Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars

by Alexander C. Irvine, Jim Shooter, Scott McCormick (Narrator/Director)

Listening length: 6 audio discs (approximately 7 hr.)

The fate of the entire Marvel Universe hangs in the balance as Earth's mightiest heroes face their greatest challenge! Summoned across the stars by the mysterious and unbelievably powerful Beyonder, the Avengers, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men are set against their deadliest foes on the mysterious planet known as Battleworld - with the winner promised the ultimate prize. But as battle lines are drawn, new alliances are forged and old enemies clash, one among them is not willing to settle for anything less than godhood. Can even the heroes' combined might prevent Dr. Doom from becoming the most powerful being in the universe?

Genres: Marvel, Comics, Superheroes, Fiction, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Adventure

7 pages, Audio CD

First published December 31, 2003

About the author

Alexander C. Irvine is an American fantasist and science fiction writer. He also writes under the pseudonym Alex Irvine. He first gained attention with his novel A Scattering of Jades and the stories that would form the collection Unintended Consequences. He has also published the Grail quest novel One King, One Soldier, and the World War II-era historical fantasy The Narrows.

In addition to his original works, Irvine has published Have Robot, Will Travel, a novel set in Isaac Asimov's positronic robot milieu; and Batman: Inferno, about the DC Comics superhero.

His academic background includes an M.A. in English from the University of Maine and a PhD from the University of Denver. He is an assistant professor of English at the University of Maine. He also worked for a time as a reporter at the Portland Phoenix.

Reviews

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating is 2.5 stars.

This takes place in the Marvel universe. This is the prose novel of the crossover event of "Secret Wars" that took place in the 1980's. The Beyonder transports Marvel's heroes and villains to Battleworld where the victor will get his/her heart's desire.

We have everyone here. We have the Avengers, X-Men, and the Fantastic Four representing the heroes while the villains have Dr. Doom, Galactus, and others. With so many favorites in one book this should have been an automatic five star rating. Sadly it wasn't. I never read the comic event "Secret Wars" so I have no idea if this is a true representative of that event. I never got truly invested in this novel. I did think the author was true to the characters and the interactions between the different groups was nice to see. There were plenty of battles but I never got a true picture in my head of these battles. I imagine the comics portrayed these much better. The same thing could be said of the overall arc. There are some terrific scenes and it was nice to see the origins of Spidey's black suit (Venom).

Overall, it was an okay read and I think the problem was my expectations were too high. I do believe that the comics would have been better to read for this event than the prose novel.

[Lori S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The X-Men, Avengers, 3 of the Fantastic Four, and independents, plus their antagonists like Dr. Doom, Doc Oc, and various others get drawn into a battle to the death by an extra-dimensional being curious as to what they would do to gain the ultimate prize. Though there are almost too many characters to follow, but I found the story hung together fairly well in spite of the that.

Enjoyable listen.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A weird and kind of wonderful way to "read" a graphic novel, I doubt the Graphic Audio of Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars would work for those who haven't already read the original, but I can't be sure since I have read the original multiple times.

The Graphic Audio takes the dialogue of the original Secret Wars, updates some character names based on changes to the current Marvel Universe, adds a whiz-bang audio soundtrack, and a handful of good vocal performances (along with a fistful of poor to middling vocal performances) to retell the visual tale for the audio medium.

Like I say, it is pretty effective if you have read the original. I can't know how effective it would be if you haven't, but as there are plenty of these peculiar audiobooks out there, I may stumble on one that I've not previously read ... then I'll let you know. At the very least, Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars was good enough for me to try another.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An honest 3.5 ⭐️’s
My issues were not in the storyline at all cause it kind of follows the original format from the comic books. It’s their version of interacting, many narrators and background noises where I found a disconnect!

Everything felt garbled !
All they need to do is follow what they do in the Star Wars books for Audible and they will be successful, but that’s my opinion !

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I'm sure there were either crossover, limited series events before Secret Wars arrived on the scene, Secret Wars was the one published at the height of my love of comic books and one that featured one huge development in the life of my favorite super hero. Yes, I'm referring to Spider-Man getting his infamous black suit, an event that set off twenty years of new continuity for my favorite (then and now) super hero.

Interestingly, the whole black suit thing takes up less than five minutes of this audio adaptation of the entire saga, somehow feeling less monumental than I recall it being in the initial wave of comics. Or it could just be that we had to wait EIGHT issues into the storyline to see Spidey get his new duds. Or it could also be that there are twenty years of spin-off storylines from that one single event that it pales in comparison to what was to come -- namely Venom and a whole lot of other symbiotic baddies that would menace our hero.

Secret Wars begins with the kidnapping of various Marvel heroes and villains. Sent to a strange far-off place called BattleWorld, the heroes and villains are promised their fondest wish if they will battle each other until only is left standing. This promise is made by a mysterious creature known only as the Beyonder. Interestingly, the hero team isn't exactly the most unified for much of the storyline with various hero teams not trusting each other -- the Avengers don't have much love for the X-Men because Magneto has, for some reason, been lumped in with the heroic side of things instead of being with the various baddies that include Doctor Doom, Doc Ock and others.

