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.

After a slow second issue, Secret Invasion does speed up a little, though it still feels like it could be doing a lot more. As a writer, Bendis is more reliant on slow-build atmospherics leaving Secret Invasion feeling far, far less dense when compared to the short, punchy scenes that typified Millar’s Civil War series, and I’m pretty sure the latter approach is preferable in such an important series.

This issue pretty much lays to rest the matter of whether or not Spider-Woman is a skrull. As a reader, I was really hoping it’d be some kind of triple-cross and she and Nick Fury would’ve replaced the Skrull empress to infiltrate the Skrulls, but apparently not, with the green-eye shorthand being broken out. While I can definitely see that it’s a pre-planned move for the character, I also have to wonder about Bendis’ claim that the hints are there in “New Avengers #1″ because I still can’t see anything that suggests it that early on. Certainly, later on the hints do start coming up, but not there. It’s still possible her speech to Iron Man in this issue is certainly designed to trick him, but by this point, I wouldn’t put money on the idea that we’ve seen the real Spider-Woman in a long, long time.

Speaking of her speech to Iron Man, it’s almost certainly designed to screw with his head. I can’t believe for a second they’d go to the trouble of making Stark such a popular and controversial figure, then turn him into a Skrull for a simple reset. Jessica is definitely just trying to mess with his mind.

Unfortunately, each new revelation in Secret Invasion leaves me more interested about the past than the future - I don’t care what the Spider-Woman Skrull is going to do, I want to know what she’s already done. It’s probably the wrong direction for the story to be going. After all, the heroes will presumably defeat the Skrulls (OR WILL THEY? It wouldn’t be the first time Marvel has gone balls-out with the status quo of its universe…) so there’s not really a a huge amount of tension in the current story - we don’t have any plot, at the moment, besides “anyone could be a Skrull!” and a bunch of invaders. Hell, the 70s heroes from Issue #1 don’t even get a single panel in this issue! At the end of the issue, Fury’s new gang of Howling Commandoes turn up, and right now, that’s the most plot we’ve actually had - and chances are it’s just going to lead to another plot-less fight scene.

Luckily, since those scenes will be drawn by Leinil Yu, there is going to be some extra value in them. He’s really proving his mettle as one of Marvel’s A-Listers, handling massive array of characters expertly - though that said, I actually prefer his work in the shorter scenes, where his images tightly fit Bendis’ script to flawless effect.

So far, Secret Invasion’s main effect has been to leave the reader with nothing but slivers of facts on which to hang increasingly rampant speculation and confusion. As the book approaches the halfway point, it’d be nice to get a more coherant plot and some clarity on a lot of the matters brought up by the first few weeks of the crossover. At the moment it’s a complete mess just waiting to happen. Hopefully, by the time issue #4 is out, some of the puzzle pieces will have started to slot into place a little better.

Okay, Mighty Avengers has officially lost its identity. We’re now getting a one-off Sentry story. Excuse me? What happened to that Nick Fury arc? This is an issue of New Avengers and there’s nothing anyone can say to convince me otherwise. What, I might ask, is the point of having two Avengers books when the approach - one-off character spotlights - appears to be identical?

A few months ago, New Avengers was the “Bendis” Avengers book and Mighty Avengers was Bendis’ version of a “traditional” Avengers book. Now they’re the same thing! I love the stories, but seriously, it doesn’t remotely benefit the fan-base to have Mighty and New be two different titles right now. I expect this’ll continue well into Secret Invasion.

And, with that rant out of the way…

As noted, this issue is largely about the Sentry, and the Skrull machinations regarding him. We see more of how the mechanics of the invasion are working, which is good, and there’s a substantial moment in the Sentry’s character arc as motivated by his conversation with the Vision in Secret Invasion #2 (also now confirmed as a Skrull, if it wasn’t clear before.) - he becomes the Void. An Apprently well-meaning Void, but the Void nonetheless. Could get interesting!

Koi Pham’s art is probably the weak point in this issue. Unlike his recent X-Men work, it looks scratchy and rushed - could be an inking thing - but it’s much looser and there’s at least one point where we’re seeing three Skrulls talking - Hank Pym, Jarvis and… somneone who appears to be Spider-Woman, but I wasn’t certain, so I looked it up online. No-one else is certain either. Given that Jarvis calls her “Empress” I’m fairly sure this is confirmation that she’s supposed to be a Skrull Jessica Drew as suggested in the previous issue of New Avengers, but it shouldn’t take that much research to recognise a character. Perhaps it was written as ambiguous, but either way, it’s a massive failure for the comic.

Still, while I’m on the subject - given Spider-woman’s recent double-triple-quadruple-agent status, I’m going to suggest that the Skrull-Spider-Woman-Empress never actually managed to replace Jessica Drew, and she’s working for Nick Fury on the inside of the invasion. That’s the kind of half-baked paranoid theory Secret Invasion is making me cook up these days.

Not a terrible issue, but I don’t even know which comic I’m reading anymore. New and Mighty Avengers are telling stories that feel like they should be IN the main Secret Invasion series. You should probably buy this if you’re reading that.