Thirty pieces of Silver?
By far one of the most interesting .1 issues released by Marvel, Secret Avengers 12.1 presents a thought provoking self-contained tale of espionage and morals that deals with many lingering discrepancies between Steve Rogers' political stance before and after the Civil War. In crafting this tale guest writer Nick Spencer also provides a rare insight into the impacts of espionage that are often glossed over by writers, whereby every action has definite ramifications for the civilian population.
The Good: Spencer's concise, (yet detailed), writing combined with Eaton's clean, well defined pencils combine to create an atmosphere which is sufficiently gritty whilst also retaining the more visceral elements of a comic. The 'Captain' provides an interesting and multi-faceted antagonist for the Secret Avengers, whereas Spencer presents A.I.M and Hydra in a suitably menacing light; they should be depicted as ruthless organisations instead of bumbling foils for the protagonists.
The Bad: Steve Rogers' justifications for his actions as America's new 'Top Cop' were lacking and failed to convince me regarding his political U-turn post rebirth. Particularly notable was Roger's insistence that surrounding events conspired to ensure that he 'fell into' his current role , a statement that seemed more in line with Iron Man's monologue in Civil War: The Confession. I personally would have liked to have seen a more protracted fight between the 'Captain' and the Secret Avengers (I Guess the kid in me wants to see a few more punches to balance out the level of plot development).
Overall Conclusion: An entertaining one off issue that melds great writing and art together for aplomb. The quality of this issue bodes well for Nick Spencer's future with Marvel and i am eagerly awaiting his run on the upcoming Ultimate Comics: X Men.
