Comic Info
Comic Name: Hail Hydra/Hank Johnson, Agent of Hydra
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Rick Remender/David Mandel
Artist: Roland Boschi/Michael Walsh
# of Issues: 5
Release Date: 2015
Hail Hydra #1 Variant
Reprints Hail Hydra #1-4 and Hank Johnson, Agent of Hydra #1 (September 2015-January 2016). Ian Rogers is struggling inside. Born to Arnim Zola and raised by Steve Rogers, Ian has adopted the guise of Nomad and taken his battle to liberate oppressed people. When he finds himself in a world where Hydra rules, Nomad finds him facing a version of himself that did not escape the oppression of Arnim Zola and sets out to liberate a group of people who do not trust him. Plus, Hank Johnson is just doing his job…unfortunately, he works for Hydra.
Written by Rick Remender, Warzones!: Hail Hydra is a Marvel Comics Secret Wars spin-off series. The comic book series features art by Roland Boschi and is collected with Hank Johnson, Agent of Hydra #1 (October 2015) by David Mandel and art by Michael Walsh.
The Secret Wars spin-off series are real hit-or-miss. Generally not horrible, very few rise to higher levels. While Hail Hydra is a generally good collection, the one-shot in this volume is worth seeking out.
I wasn’t very up to date on Captain America when Secret Wars was released. The series is rather tied to the Captain America story and circles around Ian Rogers (Armin Zola’s son Leopold Zola). In the Nomad role, Ian is out to liberate a world run by Hydra. It is a bit better in that Ian isn’t of the Secret Wars world and ended up in it due to the Infinite Elevator, and he finds himself surrounded by people who are similar, yet different from the people he knew. Making him an outsider made it a bit more identifiable if you weren’t up to speed on Captain America.
Hank Johnson, Agent of Hydra #1
While Hail Hydra was a relatively positive read, Hank Johnson, Agent of Hydra was a really fun outing. Much like The Simpsons episode “You Only Move Twice” (where Homer works for what is essentially a James Bond villain), it focuses on a low level Hydra agent, his wife, and even sexual harassment in the workplace (by Madame Hydra). It has a lot of fun with the ideas, and I could see myself enjoying a whole series based around this idea. The humor mixes well with the Marvel Universe and feels absurdist, but also logical.
Warzones!: Hail Hydra feels like a more solid entry in the spin-off titles because it is more grounded in the Marvel Universe that existed before the Secret Wars storyline. I can imagine if you were invested in Captain America at the time, the series would have been a nice payoff for the Ian character, but even if you are just a casual reader, it does have its moments…but don’t miss out on Hank Johnson…being a Hydra agent isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be (even if you do get medical coverage).
Related Links:
Battleworld: Master of Kung Fu
Warzones!: Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars
Warzones!: M.O.D.O.K. Assassin
