RAVE: Secret by Jonathan Hickman and Ryan Bodenheim.

 

    "Never Get Caught" - Secret

    At the beginning of this month, I have done my now patented review of all media I consume during 'X' month Rants and Raves. Spoiler if you have no seen read it or seen it but my tied number one piece of content for the month of September is 'Secret'. I say shared because it was tied with a Korean Drama me and my wife watched called 'Moving' which was just as amazing as 'Secret'.  'Moving' and 'Secret' also have earned a new distinction, something I have called the 'Golden' RAVE which means it is hands down my favorite content of the month so it'll differ itself from other highly rated content. 'Moving' however has got its flowers not just from me but from the massive amount of people who have watched it. It is critically acclaimed and publicly lauded as one of the best K-dramas of 2023 when it first aired and rightfully so, it is an amazing piece of media. However on the other hand I believe that 'Secret' does not get the accolades I feel it deserves so for that reason and others; I present to you, my RAVE for 'Secret' by Jonathan Hickman and Ryan Bodenheim.

    The Man with the Plan.

    After revitalizing the Fantastic Four; creating Secret Warriors with Brian Michael Bendis and his other slept on masterpiece S.H.I.E.L.D, Jonathan Hickman was called the new architect of the Marvel Universe by Marvel themselves. They put all their faith in him as they gave him full reign over Marvel's biggest property at the time, the Avengers. This was around the time the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was at the height of its powers so for him to be given the rein over the golden goose truly showed how much Marvel believed in him. A lot of the MCU biggest moments owes its very existence to Hickman and I often do that Leonardo DiCaprio meme when I spot his fingerprints in their films. Some of its biggest upcoming events still to come in the movies is again drawing a lot of influence from him, specifically Avengers: Secret Wars. So what I am trying to say is Hickman is a master of his craft and when he plans, he plans big. Over the last 10-12 years, when it comes to reading comics, I know if I pick up a Jonathan Hickman book, I am due for a good time. He is consistently the only writer I would go to a comic book store and pick up a floppy (aka a single issue of a comic) over what I normally buy because I can not wait for the trade. He is my favorite comic book writer of all time, easy. So I am saying all of this because I read anything he writes and for the longest time I had a book of his on deck but I never pulled the trigger. That book is called 'Secret'.

    I have purchased all of Hickman's creator owned/ independent work through the years after making him my favorite writer. When ether it be the hard sci-fi of 'The Red Wing', the thought provoking time travelling saga 'Pax Romana' or his magnus opus (at least so far to me) Western epic that is 'East of West'. I, however was missing two series, one was the 'The Dying and the Dead' and the other was 'Secret', ironically both drawn by Ryan Bodenheim. I have since corrected that and I now own both. Tragically 'The Dying and the Dead' was never finished and it looks like it never will be due to the passing of Ryan Bodenheim but 'Secret' was and what a story it weaves.

    Using all the hallmarks of a good Hickman story; 'Secret' combines witty dialogue, morally grey characters, a epic plot and a killer ending. It focuses on a private security firm stumbling onto the something much larger then them after the death of one of their own. As our main characters try to get the bottom of the titular secret and get some revenge a long the way it all explodes, literally. People die, uneasy alliances are exposed and betrayals most foul. I won't give away anymore because I honestly want anyone that reads this RAVE to read the book for themselves.

    Now here comes the crazy part. It is not super easy and I feel it is because 'Secret' has fallen in the cracks. The 'Secret' trade paperback which collects all seven issues is not available on Amazon. You can not even purchase the physical singular issues, everything concerning 'Secret' is only through digital means. As a collector/ fan of physical media especially for things I love, this was un-acceptable. Because of this I had to go outside of my normal haunts and I was only able to get my hands on it thanks to Ebay. This is not the first time Ebay has come in clutch for me and it probably won't be the last. Now I think about it, all my most recent purchase for this duo of Hickman and Bodenheim has been through Ebay. I purchased their previous collabo 'Red Mass for Mars' through them and their last collabo, the aforementioned 'Dying and the Dead' as well. Funny that. Because it slip through the cracks a lot of people do not know just how good this book is. I do not see any Youtube explained videos for it, or 'read this comic' videos and it is a shame and one of the reasons why this RAVE exists. The other reason is I want to draw attention Hickman's collaborator and the person who brought 'Secret' to life, Ryan Bodenheim.

