"Siege: Secret Warriors" #1 allows Jonathan Hickman to follow up on the two main ties that "Siege" has to "Secret Warriors:" the death of Phobos's father, Ares, and Nick Fury's connection and history with Norman Osborn from last fall's "The List" issue. Both of those plots would detract possibly from "Secret Warriors," so dealing with them here is smart and allows fans of that title to get a de facto second issue this week. However, that does mean that casual "Siege" readers may want to skip this since it's clearly aimed at "Secret Warriors" readers.

The main plot here is Phobos' reaction to seeing his father ripped apart by the Sentry on national television. Nick Fury made the decision to leave him behind and, after seeing his father die at the hands of a government agent basically, Alex pays a visit to the White House to speak with the president regarding what's happening. What follows is Alex versus an army of Secret Service agents, basically, and we can see what the god of fear, son of war can do when properly provoked. We've always known that Phobos is dangerous, but not this dangerous. It's a kid with a sword and we goes through the trained agents like they're nothing.

Hickman breaks up Alex's act of rage with Fury contacting Osborn with Captain America silently watching to let him know that he's coming. Then, we get a scene of Cap and Fury during the fight as the two look perfectly at home. Fury, in particular, has a somewhat cavalier attitude about him, that he's at his most relaxed in the middle of a bunch of people trying to kill one another. He makes an interesting contrast to the way that Alex fights the SS agents.

Alessandro Vitti is no stranger to Alex having illustrated the "God of Fear, God of War" storyarc of "Secret Warriors" where the relationship of Ares and Phobos played a large role. He's the perfect choice for this story, which acts as an epilogue/sequel to that arc in many ways. His line work is strong and intricate at times, like on the second page where we see Alex and his father, Alex's features soft, his hair done in detail, while Ares has harder edges and rough shadows. Later in the issue, Alex's soft features harden somewhat with a look of anger in his eyes that isn't something we've seen yet with the character.

Vitti's Fury and Captain America both share Ares' hardened features, veterans of far too many battles and wars. However, what stands out the most is the smirk Fury has in one panel as he goes to take a swig from his flask in the middle of a fight with the U-Foes. Vitti's ability to get across emotions is utilized well in this issue, but it's his action pages that really sell the issue. A kid fighting his way through a bunch of guys in suits? Vitti nails it, especially a small grin Alex manages to get before doing what his father would do and picking up two of the fallen agents' guns to work his way through the crowd quicker.

"Siege: Secret Warriors" is mostly an issue of fighting and action, but it has a strong purpose in its connection to the slain Ares and his son. More an epilogue/sequel to "God of Fear, God of War" than a "Siege" tie-in, this issue is a can't miss for fans of "Secret Warriors" as we see a side of Alex that we haven't encountered before