Secret War (New Avengers) (Book 1) [Hardcover]

Brian Michael Bendis (Author), Gabriele Dell'Otto (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2006

Starring Wolverine, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Captain America, Black Widow, Luke Cage, and more! Brian Michael Bendis, the most popular and acclaimed writer in comics, reveals the darkest chapter in Marvel Universe history! When Nick Fury finds a disturbing connection between many of Marvel's deadliest villains, he puts together a ragtag team of the Marvel Universe's most misunderstood heroes for a secret mission to do what the U.S. government could never allow, eventually leading to a super-powered blowout between a who's who of NYC heroes and mutants! Collects Secret War #1-5; and Files of Nick Fury.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (March 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785118373
• ISBN-13: 978-0785118374
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian Michael Bendis is an award winning comics creator and one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For the last eleven years, Brian's books have consistently sat on the top of the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel's popular AVENGERS franchise by writing every issue of the NEW AVENGERS plus debuting the hit books MIGHTY AVENGERS and DARK AVENGERS along with the wildly successful 'event' projects HOUSE OF M, SECRET WAR, SECRET INVASION, and SIEGE.
This summer will see the blockbuster new line-ups for AVENGERS and NEW AVENGERS.
Other recent projects include the groundbreaking SPIDER-WOMAN MOTION COMIC, that debuted number one on iTunes TV sales chart and the New York Times best selling HALO graphic novel.
Brian is one of the premiere architects of Marvel comic's Ultimate line of comics. A line of comics specifically created for the new generation of comics reader. He has written every issue of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN since it's best selling launch in 1999, and has also written ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR, X-MEN, MARVEL TEAM UP, ORIGIN, SIX and the ENEMY trilogy.
He is creator of the JINX line of crime comics published by image comics. This line has spawned the graphic novels GOLDFISH, FIRE, JINX, TORSO (w/ Marc Andreyko) and TOTAL SELL OUT.
Brian's other projects include the Eisner award winning "POWERS" (w/Mike Oeming) from Marvel's creator owned imprint ICON, and the Hollywood tell all "FORTUNE AND GLORY'. Entertainment Weekly gave both projects an "A." SONY and FX networks are currently developing POWERS for series with Brian as exec producer.
Brian is currently adapting his spy graphic novel FIRE for Universal Pictures as a starring vehicle for Zac Efron.
Brian is a member of Marvel studios creative committee, which consults on their numerous ongoing film projects. He has consulted on IRON-MAN and IRON MAN 2 and is currently consulting on THE FIRST AVENGERS: CAPTAIN AMERICA, THOR and THE AVENGERS
Brian has won five prestigious EISNER awards, including 'Best Writer of the year' two years in a row. He has also won over two dozen Wizard comic awards. Brian is the recipient of the Cleveland Press 'Excellence in Journalism' Award and was named "Best Writer of the Year." by Wizard Magazine and Comic Buyer's Guide for three consecutive years.
He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Alisa, his gorgeous daughters Olivia and Sabrina and his dogs Lucky, Max and Buster.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much Better In A Collected Edition, March 22, 2006

By 

Dave - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret War (New Avengers) (Book 1) (Hardcover)

SECRET WAR was a mediocre comic book. It's a great hardcover, though.

Let me explain. SECRET WAR by Bendis and Dell'Otto was originally supposed to be a quarterly series. It ended up being effectively a biennial. With gaps that large, it was tough to follow the dark and somewhat complex story. Read in one sitting and with oversized pages to showcase Dell'Otto's painted art, however . . . It's a lot of fun.

The story concerns super-spy Nick Fury discovering that a foreign power has been supplying supervillains with weapons in what amounts to state sponsored terrorism. Prevented from intervening by the government, Fury organizes a covert action which involves Wolverine, Captain America, Spider-Man and other top Marvel heroes taking the fight to the foreign capital. Flash-forward to a year later, when the heroes are attacked by powerful supervillains and one, Luke Cage, is seriously injured. The story of the fight for survival is intercut with flashbacks to the covert action, with the true nature of the "Secret War" revealed late in the game.

Also included is a series of in-character profiles of various superheroes "by" Nick Fury. They're a hoot, albeit fairly superfluous.

The dialogue is trademark Bendis (not for all tastes) and the pacing still leaves something to be desired, but there's a lot of action, a lot of intrigue, and Dell'Otto is an amazing new talent where Marvel is concerned.

Overall, I'd recommend it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not quite as good as it's namesake, June 23, 2006

By 

Impulse (Mobile, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret War (New Avengers) (Book 1) (Hardcover)

I'm not a great fan of Bendis, but I do think he's a good idea man. The premise behind this series is compelling, the execution could be better. But the good parts first:

The artwork is perfectly suited to this story, gritty and blurry without being sloppy, it's an excellent moon setting. The moral ambiguity that the tale centers around was implict as soon as you open the trade and see the graphics. The storyline is a good look at some of the darker corners superhumans might find themselves in if they did exist, a nice realistic depiction over the idealized that overall comics are associated with. And this is an important trade that leads up to events going on now (Civil War). This use of superheroes starts the questions that really start getting asked in Civil War.

But on the negative side, the story really seemed to drag to me, when I read it. The action is nearly nonexistant, and mostly in dimly remembered flashbacks. You don't really see the actual war, just its fallout. The series starts out with a bang, in media res, but after that it goes downhill. The few issues it ran for would have been improved if the actual conflict took place in an ongoing narrative, in the middle of the story would have been fine, but it should have happened. This series was either not long enough, and should have had the story of the actual war, or way too long, as revelations are boringly dragged out. The all text "transcripts" of shield agents, as mentioned before, are way too frequently and lengthy to be interesting, and the "shield files" or whatever at the end of the series is reprinted filler.

It's a shame that they design "covert ops" costumes for the heros involved and we barely get a glance at them as well. This series did not live up to its potential

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Missing Secret War!, January 31, 2010

By 

A Forest Fan (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Secret War (Paperback)

Brian Michael Bendis is a generally well-regarded writer, but this book is a huge waste of time for the reader and all involved. There is a Secret War that Nick Fury put the heroes on in Doctor Doom's kingdom of Latveria and guess what? That battle is still secret, it's never shown! This is inexcusable writing. They take five issues to hint at the battle, and the aftermath and consequences of such, but the battle itself is shown only in tiny, brief flashbacks. What??! Then why bother?

Then the insult is compounded by a trade paperback that is only half-filled with the actual comic. The other half are goofy "email" transcripts and panels on a "Who's Who" of various villains. Was not worth the price paid for it, I want my money back, Bendis! Next time, put out a 12-issue story, if you can't tell it in five!