Have you ever been reading something, and things move along smoothly. The material entertains, but in the blink of an eye without warning…it ends?! Seven Secrets 5 reads like this. The story keeps you involved. You want to see what will happen on the next page, but before you know it – it’s over. I did a page count to see if this issue happened to be shorter than others, but nope. Same length.

This by no means suggests this latest issue from BOOM! Studios reads poorly. In fact quite the opposite. Many times issues need to advance the story more than be entertaining. These ‘exposition’ issues often have little action (or a small token fight) because they need to explain to the readers where the story needs to head and what the heroes need to do or accomplish. This issue is nearly non-stop motion.

Seven Secrets 5 – On Their Heels

In Secret Seven 4, the order just got its butt kicked badly by Amon. Every single chapter around the world just fell to his assaults. The main Order assesses their losses and attempts to figure out their next move. Amon knows where everyone stays, so the secrets are in terrible danger. To make matters worse, the toughest and strongest fighters now either lay dead or severely injured. Good options seem to be in short supply.

Naturally, an organization based on secrets has secrets within secrets held away from everyone else. A last resort base exists and looks to be the best option, but there is a problem. A last resort base would be precisely that – the last, meaning ONLY resort. All seven Secrets would be together for the first time since Order vowed to keep them secret and safe. Should Amon discover the base, the Secrets would be in terrible danger. While we meet some colorful Secret keepers, this issue centers on the run for the hidden base.

Of course Amon knows everything and meets the Keepers in route with an ambush. Many die as they flee for the safety of the base, but we meet an interesting Order member, Ching. Ching pilots the plane that gets shot down. He appears to die in the crash, but his partner, Alex, dives into the wreckage after him. Surprisingly, Alex drags a living Ching from the fire and wreckage. There may be powers at work we do not understand yet.

The next issue the Order undergoes a siege, so I can’t wait to see hot the order makes it out of this one. Secret Seven 5 reads fast. It feels almost like a part 1 of 2 in many ways, so perhaps tacked together with issue 6 this story will feel a bit more complete. I still love the direction and pace of this title!