This image is from 'The Dying and the Dead' Issue # 1

    Eyes Wide Open

    Ryan Bodenheim or as he like to be called Bode is a self taught artist from Oklahoma but he spent most of his time in Dayton, Ohio, which is wild to me because that is super close to where I live. Ryan peacefully passed away in Dec, 2021 and I must say the world has lost a prodigious talent in his departure. I found Ryan's art of course through Jonathan Hickman and their collaboration, 'The Dying and the Dead' and I was blown away by his talent. There is one splash page in 'TDD' that still to this day, takes my breath away and as I type this I think I might have it framed for my office. From that day onwards, my eyes were wide open. Sadly, 'TDD' was never completed and was plagued by delays so I never really got to experience it until last month when I finally bought all the available issues from... you guessed it, Ebay. My next experience with Bode's work was him and Hickman's first collaboration 'Red Mass for Mars.' Again I was blown away by how hyper detailed Bode's work was and whilst the story for 'Red Mass for Mars' is good, it is the art which truly made me like it. In 'Secret' I truly got the best of both worlds with both of them at their peaks. I mean look at the image above and say you are not in awe.

    Sadly, related to Bodenheim not getting his flowers while he was here, only 'Red Mass for Mars' is readily available for regular purchase easily (again not digital.) and there has never been a trade paper back for 'TDD'. I think this is criminals because instead of people seeing the praises of Ryan, we instead have hacks like Greg Land and AI artists clogging our internet feeds. Again, it is not much but here, I am using my platform and voice to elevate that Ryan Bodenheim might be the one of best artist you have never heard of and a gem for anyone who have discovered him. His beautifully detailed art, spot on reflections, complex storytelling techniques and way he was able to collaborate with frequently colorist Michael Garland is a sight to be seen. Speaking of.

    A Family Affair

    Using a style they started in 'Red Mass for Mars'; Michael Garland's coloring brings another dimension to Bode's art. All three projects collaborations of Hickman/ Bodenheim/ Garland use a distinctive coloring which is unlike anything I have ever seen and it is in full display in 'Secret'. This might take some getting used to at first but once you see it is part of the process; you'll grow to like it. This is use to perfection in 'Secret' and 'TDD' and I can not sing praises for 'Secret' without acknowledging the importance of its colorist.

    The color red is used perfectly and sticks out like blood on a monochrome figure, men's ties and a spook's glasses. It actually inspired my new profile picture on the side of this blog. The irony is not loss on me that in a world of blurred lines with no black or white hats, a world filled with spies and secret societies, a more subdued palette is used and to great effect. Also amazingly, Michael Garland is not known for coloring comics but as an author and illustrator of children's novels... like what?!

Is this was the cover I might have bought it day one.

    "I've always been the boss."

    Earlier in this RAVE, I discussed why 'Secret' was one of the last Hickman independent projects I have picked up. I mentioned how it is not mentioned in a lot of conversations of what Hickman has done. He has done three different books with the word 'Secret' in it, he has also written 'Secret Wars' and 'Secret Warrirors' with both getting much more attention then this, his independent project. I mentioned how hard it was to purchase through regular means and having to resort to Ebay of all things (which I have come to discover is amazing at getting my hands on niche things I enjoy) but I will not lie to you. One of the major reasons why I didn't pick up 'Secret' originally was because of the cover they picked for the first issue and the trade paperback. Yes, the very same image that started this RAVE. I'll admit it, I judged a book by its cover. Sure, the cover makes sense and in the same first issue it plays big into the story but I just could never escape how strange it was. All of Hickman's covers are strikingly unique with amazing use of negative space so for this cover to just be what it was, I didn't buy it. By sheer luck, I stumbled on 'Secret' during a library visit and borrowed it and as soon as I finished reading it I was like... I need this in my life and bought it. HECK, I am going to buy a second copy because my original copy is kind of in a bad shape (you get what you pay for I guess) so I'm going back to Ebay to purchase another copy and I am giving the beat-up one to my bestie because honestly, people need to know about Hickman, Bodenheim and Garland and if it falls on me to spread the message, consider me contagious.