There are a couple of battles along the way and the news that entire city of Denver has been taken to BattleWorld as well. This leads to the creation of two new female villains, one of whom becomes the love interest of the Molecule Man. Interestingly, it's Molecule Man who Dr Dooms sees as the lynch pin to taking over BattleWorld and wresting the Beyonder's power for his own.

It has been a long time since I read the original Secret Wars storyline. Back in the day, I didn't have regular access to a comic book store so I was at the mercy of finding issues on rack at my local store and to my limited funds. So I can say that I've forgotten large chunks of this story or not read them, instead depending on the recaps in the issues I could find and purchase to help me keep up with the story. Or more likely, I was kept in the loop by friends who also liked comic books and had the issues I didn't at the time. I do recall having issue eight of the series because, again, it had a Spider-Man centric cover and it was about his new costume.

I recently picked up a free reprint of issue one on October's Free Comic Book day and found it a nice trip down nostalgia lane. I understand Marvel is looking to re-visit the Secret Wars concept later this year with a crossover event.

So when I saw the Graphic Audio version of the story, I decided to give it a try. And, for the most part, it works fairly well. The adaptation focuses on a hero or a villain in each section, taking us inside their mind and thought process as well as their reaction to BattleWorld. And with this large a cast of characters, the linking narration is essential to recalling who is speaking at various points. The narration is a nice reminder without necessarily being intrusive.

The limitations of the story come when there are huge battles and we're limited to the narration and various grunts and groans by the characters. It comes across as less than compelling and may be one reason a ten issue comic book series can be condensed down to six or so hours in the audio world.

In a way, this reminded me of the Power Records that I listened to and loved in my younger days. Only this time we didn't get the comic book included. Listening to this, I'm curious to visit the original mini-series again in the original comic book format. I figure with this year's big return to the concept that Marvel will make the original version available to readers to see where it all started.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast read. I remember reading the original twelve-issue series Marvel released back in the mid-80s. It was in response to DC's upcoming 'Crisis on Infinite Earth' series, and Marvel wanted something to compete with DC's product. DC's product had longer-lasting consequences than Marvel's series [although the Black Suit morphed into Venom and has since remained a regular in the Spider-Man pantheon]. It had a decent flow to it, and it did an adequate job of telling the original story in a novel-format. It added a bit to the original story, it changed some items from the original story, and it ignored a few items from the original story.

The basic gist remains the same. A number of heroes and a number of villains are taken by an unknown force from Earth and brought to a composite planet where they are to battle to win the ultimate prize - whatever they desire. Out of everybody, heroes and villains, Doom is the only one who attempts to truly transcend human desires and understanding to better understand the true nature and power of the being who has taken them; this way, he can take that being's power[s] and abilities for himself. It is somewhat amusing as Magneto is placed with the 'heroes' even though he is viewed by them as a 'villain' whereas Amora the Enchantress is confused as to why she is placed with the 'villains.' The 'battles' play out as they do in the book with additional 'commentary' in the novel as to why certain things happen the way they do. It would be interesting to know if the author extrapolated his thoughts and opinions into the telling of the story or if he actually interviewed the original architects in order to provide the 'background information' and subtext that he does in writing the novel. In the end, despite his claims to the contrary and all of the power at this command, Doom is still a human and appears to be like Thanos [in that he essentially dooms himself to failure ] as he self-destructs and the heroes win the day.

As opposed to the comics, the book narrative starts off with the heroes in their spacecraft just before the Beyonder addresses them. In the comics, the heroes are taken as they enter alien structures that suddenly appear in their respective vicinities [it seems like Iron Man was in California when he was 'taken' whereas the majority of the heroes were in NYC]. Interestingly enough, we are not told [shown] in the comics how the villains were chosen. They were just taken.

I think one big 'difference' or 'change' is that James Rhodes reveals his identity to the heroes in the book whereas in the comics he never revealed himself. At one point, in the comics, Rhodes sarcastically accuses the other heroes of not believing a black man could wear the armor and be a hero, to which one of them [Captain America, I think] responds that all they needed to know was that a man, a hero, was wearing the Iron Man armor and that was enough for them, that the color of his skin did not matter to them. In the book, Reed is speaking to Iron Man as if he were Tony Stark when Jim flips open his helmet/mask. Reed comments that Rhodey should have revealed himself sooner and that they might have done some things differently had they known it was Rhodey and not Tony with whom they were interacting. Also, there is a conversation between 'Spectrum' [Captain Marvel in the comics during that time] and Iron Man where Rhodey is trying to flirt with Monica and she leaves him in an offended huff. That conversation does not take place in this book. We also read about Rhodey trying to prove himself, to 'earn' the right to be called 'Iron Man' in the eyes of the other heroes in his own mind in this book whereas I did not quite get that feeling when I read the comics.

