 WIZARD UNIVERSE WEEKLY FEATURES |  | 'SECRET INVASION' #4 DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY WITH BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS | | The Skrull scribe leads a tour through each issue of Marvel's mega-event as he takes a panel-to-panel look at his highly anticipated series! | | | By Kevin Mahadeo | | Posted 7/11/2008 | |  | | Part four in a regular series, Wizard Universe catches up with Secret Invasion scribe Brian Michael Bendis for an SI Director's Commentary every day after an issue of the event comes out. Check in each time for insight from the writer on the inner workings of numerous scenes from Marvel's mega-event.
[BE WARNED, KIDDIES! THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD! Go read Secret Invasion #4 and come back and see us!]
All images can be clicked on and enlarged.
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WIZARD UNIVERSE: Starting off, I have to ask about this entire opening sequence. Why open with the book with this pulling away sequence of shots?
BENDIS: It was just a sequence that was in my head. I actually at one point wanted the whole issue to be one continuous camera shot. You start on that tortured eye, and then every panel is a reveal. First, it's an eye. Whose eye? Oh, Reed Richards. Oh, look what's happening to him. Oh, where is he? There he is. It lets you know where the pieces are in one fluid motion. Then you head down to Earth, and there's Ms. Marvel making her arc coming in for a landing. And we follow her, and we get to see her reaction to what New York looks like and all the way to Nick Fury and to the cliffhanger of last issue.
This is very unique. I don't think I've ever seen a shot done like this in a comic.
BENDIS: It's not easy to pull off, and it has to further the story. Again, I actually wanted—at one point—to leave New York and continually go all the way back to the Savage Land. But that was pushing it. Oh. We're following birds, you know? Anyway, there's been other instances I'm sure. Alan Moore or Frank Miller did sequences like this back in the day.
Now, what about the dialogue here. We don't know who is talking, but the way things are described, there seems to be a parallel between the Skrulls and actual humans.
BENDIS: There's a couple of things here. I love a narration with a reveal to it. I'm a big, big fan of that. You can only do it sometimes and at certain places—especially in a book that normally doesn't have any narration or a first-person point of view. So, here's a good way to have your cake and eat it, too. You can have your first person without it actually being a narrative. It's actually a monologue. We're listening to a monologue over what would be a montage, I guess in a way. And everything she's saying it true, whether you choose to agree with it or not.
As we said in previous commentaries, my favorite villains are the ones that have a point. Magneto, of course, being the best example of that. You could sit and have coffee with him and listen to him all day and go, "That's interesting. I don't agree, and I certainly don't agree with how you're going about it, but your point of view of the world is arguable." You want to put out there that this isn't for nothing. This isn't, "Bwahaha." This is, on a level, something that human beings can appreciate as honest because they've done it. You want a villain who believes fully they're the hero of the story.
When Ms. Marvel lands, it's a very small thing, but there's a scene with two magazines—one with Tony and one with Doctor Doom. Any particular reason?
BENDIS: It's to remind people of Tony's place in the world just before this hits. Tony was our keeper of the world. And remember, the day before, he had a big win. He got Doctor Doom. So, it's a reminder of where we are in the world and what's important the day before. It shows how much has changed in 24 hours, and we've all seen that in real life.
As you mentioned, we pick up on the cliffhanger with Nick Fury, and he and his commandos are kicking ass. Why are they succeeding where others failed?
BENDIS: It's not so much that other people failed. It's just the Avengers or the Initiative or the Young Avengers were caught with their pants down, whereas Nick Fury and his crew are on the offensive. They came ready to go. They seemed to be ready for this. That in itself is the difference. If Tony and the Avengers were there and ready for this, they'd be doing well also, if not better. [Fury and his commandos] are in and out. They're not there saving the whole city. They're doing just his one thing.
There's a call out here I like because I mentioned to you in the previous commentary about how I was worried about Phobos. And yet, like you said, as the God of Fear, he's taking care of himself.
BENDIS: Yeah. No one can touch him. But there's a lot there. We're going to do in issue #18 of Mighty Avengers where we show you how they trained. And as they announced in Wizard World Chicago, there's going to be a Secret Warriors ongoing post-Secret Invasion, and it's going to be written by Jonathan Hickman. We're going to plot it out together, but he's going to do the heavy lifting. So, if you like what you saw here, there's more to come.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Click HERE for our Q&A with Bendis and Hickman!]
| | Continue the commentary by clicking here!
Missed Bendis' commentary on the first issue? Check it out here! And you can check out commentary for the second and third issues as well!
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