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Secret Wars (2015)
Secret Wars
The Marvel Universe is no more! The interdimensional Incursions have eliminated each and every alternate universe one by one. And now - despite the best eff orts of scientists, sages and superhumans - the Marvel Universe and Ultimate Universe have collided...and been destroyed! All that exists in the vast empty cosmos is a single, titanic patchwork planet made of the fragmented remains of hundreds of devastated dimensions: Battleworld! And the survivors of this multiversal catastrophe all bend their knee to Battleworld's master: Doctor Doom! What strange creatures inhabit this world? Which familiar faces will return? And what happens when Battleworld's various domains go to war? The Marvel Universe is dead - and the victors of the Secret Wars will determine what comes next!
COLLECTING: SECRET WARS 1-9, FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2015 SECRET WARS 0
COLLECTING: SECRET WARS 1-9, FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2015 SECRET WARS 0
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 13, 2016
538 people are currently reading
2523 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Hickman
1,224 books2,041 followersJonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for creating the Image Comics series The Nightly News, The Manhattan Projects and East of West, as well as working on Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, FF, and S.H.I.E.L.D. titles. In 2012, Hickman ended his run on the Fantastic Four titles to write The Avengers and The New Avengers, as part the "Marvel NOW!" relaunch. In 2013, Hickman wrote a six-part miniseries, Infinity, plus Avengers tie-ins for Marvel Comics. In 2015, he wrote the crossover event Secret Wars. - Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 763 reviews
September 8, 2021
Are You There, Doom? It's Me, Margaret.
Yeah, I'm not sure what happened. I mean, I know what happened, but I don't know what happened.
I get the feeling that the ending being somewhat vague (and fucking abrupt!) was done on purpose, so the Powers That Be can tweak things as they need to, and...ok. I guess that's fine. I mean, what am I going to do about it anyway? Start wandering through parks, shaking my fist and yelling, What the fuck did that stretchy bastard do at the end?! Long-term ramifications, motherfucker! What. Are. They?!
Because, if you want, I could do that.
Anyway. This was very much a classic Hickman story. Or, at least, what I'm coming to associate with his storytelling.
Read: It's out there, duuuuuuuuude.
Lots of bizarre stuff that would go well with a pot brownie and some beer, you know?
And the characters are always saying things like, Time faces the light to stave off the darkness, or some shit. Which sounds kinda cool while you're reading it, but later you're like...What the actual fuck does that mean?!
Or maybe that's just me.
Part of me is wondering why I bothered to read this because I probably would have gotten as much out of it if I'd used Wikipedia.
And then part of me is really glad I did read it, because there's no way I would have believed a Wikipedia article that described what I just read. I would have assumed I was still missing out on some important piece of information, and then it would have driven me nuts till I finally just broke down and read the damn thing. So, yeah. At least now it's out of the way.
Now, it may sound like I'm saying this was horrible or unreadable, but I'm not. I actually kinda thought this was an interesting story with pretty pictures. I am hoping this will be the last BIG EVENT for a while, but I'm sure there were worse ways for a reboot to happen.
So what was this about?
Well, without spoiling much, I can say that this is a Doom vs Richards story.
Victor is actually trying to do the right thing, but because he is who he is, the cracks in his character start to show, and shit starts unraveling.
Meanwhile, Reed has to overcome personal tragedy and try to fight a god for control of a world he doesn't recognize in the hopes of making things right again.
Can magic and science work together to save the universe?
Yeah, I'm not sure what happened. I mean, I know what happened, but I don't know what happened.
I get the feeling that the ending being somewhat vague (and fucking abrupt!) was done on purpose, so the Powers That Be can tweak things as they need to, and...ok. I guess that's fine. I mean, what am I going to do about it anyway? Start wandering through parks, shaking my fist and yelling, What the fuck did that stretchy bastard do at the end?! Long-term ramifications, motherfucker! What. Are. They?!
Because, if you want, I could do that.
Anyway. This was very much a classic Hickman story. Or, at least, what I'm coming to associate with his storytelling.
Read: It's out there, duuuuuuuuude.
Lots of bizarre stuff that would go well with a pot brownie and some beer, you know?
And the characters are always saying things like, Time faces the light to stave off the darkness, or some shit. Which sounds kinda cool while you're reading it, but later you're like...What the actual fuck does that mean?!
Or maybe that's just me.
Part of me is wondering why I bothered to read this because I probably would have gotten as much out of it if I'd used Wikipedia.
And then part of me is really glad I did read it, because there's no way I would have believed a Wikipedia article that described what I just read. I would have assumed I was still missing out on some important piece of information, and then it would have driven me nuts till I finally just broke down and read the damn thing. So, yeah. At least now it's out of the way.
Now, it may sound like I'm saying this was horrible or unreadable, but I'm not. I actually kinda thought this was an interesting story with pretty pictures. I am hoping this will be the last BIG EVENT for a while, but I'm sure there were worse ways for a reboot to happen.
So what was this about?
Well, without spoiling much, I can say that this is a Doom vs Richards story.
Victor is actually trying to do the right thing, but because he is who he is, the cracks in his character start to show, and shit starts unraveling.
Meanwhile, Reed has to overcome personal tragedy and try to fight a god for control of a world he doesn't recognize in the hopes of making things right again.
Can magic and science work together to save the universe?
September 21, 2016
(Disclaimer alert: ranting to follow, as well as highly inappropriate metaphors and exceedingly little in the way of actual summary of Secret Wars.)
Every morning on my way to work, I pass the Washington Monument, thrust up into the air like the proudly tumescent stone member of a long-deceased white guy, and I think to myself, “Self, I sure need some coffee.”
Then, I think, “Also, I kind of want to impale the individuals responsible for inflicting Secret Wars on the world on that monument, ideally via the orifice that will inflict the most discomfort.”
Okay, okay—that’s neither fair nor entirely true (I mean, the art was fine). Really, I’m just trying to figure out how to express my frustration with the ongoing state of the seemingly never-ending major Marvel event crossovers (as I’ve done ad nauseum in rants on Axis, Original Sin, and Black Vortex) and how much of a disservice the House That Stan Built (with Help From Many Others, Acknowledged or Not) is doing to its readers by continually pumping out stories that are basically the equivalent of lovemaking with Ron Jeremy: an endless series of thunderous, messy climaxes with nothing in between but fluff(ing).
My primary complaint is that Secret Wars was both all-encompassing and all-pervasive, invading every single Marvel title for months and months of alt-universe stories (ones with wildly inconsistent levels of quality, I’ll note) that, in keeping with the Ron Jeremy theme, were the storytelling equivalent of doubling up on the condoms and spunking into the impenetrable latex tip, because when your major event story whimpers to a close and results in everything going back to the status quo , you realize that all of that creative thrusting had absolutely zero chance to give birth to something meaningful and lasting (yes, nuggets of plot thread snuck into the main Marvel U (often times confusingly and with little explanation), and the destruction of the Ultimate universe is no small thing, but, come on…that was one of the longest episodes of creative masturbation I’ve ever seen).
In all fairness, part of the problem may not be with Marvel or its approach, but with me and the simple fact that I’ve been reading comics (and Marvel comics specifically) for nearly 30 years. I imagine it was much easier to write stories in the days when the lifespan of a comic reader was significantly shorter (in terms of the length of time they read comics, I mean—one assumes that comic readers only have a slightly shorter lifespan than normal humans generally, on account of the combination of cheese curl dust, Mountain Dew, and snark that comprises 90% of our blood); if you could recycle stories/ideas/characters every five years or so to a new group of readers, the status quo is significantly easier to maintain, which reduces the need for these kinds of epic and ostensibly transformative events.
In an era where you’ve got schmucks like me sticking around for decades, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep readers interested or to avoid criticism that you’re not breaking new ground. I mean, how many hundreds (probably closer to thousands) of X-Men stories can one read (and I have) before character/theme/trope fatigue sets in? How many times can you see Magneto ranting about mutant rights before it gets old? How many variations can you do on a fastball special? How many different styles of dental floss can Psylocke wear as a “uniform”?
It’s a difficult task being a serialized storyteller in a world where your audience always expects something new, exciting, and unseen, especially when that audience sticks around for decades. Maybe we, the Lost Boys and Girls of the comic reading set, have created this monster, and maybe the reading experiences of our formative years weigh too heavily on what comes after (I loved—and still love—Age of Apocalypse, for example; was that any different structurally than Secret Wars, really? Was it simply the case that 16-year-old me wasn’t a jaded old curmudgeon?). Maybe a generation raised on comics by a generation raised on comics can’t do much besides flail around in a vast storytelling echo chamber in the hopes of getting a slightly different pitch with each new shout. Maybe I’m reading way too much into what’s supposed to be a book about spandex-clad lads and ladies who punch each other to solve problems.
I don’t think the good folks at Marvel (and its Distinguished Competition) are oblivious to this problem, and if there’s something good that’s emerging in the superhero comics scene right now, it’s a proliferation of diverse heroes. Sure, in some cases, the only thing that’s different is a character’s race or orientation; by and large, they’re still pounding bad guys into submission while cracking wise. And that’s okay, because that’s what brought us all to this orgy in the first place—the love of the money shot (though preferably not from the reverse ball angle, which just seems hazardous for the poor cameraman to capture). Increasingly, though, these heroes are confronting problems that more closely parallel those we see every day—economic inequality, racial disharmony, bigotry, gender identity—in an effort to raise the social IQ of the genre as a whole. And, by and large, I think that’s good, as long as there are at least a few funnybooks on the shelf that remain wholly escapist fantasy (and there’s no shortage of those at the moment, thankfully).
Maybe the solution is for the heroes of our youth, and, in some cases, our parents’ youth, to take a step back and cede the playing field to their younger, hipper, more diverse counterparts and see what happens. They don’t have to go away entirely—I hate to think of a world without Spider-Man (by which I mean Peter Parker) in it—but maybe they need to take a little rest so that they can be recharged and revitalized for a new generation to come, even as new heroes arise to build their own legends.
