After the events of the last issue, Taskmaster is now wielding the powers of the three crowns and he controls an army of villains and heroes. The only two that were not affected were Ant-Man and Venom, and now it’s up to them to stop The Abyss from spreading beyond the city.
I loved that Max Fury wasn’t able to wield the power that he tried to acquire. That was an awesome twist in this arc, so cheers to Rick Remender for that. Cheers also for the interaction between the original Human Torch, Jim Hammond and the Black Widow. The babysitting gag was pretty funny. However, there were a few questionable actions in this issue that I just can’t let slide. For example, Ant-Man pulls a maneuver with some bugs that he’s controlling that just doesn’t seem like it would work. I really don’t see a swarm of bugs exploding a plane engine. That just doesn’t sounds feasible at all. I can usually suspend disbelief in most comics and movies, but this particular tactic had me rolling my eyes.
There was another questionable decision in this issue, but this time it’s in the art department. Previously, I said that I enjoyed Matteo Scalera’s artwork, especially how he depicted Venom. But in this issue, I’m not exactly a fan of how he drew Black Widow, specifically when she’s battling Hawkeye in the airplane. She appears disproportionate and awkward in some of the poses and positions that he draws her in. I know that people tend to draw women in comics a bit more endowed than their real life counterparts, but Natalia’s breasts are practically rockets exploding out of her catsuit. Now, I’m a fan of the female form as much as the next guy, but Widow just looks straight up weird and not even human in a few panels.
I’m looking forward to the next issue because of the impending battle between Valkyrie and Venom, especially since they’ve been showing some romantic feelings between one another during this arc.
Final Score:
SECRET AVENGERS #31
Written by RICK REMENDER
Art by MATTEO SCALERA & MATTHEW WILSON
Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS & JASON KIETH