    Beyond a shadow of a doubt; it is no longer a 'Secret' (to me at least) and it gets a massive RAVE.

AV

P.S Now I have completed my Hickman independents collections, I'll be making a LIST ranking my favorites to my not favorites because I do not have any least favorites when it comes to Hickman. It'll be out later this month.

LIST: September's Rants & Raves

Y'all should know how this works now. Rantings go from worst to best but this week we even have a extra rating which I will only use for wrap up LIST, which is the Golden RAVE which is hands-down my favorite thing of the month.

Shall we begin!

14. True Detective Season 3: 6.5 - Okay

    Honestly this one almost fell into a RANT territory. This month I decided thanks to my local library to watch a TV show that had been pay-walled by HBO. I watched two season of True Detective and I must say both were completely different experiences. I will discuss season one much later so let's focus on season three.

    This season was boring. A case which started out very interesting became less and less and the tension between the main characters was nowhere as well done as it was in season one. I know now why a lot of people say season one of True Detective can not be replicated because this season tried and failed in all aspects.

    As a big fan of Mahershala Ali's work, he was one of the few bright spots in what was a very pedestrian, safe and mediocre season. Also do not get me started about the ending scene which lowered this show final rating a whole point. It is funny, I was told season two of True Detective was cheeks and three was a return to form. Whoever said that was lying through their teeth.

13. Star Trek Discovery The Final Season: 7 - OKAY

         It is funny that this comes right after True Detective season 3 because Star Trek Discovery Final Season was no-where as bad as it. Sure, Discovery weakness are still very obvious. This season we get back arguably my favorite character Tillie but they side-line Saru instead and Saru is so badly needed because he makes Michael Burnham less of a Mary Sue if he is there because Lord forbid, someone other than Michael saves the day.

    I heard this season was a bit more optimistic because the last two seasons of Discovery have been pretty serious and I did feel the optimism. The overarching storyline was not bad and had some high but the lows were pretty bad. One episode in particular, 'Whistlespeak' may go down as the worst episode of any Star Trek media I have ever watched and an insult to long time Star Trek fans with how frivolously they played with the Prime Directive. Also I am all for inclusion but this episode felt like Tyler Perry levels of pandering to a specific audience. Yes, it was that bad. This episode alone dropped this season final rating by a full point. Discovery has always given us bad, filler episodes before but they mastered it with 'Whistlespeak'.

    Overall, the final ending had some good moments and I am happy we got some resolutions but on the other hand there was also a very egregious scene which I won't spoil but left a very bad taste in my mouth as well. Now I think about, The Final Season does deserve its spot here. Part of me wants to write a full RAVE/RANT about Star Trek Discovery as a whole but the other part of me is just happy it is done.

12. Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning: 7.5 - OKAY

    Bloodfever the second book in Karen Marie Moning's 'Fever' series was a good read. I think my only real issue with it was it was very safe and not much happened in it. Mac, our heroine starts book one looking for who killed her sister, the book ends with her looking for who killed her sister, our hero does know if she can trust her advisor Barrons, it ends with her not knowing if she can trust her advisor Barrons. Y'all noticing the same pattern I am right.

    Honestly Darkfever, the first book in the series at least had some real moments that moved the needle, while this one just felt like bridging chapter in a book, not a full sized novel. Even the 'big bad' of this book isn't a new character and a left-over from the previous one. Also the abrupt ending did not help at all as well. I was like 'That's the final chapter?'

    I do intend to continued with the series now that I am invested but I have heard worrying talk about how this book and every one after it follows a trend of spinning its wheels before the big conclusion in book five. I guess we shall see after I read book 3 but if the word on the street is right I might skip out the remaining books.