Or, maybe I just need to step away from the game for a few years to get a little distance and perspective on what made me love superhero comics so much in the first place. Maybe a break would enable me to…ahahahahahaha! I can’t even write that with a straight face…not read superhero comics for a few years? That’s just ridiculous.
To bring this long and rambling diatribe/lament/ode to Ron Jeremy’s particular set of skills to a close, I’ll just say this: Secret Wars is the comics equivalent of watching late night Cinemax: there are some nice visual moments that get you going, but the “plot” doesn’t do much more than create flimsy pretexts for setting up those few nice visual moments, and when it’s all over, you feel equal parts shame and annoyance that you just wasted two hours of your life (one difference with Secret Wars, though: you probably won’t need to change undergarments after the experience. Probably).
But, will I keep coming back for more? Yup. If I’ve learned anything from Spider-Man, it’s to never give up, even in the face of overwhelming odds, and even when you know you can’t win.
So, bring on the next one…
Every morning on my way to work, I pass the Washington Monument, thrust up into the air like the proudly tumescent stone member of a long-deceased white guy, and I think to myself, “Self, I sure need some coffee.”
Then, I think, “Also, I kind of want to impale the individuals responsible for inflicting Secret Wars on the world on that monument, ideally via the orifice that will inflict the most discomfort.”
Okay, okay—that’s neither fair nor entirely true (I mean, the art was fine). Really, I’m just trying to figure out how to express my frustration with the ongoing state of the seemingly never-ending major Marvel event crossovers (as I’ve done ad nauseum in rants on Axis, Original Sin, and Black Vortex) and how much of a disservice the House That Stan Built (with Help From Many Others, Acknowledged or Not) is doing to its readers by continually pumping out stories that are basically the equivalent of lovemaking with Ron Jeremy: an endless series of thunderous, messy climaxes with nothing in between but fluff(ing).
My primary complaint is that Secret Wars was both all-encompassing and all-pervasive, invading every single Marvel title for months and months of alt-universe stories (ones with wildly inconsistent levels of quality, I’ll note) that, in keeping with the Ron Jeremy theme, were the storytelling equivalent of doubling up on the condoms and spunking into the impenetrable latex tip, because when your major event story whimpers to a close and results in everything going back to the status quo , you realize that all of that creative thrusting had absolutely zero chance to give birth to something meaningful and lasting (yes, nuggets of plot thread snuck into the main Marvel U (often times confusingly and with little explanation), and the destruction of the Ultimate universe is no small thing, but, come on…that was one of the longest episodes of creative masturbation I’ve ever seen).
In all fairness, part of the problem may not be with Marvel or its approach, but with me and the simple fact that I’ve been reading comics (and Marvel comics specifically) for nearly 30 years. I imagine it was much easier to write stories in the days when the lifespan of a comic reader was significantly shorter (in terms of the length of time they read comics, I mean—one assumes that comic readers only have a slightly shorter lifespan than normal humans generally, on account of the combination of cheese curl dust, Mountain Dew, and snark that comprises 90% of our blood); if you could recycle stories/ideas/characters every five years or so to a new group of readers, the status quo is significantly easier to maintain, which reduces the need for these kinds of epic and ostensibly transformative events.
In an era where you’ve got schmucks like me sticking around for decades, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep readers interested or to avoid criticism that you’re not breaking new ground. I mean, how many hundreds (probably closer to thousands) of X-Men stories can one read (and I have) before character/theme/trope fatigue sets in? How many times can you see Magneto ranting about mutant rights before it gets old? How many variations can you do on a fastball special? How many different styles of dental floss can Psylocke wear as a “uniform”?
It’s a difficult task being a serialized storyteller in a world where your audience always expects something new, exciting, and unseen, especially when that audience sticks around for decades. Maybe we, the Lost Boys and Girls of the comic reading set, have created this monster, and maybe the reading experiences of our formative years weigh too heavily on what comes after (I loved—and still love—Age of Apocalypse, for example; was that any different structurally than Secret Wars, really? Was it simply the case that 16-year-old me wasn’t a jaded old curmudgeon?). Maybe a generation raised on comics by a generation raised on comics can’t do much besides flail around in a vast storytelling echo chamber in the hopes of getting a slightly different pitch with each new shout. Maybe I’m reading way too much into what’s supposed to be a book about spandex-clad lads and ladies who punch each other to solve problems.
I don’t think the good folks at Marvel (and its Distinguished Competition) are oblivious to this problem, and if there’s something good that’s emerging in the superhero comics scene right now, it’s a proliferation of diverse heroes. Sure, in some cases, the only thing that’s different is a character’s race or orientation; by and large, they’re still pounding bad guys into submission while cracking wise. And that’s okay, because that’s what brought us all to this orgy in the first place—the love of the money shot (though preferably not from the reverse ball angle, which just seems hazardous for the poor cameraman to capture). Increasingly, though, these heroes are confronting problems that more closely parallel those we see every day—economic inequality, racial disharmony, bigotry, gender identity—in an effort to raise the social IQ of the genre as a whole. And, by and large, I think that’s good, as long as there are at least a few funnybooks on the shelf that remain wholly escapist fantasy (and there’s no shortage of those at the moment, thankfully).
Maybe the solution is for the heroes of our youth, and, in some cases, our parents’ youth, to take a step back and cede the playing field to their younger, hipper, more diverse counterparts and see what happens. They don’t have to go away entirely—I hate to think of a world without Spider-Man (by which I mean Peter Parker) in it—but maybe they need to take a little rest so that they can be recharged and revitalized for a new generation to come, even as new heroes arise to build their own legends.
Or, maybe I just need to step away from the game for a few years to get a little distance and perspective on what made me love superhero comics so much in the first place. Maybe a break would enable me to…ahahahahahaha! I can’t even write that with a straight face…not read superhero comics for a few years? That’s just ridiculous.
To bring this long and rambling diatribe/lament/ode to Ron Jeremy’s particular set of skills to a close, I’ll just say this: Secret Wars is the comics equivalent of watching late night Cinemax: there are some nice visual moments that get you going, but the “plot” doesn’t do much more than create flimsy pretexts for setting up those few nice visual moments, and when it’s all over, you feel equal parts shame and annoyance that you just wasted two hours of your life (one difference with Secret Wars, though: you probably won’t need to change undergarments after the experience. Probably).
But, will I keep coming back for more? Yup. If I’ve learned anything from Spider-Man, it’s to never give up, even in the face of overwhelming odds, and even when you know you can’t win.
So, bring on the next one…
January 15, 2016
The Multiverse is doomed.
All worlds have collided and been obliterated except for Earth-616 (the “main” Marvel universe) and Earth-1610 (the Ultimates universe) – until now. In the wake of the end of the world, a new planet appears: Battleworld. It’s ruler? Doom. Welcome to Secret Wars.
Aaaand PAUSE!
I mention quite a few spoilers in this review because they’re a large part of why this event didn’t work for me, so if you want to save yourself for Secret Wars and go into this one completely green, stop reading here. And I’ll see you later!
Alright - UN-PAUSE!
So what a load of bollocks that was! Marvel’s massive 2015 event bled over into 2016 because writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Esad Ribic don’t quite get deadlines! The event saw its Warzones/Battleworld tie-ins, as well as the relaunch of the new Marvel universe, complete months before it ended – and the story itself was terrible anyway!
But Secret Wars is (supposedly) more than just another Marvel event – it’s the culmination of a years-long storyline that Jonathan Hickman has apparently been planning since his days on Fantastic Four through his various Marvel titles but particularly with his Avengers and New Avengers books. Does that mean you have to have read all of them before diving into Secret Wars? Not really.
Valeria Richards (Reed and Sue’s daughter) summarises the main plot points of Hickman’s run succinctly in the #0 issue. The #1 issue though feels like it should’ve been the last chapter in the Time Runs Out storyline rather than the opener of this book. But once you’re past those issues and land on Battleworld from issue #2, it’s a level playing ground for everyone (and I wouldn’t recommend reading Hickman’s extremely tedious Avengers books anyway).
Secret Wars’ two biggest flaws are 1) the lack of a story and 2) the mishandled telling of what material there actually is.
The “important” moment of the series happens in the first issue, which is the premise: the Marvel universe is blowed up for the first time in its history (DC are the guys who routinely do that to their universes, not Marvel). The rest of the book is spent pretending that Battleworld is a worthwhile thing when we know its existence is temporary - take a look at the current Marvel line-up. No sign of Battleworld’s impact there!
Once we’re on Battleworld, Hickman explores the patchwork planet Doom’s put together, which turns out to be part-banal wish fulfilment and, bizarrely, part-Marvelized Game of Thrones ripoff! The realms of Battleworld are fiefdoms whose lords bow to Doom, there’s a wall to keep out the zombies/monsters guarded by the Thors (yes, plural – they’re Battleworld’s police force!) in the role of the Night’s Watch, and Sheriff Strange is a dead ringer for Petyr Baelish! It’s fun for a bit to see familiar Marvel characters in odd new roles, kinda like Marvel 1602. Then you wonder when the story will start. And it never comes.
A couple of liferafts carrying survivors from the now-exploded worlds makes it to Battleworld where they inevitably wind up fighting the various denizens. Like Itchy and Scratchy, the characters fight, and bite, and fight and bite and fight, bite bite bite, fight fight fight until the rushed end. It’s so boring!
I actually enjoyed the series up to the end of the fourth issue - unfortunately, that’s when Hickman loses control and things fall apart fast. Up to then there’d been a steady build and things made a skewed sort of sense; but then something happens, two main characters are killed, and suddenly it’s like a record skipping.
