Secret Warriors, Vol. 2: God of Fear, God of War

Secret Warriors (2008) (Collected Editions)

by Jonathan Hickman, Alessandro Vitti (Illustrator)

Baron Strucker and Norman Osborn team up to drive out the Marvel Universe's ultimate covert superteam. It's wall-to-wall insanity as the Dark Avengers and the Thunderbolts go after the Secret Warriors. It's time for Ares to get his son back! GOD OF FEAR versus GOD OF WAR! Collects Secret Warriors #7-10, and Dark The List - Secret Warriors.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Espionage

144 pages, Paperback

First published February 10, 2010

About the author

Jonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for creating the Image Comics series The Nightly News, The Manhattan Projects and East of West, as well as working on Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, FF, and S.H.I.E.L.D. titles. In 2012, Hickman ended his run on the Fantastic Four titles to write The Avengers and The New Avengers, as part the "Marvel NOW!" relaunch. In 2013, Hickman wrote a six-part miniseries, Infinity, plus Avengers tie-ins for Marvel Comics. In 2015, he wrote the crossover event Secret Wars. - Wikipedia

Reviews

[Terence · Rating 2 out of 5]

God of Fear, God of War revolves around Alexander the 10 year old God of Fear. We get a mini background on Alex and learn how he became the God of Fear. I didn't find it too interesting, but it was funny seeing him shake up Norman Osborn.


After two volumes of Secret Warriors I have to say I'm far from impressed.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite good. We start off with the team stealing from Baron von strucker bank and we have the latter asking Osborn for help but Fury seems to go against Osborn and there is a big fight that happens between them and it's just such great stuff. Meanwhile something with leviathan is revealed. And finally the main story of the trial of Phobos, the child of Ares and we learn their history and the sequence of events leading to his judgement.

Great volume and continues to build on this world of sci fi and super spies and even has olympians in it just showing the epic magnitude of the series. And the art was just complimenting the writing perfectly.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Pretty solid volume. Nick Fury had a guy he needed to get and a device he needed to get from him. He does some trickery with Osborne to get what he needs. Some nice Spy action with Fury staying one step ahead. By the end of the book, we get to the nitty gritty of what’s up between Phobos and Ares. Not quite as good as vol 1 but still enjoyable.

[ScottIsANerd (GrilledCheeseSamurai) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this one 3.5 stars if I could.

Sooooo...this volume was pretty different than the first one. I was expecting a direct continuation...but this one got all sidetracked and shit. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the story, and the general plot still trickled along...but all in all I felt that this one was a little 'less' than where we had originally begun.

First off - Marvel played their little bullshit game of, 'if you wanna know the whole story, run out and buy this other comic, and this other one too while you are at it.'

I hate that shit! Marvel and DC are notorious for it and it's why I often get frustrated with them and walk away.

Still, that said, this was a pretty damn entertaining volume. Fury is badass as ever, his Secret Warriors are still pissing me off (freaking newb rookies), however, they are beginning to grow on me as they slowly come into their own.

And, of course, there's the whole God Of war and his son, God of Fear, thing going on - which I really dig.

I dunno. Everything is kind of a clusterfuck right now (in a mostly good way). You don't know who to trust and who is working for who, and all I really want is Fury and his Howling Commandos to kick some ass and yell a lot while their fists and bullets fly at the bad guys.

Basically, this volume felt like a cock tease. Hopefully I get some release in the next arc.

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't like this aa much as Vol 1. It felt a little off track to where the first novel was heading. Still a great read just not as amazing as vol 1.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now we're cookin'. After reading this second volume, I think it's safe to say that Bendis was probably getting in Hickman's way in volume one. There was a lot of stuff going on in volume one that just felt a little incongruous and empty, without the kind of character work that really needs to happen in a team book like this. But with Bendis out of the picture for whatever reason, Hickman is left to his own devices, and I gotta say, they're much cooler devices.

This book is far faster-paced than the first, but without any of the extra junk that made the first one hard to follow. In this one, Hickman is focused on telling two or three really solid, superspy stories at a time, giving each the exact amount of attention it needs. This book completely flies by. I think i read it in 45 minutes, and it left me really wanting more.

Not only that, but now I feel like I actually give a shit about these people. In volume 1 it was just a collection of sentient superpowers doing their power thing and then going home. Now the characters are starting to feel fleshed out, deeper than just a surface-level ability, and the tension of working for an emotionless asshole like Nick Fury is really bringing a lot out of these characters.

