For those of you who, like me, have been getting slightly upset that Secret Invasion has been stretching out mere moments into entire issues, well, good news - stuff actually happens in this one. Important stuff. Look away if you don’t like spoilers, because I AM going to discuss what happens, as well as what doesn’t happen.

Now, some of you might remember the awesome cliffhanger from the end of #4 that suggested some excellent things were about to happen that would give the heroes something to rally around. Well, unfortunately, Bendis has been taking lessons from the ”Season 3 of Lost” screenwriters, because that cliffhanger goes utterly unresolved, and indeed, entirely unmentioned. Instead, a number of other plots are highlighted, but at least they do get a measure of substantial movement.

The issue opens with a bizarre choice, deciding to resolve the Captain Marvel/Norman Osborn conversation that readers of Thunderbolts will have been looking forward to. Presumably we’re about to see another side of it over in the next Thunderbolts issue. Even so, with that out of the way, we check in on Agent Brand, who uses her Joss-Whedon created badass-ness to make herself seem actually good at her job. In fact, Maria Hill also gets a moment to prove she’s not ridiculously under-qualified in Fury’s old job, but the Shield Helicarrier pays the price. (Seriously. SERIOUSLY, AGAIN? Must I link to this once more!?)

The general theme of this issue, in fact, is that after being knocked for a loop, humanity can re-assert itself. While the outcome of Civil War has shown that a return to the status quo isn’t a foregone conclusion (and the idea of a skrull-occupied Earth certainly isn’t beyond the current editorial slant) for the first time this series the heroes aren’t on their back heel, and it actually feels like they might be able to put up a fight, even if hopes of victory could yet be premature.

Of everything in the issue, Mockingbird’s fate amused me most. It’s hard to know whether this was planned or if fan reaction changed the course of the story, but as someone who felt that Mockingbird’s resurrection was very hard to take at face value given the methods used to determine her identity, it’s nice to see things finally laid out once and for all. Not content with killing Hawkeye, it seems that Bendis can’t help putting him through the wringer a little more. It’ll be little consolation for Clint, though, that we can now stop worrying about who in the Savage Land is a Skrull or not, because it’s finally laid out for us.

In addition to putting the heroes back on the offensive, this issue has also also allowed the reader some certainty in what they’re seeing for the first time in a while. Bendis was so effective in establishing the Skrull duplicity that nothing we saw could actually be verified, and it’s been a real problem over the last few issues. It still feels like there’s a long way to go in terms of plot, but at least the fights started in the first issue have come to some resolution, and the final (or at least, second…) act can get started.

There are some interesting parallels between the first two books we’ve looked at this week, with Thunderbolts also acquiring a new writer as it dives into a crossover. Unlike Fabian Nicieza, Christos N Gage enjoys the advantage of having a clearly apportioned segment of an overall story to tell, but chooses to save this element of the plot for the second half of this issue, opening instead with his characters going about their day-to-day business. There’s a brazen honesty to Gage’s approach, as he obviously structures the issue in three acts, each ticking off one of his objectives. We open with an introduction to the team, as Osborn demands a psychological evaluation of each of his charges. A short interlude of ongoing character development follows, before an expanded version of a scene from Secret Invasion issue one, with the Captain Marvel doppelganger attacking the team’s HQ. With the writer’s cards shown so openly in terms of plot, it’s up to his dialogue to maintain the reader’s interest. The result is largely a success, due in part to his having one of the Marvel universe’s most refreshing anti-heroes to play with. Norman Osborn was a central part of Warren Ellis’s previous run on the book, and Gage continues that focus, giving the Thunderbolts’ director some sparkling lines. Moonstone is used rather obviously as a straight woman for Osborn’s wit, but doing so allows the writer to provide a great deal of exposition for those less familiar with the ongoing character arcs begun by Ellis.

Fernando Blanco initially provides some extremely high quality art, although this deteriorates somewhat as the issue progresses. The absence of shading on later pages suggests that he was rushed by deadlines, although the results are never less than adequate. Blanco sensibly uses the energy manipulation shown in the issue’s second fight as a reason to tone down the detail in his work, compensating with the dynamism of his portrayals.

Marvel have obviously taken to heart the complaints about discrepancies between the Civil War core book and the ongoing series it crossed over with, and much dialogue delivered during the final act of the issue is taken directly from Brian Bendis’s work. It’s possible to feel faintly cheated by paying money to see another artist drawing previously shown panels, but the feeling is mitigated by the months that have passed since we first witnessed these events, and Osborn’s final comment still manages to steal the show, despite its familiarity. What really sells the issue is the pacing, with Gage impeccably judging when to move the story to a new setting or introduce a new plotline. Despite being spread across several locations, there’s almost a “day in the life” feel to the issue, as Osborn deals with the day-to-day annoyances of leading a collections of militarised super powered psychopaths. In a way, this issue sells the series more effectively than a leap into uncharted waters- if the writer can traipse through another’s story in such an entertaining fashion, it’s understandable to be curious as to what will happen when he moves into uncharted territory.