The survivors are scattered across Battleworld. Then it’s three weeks later. New characters have been introduced, others have been captured without us seeing how or why. The two Reeds - the good one from 616 and the evil one from 1610 (who douchily calls himself the “Maker”) - are suddenly working together to accomplish… something that we’re never told, nor do we see why they’re a team now. The Spider-Men (Peter Parker and Miles Morales) find the source of Doom’s power - and do nothing! Armies from across Battleworld suddenly assemble after deciding to fight against Doom for no reason. When the hell did Ben Grimm become 80 feet tall!?! What did Groot do after his BIG appearance and what was the significance? Go-nowhere plotlines and completely random, unexplained choices litter the book.
Then, quicker than you can say Deus Ex Machina, it’s all put back the way it was before – the Universe never exploded, it’s fine! What a cop out. The major exception is that the Ultimates Universe is no more (the line hasn’t been selling for some time now) with Miles Morales/Ultimate Spider-Man as the only survivor (but I’m sure his family, friends, etc. are all magically ok).
That and a couple of other minor things is it for the aftermath of Secret Wars. Doom’s deformed face is miraculously fixed and the Fantastic Four are disbanded with Reed and Sue Richards retired, though the Thing and Human Torch are still hanging around. But we knew the FF were being phased out before this event anyway as their title wasn’t selling and Disney don’t own those characters’ film rights. Basically nothing that happened on Battleworld mattered!
Hickman has all these great ideas but handles them so incompetently. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he’s a fine ideas man who can write a helluva outline but he’s a horrible storyteller! At crucial points he resorts to Valeria Richards or Owen Reece to artlessly spout exposition which makes for an especially clunky read. The third act is all over the place and Hickman ends up falling back on the standard superhero trope of a big, consequence-free action set piece - yawn.
It wasn’t all bad. The Alex Ross covers are amazing (if completely misleading) and Esad Ribic’s art is good at times. I enjoyed the first four issues just fine and the first issue was exciting if chaotic. Ribic drew the epic scale of what was happening well and I loved what he did with Reed and Doom in that last issue. But as the series progressed the panels got sketchier and the lines more faint. If you got any of the issues on Comixology, zoom in on the single panels and look at how rushed the art looks, both pencils/inks and colours. And still the series was months late completing!
The, ahem, “story” doesn’t have a main character but both Miles Morales and Black Panther come close to being that and were brilliant though woefully underused. I liked what Hickman did with Doom too by adding in shades of grey to his character. Doom saved millions of lives in the fallout, far more than the heroes managed (double digits only), and, when it came to the crunch, Doom was the only one willing to step up to the plate and make the tough choice - the heroes wimped out. True, he became a dictator and killed more than a few characters, but I hated how Hickman gives up on this nuanced portrayal of Doom by the end, resorting to the archetypical hero v. villain fight to close out the nonsense. Victor was given short shrift when he really deserved better for what he did in the face of oblivion.
Hickman fanboys will likely gush about how amazing all of this was and enjoy deliriously pointing out all the Easter eggs sprinkled throughout (Architects of Forever cameo! etc.) but Secret Wars was an underwhelming and poorly put-together finale both to Hickman’s time at Marvel and the end of the 616 and 1610 universes (even if the 616 is basically reinstated at the end). Maybe you need to read several key tie-ins to fill in the blanks in the main story but for fuck’s sake ten issues - a couple of which were double-sized - should’ve been long enough to tell one story and Hickman couldn’t even do that well!
Secret Wars: full of sound and fury, signifying nothing!
All worlds have collided and been obliterated except for Earth-616 (the “main” Marvel universe) and Earth-1610 (the Ultimates universe) – until now. In the wake of the end of the world, a new planet appears: Battleworld. It’s ruler? Doom. Welcome to Secret Wars.
Aaaand PAUSE!
I mention quite a few spoilers in this review because they’re a large part of why this event didn’t work for me, so if you want to save yourself for Secret Wars and go into this one completely green, stop reading here. And I’ll see you later!
Alright - UN-PAUSE!
So what a load of bollocks that was! Marvel’s massive 2015 event bled over into 2016 because writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Esad Ribic don’t quite get deadlines! The event saw its Warzones/Battleworld tie-ins, as well as the relaunch of the new Marvel universe, complete months before it ended – and the story itself was terrible anyway!
But Secret Wars is (supposedly) more than just another Marvel event – it’s the culmination of a years-long storyline that Jonathan Hickman has apparently been planning since his days on Fantastic Four through his various Marvel titles but particularly with his Avengers and New Avengers books. Does that mean you have to have read all of them before diving into Secret Wars? Not really.
Valeria Richards (Reed and Sue’s daughter) summarises the main plot points of Hickman’s run succinctly in the #0 issue. The #1 issue though feels like it should’ve been the last chapter in the Time Runs Out storyline rather than the opener of this book. But once you’re past those issues and land on Battleworld from issue #2, it’s a level playing ground for everyone (and I wouldn’t recommend reading Hickman’s extremely tedious Avengers books anyway).
Secret Wars’ two biggest flaws are 1) the lack of a story and 2) the mishandled telling of what material there actually is.
The “important” moment of the series happens in the first issue, which is the premise: the Marvel universe is blowed up for the first time in its history (DC are the guys who routinely do that to their universes, not Marvel). The rest of the book is spent pretending that Battleworld is a worthwhile thing when we know its existence is temporary - take a look at the current Marvel line-up. No sign of Battleworld’s impact there!
Once we’re on Battleworld, Hickman explores the patchwork planet Doom’s put together, which turns out to be part-banal wish fulfilment and, bizarrely, part-Marvelized Game of Thrones ripoff! The realms of Battleworld are fiefdoms whose lords bow to Doom, there’s a wall to keep out the zombies/monsters guarded by the Thors (yes, plural – they’re Battleworld’s police force!) in the role of the Night’s Watch, and Sheriff Strange is a dead ringer for Petyr Baelish! It’s fun for a bit to see familiar Marvel characters in odd new roles, kinda like Marvel 1602. Then you wonder when the story will start. And it never comes.
A couple of liferafts carrying survivors from the now-exploded worlds makes it to Battleworld where they inevitably wind up fighting the various denizens. Like Itchy and Scratchy, the characters fight, and bite, and fight and bite and fight, bite bite bite, fight fight fight until the rushed end. It’s so boring!
I actually enjoyed the series up to the end of the fourth issue - unfortunately, that’s when Hickman loses control and things fall apart fast. Up to then there’d been a steady build and things made a skewed sort of sense; but then something happens, two main characters are killed, and suddenly it’s like a record skipping.
The survivors are scattered across Battleworld. Then it’s three weeks later. New characters have been introduced, others have been captured without us seeing how or why. The two Reeds - the good one from 616 and the evil one from 1610 (who douchily calls himself the “Maker”) - are suddenly working together to accomplish… something that we’re never told, nor do we see why they’re a team now. The Spider-Men (Peter Parker and Miles Morales) find the source of Doom’s power - and do nothing! Armies from across Battleworld suddenly assemble after deciding to fight against Doom for no reason. When the hell did Ben Grimm become 80 feet tall!?! What did Groot do after his BIG appearance and what was the significance? Go-nowhere plotlines and completely random, unexplained choices litter the book.
Then, quicker than you can say Deus Ex Machina, it’s all put back the way it was before – the Universe never exploded, it’s fine! What a cop out. The major exception is that the Ultimates Universe is no more (the line hasn’t been selling for some time now) with Miles Morales/Ultimate Spider-Man as the only survivor (but I’m sure his family, friends, etc. are all magically ok).
That and a couple of other minor things is it for the aftermath of Secret Wars. Doom’s deformed face is miraculously fixed and the Fantastic Four are disbanded with Reed and Sue Richards retired, though the Thing and Human Torch are still hanging around. But we knew the FF were being phased out before this event anyway as their title wasn’t selling and Disney don’t own those characters’ film rights. Basically nothing that happened on Battleworld mattered!
Hickman has all these great ideas but handles them so incompetently. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he’s a fine ideas man who can write a helluva outline but he’s a horrible storyteller! At crucial points he resorts to Valeria Richards or Owen Reece to artlessly spout exposition which makes for an especially clunky read. The third act is all over the place and Hickman ends up falling back on the standard superhero trope of a big, consequence-free action set piece - yawn.
It wasn’t all bad. The Alex Ross covers are amazing (if completely misleading) and Esad Ribic’s art is good at times. I enjoyed the first four issues just fine and the first issue was exciting if chaotic. Ribic drew the epic scale of what was happening well and I loved what he did with Reed and Doom in that last issue. But as the series progressed the panels got sketchier and the lines more faint. If you got any of the issues on Comixology, zoom in on the single panels and look at how rushed the art looks, both pencils/inks and colours. And still the series was months late completing!
The, ahem, “story” doesn’t have a main character but both Miles Morales and Black Panther come close to being that and were brilliant though woefully underused. I liked what Hickman did with Doom too by adding in shades of grey to his character. Doom saved millions of lives in the fallout, far more than the heroes managed (double digits only), and, when it came to the crunch, Doom was the only one willing to step up to the plate and make the tough choice - the heroes wimped out. True, he became a dictator and killed more than a few characters, but I hated how Hickman gives up on this nuanced portrayal of Doom by the end, resorting to the archetypical hero v. villain fight to close out the nonsense. Victor was given short shrift when he really deserved better for what he did in the face of oblivion.
Hickman fanboys will likely gush about how amazing all of this was and enjoy deliriously pointing out all the Easter eggs sprinkled throughout (Architects of Forever cameo! etc.) but Secret Wars was an underwhelming and poorly put-together finale both to Hickman’s time at Marvel and the end of the 616 and 1610 universes (even if the 616 is basically reinstated at the end). Maybe you need to read several key tie-ins to fill in the blanks in the main story but for fuck’s sake ten issues - a couple of which were double-sized - should’ve been long enough to tell one story and Hickman couldn’t even do that well!
Secret Wars: full of sound and fury, signifying nothing!
July 12, 2019
So, this is the grand finale to Jonathan Hickman’s years-in-the-making Marvel spectacle?
*spits on the ground*
As a “series” finale goes, it’s on the list just above the WTF Lost thing and the head-scratching Seinfeld final episode.
