on their second issue, like Iron Man for example. With new series starting and Secret War tie-in books ending, I had forgotten that there was an Agents of Atlas book coming out that takes place on Battleworld. You could say that Marvel has saved one of the best for last. It turns out, for me, this was one of the most enjoyable tie-in books of the event!
Secret Wars: Agents of Atlas is a one-shot starring the group of characters that made their first appearance as a team back in ‘What If?’ number nine back in 1978. The eccentric team got their own series in 2006, but since then have been used sparingly which is a shame. Characters Jimmy Woo, Gorilla-Man and Namora just to name a few are great characters that work well together, and this issue proves that they are more than capable of being a top team in the Marvel Universe. Here the Atlas team is in the domain called Metropolitia, a mega-city under the control of Baron Zemo and his Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Jimmy Woo has been captured by Zemo, and it’s up to the rest of the Atlas team led by Gorilla-Man to save him.
There is plenty of action and although new readers may be a bit confused by some some of the character origins and skill-sets, writer Tom Taylor does a great job of providing you with the basics of their powers and abilities. Artist Steve Pugh does an amazing job with the pencils and makes a scene with Gorilla-Man and Woo flying through the sky with jet-packs strapped to their backs just as cool as it sounds. There’s also a fun and clever reveal when Zemo unleashes his army of S.H.I.E.L.D. special agents that had me nodding in approval. Overall, this is a book that needs to be read. Secret Wars isn’t over yet and as this issue proves, there’s plenty of great stories still waiting to be told on Battleworld!
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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