Another 'big change' is that of the 'love triangle' between Torch, Colossus,and Zsaji in the book that does not occur in the comics. In the comics, Johnny appears to be in love with Zsaji,but when one of his teammates is hurt, he refers to her as a 'chippie' to Peter, who then feels free to act upon his feelings for this alien woman [who appears to reciprocate those same feelings/emotions/desires]. In the book, Torch warns Colossus off from pursuing any type of relationship with Zsaji as she was already spoken for; the two are ready to come to blows over her when Xavier mentally interrupts them and tells them to return to base. Johnny even accuses Peter of cheating on Kitty Pryde and refers to Kitty as being Peter's 'girl friend' in the novel; even though Peter feels horrible over his desires for this alien woman and willingness to abandon Kitty, he still pursues some kind of relationship with Zsaji. In the comics, Kitty was still a 'child' and too young for Peter; in addition, I never got the impression Peter did very much soul-searching over abandoning Kitty when deciding he wanted to pursue any kind of relationship with Zsaji.

I think this story was the first time where Crusher Creel had been 'broken apart' after taking on the properties of a material he had absorbed and was able to 'repair' himself. I had read other comics well after this one where he was in a 'stone-form', broken apart, and then reconstituted himself once all of the pieces of his body were put back together. So that was a long-term consequence of this storyline. It gave the Absorbing Man a new power/ability he might not have had before [that I can remember].

Another 'long-term' addition to the 'Marvel pantheon' was Titania [who would eventually marry the Absorbing Man]. One of the best 'scenes' in the comics had to do with Titania and the Wrecking Crew, but unfortunately did not make it into the book. Well, not the 'complete' scene. In the scene the heroes are trying to get away and Titania grabs this enormous boulder and throws it at the heroes, nearly striking them. The Wrecking Crew, not to be outdone by a woman, attempt the same feat of strength, but end up having to throw 'smaller rocks' than Titania threw. It was pretty hilarious. In the book, only Titania throws the boulder at the heroes before the mountain is dropped on them. I also enjoyed the byplay between Titania and Crusher Creel when they first meet. She wants him to fight her, but he refuses. When she accuses him of being a coward, he essentially says he does not have anything to prove and that he will not be provoked into a meaningless fight. I thought it was a great portrayal of Crusher and showed he had more depth to him than most writers tended to show.

The biggest change that came out of this series was the black suit for Spider-Man that turned out to be alive. This was the series that introduced what would eventually become known as Venom. It still strikes me as funny how the heroes respond to Spider-man's query on where to find a new uniform with a general answer as to which room the device was located. It also makes one wonder if Doombase was originally from the symbiote's home planet [otherwise, how would the symbiote have ended up where it did to be 'found' by Peter Parker?]. I only ponder this because at one point there was a comic mini-series in which an invasion force from the symbiote planet attacks Earth.

I did find it interesting how Professor Xavier figured out that everybody's wishes could be fulfilled on the planet. His 'greatest wish' was fulfilled before they actually reached the planet's surface [he stood up and was able to walk]. What was odd was how having his wish fulfilled [being able to walk and take a more active role in the X-Men] made him more tyrannical, with his team as well as with others. Perhaps this was to explain why Xavier made some of the choices he made as well as acted like he did [such as removing portions of Spider-Man's memory].

Another difference between the book and the comics was Jennifer Walters [She-Hulk] not leaving with Reed and Johnny to join the Fantastic Four. In the comics, when Ben Grimm decided to remain behind on the planet a bit longer, Jennifer Walters joins the Fantastic Four to provide them with the much-needed muscle that would have been lost with Ben not returning. In the book, she returns to Earth with the Avengers instead of the Fantastic Four. That seemed a bit odd to me. No reason is given as to why this change occurred.

I loved the byplay between Thor and Storm in the novel during the storm that occurs on the planet. [I think it would have been issue three or four in the comics.] This was like an extended scene that got cut for a movie. Thor is outside in the middle of a monstrous storm, reveling in it. He is also playing a game in which he is destroying boulders before they can fall on the Hero's HQ [my words] and destroy their base. Storm comes outside to join him, and soon the two are competing to see who can destroy/divert the most falling rocks. It was a great scene, as was the conversation the two have. I wish they would have 'kept it' for the comic as well.

I did wish they would have included Amora's Tale from Thor #383 [or so] from the comics in with this novel. It is a type of continuation from the Secret Wars comics in that it continues the tale from when Thor and Amora vanish from the Hero's HQ and return after the mountain has been dropped on the surviving heroes. Thor wishes to speak with Amora as equals apart from the mortals, and Amora wishes to seduce him into falling in love with her. It may or may not have made a good addition to the book; it might have added unnecessary pages as it told a side-bar story and not the 'main event.' I thought the author might have referenced a bit more of the Thor comic while telling this overall story, but he chose not to. Ah, well.

I felt the novel did a decent job of going deeper in explaining why the various characters acted the way they did. This was partly done by explaining the thought-processes behind the actions. Maybe it was necessary, maybe not. But I felt it added to the story. For instance, it is always hard to quantify the 'cosmic processes' that authors try to write about, try to describe. Lofty words are always used to try and explain away concepts that are supposed to be beyond human ken and understanding. Invariably, the characters using such terms always come across as sounding arrogant and rather full of themselves. I felt that the author did a nice job of trying to explain the various cosmic forces at work toward the end of the novel, where Doom appropriates first the power of Galactus' world ship and then the power of the Beyonder himself. I guess he 'dumbed it down' enough for me to understand and enjoy.