The crossover event, showing rare glimpses of wit and fun, that led up to this was more often than not a chore to get through. The splintered Battleworld storylines that came next ranged from mildly entertaining to mere dreck.
Basically, Hickman spent countless Avengers issues and years detailing the collision and destruction of universes (Earth is the epicenter for all of them. Go Earth!) only to be usurped at the very end by that crazy-assed Tin Man himself, Doctor Victor Von Doom. He saved our collective asses and he created pocket battle zones based on past Marvel comic continuity and ruled them like a boss. Like a despotic boss with a god complex, but a boss nevertheless.
But, now, it’s clobbering time.
And Doom’s reckoning comes at the hands of, you guessed it, his old nemesis, Reed Richards.
Hey, Mr. Meddling genius, what the hell do we do now?
Well, what is it?
No, really, what is it?
Uh, the simple one? Please...
Ha, Jeff!! Sucker!!!
Bottom Line : Let’s look at this glass half full and you have the inclusion of Miles Morales…
…and evil Ultimate Reed Richards, who I’ll miss most of all. <3
More of the “good” news! A savvy reader could probably read just this volume and skip everything that preceded it.
July 24, 2017
Marvel gets finally a reboot!
This TPB edition collects “Secret Wars” (2015) #1-9, plus material from the “Secret Wars – Free Comic Book Day” issue #0.
Creative Team:
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Illustrator: Esad Ribic
Covers: Alex Ross
KINDA CONFUSING TITLE
The original Secret Wars was back then, in 1984, and when they did a sequel, it was titled Secret Wars II…
…was it too much to ask to properly title this as “Secret Wars III”?!
Even when they did the event Secret War, in 2004, while it looked too much alike, it was definitely different to anyone with a fair sense to differentiate plural from singular, like the first movies of Alien and Aliens.
But this event of 2015, it was called with the exact same title, okay, yes, it’s like the end of the circle of what started in 1984, but that’s not a good excuse, even if they didn’t want to use the “III” on it, to avoid an acknowledgement to Secret Wars II that wasn’t that well received, they still could add something like “Revisited”, “Again”, “Reloaded”, etc…
Honestly, it’s amazing (and not in the good sense) that 30 years later, they couldn’t come up with something, anything, to clearly distinguish this modern comic book event from the now classic one.
A SECRET GAME OF THRONE WARS
This is a good comic book event, and certainly fans of stuff like Game of Thrones (to refer the current phenomenon, but obviously one should mention Lord of the Rings) since this Marvel storyline offers you kinda similar ambiance, just using fragments of several parallel Earths from the Marvel Universe, all merged in the same world, where God is…
…Victor Von Doom.
Yep!
For years, the Marvel multiverse has been collapsing, and now only the Earth-616 (the original Marvel’s Earth) and the Ultimate Marvel’s Earth is the remaining ones and both want to survive, but it seems that only one Earth can do it, but Doctor Doom, empowered with god-like abilities that rivaled (and very likely surpassed) elements like the Phoenix Force and the Infinity Gauntlet (Wow! And you know what else? Wow!) will save the most possible from the multiverse to make his own utopian world, creating a new reality, where he is God, and each region of his creation is supervised by Barons of his own choosing and an army of Thors as his personal guard.
However, not everything from Earth-616 and Ultimate Marvel was lost and/or merged into Doom’s brave new world…
…two “life rafts”, one of each mentioned earths, survived from what was the previous parallel worlds, and conserving the memories of what was like before Doom became God.
The Secret Wars begin again!
Now, members of those two life rafts, with very different agendas and reasons, are spreading sedes of doubt over the divinity of Doom.
In 1961, The Fantastic Four initiated the “modern” era of Marvel Comics, and since this Secret Wars (2015) event is “finishing” the original Marvel Universe, it’s only fair that The Fantastic Four family will be right in the center of the conflict to deal with it.
And one final piece of advice…
…Keep some food with you! You’ll never know how relevant for your own existence can be!
This TPB edition collects “Secret Wars” (2015) #1-9, plus material from the “Secret Wars – Free Comic Book Day” issue #0.
Creative Team:
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Illustrator: Esad Ribic
Covers: Alex Ross
KINDA CONFUSING TITLE
The original Secret Wars was back then, in 1984, and when they did a sequel, it was titled Secret Wars II…
…was it too much to ask to properly title this as “Secret Wars III”?!
Even when they did the event Secret War, in 2004, while it looked too much alike, it was definitely different to anyone with a fair sense to differentiate plural from singular, like the first movies of Alien and Aliens.
But this event of 2015, it was called with the exact same title, okay, yes, it’s like the end of the circle of what started in 1984, but that’s not a good excuse, even if they didn’t want to use the “III” on it, to avoid an acknowledgement to Secret Wars II that wasn’t that well received, they still could add something like “Revisited”, “Again”, “Reloaded”, etc…
Honestly, it’s amazing (and not in the good sense) that 30 years later, they couldn’t come up with something, anything, to clearly distinguish this modern comic book event from the now classic one.
A SECRET GAME OF THRONE WARS
This is a good comic book event, and certainly fans of stuff like Game of Thrones (to refer the current phenomenon, but obviously one should mention Lord of the Rings) since this Marvel storyline offers you kinda similar ambiance, just using fragments of several parallel Earths from the Marvel Universe, all merged in the same world, where God is…
…Victor Von Doom.
Yep!
For years, the Marvel multiverse has been collapsing, and now only the Earth-616 (the original Marvel’s Earth) and the Ultimate Marvel’s Earth is the remaining ones and both want to survive, but it seems that only one Earth can do it, but Doctor Doom, empowered with god-like abilities that rivaled (and very likely surpassed) elements like the Phoenix Force and the Infinity Gauntlet (Wow! And you know what else? Wow!) will save the most possible from the multiverse to make his own utopian world, creating a new reality, where he is God, and each region of his creation is supervised by Barons of his own choosing and an army of Thors as his personal guard.
However, not everything from Earth-616 and Ultimate Marvel was lost and/or merged into Doom’s brave new world…
…two “life rafts”, one of each mentioned earths, survived from what was the previous parallel worlds, and conserving the memories of what was like before Doom became God.
The Secret Wars begin again!
Now, members of those two life rafts, with very different agendas and reasons, are spreading sedes of doubt over the divinity of Doom.
In 1961, The Fantastic Four initiated the “modern” era of Marvel Comics, and since this Secret Wars (2015) event is “finishing” the original Marvel Universe, it’s only fair that The Fantastic Four family will be right in the center of the conflict to deal with it.
And one final piece of advice…
…Keep some food with you! You’ll never know how relevant for your own existence can be!
September 25, 2017
I’d like to tell you about this comic, but it’s a SECRET!
Actually, it isn’t. The title really doesn’t make sense, and it’s really just a nod towards the first big Marvel crossover Secret Wars. (Which also really wasn’t a secret either now that I think about it.) This also has plenty of other things you could rip on it about. Like you have to have a fairly detailed and current knowledge of the Marvel comics universe including Hickman’s run on Avengers to have a prayer of understanding it. There’s a ridiculous amount of content you’d have to read to get the whole story. (137 individual comics come up on the Marvel Unlimited app for this event.) And if you just check out the core Secret Wars books there’s a lot that will seem rushed and unexplained because the some parts of the story are happening elsewhere. In short this is one of those giant crossover events, and this one is also carrying the weight of being a way to reboot and retcon chunks of Marvel. Been there, done that, bored to death by it, right?
And yet I actually kind of liked this.
Yeah, I’ll concede all those flaws and more, but I appreciate that Hickman really swung for the fences even as he was dealing with the limitations and problems inherent to these epic stunts. The idea that all of the Marvel universes were colliding and destroying each other, and that Doctor Doom, of all people, is the one who manages to salvage pieces of the multiverse which he stitched together into a world he appointed himself god of was pretty ambitious and had some cool angles to it. I also liked that the central figures here are characters like Doom, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Dr. Strange, and Black Panther because they usually end up as the supporting players in something like this, but by taking Tony Stark and Steve Rogers out of the picture back in the Avengers it gives other heroes a chance to shine. Plus, Tony and Steve were really being annoying jerkfaces so good riddance for now.
I could easily revert to more cynical comic nerd self and roll my eyes at how Marvel did all of this with the promise of a new refreshed universe, and yet as I understand, the only things that are really different are things like bringing the Miles Morales version of Spider-Man into regular continuity and ending the Fantastic Four. (And that was as much about a pissing contest with Fox over film rights as it was a story decision.)
Still, it had its appeal from the big ideas to some of the smaller character bits with some heart such as I did like that at the end of it all it boiled down a very personal fight between two of Marvel’s older characters. There was probably a much better and simpler way to do this that might have made this something truly great, but for what it was I found myself entertained for the most part.
Actually, it isn’t. The title really doesn’t make sense, and it’s really just a nod towards the first big Marvel crossover Secret Wars. (Which also really wasn’t a secret either now that I think about it.) This also has plenty of other things you could rip on it about. Like you have to have a fairly detailed and current knowledge of the Marvel comics universe including Hickman’s run on Avengers to have a prayer of understanding it. There’s a ridiculous amount of content you’d have to read to get the whole story. (137 individual comics come up on the Marvel Unlimited app for this event.) And if you just check out the core Secret Wars books there’s a lot that will seem rushed and unexplained because the some parts of the story are happening elsewhere. In short this is one of those giant crossover events, and this one is also carrying the weight of being a way to reboot and retcon chunks of Marvel. Been there, done that, bored to death by it, right?
And yet I actually kind of liked this.
Yeah, I’ll concede all those flaws and more, but I appreciate that Hickman really swung for the fences even as he was dealing with the limitations and problems inherent to these epic stunts. The idea that all of the Marvel universes were colliding and destroying each other, and that Doctor Doom, of all people, is the one who manages to salvage pieces of the multiverse which he stitched together into a world he appointed himself god of was pretty ambitious and had some cool angles to it. I also liked that the central figures here are characters like Doom, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Dr. Strange, and Black Panther because they usually end up as the supporting players in something like this, but by taking Tony Stark and Steve Rogers out of the picture back in the Avengers it gives other heroes a chance to shine. Plus, Tony and Steve were really being annoying jerkfaces so good riddance for now.