Alright, forget the cautious optimism of my last review. Let’s have our cards right out on the table – Captain Britain and MI:13 is the successor to Ultimates 2 as Marvel’s best current ongoing superhero comic, Paul Cornell is absolutely brilliant, and in a world where All-Star Batman and Ultimates 3 top sales charts, it’s incredibly heartening to see comics readers with common sense making this thing a smash hit, sell-out success.

Cornell’s main achievement, really, has been in giving British readers, finally, a hero – in fact, a set of heroes – of which they can be proud, instead of faintly embarrassed. It’s only taken him three issues, but already the reestablishment of Captain Britain – of all people – as a genuine superheroic force to be reckoned with is firmly in place courtesy of an air-punchingly brilliant closing few pages that doesn’t want for bombast yet stops short of outright arrogance (“We just don’t like to make a fuss”).

Those disappointed by the lack of actual story in the last issue or so of Secret Invasion, meanwhile, might find rather more to engage with here in MI:13. Rather than being hamped by launching in the midst of a crossover, the series has made excellent use of the overarching plot, and has shown one of the front lines of the Skrull invasion in a far more immediate and tangible sense than its “parent” title.

It’s also been a showcase for Cornell’s entirely sure-footed knack for dialogue – and while this issue is lacking slightly on the wisecrack front compared to last month, there are choice speeches throughout, whether it’s Skrull John defiantly taking a stand against his own people, or the magical (er, quite literally) sequence that reveals the source of the voice in Pete Wisdom’s head. Strong character development has been a cornerstone not just of the early issues of this run, but going back to Wisdom as well - and even at this early stage the book’s a candidate for one of the best supporting casts out there (the disappointment at the non-appearance of Captain Midlands so far is surely tempered by the promise of the next arc’s title, “Hell Comes to Birmingham”).

Leonard Kirk’s vibrant and clear artwork is the icing on the cake, really - kudos to his Canadian pen for its grasp of UK-style backgrounds, streets and landmarks, though; are you watching, Greg Land? His triumph comes with the genuinely iconic imagery of the closing splash page, complete with a fantastic bit of new costume design. And if there’s a criticism, really, it’s simply that the cover is completely unrepresentative of the issue’s contents. A minor quibble, though, when you consider that the attention to detail present in the series is such that each issue has had a page at the end devoted to helping readers find out more about the character - here, yes, it’s true that it’s basically an advert for some trades, but it’s evidence of an inclusive approach to the series, and it’s pushing Alan Moore books, so who can complain?

If I’m honest, my opinion of the series is probably coloured slightly by the fact that it’s a British writer, writing proper British characters - upholding a longstanding Marvel tradition and kicking the arse of the likes of Secret Invasion in the process. But even if I were American, I can’t see myself not enjoying this - it’s entertaining, swift-paced, action-packed comics with a sharp edge, driven by great ideas. Aside from its use of mythology, it may not be the weightiest comic out there - but damned if it isn’t up among the most enjoyable.

It’s becoming a cliche to complain about event pacing, but seriously, this is getting a bit trying even for a practical Marvel Zombie like me. While almost every page of this series looks positively frenetic, there appears to be almost nothing going on in terms of actually moving the plot along. Instead, we spend every issue jumping from scene to scene witnessing the next miniscule moment in an invasion that’s supposed to be taking mere hours but has been told over a course of months. It’s decompression at its absolute worst.

Sure, there are nice moments spotted throughout the issue - finally seeing what the Skrulls have done with Reed Richards is one, Wolverine’s brief appearance is another - but overall, moments are all we’re seeing. It’s hard to get invested in the fights, and the characters themselves remain in complete disarray, so we’re not even sure who to root for. The two major scenes from the last issue were Nick Fury arriving with his new recruits, and the Skrull Spider-Woman confronting Iron Man with “the truth” about his nature. Both of these scenes continue in issue #4, but neither plot thread contains the weight and importance that their prominence suggested.

That said, the tease for the next issue does promises the entry of two familiar faces into the fray, neither of whom have yet been seen in Secret Invasion, and either of whom could turn the tide of Skrull attack on their own. While I’m aware I could just be about to get disappointed all over again, it does give me hope that there’s going to be a significant development at some point in the next issue. The problem is, at just beyond the halfway point and with no definitive win from the Skrulls yet (only attacks where they’re on the upper hand) it’s maybe too early for a definitive win for the heroes - if, indeed, the series is even heading there.

It’s something of a worry that all the big answers to the questions we’ve had about Skrulls are appearing in New Avengers while Secret Invasion instead ends up reduced to a very slow, chaotic fight scene. An expensive one, at that. Yu’s art is fantastic on every page, but the nature of the warskrulls means that it’s almost hard to get a grip on who you’re actually looking at. In a way, this effectively replicates the uncertainty of the battle as experienced by the humans fighting it - but that doesn’t mean it’s entertaining to read.

I had high hopes for Secret Invasion after following the plot in Avengers for some years now, but so far the main miniseries has been largely disappointing. It’s lucky that the tie-ins are filling in plot gaps and moving at breakneck page, because the miniseries feels almost like filler in its own pages. Halfway through, there’s still time for it to start moving at a faster pace and come to a satisfying conclusion - but no guarantee of that. 

