The demon known as The Abyss, which is controlling the Taskmaster and just about everyone in the entire city, is about to spread via airplane thanks to a possessed Hawkeye, a possessed Black Widow, and a handful of possessed passengers. The only Secret Avengers left to fight the Abyss army of supervillains are Venom and Ant-Man. Will this unlikely duo pull it off and save the world?
Well, of course I’m not gonna flat out answer that, but here’s what I thought of the issue.
In my last review, I said I was looking forward to seeing Valkyrie vs. Venom, but it looks like Rick Remender decided to give me way more than I asked for. Not only did Flash Thompson square off against his current love interest, but he basically had to take on all the Abyss-possessed villains while Ant-Man tried to stop the planes from taking off and spreading the darkness to another city, which didn’t entirely going his way.
I really liked Venom’s tactics used in this battle. While I was reading, I couldn’t even begin to think that what he did to subdue the Abyss was feasible. It was quite an inventive way to get the job done. Very creative writing from Remender throughout that battle.
Another fun part of the issue was Hawkeye’s willingness to just put off Captain Britain’s problem until the next day after all that nonsense with the Abyss. I’ve definitely been in Clint’s shoes before and I totally understand where he’s coming from. Similar to why I enjoy Hawkeye’s solo series, I like seeing glimpses of humanity in my favorite heroes.
Finally, it looks like things with Ant-Man are about to kick into gear. I must’ve missed the part when Father possessed him since I only started reading Secret Avengers again when AvX started, but it looks like the payoff for that is coming soon. Despite missing when it actually happened, because it was definitely before I jumped back onto the title, a mole in the team should make for an interesting arc. Plus, for those of you out there who don’t see Eric O’Grady as a threat, I guess the next part of the story will prove or disprove your theories. History has shown us just how dangerous Hank Pym could be on certain, but what about the Ant-Man who’s mostly known for being a goofball? I guess we’ll all find out in the coming issues.
Final Score:
SECRET AVENGERS #32
Written by RICK REMENDER
Art by MATTEO SCALERA & MATTHEW WILSON
Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS & PETER STEIGERWALD