I could easily revert to more cynical comic nerd self and roll my eyes at how Marvel did all of this with the promise of a new refreshed universe, and yet as I understand, the only things that are really different are things like bringing the Miles Morales version of Spider-Man into regular continuity and ending the Fantastic Four. (And that was as much about a pissing contest with Fox over film rights as it was a story decision.)
Still, it had its appeal from the big ideas to some of the smaller character bits with some heart such as I did like that at the end of it all it boiled down a very personal fight between two of Marvel’s older characters. There was probably a much better and simpler way to do this that might have made this something truly great, but for what it was I found myself entertained for the most part.
January 18, 2016
Life, the world, and even the universe is ending. The reason, because two worlds are colliding.
The defenders of Earth 616 have done their best to stave off their end, but the time has come.
Some run from the end and suffer loss.
A few stand against the end...
and are rewarded for their efforts.
Doom is a God that saved the world and created the Battleworld.
The tagline leading into Secret Wars was everything dies and I must say the concept bummed me out. I was pretty negative about Secret Wars as it started and then my feelings were initially justified. The beginning was slow and the world felt like an extra science fiction version of Game of Thrones with a wall holding back the undead and specially chosen fighters who defend the wall. Everything changed when Reed Richards reappeared.
Doom had taken Reed's family as his own. Susan was his wife, Franklin his biological son, and Valeria his biological daughter.
The tension picked up because there was no way Reed would live in a world where his family was Doom's.
The pace moved quickly from there and the rest of the story was action packed. Some unexpected events took place and I happily read late into the night to finish the story.
In the end Secret Wars was surprisingly good and an undeniably emotional story.
The defenders of Earth 616 have done their best to stave off their end, but the time has come.
Some run from the end and suffer loss.
A few stand against the end...
and are rewarded for their efforts.
Doom is a God that saved the world and created the Battleworld.
The tagline leading into Secret Wars was everything dies and I must say the concept bummed me out. I was pretty negative about Secret Wars as it started and then my feelings were initially justified. The beginning was slow and the world felt like an extra science fiction version of Game of Thrones with a wall holding back the undead and specially chosen fighters who defend the wall. Everything changed when Reed Richards reappeared.
Doom had taken Reed's family as his own. Susan was his wife, Franklin his biological son, and Valeria his biological daughter.
The tension picked up because there was no way Reed would live in a world where his family was Doom's.
The pace moved quickly from there and the rest of the story was action packed. Some unexpected events took place and I happily read late into the night to finish the story.
In the end Secret Wars was surprisingly good and an undeniably emotional story.
July 12, 2019
After building up to this for the last 5 years or so, I found Secret Wars a bit of a let down. The first 3 or so issues are mainly buildup, then when things are set in motion most of the action appears off screen. Everyone shows back up at the end to fight Doom one at a time. At the end it appears that everything has went back to normal except that Miles Morales is now in the Marvel U and the Future Foundation is off on a new adventure. I'm actually pretty glad this whole Secret Wars thing is over. I feel like it's been a big drag on the Marvel U for the last couple of years.
December 19, 2021
The epic of epics, Jonathan Hickman's Avengers (and entire Marvel Universe) arc finally concludes.
It doesn't get more high concept. 2015's Secret Wars is basically Marvel's Crisis on Infinite Earths, but taken in a completely different direction. After the end of the multiverse, Dr. Doom is now omnipotent and takes all the remains of the various realities and timelines to one remaining planet. It's called Battleworld--a clever reference to the original 80s Secret Wars crossover.
Yet this isn't just for geeks who only read books with pictures. There are also major references to Dune and Game of Thrones, and this does have the feel of a dense fantasy novel. There's the God-Emperor, the warring houses and wall shielding civilization from anarchy.
While much of the point of the Battleworld premise was to revel in nostalgia and publish a hundred tie-ins catered for every conceivable fan, the core story works surprisingly well. It truly seems like the culmination of decades of storytelling, as if that was the plan all along. This is something only Hickman can excel at: creating a meta-narrative that takes all the mythology from the very beginning and turning it into one grand plan.
The power of the Beyonder, Black Panther and Namor's rivalry, Reed Richards' love for his family, the Ultimate Universe, and Thanos. Remarkably, these concepts and more get wrapped up in a mostly satisfying climax for all that has come before. Even if endings aren't Hickman's strong suit, an understandable challenge considering how many big ideas he kept adding and adding back then. The very last line, however, is quite a perfect coda to the first line of his New Avengers # 1... From "Everything dies," to "Everything lives."
And the Esad Ribić art is consistently gorgeous. Reads more like a high-end European graphic novel than a superhero comic, even as it stars all those familiar super characters/IP we know from the movies and cartoons. It is an ambitious work, about power and genius and the end of the world, and the visuals take this very seriously. Overall, a five-star story if ever there was one. If one does actually read the eighty or so chapters that preceded Secret Wars, it really is worth the effort to have made it here.
It doesn't get more high concept. 2015's Secret Wars is basically Marvel's Crisis on Infinite Earths, but taken in a completely different direction. After the end of the multiverse, Dr. Doom is now omnipotent and takes all the remains of the various realities and timelines to one remaining planet. It's called Battleworld--a clever reference to the original 80s Secret Wars crossover.
Yet this isn't just for geeks who only read books with pictures. There are also major references to Dune and Game of Thrones, and this does have the feel of a dense fantasy novel. There's the God-Emperor, the warring houses and wall shielding civilization from anarchy.
While much of the point of the Battleworld premise was to revel in nostalgia and publish a hundred tie-ins catered for every conceivable fan, the core story works surprisingly well. It truly seems like the culmination of decades of storytelling, as if that was the plan all along. This is something only Hickman can excel at: creating a meta-narrative that takes all the mythology from the very beginning and turning it into one grand plan.
The power of the Beyonder, Black Panther and Namor's rivalry, Reed Richards' love for his family, the Ultimate Universe, and Thanos. Remarkably, these concepts and more get wrapped up in a mostly satisfying climax for all that has come before. Even if endings aren't Hickman's strong suit, an understandable challenge considering how many big ideas he kept adding and adding back then. The very last line, however, is quite a perfect coda to the first line of his New Avengers # 1... From "Everything dies," to "Everything lives."
And the Esad Ribić art is consistently gorgeous. Reads more like a high-end European graphic novel than a superhero comic, even as it stars all those familiar super characters/IP we know from the movies and cartoons. It is an ambitious work, about power and genius and the end of the world, and the visuals take this very seriously. Overall, a five-star story if ever there was one. If one does actually read the eighty or so chapters that preceded Secret Wars, it really is worth the effort to have made it here.
October 11, 2018
I personally thought this was great. I think it should be read after you've read Hickmans Avengers run, as it's a conclusion to that. And if you want to REALLY get it, you should read his Fantastic Four before his Avengers run, because this feels like a culmination of a lot of stuff he's been doing at Marvel, almost since he started there.
It was very delayed, and that was frustrating, but it'll make one hell of a pretty graphic novel.
It was very delayed, and that was frustrating, but it'll make one hell of a pretty graphic novel.
August 28, 2016
A decent crossover and good fun to read.
Not all of it made sense and I certainly don't think the ending made any sense.
Hickman is a great writer, but you can tell this was very rushed.
No to forget Ribic, damn that guy can draw!
Not all of it made sense and I certainly don't think the ending made any sense.
Hickman is a great writer, but you can tell this was very rushed.
No to forget Ribic, damn that guy can draw!
November 18, 2024
I remember being way too hyped for this than I should have been. I fell for the ol' "never judge a book by its cover" shtick after seeing Alex Ross' glorious artwork on the cover featuring an expansive crossover between endless universes.
What we got was not that. I mean, those characters made brief appearances in mediocre spinoff miniseries, but the main event only focused on the Prime Marvel Universe (Earth-616) and the Ultimate Marvel Universe literally clashing because the plot said so.
This book not only served as the ending to the Ultimate Universe, but the beginning of the end of Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four story, I believe.
So what that means is this is NOT the place to start with Secret Wars.
But of course, you could still enjoy it on its own, just that to fully understand what's going on, you may want to read a little of what came before.
The best possible way to start this series is by reading what is essentially the Prelude to this event and that would be New Avengers (2013) #1-3, Secret Wars (1984) #10-12, Fantastic Four #611, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (2011) #1, Ultimate Comics Ultimates #4. I managed to buy the Prelude tpb back when it was first released and I feel as though I enjoyed the main event more because of it.
Aside from that, there is of course Jonathan Hickman's fan-favorite Fantastic Four run, which I still have yet to read. Everyone was pulling their hair out and throwing fruit at me on the streets for not reading that before this.
And of course, there's the original Secret Wars series to read before this. I'm not too sure of the importance of Secret Wars II, but the first is a classic and should be read anyway, whether or not you plan to read this newer event.
Or you could just take a chance and read this first and see if you enjoy it. I'm sure there's enough to enjoy for those who haven't read the stuff prior to this event and--honestly? Maybe you'll even check the other stuff out AFTER reading this. Like I will someday, with Hickman's F4.
I won't tell you what happens to the Marvel Universe at the end of this series, but I will say we got a really good on-going Old Man Logan spinoff by Jeff Lemire because of it.
What we got was not that. I mean, those characters made brief appearances in mediocre spinoff miniseries, but the main event only focused on the Prime Marvel Universe (Earth-616) and the Ultimate Marvel Universe literally clashing because the plot said so.
This book not only served as the ending to the Ultimate Universe, but the beginning of the end of Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four story, I believe.
So what that means is this is NOT the place to start with Secret Wars.