I totally appreciate Fury in this, by the way. I think this may be the best characterization of him I've ever read, with Hickman utterly nailing his duplicitousness measured against his patriotism and need to "win" the spy game. You can't stand him, but you know he's right, which is exactly how the Secret Warriors view him. The reader feels the same way about Fury that the other characters do, and that's just a damn treat to read, y'all. I can't wait to see where it goes next.

[Benji Glaab · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

This series is picking up. There are shadow wars being fought in every direction. Nick Fury is the conductor, but there are other players. Norman Osbourne controls Hammer.
There are the Commandos who are an elite Villain Super group. Of course Hydra is in there. And now the Russians are in on the action with Leviathan. Hickman is cooking for sure.

There are also loads of team building and character work. I'm still getting to know the teams. The cast is quite large especially since this comic is 15 years out of print, but that's fine I'm up for the challenge.

I'm a huge fan of the art style. And loving how it seems to get darker and more gritty with each issue.

With Hickman cranking out so many titles at Marvel this year I thought to go back and battle his back log would be a good idea and so far I'm having a blast

[Travis Pipes · Rating 4 out of 5]

like the stuff with Alexander and Ares a lot.

Ed Mcguinness’ art in the one-shot was rad.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hickman taking over the book certainly added a more character-centric arc to this book but also toned down things a bit as he maneuvered characters around to prepare for a bigger story later on (I can only assume). We finally have Norman Osborne taking on a more direct hand in dealing with Nick Fury but the whole Hydra angle kind of slowed down or at least ended up getting pushed to the backburner. We didn't even get to touch base with the Howling Commandos and the commandeered Helicarriers.

So instead it's smaller stuff and Nick once again going on secret missions without the team and a few other characters dredged up from SHIELD past in order to add more elements to this book.

But the Aries arc was pretty good.

[Jedidiah Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first volume is Bendis and Hickman writing together but after that introductory arc Bendis stepped away and just let Hickman have it, and while I enjoyed the first arc (I am never gonna complain about Dum Dum Dugan content) Hickman being allowed to run free is what really made this series great. In Vol 2 we see Osborne siccing his Avmgers team onto Fury and Co., but Ares is on this team and he has less interest in completing missions for Osborne than he has in the retreival of one of Fury's team: his son Phobos. Also, Hydra is still building up their plans and it seems that Von Strucker wants to make a deal with Norman Osborne? Dun dun dunnnn

[Seth Daub · Rating 4 out of 5]

i appreciated this as a continuation of the secret warriors story.

this was much more focused on alex, which i totally welcome, as i am very interested in his character. his and ares relationship is more deeply explored which adds some emotional depth.

the inclusion of the dark avengers was so cool and i loved seeing them face off against the secret warriors. norman osborn is insufferable as always(compliment). and his iron patriot suit just looked fantastic on the pages.

8/10

[Benja Calderon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sigue avanzando la trama y un nuevo enemigo aparece, complicando más el panorama
Leviathan, otra agencia super-secreta esta moviendo sus hilos y en este tomo vemos sus primeros pasos

También vemos como nuestros Secret Warriors deben abandonar su base porque han sido seguidos por Osborn y sus Thunderbolts

[Terry Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly serviceable and enjoyable entry in the Dark Reign storyline. It offers some decent, if not rushed, exploration into the newer heroes.

Hickman's scripts are always fun, but this one lacks a little heft.

The volume is particularly let down by some truly dreadful pencils, that draw so heavily on a stylized Manga aesthetic and leave every character looking identitical.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The God of Fear does stuff while Nick Fury sets up more plots in the background, and everyone sort of fights each other and acts snide more or less. That's it. It's alright, got some cool moments, not the most exciting outside of a few pages I really liked.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collecting: Secret Warriors 7-10, Dark Reign: The List Secret Warriors

I typically love Jonathan Hickman's writing, but I haven't been able to get into this series yet. I'll keep reading through the series, though.

[Patrik Hamberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lite ojämn. Bitvis bättre, bitvis sämre, än volym ett. Vi får lite bakgrund kring Alexander, the god of fear, och en hel del relationsbygge mellan Nick Fury och det gäng han samlar. Om den förra var en stark tre är det här en svag.

