This miniseries has been a real rollercoaster. Something actually happens in this issue, which is good enough in itself, but it’s also something that signifies that all this might actually be coming to some definitive end, for which we can all be thankful. It’s a great moment for Hawkeye/Ronin and it’s nicely muted amidst the chaos for such a powerful development. The problem, though, is that the main feeling I get is relief that the climax appears to be in sight. Is that really what they were going for?

The problem with the issue is that as the “final chapter” in the TPB, It’s just a giant fight scene. All the way through. It’s far too sprawling to interpret easily, between all the heroes, and Skrulls that look like bits of other heroes, you have to concentrate very hard on each panel to distinguish the characters and discern any specific events besides “big fight”. Yu has his strengths, but he’s no Perez. He’s making an almost superhuman job of cramming everyone onto the page, but the storytelling is suffering massively as a result.

The plot, too, is weaving in and out of other books in a very confusing way. Thunderbolts #125 presents a lot of the same events as SI #7, depicting them slightly differently (though it’s a step up on Civil War in terms of cohesion) while the climax of SI #7 relies on something from Mighty Avengers which receives a half-hearted recap – instead it reads like an attempt to shoe-horn in a last-minute plot twist. If this was supposed to be a big deal, shouldn’t it have been mentioned in the series before now?

I always enjoyed the sound of Secret Invasion, but this close to the end, I feel like I’ve enjoyed it less than both House of M and Civil War. I think it’s because there doesn’t appear to be any character element to it, just the constant threat of OH NO, SKRULLS! With Civil War, it ultimately came down to the ideologies of Captain America and Iron Man. With House of M, it was about Wanda, and her relationship to the X-Men and Avengers. Secret Invasion, though, is devoid of any such centrepiece. It doesn’t mean the stakes are lower, but it leaves it feeling like a plot rather than a story. The closest we’ve had to a main character is Spider-Woman, and even she doesn’t fit the bill now. Issue #7 was enjoyable by the standards of the series so far, but as a whole it’s not been as good as I was hoping.

Title: Nemi Volume 2 Hardcover
Author/Illustrator: Lise Myhre
Pages: 144
ISBN-13: 978-1845766146
Publisher: Titan Books
Release date: 24 Oct 2008
RRP: £9.99
Buy from Amazon UK

Released just in time for Halloween, Volume 2 of the Nemi collection from Titan Books contains a wide variety of strips featuring Lise Myhre’s schizophrenic goth icon who can usually be found adorning the pages of free newspaper the Metro, all across the UK.

The collection is beautifully produced, with a brilliant cover image and glossy, richly-coloured pages. It’s almost impossible to fault any element of the book’s composition or production, and a lot of care has clearly been taken over the presentation of the strips. The selection of the strips is slightly less polished, as a couple of the strips appear twice, and it would be nice to know a little more about the origins of the comics we’re reading, however – it’s unclear from this volume whether we’re seeing the “second year” of a chronological Nemi series, or even if it’s just a random selection of strips from across the lifespan of the character.

The book isn’t short on extras, with an introduction by none other than alt-goddess Tori Amos and countless full-page illustrations scattered throughout the collection, as well as a few notes from Myhre herself at the end. Of particular interest to fans will be the longer Nemi strips, previously unavailable in the UK. Whether it’s the multi-page epics or the larger-than-usual “Sunday” strips, they present a far better-rounded look at Nemi’s world, proving that the character could easily support a full-length outing.

Those who aren’t already fans of Nemi will find little here that might win them over, but anyone who enjoyed the first collection will be just as pleased by this one. At £9.99, the RRP is perhaps a tiny bit steeper than you’d want to pay for a collection of gag strips, even one as well-produced as this, but even a cursory glance online will reveal that Amazon are selling it at close to half-price. It’s a must-buy for Nemi fans, and will hopefully be part of an ever-growing library. It’s rare to see comic strips given this kind of respect when they’re collected, and Titan can only be applauded for releasing it.