But of course, you could still enjoy it on its own, just that to fully understand what's going on, you may want to read a little of what came before.
The best possible way to start this series is by reading what is essentially the Prelude to this event and that would be New Avengers (2013) #1-3, Secret Wars (1984) #10-12, Fantastic Four #611, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (2011) #1, Ultimate Comics Ultimates #4. I managed to buy the Prelude tpb back when it was first released and I feel as though I enjoyed the main event more because of it.
Aside from that, there is of course Jonathan Hickman's fan-favorite Fantastic Four run, which I still have yet to read. Everyone was pulling their hair out and throwing fruit at me on the streets for not reading that before this.
And of course, there's the original Secret Wars series to read before this. I'm not too sure of the importance of Secret Wars II, but the first is a classic and should be read anyway, whether or not you plan to read this newer event.
Or you could just take a chance and read this first and see if you enjoy it. I'm sure there's enough to enjoy for those who haven't read the stuff prior to this event and--honestly? Maybe you'll even check the other stuff out AFTER reading this. Like I will someday, with Hickman's F4.
I won't tell you what happens to the Marvel Universe at the end of this series, but I will say we got a really good on-going Old Man Logan spinoff by Jeff Lemire because of it.
January 13, 2016
The last issue of Secret Wars came out today. All I could think while reading it was that that this final issue was all I needed to read. The 8 issues leading up to it, as well as all the other tie-in Battleworld issues, were just...there.
I dunno.
I'm just glad its all over. I'm not even sure what exactly happened. The book took so bloody long to come out that by the time I was reading a new issue I had forgotten half the shit that had occurred previously.
One positive - Esad Ribic killed it on the art side of things. It was the only thing, really, that kept me picking this series up issue after issue.
The overall Secret Wars 'event', however, did nothing for me. The last Marvel 'event' book I really liked was Infinity. That shit was awesome; And very important to Secret Wars. I just feel like this galactic, earth-shattering (literally) climax to everything Marvel has been working towards for years now was, simply put, a big pile of...meh.
Whatever. It's done. No point in standing here bashing it. I'ma just dismiss it and forget it.
I dunno.
I'm just glad its all over. I'm not even sure what exactly happened. The book took so bloody long to come out that by the time I was reading a new issue I had forgotten half the shit that had occurred previously.
One positive - Esad Ribic killed it on the art side of things. It was the only thing, really, that kept me picking this series up issue after issue.
The overall Secret Wars 'event', however, did nothing for me. The last Marvel 'event' book I really liked was Infinity. That shit was awesome; And very important to Secret Wars. I just feel like this galactic, earth-shattering (literally) climax to everything Marvel has been working towards for years now was, simply put, a big pile of...meh.
Whatever. It's done. No point in standing here bashing it. I'ma just dismiss it and forget it.
August 3, 2022
I enjoyed this book a whole lot more on my second read-through, partially because I didn't fully grasp the Battleworld concept on my first read, still, I have two major problems with it, too many focus on the Fantastic Four, and the ending sucks, big time, it was the cheapest way out ever.
June 11, 2021
Its the final clash between 1610 and 616! God Doom has created a new world and it falls on the survivors to find out what it is and through the initial issues we learn what this new Battleworld is and finally we find out the history and the various factions and all that exist here and then we follow the heroes and even villains to see this world and their final battle against Doom but in the end it comes down to two men and its just epic and the fallout will decide the future of Marvel or will even there be one!!
Hickman's masterpiece and his endgame through his first years as Marvel writer and its really good. I really enjoyed the world he built and finally seeing Victor vs Reed and the choices one makes and showing how good Reed is and what happens to F4 hereafter and some other changes to Marvel, its a bold visionary storytelling and has everything and the art is just ethereal and good. Probably one of the best ever and finally a fitting end! Everything lives!
Hickman's masterpiece and his endgame through his first years as Marvel writer and its really good. I really enjoyed the world he built and finally seeing Victor vs Reed and the choices one makes and showing how good Reed is and what happens to F4 hereafter and some other changes to Marvel, its a bold visionary storytelling and has everything and the art is just ethereal and good. Probably one of the best ever and finally a fitting end! Everything lives!
March 24, 2016
Small bit of background: I read all of Hickman's New Avengers and Avengers (including what is now in the Time Runs Out HC) but didn't read Secret Wars until now, so it's been quite a few months and I've been eagerly awaiting this to see just what happened at the end of the Marvel Universe.
I wouldn't say I necessarily had high expectations but I did have different expectations from what was delivered. After reading about the first half I was slightly disappointed, but after finishing it, realized it was better than what I actually thought it would be.
It really wasn't a "typical" or even "classic" Marvel "event" and had almost no semblance to the original Secret Wars. While you do find out what happened and what becomes of the MU, that's really secondary. The story mainly involves Victor Von Doom and Reed Richards, one time friends, long time rivals. Hickman digs deep into not just what drives each one or what each one really wants, but also why they end up at odds. This is the meat of the story and what really sold me on the book. It almost feels like a bookend to Hickman's incredible run on the Fantastic Four.
There's plenty of action and a couple "oh wow" moments. Ribic's art is about the same as what you saw on his Thor run. I liked it more after that story-line, but for some reason in Secret Wars it didn't quite grab me as much but it is still solid. One minor complaint: Sue Richards and Valeria were a little too similar looking and end up confusing me a couple times.
This deserves a second read, at least for me, to absorb this with a different set of expectations. The ending also is very intriguing as far as what the future holds for Reed Richards and the entire MU.
I wouldn't say I necessarily had high expectations but I did have different expectations from what was delivered. After reading about the first half I was slightly disappointed, but after finishing it, realized it was better than what I actually thought it would be.
It really wasn't a "typical" or even "classic" Marvel "event" and had almost no semblance to the original Secret Wars. While you do find out what happened and what becomes of the MU, that's really secondary. The story mainly involves Victor Von Doom and Reed Richards, one time friends, long time rivals. Hickman digs deep into not just what drives each one or what each one really wants, but also why they end up at odds. This is the meat of the story and what really sold me on the book. It almost feels like a bookend to Hickman's incredible run on the Fantastic Four.
There's plenty of action and a couple "oh wow" moments. Ribic's art is about the same as what you saw on his Thor run. I liked it more after that story-line, but for some reason in Secret Wars it didn't quite grab me as much but it is still solid. One minor complaint: Sue Richards and Valeria were a little too similar looking and end up confusing me a couple times.
This deserves a second read, at least for me, to absorb this with a different set of expectations. The ending also is very intriguing as far as what the future holds for Reed Richards and the entire MU.
October 3, 2025
The new Secret Wars takes a nod from the old Secret Wars. Once again a near omnipotent being (then it was the Beyonder, now it's Doom) snatches superheroes and puts them on a Battleworld and let's them fight it out. In this new series the Beyonders were defeated by Dr. Doom and the Molecule Man. This gave Doom the powers of a God and he creates a world from a pastiche of remaining worlds left over from the Avengers Time Runs out story.
The planet with Doom as God is interesting. Doom employs powerful Barons who serve him from Apocalypse to Mr Sisnter to Thanos. Doom's police force is composed of thousands of Thors and the Molecule Man is hanging out in a white haze trying to eat burgers. Into this story the surviving members of the Illuminati and the Cabal find themselves. The rest of the series is them trying to defeat an omnipotent Doom.
So is this deep? No. Is it entertaining? Yes. While never deep, this iteration of the Secret Wars concept is deeper and the Battleworld is an interesting place in its own right. The artwork is top notch and that goes a long way in making this a good comic. Hickman is good with epic stories and this Secret Wars certainly works. The overall series wasn't too bad. Though the throwback appeal of a Battleworld is interesting- Doom is far to human to be an inscrutable god like the Beyonder was. As things begin to unravel in his world, Doom often seems hubristic. The end of the series and the way it ended (no spoilers) left a little to be desired. While the artwork was great throughout, the ending of the story failed to excite me. Upon reflection I found the entire story to be just good- not great. Thus if you are a big fan of Doom or the Avengers-go ahead and read this. But, it seems mostly for those readers who sat through the 4 volume Hickman run on Avengers: Time Runs Out.
The planet with Doom as God is interesting. Doom employs powerful Barons who serve him from Apocalypse to Mr Sisnter to Thanos. Doom's police force is composed of thousands of Thors and the Molecule Man is hanging out in a white haze trying to eat burgers. Into this story the surviving members of the Illuminati and the Cabal find themselves. The rest of the series is them trying to defeat an omnipotent Doom.
So is this deep? No. Is it entertaining? Yes. While never deep, this iteration of the Secret Wars concept is deeper and the Battleworld is an interesting place in its own right. The artwork is top notch and that goes a long way in making this a good comic. Hickman is good with epic stories and this Secret Wars certainly works. The overall series wasn't too bad. Though the throwback appeal of a Battleworld is interesting- Doom is far to human to be an inscrutable god like the Beyonder was. As things begin to unravel in his world, Doom often seems hubristic. The end of the series and the way it ended (no spoilers) left a little to be desired. While the artwork was great throughout, the ending of the story failed to excite me. Upon reflection I found the entire story to be just good- not great. Thus if you are a big fan of Doom or the Avengers-go ahead and read this. But, it seems mostly for those readers who sat through the 4 volume Hickman run on Avengers: Time Runs Out.
September 18, 2016
Secret Wars (finished 2016-07-29, 4-5 stars)
Well that was pretty awesome.
Here we are. The big reboot. The reset to anything and everything that Marvel wasn't happy with or wanted to make the best of (i.e. the shutdown of the Ultimate Universe). Coming into this with all that corporate backstory cheapens the event somewhat, but on the other hand Jonathan Hickman has been building on his past successes and taking such care to create a giant interconnected mythos out of so much of the Marvel Universe's origins, gods and cosmic forces - plus all the new forces and being he's introduced in his career at Marvel - that it can't help but start out as the biggest BOOM to hit the pages all century.
