By Title: Secret Empire # 5
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writers: Nick Spencer
Artists: Andrea Sorrentino
Story Rating: 9
Art Rating: 8
Color Rating: 9
Overall Rating: 8.6
Marvel Comics releases the next chapter of Secret Empire the story centers itself on the Underground of heroes lead by the artificial intelligence of Tony Stark. He and his team continue the search for the Cosmic Cube fragments to fight back against Captain America and the Hydra Empire. The comic has the team travel all across the world to get ahead of the enemy.
Nick Spencer creates an atmosphere of despair for everything goes from bad to worse for the resistance. The Hydra Empire is winning the arms race for cosmic cube fragments gaining the upper hand at each possible moment. Tony Stark asks the help of other heroes on the whereabouts of cosmic shards but they all refuse to fuel the war effort. When the team returns home in the midst of developing a new plan of action they are betrayed. Tony Stark and the heroes are left defenseless against Captain America and the Hydra.
Andrea Sorrentino presents a dark quality to the story as the superheroes move along the panels. The line work is loose and displays as if incomplete, which creates a grounded rough appearance. The faces of characters are riddled with loose line resembling facial expressions of torment, sadness, and fear.
The colors are the final piece to capturing the intense world befallen by bloodshed, lies, and false promises of a better tomorrow. The main component is strong shades of black not only to highlight muscle tone of facial features. The black leaves an impression of a place not welcomed for the faint of heart. The reds enrich the danger quality as the characters witness the fate of the Marvel Universe.
The conclusion leaves several possibilities our heroes may face as a result of the interactions within the comic. Captain America nearly picks up Thor’s hammer from its resting place. The resistance discovers a hidden person of interest within the Hydra stronghold. The arrival of a long lost enemy to Captain America emerges from the shadows. What will these directions mean for the future of the Marvel Universe?