Overall, I felt it was a good book. I felt it was a credible attempt at translating twelve comics into a novel. It held my interested; it was interest. I cannot say 'I did not want to put it down' but I can say I did want to finish it. Hahahahah. I say 'it was a credible attempt' when I actually greatly enjoyed reading this novel. I felt it added more than it took away from the original story. In no way did I feel the changes made by the author in the telling detract from the overall story.

[Jeremiah Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all the weird cosmic stuff. I listened to the audio book while I washed the dishes, so sometimes I missed some things and couldn't quite follow what was going on. But I had fun. For that last hour I couldn't stop listening.

I think I like Irvine's Days of Future Past adaptation better, but this had lots of discussion of godhood and reality which I enjoyed. And I liked having all these heroes in one story.

Notes: Klaw's voice and Dr. Doom's voice both sounded comically cartoony, when they talked to each other it was a little too much.

[Kurt Spearing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the comic when it came out originally. this was an audiobook of the novelization....it was a bit different than I remember it. The story felt a little-more shallow somehow. But it was good for nostalgia if nothing else =)

[Blake Billings · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually love these Graphic Audio titles, but I had a really hard time with this one. I just didn't find the story near as compelling as others I have listened to in the past.

[Ondarious Mateo · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are particular aspects of a Graphic Audio production that have been so consistent they completely escape our notice and consideration. We are of course talking about production values: music, sound effects, voice acting etc. We’ve come to expect such excellence when it comes to a Graphic Audio production that anything below utterly breathtaking is simply not worth mentioning. And such is the case with Marvel’s Super Heroes Secret Wars.
Some may argue that I’m underselling a product that includes a massive all-star ensemble of the Avengers, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, and the assorted villains by merely describing the performance as excellent and moving on, but that’s where we are now. The bar is set. The shortcomings, if you can call them that are minor – one: Doom is not nearly pompous enough and sounds way too much like Count Dracula for comfort. And two: the sound wave fails to tell us a story in itself unlike “The Wayne’s of Gotham” production that was able to set up character introductions and moments of humour before they happened. This was strictly a ‘you get what you need type of deal’.

Instead, this time Graphic Audio goes for the big show. The Secret Wars! Comic events don’t get much bigger or more epic.

The story: A group of super heroes including Captain America, Thor, Rhodey’s Iron Man, the Hulk, Hawkeye, Wasp, the X-Men with Charles Xavier, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, and Nightcrawler, The Fantastic Four minus Sue Storm, a few standalone heroes such as Spiderman, She-Hulk, and surprisingly Magneto all suddenly awake on a spaceship above a strange planet: battle world.

They are given very direct but somewhat vague instructions by the planet’s overlord: The Beyonder. “Defeat your enemies, and you will be given the ultimate prize”. And just on the other side of the war, they see the enemies: Galactus, Dr. Doom, Kang the Conqueror, Enchantress, Molecule Man, The Wrecking Crew and many many more.

What comes next is a no holds barred story that branches off into a variety of different directions:
- The Avengers and X-Men seemingly split
- Magneto goes off on his own
- Dr. Doom is challenged before taking control of his group
- The heroes are challenged
- Casualties are felt on all sides
- Nobody understands what Galactus is doing, but they all fear him
- And bit by bit we start to see that there’s a greater game at play here… one that explores the deepest desires of all those involved, and brings about the realisation that the stakes are in fact higher than we dared to believe.
- And of course as chief antagonist, Doom figures out that the Beyonder’s reward is only a pittance of the power at his disposal and makes his play to defeat him and have it all

This story appeals on a variety of different levels. First and foremost you have the interpersonal relationships and the challenge of dynamics amongst such a large group. Who leads? Why Captain America of course but does he represent the best interests of the X-Men? Charles, Storm and Cyclops all have their own ideas. Should they all be together? Why is Magneto with them?
Of course on the other side of that coin Doom attempts to strongarm the villains to his will only for them to revolt and play an individual game… that is until they get their butts handed to them on silver platter; much to Doom’s anticipation I might add.

