Writer: Ed Brubaker
Penciler: Mike Deodato
Publisher: Marvel

Norman Osborn is out of power, Steve Rogers is back from the dead, the Avengers are reforming, and a new Heroic Age is upon us. Secret Avengers is an all new Avengers title that takes us from the world of celebrity superheroes and bright adventures in the daylight to the dark and deceptive world of espionage. And it does so without going overboard on the “dark” part, for once.

Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, is now the head of SHIELD. When Norman Osborn was running the US military and superhero operations through HAMMER, things started to fall apart. Steve intends to put it all back together, and he’s planning to do so through preemptive strikes and subterfuge against their greatest enemies. To do this, he’s putting together his own team of Secret Avengers:

• Valkyrie aka Brunnhilde. Goddess. Former leader of the valkyries of Asgard.
• Black Widow aka Natalia/Natasha Romanova. Former Soviet spy, Champion, and returning Avenger.
• Steve Rogers. Former Captain America. Now head of SHIELD. Died. Got better.
• Beast aka Dr. Hank McCoy. Strong and agile mutant genius. Former X-man. Returning Avenger.
• Sharon Carter. Former SHIELD agent. Steve’s girlfriend.
• Moon Knight aka Marc Spector. Avatar of an Egyptian vengeance god. Might be crazy.
• Irredeemable Ant-Man aka Eric O’Grady. Former SHIELD employee, thief, and convict. Still, not a bad person.
• War Machine aka James “Rhodey” Rhodes. Soldier, former colleague of Tony Stark, and at one time Iron Man.
• Nova aka Richard Rider. Space cop. Former New Warrior. Cosmically speaking, kind of a big deal.

Their first mission is retrieve the Serpent Crown, a very powerful artifact that bestows its wearer with the powers of the Egyptian god Set. A shady company named Roxxon has come into possession of it, and we get a few cool action scenes as the Secret Avengers collect intel and what ultimately turns out to be a red herring. However, things might not go so smoothly once they discover who is following their trail.

Brubaker assumes we know who most of these characters are, and only gives Moon Knight and Ant-Man a few panels to explain how they were recruited for the team. This issue only sets up the plot without fully revealing the threat at hand, which is understandable for the first issue in any arc or title. For anyone wary about the prospect of the original Captain America working as a spy, it’s easily explained by pointing out the Secret Avengers’ similarities to The Invaders.

Deodato’s art has always been a mixed bag for me. He’s technically a good artist, but I feel like his clothes look a little too painted on, and he tends to draw a series of body parts that don’t quite fit together correctly. Still, he’s not afraid to pencil his own shadows without going overboard, he can craft an action sequence with the best of them, and his facial expressions are always on point. Plus he draws an excellent Beast, which can’t be said for many people these days.

Seriously, best drawn Beast in a long time

If you like superheroes, a little spy fiction, and you’re remotely fond of even a third of this cast, then go out there and pick up this comic.