I’ve been following Hickman since I first read The Nightly News trade in 2008. While I’ve enjoyed a majority of what he’s put out, I’ve always felt that he tended to write stories with too much scale. Lots of time travel and alternate worlds that can make for fun reading but which are tough to resolve during limited series. I thought Pax Romana was ambitious but occasionally hard to follow. Red Wing was a broad story that I don’t think Hickman was able to close successfully. I saw the multiple Earth numbers in Red Mass From Mars, and put the book down without reading it. And while I’ve really enjoyed his Fantastic Four work, I really wanted Hickman to write something more grounded in reality. The Secret appears to be that book.

The first few pages of this book put me in mind of a Mark Millar story. A good Mark Millar story. It’s talky with a bit of blood and violence.

Secret is a well-written crime story with plot twists that aren’t Earth shattering but fun. Bodenheim’s pencils are mostly great. I love the detail he packs into a panel, but some of the characters’ poses don’t look natural or anatomically probably and there’s an occasional proportion issue. Garland’s color washes, however, are perfect for the mood Hickman and Bodenheim have set up.

Between this and Manhattan Projects, Hickman is killing me in all the right ways this spring. Can’t wait for issue two of either series.