This starts off with the feeling that shit really is hitting the fan on both worlds, and that's cool/unnerving in the same breath. It's awesome to see all this excess firepower being used and rebuffed, and the little cameos from favourites in both universes makes it feel like the gang's all here. Gang's all here, for the great nullification and restart.
And what a restart. Hickman populates an entirely new "world" (?) with many of our beloved characters, but in strange/adjacent new settings, with rich mythologies that make them seem as timeless at the old 616 was.
However, and this is a personal aside: as with everything I've ever read from Hickman, I find a part of myself wondering "Will this really be canon, or is Hickman just playing toy soldiers with whatever he likes at the moment?" while I'm reading his works. I can never quite shake the feeling that even if the editors are willing to see his changes stay, that the creators who follow just won't have the stamina/patience/imagination to keep taking it through.
Which leaves me always a little under-invested in the minutia of Hickman's mythologies. It turns out that many of the big pieces of what he'd crafted stuck around the entirety of his Avengers runs, which was rewarding (and which made me feel a little less slow that they kept explaining it for us rubes), but...
In any case, the kinds of character combos and remixes crafted here are quite intriguing:
And of *course* Doom would keep Susan Storm nearest his side, as he's always carried a torch for her (no pun intended, heh).
This story reminds me a little of Bendis' Age Of Ultron, a little of Ultimatum. We've got ourselves an alternate reality of sorts with an omnipotent ruler (AoU), and there's scarcely a chapter goes by without some pretty heavy hitters getting eliminated (U). I'm not saying it's derivative - are you saying its derivative? - but there's something about familiar territory here. The only questions in my mind are (a) how will all the original heroes take down , and (b) how will all our favourite heroes come back to life from complete annihilation?
Well, and one more question of I'm being honest: when did Hickman get so crippled at writing that he needed the crutch of Villain Monologue (at least twice) to move the story forward? He's seriously got Molecule Man telling Doom the things they did, and worse repeating stuff we've already seen, over two full pages. Did editorial finally bring down the "don't confuse the readers" hammer?
OK, just one more question I promise: did anyone else going into this know that it was going to be a Fantastic Four event? When was the last time you saw one of those? When was the last time there was a *good* event centred on our hapless family?
[And here, I paused @ issue 6 to read the tie-ins - started with this list, but LISTEN TO YOUR FRIENDS - if they say don't read one, DON'T READ IT: http://www.comicbookherald.com/what-a...]
So...wow, what a rich world Hickman and others constructed here. For fun, I re-read the first six issues before reading the last three. It's incredible how much was hinted at in the mainline story, and how much fertile ground was planted to allow the tie-ins to flourish.
And somehow this moment is all the more striking the second time through:
That's when things started to crumble for Doom. Like Dr. Strange told him, he's omnipotent but not omniscient. And that's the final, damning flaw in trying to hold the universe in your hand.
The final battles? Great. Grand payoff, with plenty of moments and false climaxes, showing who's good and who's great. Some fascinating speeches, some not-quite-fully-original but definitely attention-grabbing thinking.
After all the hype died down, all the fanboi mewling faded out, this was a solid way to end and recreate the MU. There's a thousand other ways it could've happened, a million other players who *could* have been involved, but I like Hickman's choices even if I *expected* something(s) else. It's a poetic finale for the decade or so he's been putting these bricks together, and it's decently (a) in keeping with the mythology of the Marvel Universe of before , plus (b) it changes the balance by putting some new players at the forefront and (c) leaves open plenty of space for a whole new universes of fun and exciting tales that can build on the foundation of 50-odd years of Marvel comics
Did I enjoy Secret Wars? Shit yes. It wasn't mindless fun and mental candy floss like I usually preach (on behalf of the Universal Church of the Shallow Comics Readers), and it wasn't perfect, but it doesn't matter. It did what it set out to do: tell a great, sweeping story, push a soft reset on the continuity of the Marvel Universe (without throwing it all away - because Marvel has some great mythology that still resonates in the current age) and let us say a proper goodbye to the old ways so we can properly mourn before welcoming the new.
Epilogue, as is the style in these long drawn-out writings:
I got a couple of questions:
1. Wasn't it true during Time Runs Out that if an alternate Earth was destroyed, that universe was saved? If so, why were there only 616 and 1610 left when this book began?
2. If Franklin can restore any or all of previous reality, why didn't he just amalgamate ALL of the previous Earths (and other worlds), giving us a total mash-up of everything Marvel's ever done in the new resulting universe? That would've been SUPER-awesome, and I can't imagine why they wouldn't take the opportunity. Oh well, maybe too many dimensions at once would crush the minds of mortal editors.
Well that was pretty awesome.
Here we are. The big reboot. The reset to anything and everything that Marvel wasn't happy with or wanted to make the best of (i.e. the shutdown of the Ultimate Universe). Coming into this with all that corporate backstory cheapens the event somewhat, but on the other hand Jonathan Hickman has been building on his past successes and taking such care to create a giant interconnected mythos out of so much of the Marvel Universe's origins, gods and cosmic forces - plus all the new forces and being he's introduced in his career at Marvel - that it can't help but start out as the biggest BOOM to hit the pages all century.
This starts off with the feeling that shit really is hitting the fan on both worlds, and that's cool/unnerving in the same breath. It's awesome to see all this excess firepower being used and rebuffed, and the little cameos from favourites in both universes makes it feel like the gang's all here. Gang's all here, for the great nullification and restart.
And what a restart. Hickman populates an entirely new "world" (?) with many of our beloved characters, but in strange/adjacent new settings, with rich mythologies that make them seem as timeless at the old 616 was.
However, and this is a personal aside: as with everything I've ever read from Hickman, I find a part of myself wondering "Will this really be canon, or is Hickman just playing toy soldiers with whatever he likes at the moment?" while I'm reading his works. I can never quite shake the feeling that even if the editors are willing to see his changes stay, that the creators who follow just won't have the stamina/patience/imagination to keep taking it through.
Which leaves me always a little under-invested in the minutia of Hickman's mythologies. It turns out that many of the big pieces of what he'd crafted stuck around the entirety of his Avengers runs, which was rewarding (and which made me feel a little less slow that they kept explaining it for us rubes), but...
In any case, the kinds of character combos and remixes crafted here are quite intriguing:
And of *course* Doom would keep Susan Storm nearest his side, as he's always carried a torch for her (no pun intended, heh).
This story reminds me a little of Bendis' Age Of Ultron, a little of Ultimatum. We've got ourselves an alternate reality of sorts with an omnipotent ruler (AoU), and there's scarcely a chapter goes by without some pretty heavy hitters getting eliminated (U). I'm not saying it's derivative - are you saying its derivative? - but there's something about familiar territory here. The only questions in my mind are (a) how will all the original heroes take down , and (b) how will all our favourite heroes come back to life from complete annihilation?
Well, and one more question of I'm being honest: when did Hickman get so crippled at writing that he needed the crutch of Villain Monologue (at least twice) to move the story forward? He's seriously got Molecule Man telling Doom the things they did, and worse repeating stuff we've already seen, over two full pages. Did editorial finally bring down the "don't confuse the readers" hammer?
OK, just one more question I promise: did anyone else going into this know that it was going to be a Fantastic Four event? When was the last time you saw one of those? When was the last time there was a *good* event centred on our hapless family?
[And here, I paused @ issue 6 to read the tie-ins - started with this list, but LISTEN TO YOUR FRIENDS - if they say don't read one, DON'T READ IT: http://www.comicbookherald.com/what-a...]
So...wow, what a rich world Hickman and others constructed here. For fun, I re-read the first six issues before reading the last three. It's incredible how much was hinted at in the mainline story, and how much fertile ground was planted to allow the tie-ins to flourish.
And somehow this moment is all the more striking the second time through:
That's when things started to crumble for Doom. Like Dr. Strange told him, he's omnipotent but not omniscient. And that's the final, damning flaw in trying to hold the universe in your hand.
The final battles? Great. Grand payoff, with plenty of moments and false climaxes, showing who's good and who's great. Some fascinating speeches, some not-quite-fully-original but definitely attention-grabbing thinking.
After all the hype died down, all the fanboi mewling faded out, this was a solid way to end and recreate the MU. There's a thousand other ways it could've happened, a million other players who *could* have been involved, but I like Hickman's choices even if I *expected* something(s) else. It's a poetic finale for the decade or so he's been putting these bricks together, and it's decently (a) in keeping with the mythology of the Marvel Universe of before , plus (b) it changes the balance by putting some new players at the forefront and (c) leaves open plenty of space for a whole new universes of fun and exciting tales that can build on the foundation of 50-odd years of Marvel comics
Did I enjoy Secret Wars? Shit yes. It wasn't mindless fun and mental candy floss like I usually preach (on behalf of the Universal Church of the Shallow Comics Readers), and it wasn't perfect, but it doesn't matter. It did what it set out to do: tell a great, sweeping story, push a soft reset on the continuity of the Marvel Universe (without throwing it all away - because Marvel has some great mythology that still resonates in the current age) and let us say a proper goodbye to the old ways so we can properly mourn before welcoming the new.
Epilogue, as is the style in these long drawn-out writings:
I got a couple of questions:
1. Wasn't it true during Time Runs Out that if an alternate Earth was destroyed, that universe was saved? If so, why were there only 616 and 1610 left when this book began?
2. If Franklin can restore any or all of previous reality, why didn't he just amalgamate ALL of the previous Earths (and other worlds), giving us a total mash-up of everything Marvel's ever done in the new resulting universe? That would've been SUPER-awesome, and I can't imagine why they wouldn't take the opportunity. Oh well, maybe too many dimensions at once would crush the minds of mortal editors.
January 31, 2016
I would give it 5 stars. But.... Human Torch burned it.
No, not really, just.. for the sake of all the science talk, for the stuff that were hard to follow sometimes when you just wanna read and have fun, and for all this time that every single issue towards the end was getting SO DAMN LONG TO PUBLISH, MARVEL.
Ugh.
