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Secret Wars
Secret Wars
Drawn from Earth across the stars, the Marvel Universe's greatest villains and heroes are set against one another by the mysterious and unbelievably powerful Beyonder, with the winner promised the ultimate prize. But as battle lines are drawn, new alliances forged and old enemies clash, one among them is not willing to settle for anything less than godhood. Can even the combined might of the Avengers, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men prevent Dr. Doom from becoming the most powerful being in the universe? Collecting MARVEL SUPER HEROES SECRET WARS #1-12.
376 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
333 people are currently reading
2034 people want to read
About the author
Jim Shooter
1,026 books85 followersJames Charles Shooter was an American writer, editor and publisher in the comics industry. Beginning his career writing for DC Comics at the age of 14, he had a successful but controversial run as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics, and launched comics publishers Valiant, Defiant, and Broadway.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 498 reviews
July 25, 2025
I believe secret wars was a turning point in marvel history.
Everything got better after that, the stories, more limited series, certain arcs later on (fall of mutants, inferno... etc)
So, thanks to the comic gods for Jim Shooter and secret wars!
Everything got better after that, the stories, more limited series, certain arcs later on (fall of mutants, inferno... etc)
So, thanks to the comic gods for Jim Shooter and secret wars!
November 4, 2015
What can I say about old comics? They tend not to be that good and the dialogue is wooden at best. Secret Wars is no exception. I read an article describing it as the sort of story a kid would come up with while playing with his toys and I have to agree.
Just in case anyone isn't sure what to think about this, I'll leave you with a picture of Iron Man using his skates.
Just in case anyone isn't sure what to think about this, I'll leave you with a picture of Iron Man using his skates.
July 7, 2025
Yes it's badly written, if you're being objective and all, but so very much fun. Even though the 80s were when literary superhero comics started to take off, the original Secret Wars is just plain dumb fun. It's a little bit interesting in the science fiction sense, the power of the Beyonder and Dr. Doom trying to usurp control. The conflicts and relationships between the all-star cast of heroes and villains is fun, even when the characterizations are off (Human torch is bigoted against mutants now? Ok, guess someone has to be.)
Back from the era when every sentence ended with an ellipsis or exclamation point! Even though that era should have passed by the 1984. Contrast with, say Claremont's X-Men at the same time, and the writing isn't even close. Still, it was a great time in the Marvel Universe, with Spidey's black costume and a great classic Avengers lineup. As a single storyline trying to capture lightning in a bottle, can't go wrong with saving this as a graphic novel to remember those times.
Back from the era when every sentence ended with an ellipsis or exclamation point! Even though that era should have passed by the 1984. Contrast with, say Claremont's X-Men at the same time, and the writing isn't even close. Still, it was a great time in the Marvel Universe, with Spidey's black costume and a great classic Avengers lineup. As a single storyline trying to capture lightning in a bottle, can't go wrong with saving this as a graphic novel to remember those times.
May 9, 2017
Let them fight!
This TPB edition collects “Secret Wars” (1984-85) #1-12, plus excerpts from “Amazing Spider-Man” #251, “Uncanny X-Men” #180, “Incredible Hulk” #294, “Invincible Iron Man” #181, “The Thing” #10, “Fantastic Four” #265, “Thor” #341 and “Avengers” #242 (which was the same excerpt originally presented in “Captain America” #292).
Creative Team:
Writer: Jim Starlin
Illustrators: Mike Zeck & Bob Layton
Special Anniversary Cover: Alex Ross
CROSSOVERS & TOYS
While Secret Wars (this storyline from 80’s, don’t confuse with the 2015 event with the same title) is considered the first major crossover of Marvel and even beating by a year to the first crossover event by their Distinguished Competition,...
...but technically, it isn’t true,...
...since in 1982, Marvel published too the Contest of Champions that, a year ago, I wouldn’t mind even mention it, since it was a small event of barely 3 issues, BUT...
...if you research it on its premise and characters involved, where Grandmaster and Death call battling teams, well, I wouldn’t be surprised that after the incoming movie “Thor: Ragnarok” (where Grandmaster will appear and many fans speculating that Hela will play the role of a “Death” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) there would be a resurging interest to read that first obscure crossover storyline.
Other fun fact about Secret Wars is that the storyline born out of the interest in selling toys,...
...more specifically action figures,...
...since the Distinguished Competition already have a business deal with Kenner, and while Hasbro was already doing “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe”, they want to make a deal with Marvel just in case that thing of “super-heroes” would become profitable, hey! Who knows? Maybe 30 years later they would be making billion-dollar box offices at cinema theaters…
…yes, I know it sound so far-fetched but anything is possible. Hehehe.
FIRST BATTLES AND REINFORCEMENTS
I was positively surprised when I began to read Secret Wars that it was managed like a real war, not just a cool word to use in the event’s title, where Jim Starlin was using Captain America as indeed a military tactician (that many writers forget that he is indeed) and even some hints to Lord of the Rings battles, where what started as just two groups, heroes and villains, evolved in more complicated teams, however…
…that was in the first issues only.
When the 12-issue event advanced, it was reduced to your cliché super-hero rumble with a big bunch of characters battling uninspired action scenes.
Also, I don’t know why selecting some characters like Doctor Octopus and The Lizard just to barely use them in the storyline without exploiting them in a proper way; while others like Ultron and Kang were reduced to pawns or easily dispatched, when they had been major threats to The Avengers.
Even more insulting, the two initial groups were transported to an artificial world created by the all-powerful Beyonder, and it was supposed to have only those characters in the event, but without explanations (or some pretty weak ones) suddenly new characters started to appear in following issues where even the original characters didn’t know how the new arrivals got there, which I asume was a lack of thoughtful planning before starting to make the event OR the usual intervention of the high powers (Marvel Editorial Chiefhood and/or Mattel executives).
BATTLE SCARS
While I think that Secret Wars degenerated into your usual super big battle without any plot depth…
…I can’t deny that Secret Wars provoked what any fair story aspired to do that it’s causing changings in the status quo, where the characters don’t end in the same as they were before the story.
Spider-Man (aka Peter Parker) changed his famous costume to a new black suit, with mysterious advantages, that I’m sure all of you know that it was so important that Spider-Man’s life never was the same anymore and the rising of a new villain eclipsing the classic villains in his amazing rogues’ gallery.
The Thing (aka Ben Grimm) left The Fantastic Four, causing the first major change in the original roster of the team and the sensational inclusion there of She-Hulk.
The first appearance of Julia Carpenter as a new Spider-Woman, that I already told that I didn’t like arrivals of other characters after selecting the original teams in the event, but I can’t deny that it’s quite relevant that it was here that Julia Carpenter was introduced to the fans.
Colossus (aka Peter Rasputin) and Kitty Pryde were no longer a couple after the event.
And the absence for a year of major players in The Avengers, allow that underused characters, at that moment, proved their worth and rising to a whole new level of respect as characters in the team.
This TPB edition collects “Secret Wars” (1984-85) #1-12, plus excerpts from “Amazing Spider-Man” #251, “Uncanny X-Men” #180, “Incredible Hulk” #294, “Invincible Iron Man” #181, “The Thing” #10, “Fantastic Four” #265, “Thor” #341 and “Avengers” #242 (which was the same excerpt originally presented in “Captain America” #292).
Creative Team:
Writer: Jim Starlin
Illustrators: Mike Zeck & Bob Layton
Special Anniversary Cover: Alex Ross
CROSSOVERS & TOYS
While Secret Wars (this storyline from 80’s, don’t confuse with the 2015 event with the same title) is considered the first major crossover of Marvel and even beating by a year to the first crossover event by their Distinguished Competition,...
...but technically, it isn’t true,...
...since in 1982, Marvel published too the Contest of Champions that, a year ago, I wouldn’t mind even mention it, since it was a small event of barely 3 issues, BUT...
...if you research it on its premise and characters involved, where Grandmaster and Death call battling teams, well, I wouldn’t be surprised that after the incoming movie “Thor: Ragnarok” (where Grandmaster will appear and many fans speculating that Hela will play the role of a “Death” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) there would be a resurging interest to read that first obscure crossover storyline.
Other fun fact about Secret Wars is that the storyline born out of the interest in selling toys,...
...more specifically action figures,...
...since the Distinguished Competition already have a business deal with Kenner, and while Hasbro was already doing “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe”, they want to make a deal with Marvel just in case that thing of “super-heroes” would become profitable, hey! Who knows? Maybe 30 years later they would be making billion-dollar box offices at cinema theaters…
…yes, I know it sound so far-fetched but anything is possible. Hehehe.
FIRST BATTLES AND REINFORCEMENTS
I was positively surprised when I began to read Secret Wars that it was managed like a real war, not just a cool word to use in the event’s title, where Jim Starlin was using Captain America as indeed a military tactician (that many writers forget that he is indeed) and even some hints to Lord of the Rings battles, where what started as just two groups, heroes and villains, evolved in more complicated teams, however…
…that was in the first issues only.