11. Aliens vs Avengers: 8 - Rave

    Ahh, our first Rave of the month and to no surprise it is a book written by Jonathan Hickman. However, to my surprise and anyone's surprise if they know me this book is only a lower case Rave and also outside of the top 10. How does a J. Hickman book end up outside of the top 10? Easy. It is because of it's low stakes.

    I know, how the heck can a book that has the death of 90% of the world population, the death of many major Avengers and more be considered low stakes? Well, first it does not take place in the current timeline or even our universe. To give Hickman the permission to go nuts the upper management let Hickman destroy a non prime universe instead. Which is cool because if Hickman can write him an amazing post apocalyptical saga (see 'East of West'). However when this was first sold to me I really hoped it would not be an alternative universe saga which it ended up being.

    This is still a great read tho, Hickman still has his favorites, the Iron Man, Black Panthers, Valerie Richards  and Mister Sinister that he writes so well and his gives us some amazing moments with Miles Morales and Carol Danvers. I am also rating this lower because the ending just lacked something and it is sad because if it is one thing Jonathan Hickman does is stick the landing.

10. Marvel Zombies (Disney Plus): 8.5 - RAVE

    Shambling into the top 10 is Marvel Zombies. As a big fan of the original 'What If' episode which gave creation to this series, I was looking forward to it and it did not disappoint. Sure, it got a bit formulaic with killing off main characters one by one for shock value but the storyline was compelling. Also kudos to all the voice talent that reprised their roles especially Iman Vellani (Kamala Khan, who I have said countless times before is a MCU MVP and deserves to be treated thus) and Simu Liu (Shang Chi) who did a lot of the heavy lifting.

    The animation was good however I could never connect with how they did Elizabeth Olsen's human version. She just looked... different. Wanda is one of my favorite characters in the MCU and in comics so when she doesn't look right I don't like it.

    So why top 10 and not higher? It appears to the same reoccurring issue with the bottom part of this month's content, the ending. I think as a budding writer, I always aim to have a good if not great ending so when I get endings like the bottom of this list I am always feeling odd. I always say to myself, that is how we wanted it to end? That was the best choice? Now, Marvel Zombies is part of the horror genre so 'shocking' ending are the norm but still, I was left wishing for more.

9. Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 2 The Paper: 8.5 - RAVE

    

      Our second Jonathan Hickman entry and surprisingly it also falls in the back end of this LIST but I have my reasons. Similar to my critique of Bloodfever above, this volume of Ultimate Spider-man feels heavy on the world building and less on the cool action stuff something volume one did not have an issue balancing. One of my biggest critiques for this volume is how talking heads it felt with tons of dialogue and don't get me wrong, I love dialogue and Hickman writes some of the best 'talking head' scenes in the business, hands down but sometimes I just wanted something cool to happen and it just... didn't.

    However, all of my complaints fall apart as we reached the final issue of this volume and well Hickman comes out swinging and I am fully invested in Ultimate Spider-man saga again. As I said above, my issues with some of content I enjoy is either they don't stick the landing or the ending it is just there. This volume's ending shows you can end with a bang and leave people anticipating the next chapter. Hickman also masterfully re-introduces a character who has never been relevant in Mary Jane's sister and made her a fully dimensional character IN ONE ISSUE. Amazing.

8. Light Shop: 8.5 - RAVE

    Yes, we are adding K-drama content to this LIST now, why? Because it is my list and I determine what going on it. Light Shop by popular Korean webtoon artist Kang-full is part of his Kang-full universe. His other big project is also on this list but we will discuss that one when we arrive there.

    How can I describe Light Shop without spoiling it? The irony of a show called Light Shop that is actually very, very dark has not escaped me. The first couple of episodes will definitely throw you for a loop and it is very non-sequitur by nature, it also has some really challenging moments for people who don't normally watch scary content. But at the same time, it has real heart as well. One scene that I will not spoil almost had me in tears.

    All I can say is you need to experience it for yourself especially if you are a fan of good acting, labyrinthine story telling with a goal and you need a good scare. Also shout out to K-pop artist Seol-Hyun from AoA fame, this should have been the role that propelled her to mega stardom because she killed it.