And there are in fact some really epic moments here:
- You have the leadership struggles between the various teams, with the most fascinating coming from within the X-Men themselves
- Hell hath no fury like Victor Von Doom scorned as he annihilates Kang the Conqueror for blowing him out of the sky in a clash of the titans moment
- The villains themselves fall behind Doom and it’s cool to guys like Absorbing Man, The Wrecking Crew etc find their niche as subordinates
- We get a good look at Molecule Man realising his capabilities and becoming a big deal. We also see what he does with that and that ultimately he’s the one that takes the bad guys home.
- Thor and Enchantress explore and start to heal their relationship with the potential of this to lead to something more… that is until they are confronted by the enemy and Amora is put in a position where she has to choose between nobility/loyalty and self-preservation
- Reed Richards goes about the challenge like a math equation and gets to the heart of the matter; hardly unique but still as effective as ever
- She-Hulk goes on a rampage following Wasp’s death requiring the Avengers to choose between the mission and their friend

Then of course you have the battle tactics. The X-Men separate from the main group and largely keep to themselves. At one point they make the hard decision to leave Colossus behind amidst battle and remain largely incommunicado. The Avengers, FF and the rest predominantly attempt to stand their ground before shifting their focus to the greater focus of Galactus. The villains reveal themselves to be small-scale in ambition with only Doom, Enchantress and possibly Kang being able to share an innovative thought.

The juxtaposition of Reed Richards realising they can stop Galactus from devouring planets by sacrificing themselves, and Dr. Doom taking advantage of this situation to obtain the power cosmic for himself as means to defeat The Beyonder and become the ultimate power.
We deal with the hero’s moral dilemma of whether or not to fight Doom or accept his ceasefire and offer to return them back home knowing that they are out gunned and outmatched. We have Doom’s egomanias in believing that he can control this power and how first Klaw of all people exploits this setting up Captain America (the man with the plan) and the rest to finish the job.

Finally though, the piece ‘de resistance is the exploration of the character’s deepest, darkest desires:
- Xavier wants to walk
- The Hulk to stay smart as well as strong
- Ben Grimm realises that he wants to be a hero albeit one that can transform back to his human form
- Johnny Storm, Colossus and Molecule Man want love
- Wolverine wants to kill
- Hawkeye not to die
- Spiderman a new costume with some flair
- Galactus wants and end to his hunger
- Doom wants to save his mother’s soul
- And many simply want to go home.

It’s an intriguing facet of the story and excellent for character development but unfortunately it does come up short in a few areas. The most obvious being that there are simply too many characters for us to properly explore – characters like Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Wasp, War Machine, Magneto to a lesser degree get little more than a few minutes air time and are largely inconsequential to the story. As are a majority of the villains whose final outcomes result on them more or less just being transported home by Molecule Man who seems to get more power but no real ending to his chapter.

Then you have the other really good arcs that just kind of peter out. Captain America’s desire is never revealed until the end when he restores his shield… though it was Battleworld that created that need, Hulk’s torment of being smarter/getting dumber is kind of just forgotten about, and Ben Grimm ultimately stays behind so that he can enjoy his new found ability to transform… and it kind of just ends there.

And once again, like New Avengers Breakout and Marvel’s Civil War, you’re left waiting for what comes next. It’s a tricky position for GA as they obviously want to keep these stories compact and naturally there’s a lot more material out there than a 5-6 hour production can cover, but this one could have at least used a proper epilogue.

I think the greater issue that’s emerging however is that unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there isn’t a sense of a greater emerging story for Graphic Audio’s Marvel productions. When reviewing New Avengers Breakout, we touched upon some continuity issues but the greater issue there was that the production felt like the first episode in a series. For me, this is a theme that is emerging more and more. What happens to these characters? What’s next?
I hate to say it but I think these productions are so good that the ongoing listener can’t help but reach the point of wanting more. Wanting the evolution of the product into the masterpiece that we know it could be.

That being said, when a product’s greatest problem is that the audience are satisfied but still want more, our thirst is insatiable… well I guess it’s a sign that Graphic Audio are doing alright.

Graphic Audio Production: Marvel’s Super Heroes Secret Wars a perfect 5 stars. Even though it had a few minor flaws it was everything you could hope for in this type of production for this type of production.

[NephriteON · Rating 3 out of 5]

The following review was originally published in the online newspaper The Orkney News in July 2020. Link here. https://theorkneynews.scot/2020/07/19...

Marvel Superheroes: Secret Wars by Jim Shooter et al, adapted by Alex Irvine

Hello once again to my readers! Before I discuss the audio release under the figurative microscope today I should probably address the elephant in the room. You will be aware that I have been somewhat missing in action as of late. I will give you two potential answers as to why. You can choose which of the two you prefer.

Reason 1: I have recently moved back into my own home after being elsewhere for quite some time due to lockdown related reasons and I’ve experienced some difficulties when it comes to being able to write articles and reviews to a suitable standard due to my mindset.

Reason 2: I fell through a space warp into the Star Trek mirror universe and had to escape the Terran Empire.

Now it is time to focus on the review subject for today. Previously I’ve mentioned on a few occasions various audio adaptations of Marvel storylines be they book original storylines or ones originally from the comics. However so far none of the stories I have reviewed have been adaptations of so called ‘event comics.’ Event comics is the name given to comic book storylines which are either storylines focused around a single series or character which are intended to have a large long term impact in universe such as Planet Hulk or X-Men: Days Of Future Past or large crossover events involving multiple sets of heroes and villains dealing with a threat which is substantially larger than usual.

