Secret Weapons: Owen’s Story #0
Writer: Eric Heisserer
Artists: Raúl Allén, Patricia Martín
Letterer: Patricia Martín
Publisher: Valiant
Review by Josh Rose
This is the second Secret Weapons #0 from Valiant following the conclusion of the Secret Weapons miniseries. Unlike the previous issue 0, Secret Weapons: Owen’s Story #0 tells the origin story of Owen, the psiot unable to control his ability to conjure items.
What I like about Secret Weapons: Owen’s Story #0 is how different it is in comparison to Nikki’s story. Nikki’s story followed her through her recruitment to the Harbinger Foundation, being dumped at the Willows, the fallout from Toyo Harada’s secret machinations being revealed, and into Secret Weapons #1. We can assume that Owen had a very similar story leading up to his time at the Willows. This story is about Owen’s life at the Willows and him trying to move on.
Heisserer tells Owen’s story in a series of flashbacks. We first see Owen having a garage sale in order to raise some money and get rid of a bunch of the things he conjured. We follow Owen as he tells this kid the story of how he got all of these items. Along the way we get a glimpse of his life at the Willows and what finally forced him to leave.
It gives readers an extended look at how Owen’s powers work. They work on a subconscious level, and the items that he usually conjures comes a day after he needs them. And sometimes they don’t come in use until much later.
I like how the stories within Owen’s story often begin and end with a price tag, each relating to the item he conjures and ends up selling in his garage sale. Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín do a fantastic job with the panel layout, especially in the scenes with the tarot card reading fortune teller. In a few pages we see Owen sitting at a table in one panel, close up of the card in the middle panel, and the fortune teller sitting opposite of Owen in the third panel.
The Verdict: Check it Out.
Secret Weapons: Owen’s Story #0 is supplementary to the miniseries, but I would recommend reading Secret Weapons #1-4 before tackling this. You don’t need to read this in order to enjoy the miniseries, but it could enhance your experience when rereading. If you haven’t read anything from Valiant before, pick up some Harbinger comics before you crack this one open.
