Be warned, folks, from here on, spoilers abound.

This is the moment we have been waiting for since the end of New Avengers #32 when Spider-Woman stole the body of the Skrull Elektra and vanished. That was the issue where the game really started - who do you trust – who’s a Skrull and who isn’t. Spider-Woman’s Skrulliness rested on where Skrullektra’s body turned up. If it vanished, Skrull, if it turned up on Tony Stark’s doorstep, she’s not. Guess what? Jessica’s human, not as trustworthy as some of us would like, but human. My bet is that she’ll end up with the Mighty Avengers before too long.

With the corpse of Skrullektra in Stark’s possession, he calls the Illuminati together for the first time since before the Civil War. To say that the Illuminati has been fractured since that event, and World War Hulk, would be an understatement. Personally I find that they do actually come together pretty amazing considering.

Despite a temporary truce during World War Hulk, Civil War renegade Dr. Strange elects to appear only in his astral form so he can elude capture by Iron Man. This is curious for one major reason. Stark calls, and Strange comes. When the Mighty Avengers were in pursuit of the New Avengers recently, why didn’t Iron Man just use the Illuminati signal? Obviously the Doctor would have come, in one form or another – they could have at least talked.

Writers Brian Michael Bendis and Brian Reed make extensive use of Iron Man’s talkative new ‘extremis’ armor as a storytelling tool when the Illuminati arrive. The armor doesn’t detect any Skrulls among them, and furthermore detects hidden Skrulls as the beings they imitate. Not only is it a clever device, but it also clearly proves that IM’s armor is no more capable of detecting this new breed of Skrull than Reed Richards’ science, Stephen Strange’s magic or Charles Xavier’s psychic powers.

When Iron Man makes the big reveal of Skrullektra, everyone has something to say about it, including, ahem, well, we’ll get to that. Reed wants single-mindedly to cut it open. Iron Man begins with the patented Luke Cage paranoia rant and then slides into an almost-breakdown over Captain America’s death. Namor is dismissive, denying and belligerent. These are important reactions, remember them.

As I said, everyone has something to say about the Skrullektra revelation, including, in one of the coolest scenes I’ve seen in any recent comic – Black Bolt. “Actually, I have a better idea. I take the body. And you people die so that my people can live…” This revelation that trumps any other in this series, and its companion titles, since the discovery of Skrullektra, is the only complaint I have about artist Jim Cheung this issue. I would have given anything for proper reaction shots of the rest of the Illuminati on page nine. What we get is adequate, but it could have been sooo much better.

While I could go on for days about how amazing Cheung is in this issue and this whole series for that matter, more pressing is the fact that Black Bolt speaks. Yep, he’s the Skrull… or more accurately, a Skrull. But not just any Skrull either, Black Bolt is that Super-Skrull I knew was coming from way back in Illuminati #1, the one that has all the powers of the captured heroes. Just to keep things straight, let’s call him the Illuminati-Skrull.

After the fake Black Bolt’s speech, there’s an explosion, a big one. A patented Bendis two-page spread worth of the most vibrant oranges and yellows colorist Justin Ponsor can generate – the abandoned warehouse the Illuminati chose to meet within is leveled, obliterated, completed destroyed. Now Iron Man and Namor can easily withstand that kind of damage, Mister Fantastic is just like rubber, and Doctor Strange is astral – anyone care to tell me why Professor X isn’t dead? Oh, and just for good measure the Skrullektra corpse is also unaffected.

Standing where the pseudo-Black Bolt used to be is the Illumniati-Skrull. Serious costume design props go out to Jimmy Cheung as the outfit combines elements of all the costumes of the Illuminati members. Awesome design, a Super-Adaptoid for the twenty-first century – I love the spread on pages twelve and thirteen. The heroes take him out though with teamwork worthy of the Avengers, now why don’t we see more of the regular Avengers titles?

It’s not quiet for long as the team is attacked by two more Skrulls, this time Skrullian versions of Thor and Colossus. Notably these are two characters thought dead and returned since, what does this mean? And again, way to go on the costume designs. On pages eighteen and nineteen where they show up, additional praise needs to lain at Cheung’s feet. His panel design is amazing. This is another two-page spread yet framed at the bottom with so much action in smaller panels as Iron Man shows off new and alarming powers. Very dynamic.

At the end of this issue, in a puff of who-can-you-trust smoke, the Illuminati disperse, and the story says it will be continued in the Secret Invasion mini-series in the spring. It might appear that everything is fairly well tied up and we know who the Skrull among the Illuminati is. Or do we?

I might go so far as to say maybe not. Let’s examine the reactions of the different heroes when Skrullektra was revealed. Black Bolt attacked, well, duh, he was a Skrull. Iron Man nearly breaks down. This might not be a Skrull thing but I think it’s very telling for the future. Tony has a new weakness. His guilt over what happened to Captain America might be more dangerous to him than alcoholism, heart trouble or magic.

Reed Richards is someone I’ve had my eye on as a Skrull for some time. He wants to cut the body open and do an autopsy. I think that could be suspicious. Could there be a better way to destroy evidence or prevent humans from finding a Skrull weakness?

Namor has been suspect of late for me lately based on events in his recent mini-series. Come on, is that really our Sub-Mariner? His reaction is denial. And think about it, once he kills the Illuminati-Skrull, thus preventing any questioning, he pulls a Cartman and says, “Screw you guys, I’m going home.” Seems a bit out of sorts to me, especially after what’s happened with Atlantis, one would think he needs all the friends he can get.

So Skrullwatch for this review: Elektra and Black Bolt are definites, Reed Richards and Namor are possibles. Only time will tell for sure.

I’m giving New Avengers: Illuminati #5 four and three-quarters stars out five possible, just short of perfect. The writing and the art is top notch, and the only things I have to say bad about it is just nitpicking, and I look forward to the stories and conclusion to come, no matter how far away. The whole mini-series has been phenomenal to look at, and I have nothing but praise for Jimmy Cheung. Is there any way we might be able to see a regular Avengers series by Bendis (and or Reed for that matter) and Cheung? I would be sold on just those names, sight unseen.

And get used to seeing that “Secret Invasion” banner on the cover, folks, it’s going to be with us a while…

	Glenn Walker
	Glenn has been a fan of Marvel Comics' Avengers since the early 1970s, when their current adventures were chronicled by Steve Englehart and their early exploits by Stan Lee in classic reprints featured in Marvel Triple Action. He has persevered through many incarnations of the team and he still loves the Avengers to this day.