Written by Jean-Pierre PécauArt by Igor Kordy
I was very surprised and impressed to see that the newest volume of The Secret History actually came out in the month that it was solicited for,something that I don't think has ever happened. I was prepared to praise Archaia for finally getting their schedule in order, and figuring out their shortcomings.
And then I read the issue, and realized that for it to make complete sense, one would have had to have read The Secret History: The Games of Chance, a spin-off that was originally solicited as a five-issue mini-series, and then, after those books were ridiculously late, as a hardcover that has yet to appear. According to Amazon, it was supposed to come out back in April...
Anyway, this is an interesting issue, as it incorporates the Vietnam War into the on-going struggle between the three remaining Houses of Archons. The war brings with it a great deal of chance and unpredictability, which works wonders for the various players drawn to that conflicted zone. We are introduced to a pilot named Chance, who appears to be flying for Air America, and doing a little drug running in and out of Laos on the side. There is a German ex-SS officer there, playing Mister Kurtz. Later, Stateside, Chance is involved peripherally in the Watergate scandal.
It feels like Pécau is using Chance to replace the character of Curtis Hawk, who would be too old to be of continued use in this series. Now that the storyline has moved into a time that is more familiar, I find it much easier to follow, as it continues to jump all over the place, geographically and in terms of plot.
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