The Good
SQUADRON SINISTER takes some of the characters from Squadron Supreme and puts them in a place of power where Hyperion and the crew want to be the rulers of all the land around them. How does that work when Lord Doom has his Thor Corps patrolling the area and trying to maintain some level of peace? Exactly how you think it does!
The book really plays with the idea that people in power always think they know what's best and giving up that power isn't something they want to do, and they're willing to go down fighting. More than anything else, writer Marc Guggenheim takes the time to establish the world and the role these characters play within it. It's never really an info-dump though. Actions speak louder than worlds and Guggenheim takes readers on a tour of the world, as Hyperion and crew do what they have to do to instill fear in other citizens, which isn't too hard when you have super powers.
Joining Guggenheim is the fantastic art team of Carlos Pacheco (pencils), Mariano Taibo (inks), and Frank Martin (colors). The book really pops and I loved the way Taibo gave the characters a thicker outline which hearkens back to classic comics and has this soothing feeling to it for the older readers. As always, Martin does a wonderful job on colors and makes this book really pop. Pacheco's art is incredibly solid here as well. There's a great amount of detail within each panel and the page compositions are fresh and new on every page.
The final page of the issue has a great hook as well, and while this book wasn't something I was really anticipating, I find myself really intrigued with how everything is going to play out. Obviously, we're not spoiling anything here though. You'll have to read to find out.
The Bad
The original versions of these characters, for me, are a bit of a turnoff. Aside from Hyperion's involvement in the EXILES book, this character, and Squadron Supreme, have never been characters I've been too into. There is a cool twist here with who they are though. While the issue does a pretty good job at grabbing the average reader in, if you're not fans of these characters or even familiar with them, it may be a tad rough go for you.
The Verdict
SQUADRON SINISTER was a delightful surprise. It's quite a bit different from the other SECRET WARS books we've seen so far, but it plays in pretty well into the Battleground world that has been set up. It's a nice companion piece that really helps develop one areas of this new world, while focusing on one of the villainous groups of the world. It's a great stand-alone book and if you're looking for something SECRET WARS to get this week, this may be a pleasant surprise for you.
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