The subject today – Secret Wars from 1984 – is actually somewhat famous for being one of the contenders for the title of first ever event comic. The specific limitations of that name are somewhat larger than I can get into here. The storyline is as follows: The majority of The Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four as well as Spider-Man and a large motley crew of villains and…unknowns…both famous and obscure are all summoned to a strange dimension known as Battleworld. This was done by an immensely powerful being known as The Beyonder. The Beyonder has issued a challenge: “I am from beyond! Slay your enemies and all you desire shall be yours!” Numerous alliances and deals are made and several great threats become apparent. But just what are everyone’s wishes? Who shall win the Beyonder’s game?

The 2015 prose novel adaptation by Alex Irvine which was later adapted for audio by GraphicAudio who I have mentioned previously is not a bad adaptation. All the major characters are in character for their mid 1980s personalities – which in some cases such as Captain America, Spider-Man and Wolverine are very similar to their current personalities in the modern cinematic era and in other cases are drastically different – and some of the sequences where you see into the minds of certain characters are excellently done. You can also tell that Irvine who has a long history of both writing novelisations and adaptations as well as their own original work is really trying their best to make the prose novel genuinely feel like Secret Wars given its overall importance to comics as a medium and the overall history of Marvel as a company. However the prose version has some issues.

Firstly the sheer number of characters can make things seem overly cluttered or more complex than the story actually is. The storyline itself is rather simple but when the story has at least 25 main or supporting characters (to be completely honest with you I tried to count everyone and lost count) and a decent handful of characters who only come into the plot at about the one-third or halfway marks it can make it hard to remember who is on what side at any given time when you take teams and alliances into account. A second issue for the prose version is that characters often reference or refer to either things which occurred in the comics prior to Secret Wars in the late 1970s or early 1980s or some character’s powersets as though the reader is aware of all this information. For a Marvel super fan from the 1980s or even a dedicated fan nowadays that’s no issue but when even someone like me who has read the original comic version of Secret Wars is having difficulty remembering all the comic minutiae that gets referenced…that’s probably a bad sign!

The audio version by GraphicAudio (currently being sold by the modern licence holder Dreamscape Media) is in my opinion rather enjoyable. It inherits the same issues as the prose version but they are simply less noticeable. The large cast are in my opinion honestly giving it their all and trying to sweep the listener along for the ride. Certain characters such as Captain America (James Keegan), Storm (Dawn Ursula), Doctor Doom (Chris Davenport) and Molecule Man (Tim Carlin) among others are performed particularly well. Doom in particular was note perfect. I also must acknowledge the excellent sound effects and music throughout which definitely heightened the comic book feel.

In conclusion to be honest if I was doing this review solely on the audio my overall opinion would be much higher. However the flaws of the prose adaptation mean that as much as I enjoyed the GraphicAudio Secret Wars there were enough small irritations and minor annoyances that when added together I would simply regard this adaptation as one for either the comic book super fan or someone interested in the previous history or previous events of Marvel Comics. It is definitely not an adaptation I would consider beginner friendly. For beginner friendly Marvel audio I would recommend Spider-Man: The Gathering Of The Sinister Six which I previously reviewed.

Sayonara! Hopefully you will hear from me again soon!

Nephrite

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Graphic Audio narration. Really brings these comics to life. Typical comic book stuff here. Superheroes, anti heroes, villians, super alien beings, action, betrayal, unity...all here. Good stuff.

[Fernanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.segredosemlivros.com/2016/...

[Douglas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expect to finish this book at some point in the future simply because of the impact the "secret wars" story has on the Marvel universe. Right now I just need a break from crap books so my review is based on reading the first 40% of this book.

IT IS STUPID. Not the set up, which is straight forward enough: The Beyonder kidnaps a bunch of super-powered people and sets them up in an apparent fight to the death. No, what is stupid is, first, Charles Xavier insisting on siding with Magneto over the Avengers. Why? Good question, I have no idea. My best guess is that the author thinks he implied the Beyonder's influence caused this but if so that is not clear. Further, Xavier does this after telling Captain America he should lead all the good guys and that he would serve as Cap's adviser. BUT APPARENTLY THAT DOESN'T MAKE XAVIER A BIG ENOUGH TRAITOR FOR THE AUTHOR, so, when Spiderman overhears the Xmen planning to abandon the other heroes in favor Magneto Xavier attacks and mind-wipes him. BUT STILL THAT DOESN'T MAKE XAVIER A BIG ENOUGH DOUCHE FOR THE AUTHOR SINCE XAVIER DOES THIS RIGHT AFTER MAGNETO ATTACKED THE POWER SUPPLY TO THEIR BASE AND KIDNAPPED WASP, something Spiderman points out to them as the Xmen are attacking him.

But this is still not enough because the Wasp makes a break for it right as the Xmen arrive at Magneto's. Xavier lets his Xmen attack her but when Magneto goes to stop Wasp Xavier talks him out of it claiming he has already made mistakes because of his desire for the rewards promised by the Beyonder. SO NOT ONLY IS XAVIER A TRAITOR, BUT HE IS SIMULTANEOUSLY INDECISIVE AND PREACHY ABOUT IT. After all, he didn't stop his Xmen from attacking Wasp.