7. K-Pop Demon Hunters: 8.5 - RAVE

    Okay, this month's first big confession. I did not know how I would feel about K-pop Demon Hunters at first. When I first heard about it and how the talent attached to it only had K-pop adjacent connections I figured this was just some people trying to ride the popular K-wave and make some easy money. So it was my surprise when many members of my family decided to recommend it to me and my wife who are massive K-pop fans. Now these are people who would barely know a ATEEZ from a AESPA but they loved it and was disappointment me and my wife had no watched it yet.

    So one random night we did and we loved it. The animation was done very well, with some really satisfying scenes with well used colors, the voice talent all brought it and the songs? Each one of the songs from 'Soda Pop' to 'Golden' are certified bangers and me and my wife can see how it became instant brain bugs. Like take the quick accessibility of K-pop add culturally unique story and catchy visuals and basically Netflix and Sony Animation tapped the perfect storm.

    Also unlike last month's previous entry Butterfly which definitely had Korean references and even had legit Korean stars, K-pop Demon Hunters feels more honest in it's homage to the Korean culture. When ether it'll be dropping some Korean words in songs which could have been in 100% English or reference K-pop behavior correctly by showing how fandoms really make or break a group. Even the food references were on point. In Butterfly the Korean references felt like a costume, something that was interchangeable with any other culture, in K-pop Demon Hunters it felt like its identity and it embraced it and honesty as well as its catchy songs and good storyline made me and wife a genuine fan.

6. True Detective Season 1: 8.5 - RAVE

    

        Just barely outside of the Top 5 is True Detective season one. You know everything I said about True Detective Season 3 at the top of this list? This season is why it failed because had such big shoes to follow. True Detective season one maybe one of the best single seasons of American TV ever written explicitly for TV, this is no hyperbole. This show is why HBO should exist. I feel no other network could have deliver what True Detective delivered in this season, a potent mixture of dark themes, sensuality, carnality and human drama.

    The main leads, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson (whom I always felt was a decent actor but did he deliver in this show) and Michelle Monaghan brought their A-game with Matthew's character spouting some of the wildest most quotable stuff imaginable. The storyline moved with the a tidal force, pulling us along with it and the masterful mixture of three time periods to tell one story inspired me in my own fiction I am writing and that ending? Chef Kiss and even raised this show's final score up a half mark and elevated it above the two other 8.5 in this LIST.

    So the question exists. What went wrong with every other season after this one? Why did all of them fail to even touch the top of the boots of season one? I have no answers for you. Part of me thinks it is because Cary Joji Fukunaga (the sole director of season one) was no longer apart of the creative process and his vision as the director helped make True Detective season one what it was but who knows. Maybe writer Nic Pizzolatto had one great story to tell and the two seasons he has written after is just him trying to capture lighting in a bottle again.

5. The Stand (2020): 9 - RAVE

    One of Stephen King's most talked about and popular novels, The Stand was remade and released during 2020. Whenever it be the worst timing ever or divine intervention, for a show about a super flu killing the lion share of the world's population coming out during the peak of the pandemic is something no-one could have predicted.

    After seeing both versions of The Stand, I have to say I disagree with the people saying the original one which came out back in 1994 is the better adaptation. This version was done so much better for me and even what I felt was the biggest problem with the original (a very cheesy ending) felt less comical this time around. I also feel the newer version dives deeper into the religious core of The Stand and instead of shying away from it, it embraced it wholly. It is rare for modern popular media to embrace religion in a respectful way so I was legit surprised The Stand did. We have Whoopi Goldberg's character Mother Abigail quoting the bible verse by verse during appropriate scenes for example.

    I rated this right after True Detective and gave it a higher mark and spot because both of them explore similar themes, the eternal battle between good and evil. The Stand however explored the themes much better and it always felt it was moving forward where I felt True Detective season one stalled a couple times. My reason for it being lower on the list was an extended ending that felt kind of tacked on and self indulgent. I sadly found out this new extended ending was also written by Stephen King himself and well, he could have left this one in the drafts.