When the 12-issue event advanced, it was reduced to your cliché super-hero rumble with a big bunch of characters battling uninspired action scenes.
Also, I don’t know why selecting some characters like Doctor Octopus and The Lizard just to barely use them in the storyline without exploiting them in a proper way; while others like Ultron and Kang were reduced to pawns or easily dispatched, when they had been major threats to The Avengers.
Even more insulting, the two initial groups were transported to an artificial world created by the all-powerful Beyonder, and it was supposed to have only those characters in the event, but without explanations (or some pretty weak ones) suddenly new characters started to appear in following issues where even the original characters didn’t know how the new arrivals got there, which I asume was a lack of thoughtful planning before starting to make the event OR the usual intervention of the high powers (Marvel Editorial Chiefhood and/or Mattel executives).
BATTLE SCARS
While I think that Secret Wars degenerated into your usual super big battle without any plot depth…
…I can’t deny that Secret Wars provoked what any fair story aspired to do that it’s causing changings in the status quo, where the characters don’t end in the same as they were before the story.
Spider-Man (aka Peter Parker) changed his famous costume to a new black suit, with mysterious advantages, that I’m sure all of you know that it was so important that Spider-Man’s life never was the same anymore and the rising of a new villain eclipsing the classic villains in his amazing rogues’ gallery.
The Thing (aka Ben Grimm) left The Fantastic Four, causing the first major change in the original roster of the team and the sensational inclusion there of She-Hulk.
The first appearance of Julia Carpenter as a new Spider-Woman, that I already told that I didn’t like arrivals of other characters after selecting the original teams in the event, but I can’t deny that it’s quite relevant that it was here that Julia Carpenter was introduced to the fans.
Colossus (aka Peter Rasputin) and Kitty Pryde were no longer a couple after the event.
And the absence for a year of major players in The Avengers, allow that underused characters, at that moment, proved their worth and rising to a whole new level of respect as characters in the team.
February 17, 2021
I was so excited to read this event! Not only was it history making but it also means I’m really getting through my list of comics.
I sort of guessed this event wouldn’t be quite so action packed as one might expect from a comic event. It was the 80s and they loved their exposition after all.
Even though most of the plot was predictable and characters were practically invulnerable, there were a few surprising moments that kept the story engaging.
I was really frustrated with the direction they took a few characters. They barely did anything with She-Hulk, until they almost beat her to death!
And I’ve ranted about this before but I’m gonna do it again. I was SO annoyed whenever Zsaji was around. I’m sorry but there just happened to be a healer on Battleworld? Not to mention when not just one but TWO heroes fell for her? I sort of understood when Johnny did it, they shared a mind-mend thing but when Colossus aka Peter did it?! Come on!
(At this point I started writing the same rant I did in one of my status updates but you don’t need to go through that again).
I enjoyed getting to know some of the villains, specifically Molecule Man. I haven’t read much about him but he seems to be a character to watch out for.
I also liked when they introduced the new Spider-Woman. Although, she was maybe trusted a little too quickly (even though she IS a good person).
Something I was not expecting was the heavy focus on Doctor Doom in the last few issues (sure, the issue cover's were a bit of a giveaway). I liked the start of that plot. Unfortunately, it became predictable towards the end.
Overall, while I enjoyed the easy flow of the story, there were some slow moments that felt a little odd.
I feel like this would be a really good story to introduce to someone just starting out in reading comics. It has all the classic tropes that will dive the reader in head first.
Bonus, it isn't too bogged down with characters and interweaving story lines.
I sort of guessed this event wouldn’t be quite so action packed as one might expect from a comic event. It was the 80s and they loved their exposition after all.
Even though most of the plot was predictable and characters were practically invulnerable, there were a few surprising moments that kept the story engaging.
I was really frustrated with the direction they took a few characters. They barely did anything with She-Hulk, until they almost beat her to death!
And I’ve ranted about this before but I’m gonna do it again. I was SO annoyed whenever Zsaji was around. I’m sorry but there just happened to be a healer on Battleworld? Not to mention when not just one but TWO heroes fell for her? I sort of understood when Johnny did it, they shared a mind-mend thing but when Colossus aka Peter did it?! Come on!
(At this point I started writing the same rant I did in one of my status updates but you don’t need to go through that again).
I enjoyed getting to know some of the villains, specifically Molecule Man. I haven’t read much about him but he seems to be a character to watch out for.
I also liked when they introduced the new Spider-Woman. Although, she was maybe trusted a little too quickly (even though she IS a good person).
Something I was not expecting was the heavy focus on Doctor Doom in the last few issues (sure, the issue cover's were a bit of a giveaway). I liked the start of that plot. Unfortunately, it became predictable towards the end.
Overall, while I enjoyed the easy flow of the story, there were some slow moments that felt a little odd.
I feel like this would be a really good story to introduce to someone just starting out in reading comics. It has all the classic tropes that will dive the reader in head first.
Bonus, it isn't too bogged down with characters and interweaving story lines.
October 8, 2011
I was worried about reading the Secret Wars again after all these years. Would my rereading destroy its mystique? Would it turn out to be unqualified crap? Would it hurt my love of Marvel? Would it taint other memories of other comics from the same period? Despite my fears, I was compelled to try it anyway.
I had recently repacked my comics, and I'd come across my wrapped and cared for originals, and days later I discovered the Marvel app for my iPod. I bought it and the first thing I saw was the Secret Wars. It was fated, so I started reading.
The story is pretty weak, much weaker than I remembered. I'm not going to cover up its flaws. It is too straightforward to be brilliant. Too deus ex machina to be fully satisfying. And it lacks the metaphysical depths of DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths (their excellent attempt to compete with Marvel's surprising success, or to clean-up the mess that was their continuity -- whichever you prefer to believe). The women in Secret Wars were not treated well. The choice of supervillains was too arbitrary. The battle lines were silly. There is plenty to complain about.
But...
There are some brilliant moments, and here are my five faves -- the five that make me dig this story even with all its flaws:
I had recently repacked my comics, and I'd come across my wrapped and cared for originals, and days later I discovered the Marvel app for my iPod. I bought it and the first thing I saw was the Secret Wars. It was fated, so I started reading.
The story is pretty weak, much weaker than I remembered. I'm not going to cover up its flaws. It is too straightforward to be brilliant. Too deus ex machina to be fully satisfying. And it lacks the metaphysical depths of DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths (their excellent attempt to compete with Marvel's surprising success, or to clean-up the mess that was their continuity -- whichever you prefer to believe). The women in Secret Wars were not treated well. The choice of supervillains was too arbitrary. The battle lines were silly. There is plenty to complain about.
But...
There are some brilliant moments, and here are my five faves -- the five that make me dig this story even with all its flaws:
1. Magneto Fighting with the Heroes: I loved this just as much today as I did the first time I read the story. This was the moment Magneto, always my favourite "villain" became my favourite all around character. His "terrorist" activities, motivated by a desire to save his mutant brethren, were finally recognized as grey enough in motivation to be almost altruistic, and watching the "heroes" have to deal with that revelation was one of the best threads of the series. Much more could have been done with this, but Jim Shooter's decision to do this at all was a Marvel Universe changer.In the end, this journey into the mind of the fourteen year old Brad kicked ass. Secret Wars is as good and as bad as I remember. And I love it (even if I can only give it four stars) just the same. Next up: The Dark Phoenix Saga; X-Men #129-138.
2. Captain America at His Best: There's this scene where Dr. Doom, now beyond powerful, is kicking the heroes need to take off and save themselves. Captain America gives the order for retreat, then he goes back into their crumbling base and releases all the super-villains from their captivity. He's joined by a surprised and impressed Woverine. That is the Captain America I know in love. The same Captain America who would eventually fight Iron Man in the Civil War and die on the courthouse steps. It's easy to see that Jim Shooter loved Cap as much as I did.
3. Reed & Doom: I never cared much for the Fantastic Four and their nemesis before Secret Wars, but Doom was the perfect egomaniacal choice to challenge the Beyonder's power, and Reed Richard's steady brainiac self was an excellent compliment to Captain America's leadership.
4. Galactus: C'mon?! The guy eats worlds. And he had a great moment or two with Reed. What a pleasure to see Galactus dwarfed in power too, and without Silver Surfer around to piss him off. Excellent.
5. The Birth of Venom: If you're a Marvel fan, or even just a Spidey fan, you know what this means. 'Nuff said.
July 15, 2021
Seminal (heh heh). The blueprint for pretty much every subsequent Marvel or DC crossover event series. Really wordy and expositional, as befits the style of the times. As always, mutants get the shaft.
All in all, though, highly entertaining and historically significant—sort of like that time I drank way too much Goldschlager back in ’01.
All in all, though, highly entertaining and historically significant—sort of like that time I drank way too much Goldschlager back in ’01.
November 25, 2021
This was a wordy read. Like wow so much text.
