U.S.Avengers #6 Review: Don't Go Hailing Hydra (Or Trusting Steve)


U.S.Avengers #6 functions as a Secret Empire tie-in primarily by showing what the main cast members were doing during the initial takeover in Secret Empire #0. Thankfully, it avoids the standard pitfalls of an event tie-in comic by managing to further the development of the regular characters while also keeping the events of the main title straight. It's all too easy to get so tied up in recapping the current event that the main plot either gets put on hold or simply becomes stagnant. Alternately, the event will make no significant change to the story, making one wonder what the point of the tie-in was in the first place.

The comic definitely doesn't have to worry about that, as at least three new plot points are either furthered or created. Firstly, a certain character who I don't want to ruin may or may not be dead. The cover for this issue may or may not be an exaggeration, and it may or may not be that particular character. I doubt that the person is truly dead, but we'll find out in the upcoming issues. I'm not as interested in that particular development, because I still don't know a lot about the character. The death didn't have as much meaning to me, because of that.

However, the other two developments did fascinate me. Back in the last issue, a Hydra mole told the Red Hulk that he was working on a way to allow him to hulk out whenever he wanted, instead of just for one hour. Now, his true allegiance has been revealed, as it turns out that the specialized nanobots just allow the general's body to be controlled by an outside force.


Next, the rift between Toni and Enigma continues to grow, this time over a moral conflict. Enigma is concerned that Toni's increasing reliance on weaponry is a betrayal of her core belief system, while Toni maintains that she's not using them against any sentient beings. It's entirely possible that an invader could co-opt the devices, as shown with the nanobots, at least in my eyes.

I do hope that the rest of the tie-in issues have more substance to them, as not too much else happens. It's mostly a stepping-stone to see the new status quo under Hydra, but it's a steady one. Here's hoping that the rest will be just as good!

U.S.Avengers #6 is written by Al Ewing, drawn by Paco Medina, inked by Juan Vlasco, colored by Jesus Aburtov, and lettered by VC's Joe Caramagna. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.