I enjoyed the murder mystery of the Original Sin event, but it was the consequences of the secret revelations that I was most eager for. This Companion is huge – nearly 1000 pages and has stories across a dozen+ different series. As is usually the case with such a large collection, some stories were excellent, some mediocre and some…ugh.

One issue I had with the entire volume was that though the secrets caused fights/discord, it was usually resolved when the “whole story” came out. When Orb detonates the Watcher’s eye, secrets are revealed to everyone but most only get the beginning of the memory. I felt this was a bit of a copout, but not so much that I didn’t enjoy the stories.

I think the best stories were the ones that didn’t involve the main Avengers team: like Deadpool, Nova and Blade/Luke Cage/Blue Marvel. These tales had consequences that were not immediately resolved and big emotional stakes. Daredevil was especially good for once again showing him using strategy over his "powers." Even heroes I wasn’t familiar with, like Radiance, had good stories that kept me engaged. Of the core group - Thor’s tale was the best. It introduced a new Realm and had revelations concerning Angela. And any tale with Loki is always entertaining! The rest of the best known heroes were meh. The reading of Xavier’s will was hugely anticlimactic – Xavier is dead, but still had a “sin” to reveal. The X-Men bicker about it. Cap’s secret tied directly into the Avengers’ Incursion arc, which I thought horrifically boring and his time travel road trip didn't change that. Hickman takes technobabble to a whole new level. Bruce and Tony’s sin amounted to a weak retcon. Not bad stories, just not equal to the heroes involved.

Overall, this is a solid collection with some real gems and just a few clunkers. It’s an excellent value for the price considering the sheer amount of material (most of it very good) and the gorgeous production - sewn binding, full color wrap-around covers and dust jacket. Highly recommended. ( )