But I won't deny its one of the best reads I have had this year!
the premise is simple: Heroes and battles from across earth are transported to Battleworld and there they have to fight each other on the Beyonder's request/order and they do and we see new villains like Titania and Volcana come in and Doom making his own plans and fighting the heroes with Ultron on his side and its epic. Avengers and X-Men have a strife because of Magneto and there is that story plus so many others like Spidey getting the venom costume and the final war with Galactus, Dr Doom Machinations and him becoming God and the last stand of the heroes!
Its epic in every sense of the word and I like how this event shows downtime too and multiple battles happening and then coming with a new plan and all and that augments the reading experience as you can feel the stakes and also I kinda like the character work done on Colossus and Dr Doom and showing two sides of good and evil very well through them and finally the ending.. so many changes to the then existing status quo which led to some great stories and gave all A-Litst characters their time under the sun so yeah a must read!
But I won't deny its one of the best reads I have had this year!
the premise is simple: Heroes and battles from across earth are transported to Battleworld and there they have to fight each other on the Beyonder's request/order and they do and we see new villains like Titania and Volcana come in and Doom making his own plans and fighting the heroes with Ultron on his side and its epic. Avengers and X-Men have a strife because of Magneto and there is that story plus so many others like Spidey getting the venom costume and the final war with Galactus, Dr Doom Machinations and him becoming God and the last stand of the heroes!
Its epic in every sense of the word and I like how this event shows downtime too and multiple battles happening and then coming with a new plan and all and that augments the reading experience as you can feel the stakes and also I kinda like the character work done on Colossus and Dr Doom and showing two sides of good and evil very well through them and finally the ending.. so many changes to the then existing status quo which led to some great stories and gave all A-Litst characters their time under the sun so yeah a must read!
November 14, 2010
I was fourteen before I decided comics were cool, so I was kind of a late bloomer. SECRET WARS #1 was the very first comic book I ever bought, and I was an avid comic book reader for the next fifteen years.
One day in early June, being out of school for the summer, I happened to walk by the magazine rack at the local book store on my way to the Sci-Fi section. A comic cover by Mike Zeck jumped off the shelves at me. SECRET WARS #1. Captain America's howling face. The Hulk leaping high. Spider-Man swinging in. Just too cool. It had never occurred to me that all those heroes might come together at once, and I was impressed. It was even more strange because I used to tease my younger brother about his comic books (he mainly collected LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES and G.I. JOE), and as he "grew out of them," I was falling in love.
I stopped reading comics around 1999, and just recently returned to reading graphic novels since my four-year-old son (an early bloomer) is way into super-heroes. It's been fun to catch up on the adventures of Batman, the X-Men, Daredevil, Catwoman, and more. It all started in 1984 with this comic book featuring Marvel's greatest classic heroes!
One day in early June, being out of school for the summer, I happened to walk by the magazine rack at the local book store on my way to the Sci-Fi section. A comic cover by Mike Zeck jumped off the shelves at me. SECRET WARS #1. Captain America's howling face. The Hulk leaping high. Spider-Man swinging in. Just too cool. It had never occurred to me that all those heroes might come together at once, and I was impressed. It was even more strange because I used to tease my younger brother about his comic books (he mainly collected LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES and G.I. JOE), and as he "grew out of them," I was falling in love.
I stopped reading comics around 1999, and just recently returned to reading graphic novels since my four-year-old son (an early bloomer) is way into super-heroes. It's been fun to catch up on the adventures of Batman, the X-Men, Daredevil, Catwoman, and more. It all started in 1984 with this comic book featuring Marvel's greatest classic heroes!
April 14, 2020
Although the 1st ever multi-title crossover was created for merchandising… it at least gave us, a most glorious Dr Doom plot, the almost ridiculous The Beyonder, Spider-man's 'black costume', a new Spider-Woman, and most of all, at the time, forced us to read other comics! 4 out of 12.
October 7, 2013
For me, this series marks a huge evolutionary leap forward for Marvel. The scope of this story and the scale of its conflict is so much larger than any of the stories that came before it, and the narrative is non-repetitive compared to, say, "Contest of Champions". Unfortunately, it is horribly executed: plodding and tedious, weak dialogue and shoddy character development, virtually no suspense or tension, flat as the paper it is drawn on. The only reason to even consider picking up this collection of twelve comics is to learn about the origins of Spider-man's black suit and to see Doom's face. And even those moments are utterly uneventful when they happen. Not to mention some all-time-low moments for female comic-book characters.
Sadly, this never graduates past the "made to sell toys" concept that inspired Marvel to print it, points are given for making the attempt. Although, I did find a few panels of the artwork to be spectacular, it wasn't enough to make this an enjoyable endeavour.
2/5
Sadly, this never graduates past the "made to sell toys" concept that inspired Marvel to print it, points are given for making the attempt. Although, I did find a few panels of the artwork to be spectacular, it wasn't enough to make this an enjoyable endeavour.
2/5
November 5, 2025
'twas mid but it's to be expected from such an old comic run
~~
am i preparing for a marvel movie that’s coming out in 2027? yes. yes i am.
~~
am i preparing for a marvel movie that’s coming out in 2027? yes. yes i am.
March 11, 2021
This is a 4 for me, but it probably won't be for you. FOUR you? Get it!? Also the Fantastic Four is in this book. Sorta. Minus the Invisible Girl because she stays home to have a baby. I guess the Fantastic Four has a good maternity leave plan. But I gather it's controversial because some members feel that while they pick up slack around the office during Sue's maternity leave, she then expects to return on equal footing in terms of raises and promotions. This is just what I read on Glassdoor, anyway.
The reason I say that you probably won't like this, I think you can only enjoy this comic if you're a fan of the classic...classic-ness of comics from the 80's. And chances are, if you haven't read this already, you're probably not terribly inclined towards that kind of thing, so it's probably not a winner.
I'm a fan of 80's comics. Probably because I grew up with them, so they have that throwback feel that's fun for me, and the nostalgia factor is so high that I can ignore some of the pitfalls. In fact, I find the pitfalls entertaining.
Should we just clear up the pitfalls?
The Wasp: The Wasp is basically concerned with only getting her hair did even though everyone's on a weird planet fighting for their lives. Not a great representation of the ladies, although there are other ladies who seem better, or at least maybe atypical for the time. Now, to be fair, when you call yourself The Wasp, around about the time the term WASP was popularized, I think you're asking for trouble. And in further fairness, none of the other female characters, including She-Hulk and Captain Marvel, and a couple baddies, seem to have these issues.
Colossus: Okay, so there's a story here. In the regular X-Men books, Colossus and Kitty Pryde had a thing. Problem was, Kitty was like something like 13 and Colossus was 19. So they were a couple in theory, waiting for her to be of an appropriate age. Very weird storyline, I'd say it flew in comics because 90% of comics readers didn't give a fuck about the romantic subplot, so it was kind of skimmed over most times. Also...I guess it's weird, but there's not usually a definitive age of these different characters. Anyway, Jim Shooter, who wrote Secret Wars, HATED this story, so he decided to put the Kitty/Colossus romance in the grave in this book. So Colossus was "unfaithful" to Kitty, but it ended a relationship that didn't really work, so whatever. At the end of the day, look, it's a weird line, but comics characters are at the mercy of their writers, so their actions aren't attributable to them, as characters. Different writers do different silly shit, so I kinda figure that comic book characters aren't to blame for their actions because, well, they have no agency whatsoever. We're getting dangerously close to a philosophical free will discussion related to a bunch of goofballs being brought to a planet called Battleworld so they can punch each other, so let's move on.
Volcana: For some reason, everyone keeps calling her a sow. Well, everyone on the bad guy team, which is mostly the Wrecking Crew, which are...not nice guys. I guess she's fat? I don't know if this is one of those things where the script doesn't match the art or if we're in a situation where what should've happened is it should've been clear they were just being jerks? It happens from time to time. Either way, not the sort of thing that'd fly in 2021, but it was 1984. Either way, ALSO weird because Volcana is sweet on Molecule Man, who can basically do anything to molecules, meaning he can basically DO anything TO anything. I don't know, if I was fixing to pick a fight, probably wouldn't do it with someone who could transform my innards into a pile of Thin Mints just by thinking about it.
Okay, that covers the "problematic" aspects of the book, so if those are a nope for you, cool, you should definitely select something else. Now let's chat about some of the larger ramifications that probably came from this book.
Crossovers: This was an early, HUGE crossover in comics where you had a ton of characters with each other, Fantastics Four with X-Men, etc. You'd have the occasional crossover where Daredevil and Spider-Man teamed up to fight the Circus of Crime, probably overkill. Crossovers are a great idea, but Marvel has, in my opinion, gone too far with them. They basically do a big-ass crossover event every year. It's too much. Also, Secret Wars was read-able even if you didn't know a lot about these characters, so it was a little different. I think that's a huge advantage for a crossover because as a comics fan who knows the basics but doesn't know everything about everyone, it's weird to get into a crossover and be like, "Wait...Daredevil has Power Cosmic now!?"