4. The Things we leaved Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros: 9 - RAVE

    Number four is actually a shock to anyone that knows me. A romance/ human drama novel? By an author I have never read, let alone heard of? Well, this book was one of those books that when you put down you have like have the biggest bittersweet smile ever. You are happy but man, did the book change you and the story, it sticks with you.

    Coming highly recommend by my wife, The Things... is definitely not in my normal wheelhouse of books I enjoy reading but I can not lie, I enjoy this book a lot. World War 2 played a big role in this book as well and I am so not a fan of that setting but the setting made so much sense with the story it told. Also when I say the twists in this book will get you? I am not lying.

    90% of the books I read these days I use as inspiration for Cloudale, the trilogy of books I am currently writing. I can say beyond a shadow of doubt, a lot of Rebecca's prose inspired me to write better and deliver the best product for my readers. I rated this book as high as I did and placed it so high in this LIST because unlike some of the content on this LIST, I felt like a better enjoyer of content at the end of it.

3. I Will Find You by Harlan Coben: 9 - RAVE

    It is funny with Rebecca placing so high and I've never read one of her books before that at number three we also have an author I have never read before. However I know a lot about Harlan Coben. Me and wife watch a lot of TV together; we watch just about anything but in the last 2 years we have become slightly obsess with the works of Harlan Coben thanks to his hit Netflix shows. We love the twists, the turns and the breakneck pace of them. However as we get to the tail-end of the shows he has written and produced we had to find new outlets, hence his books.

    I Will Find You is the first Harlan book I had read and needlessly to say, the TV shows translates his writing really well. It is the same crazy twist, turns and breakneck pace (unless you are The Woods, but we don't talk about The Woods) we are accustomed too but it is now in book form. I Will Find You is Coben in fine form and delivered a story that'll keep you on the edge of your seat.

    Harlan is an amazing everyday man's writer. Sure he writes for the masses but since when has that been a bad thing, if anything, his writing and pacing has inspired me and I hope that one day to become as prolific as him. Until then, I'll keep reading his novels because from never reading one to picking up a second book straight away, just like his TV shows, I am now hooked.

1 (TIE) Secret: 9.5 - RAVE

    It is funny, this is my first month I have added a 'Golden' RAVE to my LISTs and in this month we have a tie. I need to do a tie this month because no matter how much I tried, I could not bring to give one the edge over the other. My number ones this month are interchangeable in the landscape of my favorite piece of content.

    I will be writing a full length RAVE for Jonathan Hickman's Secret, it deserves one because I have a lot to say and I do not think I can fit it in three paragraphs. That however leads us with a draw and without further ado and tied for first place.

1. (TIE) Moving: 9.5 - RAVE

    I believe the best way someone had described the K-drama show Moving was to call it NBC's Heroes but it never sucked. Heroes season one was a revelation when it came out. Never had a TV series crystalized what made comics so enjoyable but for television. The complex plots with detailed back stories with larger then life characters that engage in epic battles. Heroes even spawned endless copycats but none got close to the perfection of season one. Then season two happened and the rest goes down in infamy.

    Moving does everything Heroes did good (sometimes even better) and make next to none of its mistakes. The pace is never slow, characters are never there just to be there. From the bus driver to a bullied girl at school, everyone has a story. Moving tells a compelling story with three dimensional characters like mobster turned heart of gold protector Joo-won played to perfection by Ryu Seung-ryong or Han Hyo-joo adding to her already impressive resume of amazing roles by bringing subtle nuance to her character Mi-yeon, the fiercely loyal mother of main character Bong-seok. Speaking of Bong-seok get a first class seat and fall in love with him as he falls in love with the girl of his dreams, Hee-soo. But this is not your regular Kdrama, no sir. This drama has it all, government conspiracies, epic betrayals, detestable villains' and epic loves stories which will move you in ways you can not imagine on a epic scale rarely seen outside of a MCU movie.

    I mentioned previously Kang-full delivered a dark but moving story in Light Shop but in Moving, there was never a dull moment and me and my wife binge-watched the Hell out of it. This drama comes so highly recommended that if you have not watched you I am envious of you because I would love to experience it all over again because this... this is super heroes done right.

AV