I continue to be absolutely floored by the amount of detail Ryp is able to pack into a single panel, let alone a whole page. I never thought I'd come across a comics artist who could give Geof Darrow a serious run for his money, but here he is. I just want to frame every piece, because these characters are absolutely popping out of genuine environments - - not generic impressions. Hurwitz's angle of Moon Knight almost being this killer zen psychopath is deeply intriguing and the perspective he presents of MK's involvement in the Secret Avengers is reason enough to pick this up. It feels real, and scenes like MK splitting an arrow in half on an thug's blade to take out two others are just sublime. Captain Baracuda makes for a great villain - - a scavenger of other capes' weapons - - and I just love the way Ryp renders the destructive power of his glove and the monstrous majesty of the sea beasts he summons.
The Bad
Even though Hurwitz's script addresses and pokes it fun at it, the fact that Valkyrie is part of what's supposed to be a stealth team of Secret Avengers is just patently ridiculous. The white knuckle edge of this issue is almost killed every time she appears with her white winged horse.
The Verdict - 4.5/5
I've been a fan of Ryp's work since his days of doing Robocop comics for Avatar Press. I'd give this comic a high rating for his art alone, but luckily, Hurwitz's script is a knock-out too. It is absolutely criminal that Ryp isn't a superstar and I hope his stint on this comic is a step toward him getting wider recognition. Honestly, I can't guarantee that this comic is your preview to the next big thing in comics but, damn it, it should be. Just look up Frank Miller's Robocop for more evidence.
I'm never a big fan of the crazy hero, but I must admit, I sat down and read the first five Moon Knight trades back-to-back one day (the series previous to Vengeance). That stuff is awesome! Kind of weird that he's functioning on a team though, after the way he's portrayed in his previous series.
Speculating from the mythology, Valkyries are choosers of the slain, and I think it was said that only the dying could see them, and then only if the Valkyrie was coming for them. (It's 1AM on the West coast, and this memory is a little tired right now, so forgive me if I got that wrong.) Going by that, it might be safe to say that with Marvel's Valkyrie, only those she allows to see her can see her (and her horse) so it might not be so ridiculous as it seems. However, a stealth team requires a unit that's of the same mind, that can be trusted to carry out the plan. Way back in the Defenders, she was more of the jump ahead before she hears the plan type. So *that* makes her seem like an odd choice. Maybe she's learned better by now.
After the Deadpool and Spider-Man issues, I was afraid that this series would fall flat on its face from all the cross-overs with other characters. So much so that I was amazed I was even buying this issue at all. But hoo-boy, were those fears alleviated. In fact, I'm hoping that this leads to Brubaker giving MK just a liiiittle push in future Secret Avengers issues.
The one bad thing I'd say about the art was that Widow's hair made her look like she was in a Whitesnake video.
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