Merch: Secret Wars happened because people wanted to make money selling toys. DC had a hit with a line of toys, and Marvel worked with another company to make a toy line. However, the toy company said there had to be a big comics tie-in because at the time, Marvel's characters were not as recognizable as Batman and Superman and the like. DC had done a good job getting their characters out there, Superman had movies going, and they also did a good job with cartoons and shit. The Secret Wars toys were not as cool as the DC figures. Funny enough, there was a time when MARVEL was all about fuck-ups where DC got it right. The Marvel figures were made on the cheap, using almost identical molds, so there were no large characters like the Hulk or Thing, and no female characters. They picked weird characters down the line, too, like Iceman (who doesn't even appear in the book) and Hobgoblin (who also doesn't appear). But I think it's a funny origin for a comic, and it certainly wasn't the only time a few bucks was behind the creation of something like this. And I have to say, the books are WAY better than they have any business being, considering the origin.
X-Men: Lots of people forget that the X-Men were not recognized as heroes in the Marvel U like they are today. Seeing this play out in Secret Wars was awesome. Yes, I recognize this premise is nerdy AF. But this really was the core of the X-Men, they were superheroes who were fighting for humanity, even while they were rejected by most humans. It's become a little like people picturing Spider-Man as being in high school. Because that was the first iteration, it stuck, even though Peter Parker graduates from high school in Amazing Spider-Man 28, which came out in 1965! Only 3 years after his comic book debut. So for 3 of his 60 years, or 5% of his career, he's been in high school. And yet, whenever he's rebooted or re-movie-ed, bam, back to ol' Midtown High.
The X-Men work a little the same, although not to such a high degree. X-Men and mutants started being a wider part of the Marvel U in the 70's. In fact, it's a little weird that there's such a divide between Secret Wars characters because Beast joined the Avengers almost 10 years prior and became a regular, beloved Avenger. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch also joined around the same time, leaving Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and coming over to the good side. In 1982 a book called X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills was published. This book was basically about a hypocritical religious fundamentalist trying to exterminate all mutants. The general public is still wary of mutants, but they're not really into the overall extermination thing when the rubber meets the road, and it was a sort of outrageous, insane character who's in the role of wanting to rid the world of mutants. The sentiment on mutants shifted back and forth a lot in the Marvel U, although at this point, I think it's probably more difficult to do a story about "racism" against mutants because it seems like the world is a lot more accepting. For a good look at how this can be complicated, in a good way, I really recommend Inhumans by Paul Jenkins. This is really about a closed society of mutants with their own cultural norms that may or may not be ethically sound.
Venom: Secret Wars is the origin of Spider-Man's black costume/symbiote which turns into Venom eventually. Fun fact: The costume originally had a red spider across the chest and back, which looked pretty badass. The symbiote joins with Spider-Man mostly by accident. Spider-Man thinks he's walking into a magic costume-fixing machine, and instead accidentally walks into the "put an alien in my brain" machine. We've all been there.
Captain America: I think this book establishes Cap as a character others really look up to, which was a transition in the 80's and 90's. See, for a while, Marvel loved Cap, but I think fans found him...a little corny. It was nice to see this tide change in-narrative, the other Marvel heroes showing us that Cap was cool. Well, corny, but deserving of respect. It's truthfully a good example of ways relationships can work in narrative because I don't have to feel the same way about Cap that characters do, I just need to understand that the characters feel a certain way. Take note, especially people writing romantic relationships: I don't need to love the character, but I do need to understand why the character is beloved, if they are.
Doctor Doom: He's hilarious. This is like peak Doom, him just being dismissive of everyone as peons and peasants. There ends up being 3 or 4 different factions on Battleworld, and Doom ends up being his own faction almost immediately. While everyone decides to fight each other, Doom is like, "Fuck this, I'll fight the Beyonder, who is basically a disembodied presence that had the power to build a planet and transfer everyone there." It's why he's both brilliant and insane and possibly the most enjoyable comic book character ever. It's just hilarious to see him lounging, pondering his next move, and reaching for the highest power while everyone else fights among themselves. At one point, a lackey he resurrected from the dead, sorta by accident because when you're Doom, you can accidentally solve the problem OF DEATH, asks Doom if he's always recording himself because he's always narrating aloud what he's thinking. Doom's answer is basically, "Of course I'm recording all of it. I'm Doom."
Mike Zeck: Artist extraordinaire. Really an underrated artist, IMO. There's some really classic hero designs and re-tooling here, and Mike Zeck deserves a lot more credit in the pantheon of great artists. I had a Mike Zeck Punisher poster on my wall when I was a kid, before I had any idea who Mike Zeck was.
Jim Shooter: Jim wrote stories for Legion of Superheroes and sent them in because, well, he thought that was the suckiest book out there at the time, so he figured he could help. Someone at DC wanted to purchase these stories. At this time, Jim was 14. He eventually came to be Marvel's Editor In Chief, and for a couple years, really kicked ass and brought Marvel into the spotlight. He did some good things for creators too, like kicking back royalties to artists when their books hit certain sales benchmarks and getting artists a piece of the action if their designs were made into toys. But the word around the Marvel camp is that after Secret Wars, Shooter got a big head and wanted every book done his way. Got a little micro-manage-y. A lot of creators at the time have basically said he did some great things for the industry, but then he overstayed his welcome at Marvel.
~
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Secret Wars is a 4 for me, but might not be for you. If that stuff outside the text isn't fascinating for you, it's probably not the best use of your reading time. But if it is, I think you'll love this one.
I was going to make some pun like "The Secret's out" or some shit, but that seemed corny. Like 80's Captain America corny.
The reason I say that you probably won't like this, I think you can only enjoy this comic if you're a fan of the classic...classic-ness of comics from the 80's. And chances are, if you haven't read this already, you're probably not terribly inclined towards that kind of thing, so it's probably not a winner.
I'm a fan of 80's comics. Probably because I grew up with them, so they have that throwback feel that's fun for me, and the nostalgia factor is so high that I can ignore some of the pitfalls. In fact, I find the pitfalls entertaining.
Should we just clear up the pitfalls?
The Wasp: The Wasp is basically concerned with only getting her hair did even though everyone's on a weird planet fighting for their lives. Not a great representation of the ladies, although there are other ladies who seem better, or at least maybe atypical for the time. Now, to be fair, when you call yourself The Wasp, around about the time the term WASP was popularized, I think you're asking for trouble. And in further fairness, none of the other female characters, including She-Hulk and Captain Marvel, and a couple baddies, seem to have these issues.
Colossus: Okay, so there's a story here. In the regular X-Men books, Colossus and Kitty Pryde had a thing. Problem was, Kitty was like something like 13 and Colossus was 19. So they were a couple in theory, waiting for her to be of an appropriate age. Very weird storyline, I'd say it flew in comics because 90% of comics readers didn't give a fuck about the romantic subplot, so it was kind of skimmed over most times. Also...I guess it's weird, but there's not usually a definitive age of these different characters. Anyway, Jim Shooter, who wrote Secret Wars, HATED this story, so he decided to put the Kitty/Colossus romance in the grave in this book. So Colossus was "unfaithful" to Kitty, but it ended a relationship that didn't really work, so whatever. At the end of the day, look, it's a weird line, but comics characters are at the mercy of their writers, so their actions aren't attributable to them, as characters. Different writers do different silly shit, so I kinda figure that comic book characters aren't to blame for their actions because, well, they have no agency whatsoever. We're getting dangerously close to a philosophical free will discussion related to a bunch of goofballs being brought to a planet called Battleworld so they can punch each other, so let's move on.
Volcana: For some reason, everyone keeps calling her a sow. Well, everyone on the bad guy team, which is mostly the Wrecking Crew, which are...not nice guys. I guess she's fat? I don't know if this is one of those things where the script doesn't match the art or if we're in a situation where what should've happened is it should've been clear they were just being jerks? It happens from time to time. Either way, not the sort of thing that'd fly in 2021, but it was 1984. Either way, ALSO weird because Volcana is sweet on Molecule Man, who can basically do anything to molecules, meaning he can basically DO anything TO anything. I don't know, if I was fixing to pick a fight, probably wouldn't do it with someone who could transform my innards into a pile of Thin Mints just by thinking about it.
Okay, that covers the "problematic" aspects of the book, so if those are a nope for you, cool, you should definitely select something else. Now let's chat about some of the larger ramifications that probably came from this book.
Crossovers: This was an early, HUGE crossover in comics where you had a ton of characters with each other, Fantastics Four with X-Men, etc. You'd have the occasional crossover where Daredevil and Spider-Man teamed up to fight the Circus of Crime, probably overkill. Crossovers are a great idea, but Marvel has, in my opinion, gone too far with them. They basically do a big-ass crossover event every year. It's too much. Also, Secret Wars was read-able even if you didn't know a lot about these characters, so it was a little different. I think that's a huge advantage for a crossover because as a comics fan who knows the basics but doesn't know everything about everyone, it's weird to get into a crossover and be like, "Wait...Daredevil has Power Cosmic now!?"