A blockbuster epic approached as a short story collection might sound a contradiction in terms, but is a concept very suited to Brian Bendis’s slow-burn writing style. With the casts of both Avengers titles still tied up in the Savage Land, the Secret Invasion’s mastermind continues his trip through the Marvel Universe’s recent past, showing how Hank Pym was seduced by his Skrull replacement. In seeking refuge from the failure of his marriage with an impressionable student, Giant Man’s conduct may be somewhat reprehensible, but the issue doesn’t feel like a straightforward morality tale. A montage sequence makes clear that the relationship is more than just a one-night stand, and early anxiety from Pym that his new girlfriend will sell her story makes it clear that he’s taken a leap of faith. Given the limited number of pages available, the writer sensibly doesn’t attempt to establish much of a cover story for the alien student. Even without the Invasion logo on the cover, her nature would obvious, and it’s a sign of the author’s experience he doesn’t seek to waste the reader’s time by attempting to inject suspense.

The focus on Pym is an understandable decision. His absence from the regular cast of either Avengers title means that he benefits from a certain amount of re-establishment, so that the secrets his impostor can give her fellow Skrulls are obvious. However, this almost first-person approach creates problems during the second half of the story. Given how closely we’ve identified with Pym, the switch in perspective to that of his Skrull suitor is jarring. Bendis clearly isn’t ready to spill the beans on the fates of those replaced during the invasion, but the face that the Skrull doesn’t even check whether her target is still alive feels rather forced. The un-named agent’s voluntary sex change also seems artificial, given how every impostor revealed to date has been of the same gender as his or her victim, but it’s an understandable way of simplifying the story.

Although a nice enough character piece, the issue is constrained by having to fit with the Secret Invasion formula without imparting much new information. We’ve seen the skrulls’ body snatching techniques before in the pages of The New Avengers, and the way the aliens managed to disable Starktech’s systems is hardly the most pressing issue in the crossover. At times, it’s a charming little story, but the moments when the issue’s cynical conception shows through make it difficult to wholeheartedly enjoy.

Following the quite surprising media “storm” brought about by the appearance of Gordon Brown in issue #1 (something that yours truly, who was reading the comic anyway, hadn’t even spotted), Paul Cornell’s Captain Britain and MI:13 suddenly finds itself under something of a spotlight. It’s a good job, then, that it’s already proving to be such a good series. Cornell seems to be bringing one of the strongest attributes of a certain time-travel related TV show for which he writes to the comics table – that is, a reliance on strong central ideas.

Finding himself in the position of having to essentially show “the British front” of an editorially-dictated war with the Skrulls, Cornell’s priority is therefore to find a unique angle, rather than simply playing out the events of Secret Invasion in different costumes. This he does by having the Skrulls go after the strongest card that Marvel’s Britain holds – not superheroes, as in the States, but magic. What we get, therefore, is a twist on the usual trope of magic always being able to win out in a technological situation - bring technology into a magical world, and the unfamiliar technology will triumph. It’s a neat idea, and at the same time as this victory enhances the Skrull threat, we can already see from the world of Avalon that Cornell is building up (even the Green Knight gets in there at one point!) the sort of themes that are going to inform the series as a whole, the strengths of Marvel’s “British mythology” that it’s going to play to.

That aside, there’s little that’s hugely remarkable about Captain Britain (save for the fact that its titular character is afforded a significant impact without actually appearing in its pages, right from the excellent opening page that compares the difference between the British and American public’s “discovery” of the deaths of their champions - although, you know, if Braddock is actually dead, I’ll buy the trade paperback and EAT it). But as with the first issue, this is simply a finely-crafted, strongly-executed, terrifically entertaining slice of superhero comics. Cornell already brings no small measure of confidence to his storytelling, even this early in his comics career, and he litters the pages with sharp dialogue (choice examples including “Don’t call me ’sir’, it’s… weirdly horny” and “this voice… is half like Gandalf and half like Mr Kipling”) and great characters (it’s no small feat that Faiza is already so likeable and well-defined, given that she’s only had a few pages of each issue in which to be introduced).

The solid craftsmanship extends to the art, as well, with Leonard Kirk on career-best form - although there are certain action beats that could do with being a bit clearer, his character design is strong and there’s a great sense of energy. He’s clearly going for something of a Bryan Hitch style, and on the whole pulls it off rather well.

The overriding feeling about Captain Britain and MI13 - quite aside from the fact that getting Paul Cornell into the industry was an absolute masterstroke on Marvel’s part, and they need to take full advantage of his talent while they can - is that, from a UK-based reader’s perspective, it’s fantastic to have a proper, British superhero comic of which to be proud. The last one I can really think of was Miracleman, and before that… well, Moore’s Captain Britain, really. Cornell is carefully building up his own little corner of the Marvel Universe here, and packing it out with characters about whom I can’t wait to read and discover more. And that’s before Cap himself has even had a chance to come out fighting.