Further, this book is generally dependent on the hero's being incompetent. Wasp's escape plan, for example, depended on Xavier and Magneto doing nothing to stop her. Conveniently enough they didn't, which makes no sense since Xavier basically came to Magneto directly from wiping Spiderman's mind. Why didn't he at least do the same to Wasp? The bad guys are able to surprise the good guys because Bruce Banner is unable to keep a simple watch and with something like a dozen heroes why is Banner the only one on watch anyhow. Never mind the fact that the only reason a watch is necessary at all is because the heroes, who've been told by the Beyonder they are in a "do or die" situation, do nothing but sit around: No security patrols, scouting of enemies, preparation of fall back positions or planning sessions. No, they just find a base and turn in for the night.

The bad guys are far from geniuses as well, assuming their successful attack on the good guys means all the good guys are dead in spite of not seeing a single body.

But wait, it gets worse!!!!! The good guys have already taken some prisoners, including Thor's long time nemesis the Enchantress, who Thor decides to free for no reason other than THEY ARE BOTH ASGARDIANS. But wait, it gets worse!!!!!! Having freed the Enchantress for no reason Thor agrees to allow her to teleport them to an unknown location. While gone the bad guys attack. Thor figures this out somehow (I don't believe the author bothered to tell us how Thor knew his compatriots were under attack). So Thor tells the Enchantress to teleport them back but instead she teleports into the bad guys' stronghold where Thor is promptly set up by overwhelming odds.

And this is where I stopped reading because the stupidity was too great. Dr. Doom is the only one being effective to this point in the story, managing to take effective control of the bad guys and planning for the future, but even he stupidly assumed all the good guys were dead when there was no real reason to. Sure, they dropped a mountain on them but Doom already knew Thor and Wasp weren't there and should have known the Hulk and She Hulk could survive that. Iron Man could blast out a pocket big enough for him and Cap, no problem. The Thing could punch out his own hole if the Human torch didn't just melt them one and there's no reason to believe Mr. Fantastic would be killed even if he didn't make it to a hole since he essentially can't be crushed. Spectrum can turn her body to energy and blast out a hole for herself. In short, Dr. Doom should have known that MABY Hawkeye and Spiderman were dead if they were unlucky enough to not be next to anyone of about 10 heroes who could save them.

Bottom line, this book is crap- little or no thought put into the motivations of characters and, what little thought there is is poorly communicated.

[Ruth Barbosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

DESTRUAM SEUS INIMIGOS, E TODOS OS SEUS DESEJOS SERÃO REALIZADOS! 📖

Vingadores, X-Men, Quarteto Fantástico, Homem-Aranha: os maiores heróis do universo. Magneto, Doutor Destino, Ultron, Galactus: os maiores vilões. Convocados pelo onipotente Beyonder para um desafio interestelar, heróis e vilões deverão se confrontar no Mundo de Batalha, visando conquistar o maior prêmio que alguém jamais poderia cobiçar. .

A adaptação foi escrita por Alex Irvine e assim como Guerra Cívil, possui uma leitura fluída e agradável, de fácil compreensão e magnetismo. No entanto, ele não me agradou tanto quanto Guerra Civil, nem sei exatamente por que, mas sei que não foi por causa do belíssimo trabalho de Irvine. Com o passar das páginas, você acompanha tanto os heróis quanto os vilões e vê as coisas pelas perspectivas de cada um, o que nos permite conhecer melhor os personagens.

Sem dúvidas pretendo ler os outros livros da Marvel lançados pela Editora Novo Século. As edições são lindas e definitivamente, enchem os olhos do leitor.

[Joseph B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Irvine ambitiously adapts the mid-80s comic event into prose, with mixed results. While only surface level knowledge of the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four are needed to appreciate the characters involved; Irvine still falls short orienting the reader to the 80s status quo in the beginning. However if one moves past that; they'll find a decent superhero romp to enjoy.

Secret Wars sees various superheroes and supervillains pulled into a mysterious planet to have wage war and see who comes out on top. This simple premise eventually culminates to one of the supervillains, Doctor Doom, conspiring to steal ultimate power for himself. There isn't overly much character development and the setting isn't as interesting as one would hope. That said, Irvine keeps the story moving and it is well structured considering its limited plot.

Overall Secret Wars gets a 2.5 stars out of me. Only being worth time if you are the biggest of comic books fans or interested in this classic Marvel event.

[Jkane · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I listened to this on Audible, this was still very much a graphic novel, as opposed to a novel. This book is light on plot and details, and heavy on cast members. While the Marvel Avengers movies were able to pull off an ensemble cast of (super) characters, this book had way too many superheroes, and not enough plot and details. The dialogue was pretty poor, and certainly not the high-caliber dialogue from the Avengers movies, let alone what you would want from a novel.

This is a dozen or more superheroes against a similar number of antagonistic supervillains all vying for a prize of unimaginable power. I was not totally familiar with all of the characters, especially some of the more powerful, but equally obscure characters, which definitely hurt my ability to enjoy this novel. The author tries to give a little synopsis of their powers, but it is too brief and vague to work.