Merch: Secret Wars happened because people wanted to make money selling toys. DC had a hit with a line of toys, and Marvel worked with another company to make a toy line. However, the toy company said there had to be a big comics tie-in because at the time, Marvel's characters were not as recognizable as Batman and Superman and the like. DC had done a good job getting their characters out there, Superman had movies going, and they also did a good job with cartoons and shit. The Secret Wars toys were not as cool as the DC figures. Funny enough, there was a time when MARVEL was all about fuck-ups where DC got it right. The Marvel figures were made on the cheap, using almost identical molds, so there were no large characters like the Hulk or Thing, and no female characters. They picked weird characters down the line, too, like Iceman (who doesn't even appear in the book) and Hobgoblin (who also doesn't appear). But I think it's a funny origin for a comic, and it certainly wasn't the only time a few bucks was behind the creation of something like this. And I have to say, the books are WAY better than they have any business being, considering the origin.
X-Men: Lots of people forget that the X-Men were not recognized as heroes in the Marvel U like they are today. Seeing this play out in Secret Wars was awesome. Yes, I recognize this premise is nerdy AF. But this really was the core of the X-Men, they were superheroes who were fighting for humanity, even while they were rejected by most humans. It's become a little like people picturing Spider-Man as being in high school. Because that was the first iteration, it stuck, even though Peter Parker graduates from high school in Amazing Spider-Man 28, which came out in 1965! Only 3 years after his comic book debut. So for 3 of his 60 years, or 5% of his career, he's been in high school. And yet, whenever he's rebooted or re-movie-ed, bam, back to ol' Midtown High.
The X-Men work a little the same, although not to such a high degree. X-Men and mutants started being a wider part of the Marvel U in the 70's. In fact, it's a little weird that there's such a divide between Secret Wars characters because Beast joined the Avengers almost 10 years prior and became a regular, beloved Avenger. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch also joined around the same time, leaving Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and coming over to the good side. In 1982 a book called X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills was published. This book was basically about a hypocritical religious fundamentalist trying to exterminate all mutants. The general public is still wary of mutants, but they're not really into the overall extermination thing when the rubber meets the road, and it was a sort of outrageous, insane character who's in the role of wanting to rid the world of mutants. The sentiment on mutants shifted back and forth a lot in the Marvel U, although at this point, I think it's probably more difficult to do a story about "racism" against mutants because it seems like the world is a lot more accepting. For a good look at how this can be complicated, in a good way, I really recommend Inhumans by Paul Jenkins. This is really about a closed society of mutants with their own cultural norms that may or may not be ethically sound.
Venom: Secret Wars is the origin of Spider-Man's black costume/symbiote which turns into Venom eventually. Fun fact: The costume originally had a red spider across the chest and back, which looked pretty badass. The symbiote joins with Spider-Man mostly by accident. Spider-Man thinks he's walking into a magic costume-fixing machine, and instead accidentally walks into the "put an alien in my brain" machine. We've all been there.
Captain America: I think this book establishes Cap as a character others really look up to, which was a transition in the 80's and 90's. See, for a while, Marvel loved Cap, but I think fans found him...a little corny. It was nice to see this tide change in-narrative, the other Marvel heroes showing us that Cap was cool. Well, corny, but deserving of respect. It's truthfully a good example of ways relationships can work in narrative because I don't have to feel the same way about Cap that characters do, I just need to understand that the characters feel a certain way. Take note, especially people writing romantic relationships: I don't need to love the character, but I do need to understand why the character is beloved, if they are.
Doctor Doom: He's hilarious. This is like peak Doom, him just being dismissive of everyone as peons and peasants. There ends up being 3 or 4 different factions on Battleworld, and Doom ends up being his own faction almost immediately. While everyone decides to fight each other, Doom is like, "Fuck this, I'll fight the Beyonder, who is basically a disembodied presence that had the power to build a planet and transfer everyone there." It's why he's both brilliant and insane and possibly the most enjoyable comic book character ever. It's just hilarious to see him lounging, pondering his next move, and reaching for the highest power while everyone else fights among themselves. At one point, a lackey he resurrected from the dead, sorta by accident because when you're Doom, you can accidentally solve the problem OF DEATH, asks Doom if he's always recording himself because he's always narrating aloud what he's thinking. Doom's answer is basically, "Of course I'm recording all of it. I'm Doom."
Mike Zeck: Artist extraordinaire. Really an underrated artist, IMO. There's some really classic hero designs and re-tooling here, and Mike Zeck deserves a lot more credit in the pantheon of great artists. I had a Mike Zeck Punisher poster on my wall when I was a kid, before I had any idea who Mike Zeck was.
Jim Shooter: Jim wrote stories for Legion of Superheroes and sent them in because, well, he thought that was the suckiest book out there at the time, so he figured he could help. Someone at DC wanted to purchase these stories. At this time, Jim was 14. He eventually came to be Marvel's Editor In Chief, and for a couple years, really kicked ass and brought Marvel into the spotlight. He did some good things for creators too, like kicking back royalties to artists when their books hit certain sales benchmarks and getting artists a piece of the action if their designs were made into toys. But the word around the Marvel camp is that after Secret Wars, Shooter got a big head and wanted every book done his way. Got a little micro-manage-y. A lot of creators at the time have basically said he did some great things for the industry, but then he overstayed his welcome at Marvel.
~
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Secret Wars is a 4 for me, but might not be for you. If that stuff outside the text isn't fascinating for you, it's probably not the best use of your reading time. But if it is, I think you'll love this one.
I was going to make some pun like "The Secret's out" or some shit, but that seemed corny. Like 80's Captain America corny.
June 11, 2020
2.85 stars. Finally got to read the classic original Secret Wars. It was cool I guess. There were a few cool moments. But of course this does suffer from the out dated writing. Some of the stuff that went down was goofy as hell but at least I laughed. Even tho it wasn’t meant for me to laugh. 😂 with so many characters, no one really had their own voice except Cap and Doctor Doom. Every time Rogue pulled up on the scene she was getting beat up. Like damn, sho got no love. It’s funny how we all know how these characters are today, yet we see them being different way back when in this book. She-Hulk seemed way under powered. But it was nice seeing Spidey get the symbiote and seeing the first appearance of Titania. Unfortunately the ending was kinda too easy. Still glad I read this tho. Gotta read the classics.
August 25, 2010
Elaborate, inane, campy, confusing, and a little bit inspiring: reading Secret Wars was like reenacting the most epic action figure battles of my youth, combined with the transcending plot of The Transformers Movie (the 80's one obviously). No wonder since the whole marketing scheme for this limited series was to have an excuse to make the first Marvel action figures. But I loved every minute of it, especially the constant bickering between the heroes and the villains, the one-liners that make up ciphers of comic book personalities.
Some characters and situations are especially remembered: the vain and ennui-ed Enchantress, whose raison d'etre may very well be the reason I read comics ("we immortals are wont to occupy our endless days with foolish and impossible quests...
either to keep from going mad... or because we are!"); the construction-workers-as-supervillains Wrecking Crew, my favorite random Marvel goons, and The Absorbing Man, who's "costume" consists of plaid purple pants, no shirt, and is constantly hitting on the fiery Titania ("You remind me of a lady bouncer I used to know! Ornery... tough! I bet me an' you could have us some fun, like me an' her used to! Whatcha say, baby- how 'bout a date?"); the neurotic, all-powerful Molecule Man and his blossoming relationship with zaftig Volcana ("Yes, life was very difficult before the atomic accident- you know, when I gained absolute mastery of all molecules! People always made fun of me! Did I tell you about the chicken-feather incident in junior high school?"); coo-coo Klaw, a creature of pure sound, who befriends simple-minded Lizard in games of paddy-cake; replacement Iron-Man, who in the quiet moments between cosmic battles attempts to hit on every single super heroine within sight; 50's housewife-turned-hero Wasp, who, whether being wooed by Magneto or killed then brought back to life, is always fussing about her hair; Galactus and Professor X, who are in their own distinct ways their usual enigmatic douchebag selves; Colossus, a total hypocritical, love-sick wimp; and of course, Doctor Doom, master of the heavy-handed one-liner, who almost immediately upon setting foot on "Battleworld" sets out to transcend the game of cosmic capture-the-flag and become master of all reality.
My only disappointments were that the Beyonder never materializes as the leisure-suit wearing romantic he later appears to be (even later in Marvel mythology he changes his sex entirely) and after dozens of climactic moments, the ending, save for some high points, sort of fizzles out and leaves many of the characters (and a whole suburb of Denver, Colorado- don't ask) in limbo.
