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allmadhere106's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutley adored the Front Line comics for Civil War so I was very excited to get to this trade. I think Front Line's biggest strength is that it follows the common human dealing with superhuman events. We see the humans struggle with the chaos of the invasion, all the while hoping that they'll be saved by supers but knowing that they have to do something on their own. I loved the depictions here of those that fled and those that became heroes in their own right. I also really enjoyed the discussion at the end of how everyone dealt with the aftermath and moved on from the event. Powerful.
This collection can definitely come across as chaotic since it jumps from one narrative to the other, especially when the images are before the invasion but the narration boxes are from after the invasion. I can see this being a little confusing for some readers, but I found that it worked well with the overall story and Ben's struggle to write the narrative. I found the end of the invasion itself to be quite abrupt. I'm sure that this is covered more in other editions, but it didn't make a lot of sense here by itself.
For: fans of superheroes/comics; readers wanting a comic that show the POV of the Everyman.
Possible red flags: characters in peril; violence; blood; death; invasion and hostile takeovers; brief depiction of infidelity; property damage; medical emergencies; suicide bomber; gang violence; murder.
This collection can definitely come across as chaotic since it jumps from one narrative to the other, especially when the images are before the invasion but the narration boxes are from after the invasion. I can see this being a little confusing for some readers, but I found that it worked well with the overall story and Ben's struggle to write the narrative. I found the end of the invasion itself to be quite abrupt. I'm sure that this is covered more in other editions, but it didn't make a lot of sense here by itself.
For: fans of superheroes/comics; readers wanting a comic that show the POV of the Everyman.
Possible red flags: characters in peril; violence; blood; death; invasion and hostile takeovers; brief depiction of infidelity; property damage; medical emergencies; suicide bomber; gang violence; murder.
shane_tiernan's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as the other Front Lines, but not bad.
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
3.0
One of two Secret Invasion books that focus on the point of view of non-superheroes, there is a lot to like in this collection. Ben Urich of one of Marvel's great background characters, particularly when he shows up in Daredevil. Here, he's doing an interview when the Skrull invasion hits and has to reckon with his mortality, his relationship with his wife, and his commitment to his job. We also see a police officer trying to do the right thing and a daughter trying to connect with her father during the crisis.
There are a few great emotional beats in this story. It does suffer from some of that good old accidental racism of early 2000s comics. Why do we need to have a gang pop up in the middle of this story? Why do they have to be black? What purpose does that story tell that couldn't have been more compelling if it were a group of skinheads or just a random assortment of people consumed by the chaos of the invasion? It took me out of the story for a few pages as I thought about why that particular storyline needed to be injected into this narrative.
That's not the main reason why this is a three star book and not a four or five star book. Basically, this is a decent story but the scattered narrative that sort of comes together in the end is a little jarring for most of the story, as we don't really know most of these characters or have reasons to care about them other than They Are New Yorkers In A Tragedy (c)Marvel.
If you enjoy stories with Ben Urich, or just want to explore the Marvel Universe from a regular person's point of view, this is a solid read.
There are a few great emotional beats in this story. It does suffer from some of that good old accidental racism of early 2000s comics. Why do we need to have a gang pop up in the middle of this story? Why do they have to be black? What purpose does that story tell that couldn't have been more compelling if it were a group of skinheads or just a random assortment of people consumed by the chaos of the invasion? It took me out of the story for a few pages as I thought about why that particular storyline needed to be injected into this narrative.
That's not the main reason why this is a three star book and not a four or five star book. Basically, this is a decent story but the scattered narrative that sort of comes together in the end is a little jarring for most of the story, as we don't really know most of these characters or have reasons to care about them other than They Are New Yorkers In A Tragedy (c)Marvel.
If you enjoy stories with Ben Urich, or just want to explore the Marvel Universe from a regular person's point of view, this is a solid read.
eeclemson's review against another edition
4.0
I actually really liked seeing the peoples side of things and the despair and the tragedies that normal people in the Marvel universe go through on a daily basis. So sad, but such a good story.
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