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as strong as the first trade but still very good. Alessandro Vitti’s work is solid, and the issue by Ed McGuinnes is some of his better work, but I do miss Stephanie Casseli’s art, which added a strong vibe to the opening arc.

[Judith Groen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read. There were some confusing points, but I get the feeling that that will always be in a Marvel comic. Nick Fury is badass and I love him!

[Dee Robb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoying this series.

[Noemi Salvati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meno bello del primo

[Miquel Codony · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3,5/4)

[LuckyPotatoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Ares lines with Pantheon voices for extra oomph

[Bekka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good look at Phobos and his origins.
TW for child death, grief, religious themes, violence, guns.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fury and his Secret Warriors continue to do sketchy things, ostensibly for the right reasons. The difference is they're primarily battling against Osborn and HAMMER in this volume, rather than Hydra.

[Gary Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Great Marvel Readthrough, pt 395

[Arno Callens · Rating 3 out of 5]

After such a strong start this is a rather oddball story arc for Secret Warriors. First of all I'm using the word "arc" loosely, because if it weren't for its title or that weird final issue I wouldn't have guessed for the world this was a story about Ares and Phobos.

Maybe I'm missing some background - although issue #10 is a strong indicator that I'm not - but I don't know Phobos, or Ares, and I'm not sure why I'm supposed to care. The strongest points of this arc are the Secret Warriors coming into their own, with Hellfire and Yo-Yo growing in particular. There's more badassery from Nick Fury (and soon-to-be Agent's Of S.H.I.E.L.D.-alumn John Garret), and Norman Osborn takes over from Baron Von Strucker in the delightfully unhinged villain department.

At the end of the day, though, Hickman is trying to convince us this is a story about a father and a son. Hence the awkward tenth issue, in which the relationship between the two is hurriedly explained, ending the arc in a place that has nothing to do with the core of this book. It's a baffling choice, and if only previous issues had done some of the legwork, God Of Fear, God Of War might have provided a welcome focus and depth for what is easily the weakest link of the team: Phobos.

As it stands I'm more interested in reading the rest of The List, whose Secret Warriors issue I read along this story, as I have read Thunderbolts #135. The less said about the latter and its stupid plot twists and empty quips, the better.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid writing by Jonathan Hickman supported by the excellent work of Alessandro Vitti and Ed McGuinness. Hickman does an excellent job of continuing the story, however tension driving the story is different. While in the first installment, the majority of the tension was in political intrigue, a shift has taken where it is now more interpersonal. An interesting and brave twist by the author, especially when one considers the risk taken especially when one of the driving characters is Nick Fury. However, just as with Nick Fury, one should expect the unexpected. Especially when it complicates the fusion of this group of individuals into becoming a team. As with earlier works, switching and surprising alliances and betrayals keep the reader on the edge. The art beautifully entices and drives the reader. Great follow up to first installment.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Secret Warriors as a series was highly recommended, and the first collection wasn't bad, but the second simply doesn't work. A storyline involving Nick Fury waging a secret spy war against Norman Osborne and his corrupt government agency should be a dramatic, intriguing and tense series. Unfortunately, it is more vignettes of different characters that have little depth, little to differentiate them and crappy dialogue. Super espionage should be about well crafted plans and plots, but the action ends up being incoherent and boring. As a writer, Hickman has shown talent, but this is far from his best.

[Silas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing from the first volume, we follow the story of a down-but-not-yet-out S.H.I.E.L.D. trying to piece together enough resources to oppose Norman Osborn and H.A.M.M.E.R. after the Secret Invasion. We learn a bit more about some of the assembled team during that time, particularly Alexander/Phobos and his relation to Ares. During this volume, Nick Fury and the team are mostly separated, and the stories occur in parallel. The team's story emphasizes their relationships and general lack of guidance, and Nick Fury's story creates links to the S.H.I.E.L.D. of the past and related espionage stories. It's a satisfying mix that I will almost certainly continue with.

[Patrick Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read the others in this series as I picked this one up from the library on a whim. It was great to be whisked back to the days of the Dark Reign for a while - it was the best period of Marvel comics for a while, IMO, and this comic is a huge part of it all. It's standard Marvel stuff done with aplomb by Hickman, whose Fantastic Four run cemented him in my pantheon of faves. The rating's a rounded-up three point five - superior Marvel supers, but you may struggle if you don't like that sort of thing.