MARK WAID – writer

MATTIA DE IULIS – artist

VC’s JOE CARAMAGNA – letterer

ADAM HUGHES – cover

 

Synopsis in a Sentence: Sue Storm slips back into the spy game.

 

We begin Invisible Woman’s mini with a flashback to a mission Sue was on for SHIELD ten years ago, helping to smuggle a scientist across the made-up-country/Hungarian border. Although I love Mattia De Iulis’ art throughout, and it was a major reason I picked up the book to begin with, this part had me confused my first read-through, and not because Sue was in a black wig. The border guards could be twins, and the use of Sue’s force field and invisibility while hiding the scientist was hard for me to follow.

 

At any rate, after some Bondian moments, Invisible Woman, science guy, and Sue’s partner on the mission, Aidan Tintreach meet up with David Hasselhoff Nick Fury, and mission accomplished.

 

Flash forward, and we get some nice moments of Invisible Woman just living her life in NYC, emphasizing the different aspects of the character. It may be hokey to some, but I think this is Mark Waid’s best writing in the issue. It shows that Sue isn’t just one thing, or just part of a team, but a strong woman that deserves the solo comic she’s been given.

 

Anyways, Sue gets a call from the CIA and heads to Langley to see what’s up. Apparently her old partner Tintreach was captured spying on some other made-up-country, but not before getting out a message with his nickname for Sue- “Stormy”. Also there’s some international incident involving said country arresting a bunch of asshole teenagers or something, which is conveniently why the CIA can’t bust Tintreach out, for fear of harm coming to the kids.

 

Sue admits she doesn’t know what the message could mean, and is told under no circumstances to go looking for Tintreach. No one even knows where the guy is being held either. So of course Sue agrees, then immediately grabs a jet to start her investigation. But not before Sam Jackson Nick Fury gives her his OK and some helpful paperwork.

 

So Invisible Woman sets off for Madripoor, the wretched hive of scum and villainy where Aidan was last seen. We get a nice cameo at the end I won’t spoil, but fans of Waid’s Black Widow run will be excited. Oops.

 

Overall, I didn’t love the issue, but I didn’t dislike it either. A bumpy start threw me off, and the setup to get Invisible Woman on her private vendetta was a little contrived. The art is great throughout, aside from the Doublemint twins at the beginning. The little character moments were my favorite parts, and enough for me to warrant checking out issue two.

 

7.0/10