As you can probably tell, Secret Wars more closely resembles a situation comedy than War and Peace. Yet there is something
about how high the stakes are played, how broadly drawn and quick-moving all the drama unfolds, and how powerful the repercussions were felt in comic book history (this was one of the first if not the first "cosmic adventures" to involve all the Marvel Universe, and after all from this story came, much to every fanboy's chagrin, Spider-Man's symbiote and ultimately, Venom) that encompasses, to me at least, all the stirrings and trappings of a great Greek Epic.
Some characters and situations are especially remembered: the vain and ennui-ed Enchantress, whose raison d'etre may very well be the reason I read comics ("we immortals are wont to occupy our endless days with foolish and impossible quests...
either to keep from going mad... or because we are!"); the construction-workers-as-supervillains Wrecking Crew, my favorite random Marvel goons, and The Absorbing Man, who's "costume" consists of plaid purple pants, no shirt, and is constantly hitting on the fiery Titania ("You remind me of a lady bouncer I used to know! Ornery... tough! I bet me an' you could have us some fun, like me an' her used to! Whatcha say, baby- how 'bout a date?"); the neurotic, all-powerful Molecule Man and his blossoming relationship with zaftig Volcana ("Yes, life was very difficult before the atomic accident- you know, when I gained absolute mastery of all molecules! People always made fun of me! Did I tell you about the chicken-feather incident in junior high school?"); coo-coo Klaw, a creature of pure sound, who befriends simple-minded Lizard in games of paddy-cake; replacement Iron-Man, who in the quiet moments between cosmic battles attempts to hit on every single super heroine within sight; 50's housewife-turned-hero Wasp, who, whether being wooed by Magneto or killed then brought back to life, is always fussing about her hair; Galactus and Professor X, who are in their own distinct ways their usual enigmatic douchebag selves; Colossus, a total hypocritical, love-sick wimp; and of course, Doctor Doom, master of the heavy-handed one-liner, who almost immediately upon setting foot on "Battleworld" sets out to transcend the game of cosmic capture-the-flag and become master of all reality.
My only disappointments were that the Beyonder never materializes as the leisure-suit wearing romantic he later appears to be (even later in Marvel mythology he changes his sex entirely) and after dozens of climactic moments, the ending, save for some high points, sort of fizzles out and leaves many of the characters (and a whole suburb of Denver, Colorado- don't ask) in limbo.
As you can probably tell, Secret Wars more closely resembles a situation comedy than War and Peace. Yet there is something
about how high the stakes are played, how broadly drawn and quick-moving all the drama unfolds, and how powerful the repercussions were felt in comic book history (this was one of the first if not the first "cosmic adventures" to involve all the Marvel Universe, and after all from this story came, much to every fanboy's chagrin, Spider-Man's symbiote and ultimately, Venom) that encompasses, to me at least, all the stirrings and trappings of a great Greek Epic.
June 8, 2017
A 12-issue crossover event from 1984-85, designed to tie in to Mattel's Marvel action figure line. Numerous heroes led by Captain America and villains led by Doctor Doom are teleported to a planet called Battleworld in a fight to the death. The mysterious Beyonder tells them that the victor who slays their enemies will be granted what they desire. Hijinks ensue.
In another fit of obsessive-compulsive decision making, I'll next take a trip through all of Marvel's major crossovers, re-reading the ones that had sequels or that I didn't remember clearly, catalyzed by the new huge crossovers Secret Wars 2015 and Convergence that are this year's big crossover events. Some of the next superhero movies will also feature crossovers, such as Batman v. Superman, Civil War, and Infinity War parts 1 and 2.
So how is Secret Wars, the miniseries that launched a bazillion events? Resoundingly average, beginning with the title. It's not really secret and there aren't really wars. It's more of a series of limited skirmishes which aren't secret so much as isolated. There are too many characters to focus on, though a handful get some interesting scenes. Colossus falls in love with an alien girl, Ben Grimm spontaneously returns to human form at inopportune times, and an interesting trust issue between Captain America and Charles Xavier keeps the Avengers and X-Men apart for much of the time. The largest problem is that it could all be told in about half the issues without losing anything; major portions of the series are just one side attacking another successfully or unsuccessfully. The whole central question of exactly who the Beyonder is and why he brought exactly those people to that planet to fight is never really gone into until one scene near the end, and that seems like a question that really should have been explored as a primary plot thread. Jim Shooter's writing is bare bones and stereotypically comic book, focusing on the fighting and not really on the reality of survival and having to wear a costume for a week straight. He also really, really likes exclamation points. The art is average but does actually capture some of the grandeur and scale of Battleworld.
Interesting to read once to see the first big crossover, but not essential (except possibly for Doctor Doom fans).
In another fit of obsessive-compulsive decision making, I'll next take a trip through all of Marvel's major crossovers, re-reading the ones that had sequels or that I didn't remember clearly, catalyzed by the new huge crossovers Secret Wars 2015 and Convergence that are this year's big crossover events. Some of the next superhero movies will also feature crossovers, such as Batman v. Superman, Civil War, and Infinity War parts 1 and 2.
So how is Secret Wars, the miniseries that launched a bazillion events? Resoundingly average, beginning with the title. It's not really secret and there aren't really wars. It's more of a series of limited skirmishes which aren't secret so much as isolated. There are too many characters to focus on, though a handful get some interesting scenes. Colossus falls in love with an alien girl, Ben Grimm spontaneously returns to human form at inopportune times, and an interesting trust issue between Captain America and Charles Xavier keeps the Avengers and X-Men apart for much of the time. The largest problem is that it could all be told in about half the issues without losing anything; major portions of the series are just one side attacking another successfully or unsuccessfully. The whole central question of exactly who the Beyonder is and why he brought exactly those people to that planet to fight is never really gone into until one scene near the end, and that seems like a question that really should have been explored as a primary plot thread. Jim Shooter's writing is bare bones and stereotypically comic book, focusing on the fighting and not really on the reality of survival and having to wear a costume for a week straight. He also really, really likes exclamation points. The art is average but does actually capture some of the grandeur and scale of Battleworld.
Interesting to read once to see the first big crossover, but not essential (except possibly for Doctor Doom fans).
March 19, 2013
I honestly went into Secret Wars expecting it to be mostly of historical interest only. And there is a healthy dose of that. Secret Wars is probably best known for introducing Spider-Man's black costume (and we all know how important that turned out to be), but there were other lasting effects. (My favorite: as a result of events in Secret Wars, the creepy Kitty/Colossus relationship was broken up.) And you can certainly read it just expecting to see a milestone in the Marvel Universe.
But surprisingly, I found myself having fun with the book. Sure, it's basically a glorified action scene stretched over twelve issues to sell toys. Sure, the dialog can be over the top and cheesy. (And every sentence ends with an exclamation point! Because it's exciting!) Sure, some of the characters were apparently included with little thought and have little to nothing done with them. (I'm thinking of Nightcrawler in particular, who probably has less than a dozen lines in the entire series.) Sure, the whole thing makes little sense and the apparent architect of all of this, the Beyonder, never actually shows up. But it is still a lot of (admittedly shallow) fun to read.
I would suggest looking for this exact release. There's a nice introduction talking about how the series came about, plus a really fun essay about the toy line. And best of all, it includes the scenes from the various regular comics (like Thor, for example) showing how the heroes came to be on Battleworld. Very helpful, considering that Secret Wars #1 starts with all the pieces in place.
But surprisingly, I found myself having fun with the book. Sure, it's basically a glorified action scene stretched over twelve issues to sell toys. Sure, the dialog can be over the top and cheesy. (And every sentence ends with an exclamation point! Because it's exciting!) Sure, some of the characters were apparently included with little thought and have little to nothing done with them. (I'm thinking of Nightcrawler in particular, who probably has less than a dozen lines in the entire series.) Sure, the whole thing makes little sense and the apparent architect of all of this, the Beyonder, never actually shows up. But it is still a lot of (admittedly shallow) fun to read.
I would suggest looking for this exact release. There's a nice introduction talking about how the series came about, plus a really fun essay about the toy line. And best of all, it includes the scenes from the various regular comics (like Thor, for example) showing how the heroes came to be on Battleworld. Very helpful, considering that Secret Wars #1 starts with all the pieces in place.
April 10, 2017
Surprisingly good. I haven't read any comics from the 80's in a very long time, and for a very good reason. This had been on my list for years, I was just dreading the heavy, wordy, babbling.. exposition filled pages. But there's wasn't any Peter Parker at home worrying, or Ben Grimm yaking away filler stuff. We do have Ben Grimm yaking away but it's actually colorful and genuine. Basically one of the main reasons I liked this book is that everyone's dialogue was spot on. No unnecessary dialogue, no character development dialogue wasted my time or was uninteresting. Ok now I'm singing its praises too high, it wasn't great, it's just wasn't as bad I thought.
I just think you have to have a lot of patience and motivation to get through it. I just flipped through the last issue and my god! The amount of word balloons!!! I don't think I will ever be able to read this again.
