The Squadron is back! Bigger, better and more evil than ever! Hyperion, Nighthawk, Whizzer, Doctor Spectrum and Warrior Woman. Together they make up the deadliest team of villains Battleworld has ever seen. Lording over their domain of Utopolis, they dispense devastating justice to any and all in their path. But will controlling just Utopolis be enough to feed their lust for power? Threats from without and threats from within seek to undo everything Hyperion and his gang have built. Rulers from other domains mobilize against them. Devastating lies and secrets from within the Squadron threaten to tear the team asunder. And seeds sown here bear bitter fruit for the future of the Marvel Universe! The measuring stick for evil just changed and the Squadron Sinister are it! Can anyone stop them?

Writer Marc Guggenheim takes on Marvel‘s version of a certain other publisher’s superhero team with a villain twist. And holy crap is it good. How everything fits together when it comes to Secret Wars still doesn’t quite make sense, but this series features characters we’re not seeing elsewhere and only slightly ties into the bigger event.

Guggenheim takes us right into the Squadron who are as evil as evil can be, as they annex the areas around them and plot and scheme against each other. We quickly figure out what’s up, who everyone is, and what they can do as we watch them battle. From there though, things get really interesting. Guggenheim gives us a couple of cool twists. We get a murder mystery, and something for the Squadron to be scared about, and we get them plotting against each other. The first issue is all set up, but we get some great personalities, entertaining introductions, and characters we’ll love to hate. This is another series I hope remains post Secret Wars it’s so good a start.

Artist Carlos Pacheco has a cool style for the series. The look is a bit retro in a way, but also modern at the same time. I like it, and combined with Guggenheim’s writing, the vibe of the series overall feels like something that would fit quite well in the 80s.

This is one hell of a start. It’s a series that I went into not expecting a ton from, and came out hoping Marvel shines on a light on these characters for many years to come.

Story: Marc Guggenheim Art: Carlos Pacheco
Story: 9 Art: 7.75 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review