It's not terrible, by any stretch, but it is too heavy on characters and too light on the rest.

[Jason Meuschke · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been decades since reading the comic version of this as a kid. Something I discovered right away is that the story is different from how I remembered it and much more convoluted. Having the Heroes thrown right into the mystery without explanation was an interesting way to start although at times, mildly frustrating too. Overall the story was fine, just not as dramatic, or as riveting as I thought it should've been. Plus there are a few plot holes and things that don't quite make sense. (I know, I know, it's a comic but still!) Meanwhile, the audio version was fun and gave me a nostalgic sense of my childhood watching Saturday morning cartoons like Spiderman and his Amazing Friends. (and now with Disney+, I do again!). However, there are dozens of voice actors portraying the heroes and villains so it can be tough to figure out who is speaking sometimes.

[Raquel Euphrasio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Já disse isso por aqui, mas vou repetir: Eu sou uma verdadeira da de histórias de heróis. Mas acompanhar as HQ's de todos, Ainda mais começando tardiamente seria impossível, e quando a editora começou lançar as histórias mais clássicas, mais adoradas etc em formato de romance, eu não pensei 2 vezes! Venho lendo na ordem de lançamento é adorado muitas das histórias e essa foi uma das que gostei demais! Aqui temos os personagens em uma situação tão inesperada e impensável que acabamos conhecendo muito além das personalidades deles, é quase como que olhar a alma deles. A ação é incrível e tem muita diversão tb. Temos inclusive Wolverine citando o mágico de Oz. Hahaha. Adorei ter lido!

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was too much for an audiobook form or even any form outside of a comic book. There wasn’t always enough information in the prose to understand what was going on or who was talking. The story was interesting, if a little overstuffed. I liked seeing so many of the characters I enjoy as well as being introduced to characters I have only heard about, such as the Beyonder. Even though there were so many characters, they were each distinct and felt authentic to their personalities and solo comic journeys. It went on for a little longer than I think it needed to, but overall, it was entertaining.

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me deram esse livro em 2015 e eu nunca tinha lido socorroooo achei ok pra se distrair esperando o próximo filme/série da marvel. Nunca tinha lido livro da marvel, só quadrinhos, e com certeza prefiro HQ mds é muito estranho ler a narração certinha sobre os personagens sem imagens, acho que a história perde um pouco da diversão. A maioria das HQ que eu leio são em inglês pq tem mais disponibilizadas de graça assim e é MUITO estranho ler a tradução dos nomes kkkk. Enfim, serve pra se distrair dos desastres do mundo e esperar a próxima produção.

[Guilherme Tourinho · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chega ser decepcionante imaginar o potencial desperdiçado neste livro. A adaptação é boa até, a leitura é fluida, mas a história em si é sem pé nem cabeça. Incrível como os mais inteligentes: Reed e Xavier conseguem ser burros feito uma porta. No fim você só se arrepender de perder tempo lendo está besteira. Agora é rezar para a Marvel não querer adaptar está palhaçada para os cinemas. 2 ainda é muito para a história.

[Heath Doerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the Graphic Audio book, and with a full cast and great sound effects, that's really the way to read this, apart from the original comics. It's a great story, and you don't often find so many iconic Marvel characters interacting with each other at once. It also really shows the giant hole the lack of the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom has in the MCU. Looking forward to the new Fantastic Four movie that is in production, hopefully they will finally do them justice.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and long novel based on the comic arc. The characters were well written and the action though occasionally a bit short was good. Like most of these novels you're dumped in and presumed to have knowledge of the prior storylines but they work ok too if you just have very basic knowledge.

Fun and good read.

[Antonio Islas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this comic series years ago when it came out. It was nostalgic to read it as a novel, but it didn't seem as exciting. The novel seemed to jump around and the flow seemed to be off. The action of the novel didn't seem to flow very well and the Beyonder was just mentioned, but not really a character.

[Mackenzie Melo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea behind the story is very promising, however, it is executed too quickly. I read the comic book when I was young, so I knew what to expect, but by the end you feel like it was rushed to reach the conclusion so we can move on to another story. And, is there a real conclusion to the story? It could have been so much better...

[Crazed8J8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome audio version of this classic mash-up. Amazingly true-to-the-original re-telling, featuring some of Marvel's biggest hitters. Has stood the test of time (35 years now?), and hits all the critical moments of the story and compiles it into one, fluid, comprehensive story. Awesome!

[Grace Hennessey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really interesting listening experience. The multiple narrators made it seem like listening to a movie not an audiobook. I loved how many characters were included and the different relationships. This was a longer listen than I would have liked.

[Ryk Stanton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know if this was the best choice for an audio story. There were so many characters that it was hard to focus, and you had to know who was who to understand much of anything.

They said, I would LOVE to have more comic book storylines turned into Graphic Audio presentations.

[Randall Medlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. The begging was slow, and it took a good while to acclimate to the different voices for the characters, but it was entertaining. I enjoyed this and can see myself picking up other works of a similar nature.