Anyway, second reason is how the X-Men are treated, just when you think the writer is going the Jim Starlin Infinity Gauntlet route, we learn that Jim Shooter has a good grasp on the X-Men and even more so on Magneto.
Speaking of villains, a group with Ultron, Kang, Doom, Galactus, Doc Ock, Lizard, Enchantress ..and more, it just doesn't gel, and that's the fun part.
Finally, while things got kinda cartoonish story wise, my last bit of motivation came from the last issues being included in a road to Secret Wars (2015) book.
The whole Dr. Doom angle is kinda essential.
Overall, I don't know how I got through it, but I'm glad I did, an essential Marvel fan read.
I just think you have to have a lot of patience and motivation to get through it. I just flipped through the last issue and my god! The amount of word balloons!!! I don't think I will ever be able to read this again.
Anyway, second reason is how the X-Men are treated, just when you think the writer is going the Jim Starlin Infinity Gauntlet route, we learn that Jim Shooter has a good grasp on the X-Men and even more so on Magneto.
Speaking of villains, a group with Ultron, Kang, Doom, Galactus, Doc Ock, Lizard, Enchantress ..and more, it just doesn't gel, and that's the fun part.
Finally, while things got kinda cartoonish story wise, my last bit of motivation came from the last issues being included in a road to Secret Wars (2015) book.
The whole Dr. Doom angle is kinda essential.
Overall, I don't know how I got through it, but I'm glad I did, an essential Marvel fan read.
December 1, 2017
In my efforts to read as much 1980's Marvel comics as possible (don't ask why, just roll with it), I finally run into the beginning of the big, I mean BIG, crossover fever that has never been cured.
This series included some of the top selling characters in Marveldom at the time (and most are still big to this day), Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and the Avengers. These great heroes were set to face some of Marvel's most powerful villains like Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, and Galactus. But wait...let us also add in the whole Wrecking Crew because they are totally the most powerful baddies around???
I wanted to rate this one a little lower (like a 3), but the novelty of this event for its time and the actual fun I had reading it would not allow it. The premise of an otherworldly being setting up a gladiator matchup on a patchwork planet of his own creation is hokey and cheesy. The characters were fairly shallow in the execution of the story. I think, due to having a single writer instead of using a collaboration of the writers from the various titles, we get teams and characters that don't fully mesh with how they act/interact in their own comics.
After having read all of the major DC crossovers from the last 30 years, I expect event series crossovers to have major consequences on most participants (See Infinite Crisis, Blackest Night). This one (being Marvel's first) was light on these major changes, but the ones we did get were pretty huge
I love crossovers. I love Marvel comics. If you are the same, then get a copy of this and see where Marvel and Crossover became best friends.
This series included some of the top selling characters in Marveldom at the time (and most are still big to this day), Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and the Avengers. These great heroes were set to face some of Marvel's most powerful villains like Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, and Galactus. But wait...let us also add in the whole Wrecking Crew because they are totally the most powerful baddies around???
I wanted to rate this one a little lower (like a 3), but the novelty of this event for its time and the actual fun I had reading it would not allow it. The premise of an otherworldly being setting up a gladiator matchup on a patchwork planet of his own creation is hokey and cheesy. The characters were fairly shallow in the execution of the story. I think, due to having a single writer instead of using a collaboration of the writers from the various titles, we get teams and characters that don't fully mesh with how they act/interact in their own comics.
After having read all of the major DC crossovers from the last 30 years, I expect event series crossovers to have major consequences on most participants (See Infinite Crisis, Blackest Night). This one (being Marvel's first) was light on these major changes, but the ones we did get were pretty huge
I love crossovers. I love Marvel comics. If you are the same, then get a copy of this and see where Marvel and Crossover became best friends.
September 20, 2022
There was a rumour (already busted) that the Russo Brothers, directors of Infinity War and End game in MCU, are coming back to direct Secret Wars. The rumour spread as they mentioned it was their favourite comic growing up. I kinda took that as a reading recommendation and enjoyed the book thoroughly, and the enjoyment was more for the first few issues. Yes, not denying that I came across better-executed comic books in terms of story and character development, dialogues and, obviously, drawings.
I am so mentally exhausted these days that I fall asleep after reading five pages. However, somehow I managed to read this 336-page book within a week. Though it is a comic book, a feeling of relief is there.
MCU fans are seemingly unsatisfied seeing many female superheroes these days, criticizing Disney for imposing their 'inclusion agenda' on Marvel and started calling it M-She-U. (What a thing to be blamed for, Hehe!). But this comic book, released in 1985, has She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, a black Captain Marvel, the Wasp, Strom and Rogue in it, and surprise, a black I-r-o-n M-a-n as well.
I am so mentally exhausted these days that I fall asleep after reading five pages. However, somehow I managed to read this 336-page book within a week. Though it is a comic book, a feeling of relief is there.
MCU fans are seemingly unsatisfied seeing many female superheroes these days, criticizing Disney for imposing their 'inclusion agenda' on Marvel and started calling it M-She-U. (What a thing to be blamed for, Hehe!). But this comic book, released in 1985, has She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, a black Captain Marvel, the Wasp, Strom and Rogue in it, and surprise, a black I-r-o-n M-a-n as well.
February 15, 2025
I would have been about nine or ten when this first came out and fell into my eager, little hands, which is probably exactly the right age to excitedly vacuum up every page of this classic battle of heroes versus villains versus godlike cosmic powers.
I’ve reread it many times since and, you know what? For me, it still holds up. I mean, I do wish it hadn’t opened the floodgates for countless other crossover ‘events’ but you can’t really say it doesn’t deliver thrills. A whole galaxy is destroyed in the first few pages! An entire mountain range is dropped on our already-sorely beaten heroes! New heroes and villains are introduced who are still with us forty years later! Spidey gets a new costume that’s more than it first appears! I could go on…
I’ll gladly admit I view this one through some big ol’ nostalgia goggles but even without them on I’d still give this 4.25 stars by my usual comicbook rating system.
I’ve reread it many times since and, you know what? For me, it still holds up. I mean, I do wish it hadn’t opened the floodgates for countless other crossover ‘events’ but you can’t really say it doesn’t deliver thrills. A whole galaxy is destroyed in the first few pages! An entire mountain range is dropped on our already-sorely beaten heroes! New heroes and villains are introduced who are still with us forty years later! Spidey gets a new costume that’s more than it first appears! I could go on…
I’ll gladly admit I view this one through some big ol’ nostalgia goggles but even without them on I’d still give this 4.25 stars by my usual comicbook rating system.
August 8, 2019
Man I remember when this came out. What a great gathering of heroes and a nice collection of Villains to fight them. Of course we all knew Dr Doom would try to steal the show but who knew that Spider-Man would get a new costume or that that "costume" was really an alien symbiote that would lead to the great Spider-Man foe Venom and all that entails. An often overlooked plot link from this series is that this is the first time Captain America's shield gets broken. Cap's psychic reforging of the shield would lead to the incredible loss of the shield storyline decades later. Great classic Marvel series. Very recommended
February 24, 2021
A pretty historic Marvel comic, this is Marvel’s first limited series event and it’s a big one. Secret Wars is in a way Marvel at it’s best, you have their most iconic heroes and villains fighting each other for the power to grant their one wish. It’s a fun story and has some very iconic moments that are referenced to this day. The only draw back is the dated writing which might not be a problem for some but it definitely made me go through this slower than I typically do modern comics.
May 26, 2009
A little too dated and corny for its own good. The better comic book crossovers tend to grow out of an ongoing story line but Secret Wars makes all of the classic mistakes of unnecessary crossover events. I always suspected Marvel threw this together to compete with DC's Crisis on Infinite Earth, just so they could say they had the first crossover event. The story literally plucks a bunch of heroes and villains from Earth and throws them into an alien planet where they're supposed to duke it out. The characters seem chosen more for their popularity than anything else; Spider-Man is thrown in the mix and does absolutely nothing to advance the plot. And the Wasp, the leader of the Avengers, is written in a very shallow and sexist manner; she's more concerned about her appearance than her teammates' survival.
May 3, 2025
A classic. This shows why Dr. Doom is such an awesome villain.
June 7, 2019
Some classic Dr. Doom moments but the story itself is painfully anticlimactic. Couldn’t we have at least gotten to see The Beyonder and Dr. Doom duke it out a little longer?
March 19, 2019
Three and a half stars
May 5, 2016
Ох уж эти бородатые времена, когда масштабные истории писались для того, чтобы продать побольше игрушек. "Секретные Войны" представляют собой классическое побоище стенка на стенку, где куча популярных злодеев противостоит куче популярных героев.
Некое существо по имени Потусторонний создало планету и перенесло туда две команды, состоящие из огромного множества положительных и отрицательных персонажей Марвел, дав им задание уничтожить противоборствующую команду, чтобы получить исполнение своих желаний. Героев поместили в одну крепость, злодеев в другую. Получились эдакие "Голодные игры", где тоже нужно не только убивать друг друга, но и выживать, добывать пищу и бороться с самой природой.
