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How Imperious Are Today's Secret Empire Crossovers? Secret Empire #5, Occupy Avengers #8, Amazing Spider-Man #29, Guardians Of The Galaxy Annual #1

A look through this week's Secret Empire tie-ins to see which are essential to your Hydra experience and which are mere frippery that you can knock along well without. The more Imperial importance they contain, the more Hydra Heads we give them. Secret Empire #5, Occupy Avengers #8, Amazing Spider-Man #29, Guardians Of The Galaxy Annual #1. So how do they stack up?

Naturally Secret Empire #5 by Nick Spencer, Andrea Sorrentino, Rod Reis and Joshua Cassara is going to be as Empirical as you like. With Black Panther, as in last week's Captain America; Steve Rogers is written as the badass ruler that some audience wish the character in the Black Panther comic book would behave in such fashion. Basically, be a little more imperial.

And we get a proper mystery of an old man in a sick bed who could change the direction of the war. And learning nothing more about him whatsoever.

So, yes, it all kicks off. Betrayals all around. Returns of familiar characters. Thor explanations. All the Hydra heads. So many Hydra heads.

The All-New Guardians Of The Galaxy #1 by Chad Bowers, Chris Sims, Danilo S Beyruth and Tamara Bonvillain has the Guardians continuing a plot from Secret Empire, trying to rustle up aliens to help free the Earth. And, um subject it to the continual assault by the Chitauri, I think. And, failing at that, finding some of Galactus's old stuff hanging around to help tear down that shield.

So, you know, a bit, Just not a lot. Especially when it was established back in CiviL War II that this shield would b abl to survive an assault by Galactus. Which probably includes whatever stuff he has.

Like the tuning fork… a phrase used to mock Galactus in the past by comic book fans. Anyway, for Secret Empire fans, nothing in this issue affects a thing.

Amazing Spider-Man #22 does a better job by Dan Slott, Christos Gage, Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbagger and Marte Gracia. Closer to the role of the Captain America comic in Civil War II, it tells a story by one of the Hydra recruits, The Supreme Octopus, and as the scene above shows, how the events of Secret Empire impact on Spider-Man's ongoing story, and how Parker Industries may fall. All in all, it;'s a pitch perfect example of how an ongoing series can use aspects of a cross-continuity event to its own ends while still contributing to a greater understanding of what's going on. And a little Immonen beauty goes a long way as well, this is a very beautiful superhero comic book and deserves future study, regarding the angels it manages to persuade to dance on the head of the pin.

So, Hydra heads, some, not too many, but a great comic all round.

Occupy Avengers #8 by David F Walker, Martin Morazo. Jorge Coelho and Mat Lopes, in comparison, is a mess, a mix of different elements that fail to gel. Instead it smacks of editorial notes, a resultant lack of focus, and a desire to get the job out of the door. A shame as it also contains one of the stronger scenes between Clint Barton and Black Widow, that is instantly undercut a page later.

Hydra head count is hard – it's all about Hydra, Secret Empire and nothing else, ties in with some major plot points, but they make it so hard to care…

Oh go on, because of what happens in Secret Empire #5, you'll get another.

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