This is what I have been waiting throughout this series: Nicky Fury and the gang take on HAMMER and Hydra.  Since issue number one, Jonathan Hickman has been building this title to this issue’s inevitable showdown.  Turning this read from ordinary to extraordinary are the many smart additions made along the way and Caselli’s phenomenal art.

Recently, the Howling Commandos have been reunited.  Hickman writes them with a nostalgic flare and gives these veterans an authentic potency – you don’t want to mess with them because they can kick ass.  Hickman has been building the Hydra mythos and now that the evil team is assembled, they’re ready to take out Fury.  Devious plans are hinted to, yet never fully known to the reader, leaving us wanting more.

Hickman’s real talent lies in the issue’s structure and dialogue.  It begins with the current mission; Fury and crew are stealing Helicarriers from a heavily guarded HAMMER base.  Through flashbacks, pages reveal how both sides prepared for this melee.  The opening scene is awesome dialogue, as a HAMMER solider reveals he is a Howling Commando and gives not only a beat down but also life lessons to his patrol buddy.

Stefano Castelli’s art is incredible.  Like all great artists, Castelli has his own unique style that is uncompromisingly his own.  His work is textured and vibrant in its emotive quality.  His ability to nail both still panel of a face and the mass chaos of a multi-figure battle is breathtaking.

Hickman delivers that “hell yeah” moment on the last two page panel.  This sums up both in art and story why Secret Warriors rocks!

4.5 out of 5

Reddit