Состав персонажей вышел крайне разношерстным: Человек-паук, Капитан Америка, Железный человек, Соколиный глаз, Халк, Тор, Оса, Росомаха, Колосс, профессор Ксавьер, Циклоп, Магнето, Доктор Дум, Канг завоеватель, Ящер, Галактус, Чаровница, Альтрон, доктор Октопус и многие другие.
Проблема в том, что это был 1985 год и тогда даже многие великие герои вели себя то как дети малые, то просто как идиоты, несли ахинею, совершенно не смешно шутили, а сами сценаристы ещё и постоянно обращались к своим читателям напрямую, да ещё и считали их недалекими детьми. Понятно, время было такое, но сейчас историю тяжело воспринимать серьёзно со всеми теми детскими глупостями.
Однако удовольствие этот кроссовер всё равно приносит, очень уж интересно следить за всеми неожиданными союзами персонажей, за химией между ними, за тем, как они выживали в новых, непредсказуемых и опасных условиях, да за тем как боролись друг с другом и справлялись всё с новыми невероятными проблемами. На события точно пожаловаться не получится, учитывая какой тут иногда происходит масштабный эпик, который хоть сейчас на большие экраны отправляй.
Читать можно, но гораздо больше этот комикс несет историческую ценность, нежели художественную. Чересчур инфантильные персонажи, детская наивность, безбожно растянутая на 12 выпусков история, которую надо было рассказывать выпусков за 8, да ещё и перегруженная не самыми выдающимися диалогами. Но при этом да, бывает весело, да ещё и культовые исторические события происходят, такие как первое появление второй Женщины-паук, да показывают как Питер Паркер получил свой знаменитый чёрный костюм, что в будущем принесёт ему так много проблем.
Некое существо по имени Потусторонний создало планету и перенесло туда две команды, состоящие из огромного множества положительных и отрицательных персонажей Марвел, дав им задание уничтожить противоборствующую команду, чтобы получить исполнение своих желаний. Героев поместили в одну крепость, злодеев в другую. Получились эдакие "Голодные игры", где тоже нужно не только убивать друг друга, но и выживать, добывать пищу и бороться с самой природой.
Состав персонажей вышел крайне разношерстным: Человек-паук, Капитан Америка, Железный человек, Соколиный глаз, Халк, Тор, Оса, Росомаха, Колосс, профессор Ксавьер, Циклоп, Магнето, Доктор Дум, Канг завоеватель, Ящер, Галактус, Чаровница, Альтрон, доктор Октопус и многие другие.
Проблема в том, что это был 1985 год и тогда даже многие великие герои вели себя то как дети малые, то просто как идиоты, несли ахинею, совершенно не смешно шутили, а сами сценаристы ещё и постоянно обращались к своим читателям напрямую, да ещё и считали их недалекими детьми. Понятно, время было такое, но сейчас историю тяжело воспринимать серьёзно со всеми теми детскими глупостями.
Однако удовольствие этот кроссовер всё равно приносит, очень уж интересно следить за всеми неожиданными союзами персонажей, за химией между ними, за тем, как они выживали в новых, непредсказуемых и опасных условиях, да за тем как боролись друг с другом и справлялись всё с новыми невероятными проблемами. На события точно пожаловаться не получится, учитывая какой тут иногда происходит масштабный эпик, который хоть сейчас на большие экраны отправляй.
Читать можно, но гораздо больше этот комикс несет историческую ценность, нежели художественную. Чересчур инфантильные персонажи, детская наивность, безбожно растянутая на 12 выпусков история, которую надо было рассказывать выпусков за 8, да ещё и перегруженная не самыми выдающимися диалогами. Но при этом да, бывает весело, да ещё и культовые исторические события происходят, такие как первое появление второй Женщины-паук, да показывают как Питер Паркер получил свой знаменитый чёрный костюм, что в будущем принесёт ему так много проблем.
February 2, 2019
It was 1984. Just one major comic-book crossover preceded Secret Wars, the 1982 Contest of Champions. But where that 3-part mini-series was just numerous fights between weirdly matched foes, this 12-part series was a lot more.
Though Secret Wars is primarily about the battle between 21 heroes and a similar number of villains, it also takes the time to offer some pretty great characterization of a lot of the characters. And even the battles feel like more than just fighting. They're part of a tactical back and forth, an actual war, with many characters with many different motives and goals, and they often have repercussions (though most of them are red-button reset as soon as they occur).
Of course, Marvel made sure there were some longer-standing repercussions: a juggling of team membership, a termination of the Colossus-Kitty relationship, and most importantly a new costume for Spider-Man. In the comics, it was pretty great seeing these repercussions immediately in the heroes' comics, and then having to wait months to learn how they came out in Secret Wars. This idea was at least as innovative as the 12-part series.
It's charming throughout all of this to see how young and innocent the Marvel universe is. The Avengers and the X-Men actually introduce themselves, as if not everyone would know who they are.
A year later Crisis on Infinite Earths came out, and it one-upped Secret Wars with an even bigger and more notable story. Several years later, Shooter would refine his Secret Wars ideas and produce another innovative, character-based crossover set in a lost land created by godlike powers: Unity from Valiant. And since then crossovers have become an absolutely corrosive force at the Big Two. But back here, in these early days, Secret Wars was pretty great, and it remains very enjoyable even amid modern releases.
Though Secret Wars is primarily about the battle between 21 heroes and a similar number of villains, it also takes the time to offer some pretty great characterization of a lot of the characters. And even the battles feel like more than just fighting. They're part of a tactical back and forth, an actual war, with many characters with many different motives and goals, and they often have repercussions (though most of them are red-button reset as soon as they occur).
Of course, Marvel made sure there were some longer-standing repercussions: a juggling of team membership, a termination of the Colossus-Kitty relationship, and most importantly a new costume for Spider-Man. In the comics, it was pretty great seeing these repercussions immediately in the heroes' comics, and then having to wait months to learn how they came out in Secret Wars. This idea was at least as innovative as the 12-part series.
It's charming throughout all of this to see how young and innocent the Marvel universe is. The Avengers and the X-Men actually introduce themselves, as if not everyone would know who they are.
A year later Crisis on Infinite Earths came out, and it one-upped Secret Wars with an even bigger and more notable story. Several years later, Shooter would refine his Secret Wars ideas and produce another innovative, character-based crossover set in a lost land created by godlike powers: Unity from Valiant. And since then crossovers have become an absolutely corrosive force at the Big Two. But back here, in these early days, Secret Wars was pretty great, and it remains very enjoyable even amid modern releases.
July 5, 2022
So I accidentally ordered this book instead of the more modern Secret Wars run I intended to buy. While I got some enjoyment out of this book, it is definitely dated and corny. I get that this book was written over 30 years ago, but it is still very poorly written, in my opinion.
The biggest thing I would point out is the misogyny in the story. Every female character has a couple panels where they are posed in sexual positions or positions showing off their bodies. Men obviously don't have the same things happen to them. Language is also very sexist as well. Some women are repeatedly referred to as "legs", "babe", or "girl". Heroes and Villians alike comment about how much they love ogling their teammates. The whole books written like the authors need to be put in horny jail. Love triangles, or quadrangles, are just casually presented and one character even leaves the love of his life back on earth in order to have sex with an alien lady he just met.
The whole book is written to create drama, but not good drama. This is more like a soap-opera where the writers are trying to look for reasons to have characters fight each other, fuck around on each other, and betray each other. It reminds me of an 11 year old with his action figures, in the worse way.
I'd skip it. Even if you're interested in the canon or history of Marvel Comics. It's so stupid, so sexist, so unnecessarily long with soap opera padding. It really was a little embarrassing to read, and if I didn't understand why women complained about sexism in the comics industry before, I do now. I'm truly shocked people enjoyed this.
The biggest thing I would point out is the misogyny in the story. Every female character has a couple panels where they are posed in sexual positions or positions showing off their bodies. Men obviously don't have the same things happen to them. Language is also very sexist as well. Some women are repeatedly referred to as "legs", "babe", or "girl". Heroes and Villians alike comment about how much they love ogling their teammates. The whole books written like the authors need to be put in horny jail. Love triangles, or quadrangles, are just casually presented and one character even leaves the love of his life back on earth in order to have sex with an alien lady he just met.
The whole book is written to create drama, but not good drama. This is more like a soap-opera where the writers are trying to look for reasons to have characters fight each other, fuck around on each other, and betray each other. It reminds me of an 11 year old with his action figures, in the worse way.
I'd skip it. Even if you're interested in the canon or history of Marvel Comics. It's so stupid, so sexist, so unnecessarily long with soap opera padding. It really was a little embarrassing to read, and if I didn't understand why women complained about sexism in the comics industry before, I do now. I'm truly shocked people enjoyed this.
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