Do NOT. I repeat. Do NOT pick this up if you think you're going to read it and understand everything that's happening. Nope. You gotta read the Avengers and New Avengers volumes first. 4 Volumes I think, that lead to this event.
By the way all the volumes worth the reading. Not just because you'll get everything that's happening in this one, but also because they're fun to read. Duh.
The event was Very good. Great story and with some solid artwork. REALLY great moments. Moments that will make you shout YEAH! to characters and with some priceless laugh out loud moments (thanks to Peter Parker mostly).
Haven't enjoyed an event so much since the House of M days. I mean like overall. Well, ok I liked Civil War too. Just liked though. Hmm, Secret Invasion also was good, although artwork really helped on that one. Come to think of it, maybe I should do a re-read of all of those cuz you never know, all that was waaaayyy back. Anyway.. oh Fear Itself sucked. Siege...well.. that sucked too. Dark Reign (was that even an event?) sucked too. Whatever. Infinity. Ahhhh INFINITY. That event was the SHIT. Oh and don't get me started on Annihilation. Awesomeness. One of my all time favourites. Ok I'll stop.
Anyway, Secret Wars is GOOD. Finally. And I love me some Hickman, but man, he tries HARD to confuse people. Oh, before I forget..
What I LOVED about this event, was its tie-ins. Yeah. I think it's the first time since... forever really, that I really liked if not all, most of the tie-ins of an event. Tie-ins suck so much from both Marvel & DC that every time a new event was announced I was dreading the moment I would pick up a tie-in read like the first issue of it, and drop it because it sucked. Every damn time. Sure, I'll back off. 9 times out of 10 tie ins SUCK.
That is the LAW.
I'd like to point out that Deadpool's tie in SUCKED. Sucked Sucked Sucked. And I was mostly thinking when the event was announced along with the tie ins -- that HEY at least I'm getting a new Deadpool mini-series title, that's nice, the other tie-ins? meh, we'll see. And turned out that Deadpool SUCKED and everything else (mostly) was great. oh well, sorry for the off-topic. But it hurts man... it hurts.
Where was I? Oh yeah, ALL TIE INS SUCK ALL THE TIME FOREVER AND ALWAYS--- BUT
Secret Wars changed all that, gave me hope. Most of the titles were fun to read with great stories and art.
So my point here, is you better go read the TIE INS too. (do NOT read the SIEGE tie-in BEFORE you read the main event. It will ruin Secret Wars #8 for you) You are welcome.
Now, the end of the world and all that. Marvel universe and Ultimate universe collided and everyone died besides....?..... Reed Richards along with some others inside a raft/spaceship kinda thing and they landed in some planet they have no idea where or what or how or whatever. (some other people(ha) survived but I won't tell you who)
Long story short...
Doctor Doom is God now. Saved whatever he could save (or did he?) from the end of the worlds. (ALL OF THEM) and he made a patched up world with fractions from different alternate universes that we now call BATTLEWORLD.
Are you still with me?
But in this world there's this thing.. hm.. there's no Reed Richards. I wonder why?!
In this new world with Doom as a ruler, Sue Storm is his wife, and Valeria and Franklin are his children. And Doctor Strange is his... right hand. And there's lots and lots of fun to be had.
I can't really say much else, cuz I'll ruin it for ya, whatever you do, go read Avengers and New Avengers previous volumes that lead to this event and you'll have your fun.
I'm going to stop now because I can't WAIT to go and read about how this event sucked once again and how "I'm never going to read Marvel comics again" and boo hoo hoo pretentious reviews from others and laugh.
The ending was satisfying. And I'm not one to please in comics. But I'm not the one who bitches all the time rating everything with 1 star and shit either. If you are that guy/girl, drop comics and go find a new hobby that's fun.
PEACE.
P.S.
DOOM BLESS US, EVERYONE!
No, not really, just.. for the sake of all the science talk, for the stuff that were hard to follow sometimes when you just wanna read and have fun, and for all this time that every single issue towards the end was getting SO DAMN LONG TO PUBLISH, MARVEL.
Ugh.
Do NOT. I repeat. Do NOT pick this up if you think you're going to read it and understand everything that's happening. Nope. You gotta read the Avengers and New Avengers volumes first. 4 Volumes I think, that lead to this event.
By the way all the volumes worth the reading. Not just because you'll get everything that's happening in this one, but also because they're fun to read. Duh.
The event was Very good. Great story and with some solid artwork. REALLY great moments. Moments that will make you shout YEAH! to characters and with some priceless laugh out loud moments (thanks to Peter Parker mostly).
Haven't enjoyed an event so much since the House of M days. I mean like overall. Well, ok I liked Civil War too. Just liked though. Hmm, Secret Invasion also was good, although artwork really helped on that one. Come to think of it, maybe I should do a re-read of all of those cuz you never know, all that was waaaayyy back. Anyway.. oh Fear Itself sucked. Siege...well.. that sucked too. Dark Reign (was that even an event?) sucked too. Whatever. Infinity. Ahhhh INFINITY. That event was the SHIT. Oh and don't get me started on Annihilation. Awesomeness. One of my all time favourites. Ok I'll stop.
Anyway, Secret Wars is GOOD. Finally. And I love me some Hickman, but man, he tries HARD to confuse people. Oh, before I forget..
What I LOVED about this event, was its tie-ins. Yeah. I think it's the first time since... forever really, that I really liked if not all, most of the tie-ins of an event. Tie-ins suck so much from both Marvel & DC that every time a new event was announced I was dreading the moment I would pick up a tie-in read like the first issue of it, and drop it because it sucked. Every damn time. Sure, I'll back off. 9 times out of 10 tie ins SUCK.
That is the LAW.
I'd like to point out that Deadpool's tie in SUCKED. Sucked Sucked Sucked. And I was mostly thinking when the event was announced along with the tie ins -- that HEY at least I'm getting a new Deadpool mini-series title, that's nice, the other tie-ins? meh, we'll see. And turned out that Deadpool SUCKED and everything else (mostly) was great. oh well, sorry for the off-topic. But it hurts man... it hurts.
Where was I? Oh yeah, ALL TIE INS SUCK ALL THE TIME FOREVER AND ALWAYS--- BUT
Secret Wars changed all that, gave me hope. Most of the titles were fun to read with great stories and art.
So my point here, is you better go read the TIE INS too. (do NOT read the SIEGE tie-in BEFORE you read the main event. It will ruin Secret Wars #8 for you) You are welcome.
Now, the end of the world and all that. Marvel universe and Ultimate universe collided and everyone died besides....?..... Reed Richards along with some others inside a raft/spaceship kinda thing and they landed in some planet they have no idea where or what or how or whatever. (some other people(ha) survived but I won't tell you who)
Long story short...
Doctor Doom is God now. Saved whatever he could save (or did he?) from the end of the worlds. (ALL OF THEM) and he made a patched up world with fractions from different alternate universes that we now call BATTLEWORLD.
Are you still with me?
But in this world there's this thing.. hm.. there's no Reed Richards. I wonder why?!
In this new world with Doom as a ruler, Sue Storm is his wife, and Valeria and Franklin are his children. And Doctor Strange is his... right hand. And there's lots and lots of fun to be had.
I can't really say much else, cuz I'll ruin it for ya, whatever you do, go read Avengers and New Avengers previous volumes that lead to this event and you'll have your fun.
I'm going to stop now because I can't WAIT to go and read about how this event sucked once again and how "I'm never going to read Marvel comics again" and boo hoo hoo pretentious reviews from others and laugh.
The ending was satisfying. And I'm not one to please in comics. But I'm not the one who bitches all the time rating everything with 1 star and shit either. If you are that guy/girl, drop comics and go find a new hobby that's fun.
PEACE.
P.S.
DOOM BLESS US, EVERYONE!
January 13, 2016
Well, it's finally over.
Honestly, as a person who actually enjoyed Hickman's Avengers (for the most part), I still really got tired of his shit somewhere about midpoint of Secret Wars. This series was about four issues too long and completely pointless by the end of it. Because, duh, as if somebody thought that the Battleworld will permanently be the one and only world and everyone would keep worshiping Doom as the god.
And there wouldn't be anything wrong with this story being inconsequential if the story was actually any good, but the storytelling in this series was atrocious. In all of the nine issues of Secret Wars I can recall maybe four relatively major events, aside from the destruction of the multiverse (which was covered in Avengers, anyway). All the other stuff was just pointless blabbering, mostly by Doom and Valeria Richards, and rehashing of what happened in the numerous tie-in series.
And that's not to mention that, thanks to delays, several key plot points from the book's finale were spoiled in advance by the new line of Marvel titles, like the Iron Man series revealing what happened to Doctor Doom in the very first issue. Also, one major death in the series that didn't translate into the main Marvel U wasn't explained at all. The guy has his own series now, but nowhere is it even mentioned that he was killed or how he came back.
Secret Wars proves yet again that no huge commercial event in The Big Two superhero multiverses will ever mean anything or have any impact in the global scale. It was a tiring and exhausting experience to follow this event, and I do not think it was worth it. Well, at least there were a couple of good tie-in series. But I am pretty sure I'm done with big crossover events like this one.
Honestly, as a person who actually enjoyed Hickman's Avengers (for the most part), I still really got tired of his shit somewhere about midpoint of Secret Wars. This series was about four issues too long and completely pointless by the end of it. Because, duh, as if somebody thought that the Battleworld will permanently be the one and only world and everyone would keep worshiping Doom as the god.
And there wouldn't be anything wrong with this story being inconsequential if the story was actually any good, but the storytelling in this series was atrocious. In all of the nine issues of Secret Wars I can recall maybe four relatively major events, aside from the destruction of the multiverse (which was covered in Avengers, anyway). All the other stuff was just pointless blabbering, mostly by Doom and Valeria Richards, and rehashing of what happened in the numerous tie-in series.
And that's not to mention that, thanks to delays, several key plot points from the book's finale were spoiled in advance by the new line of Marvel titles, like the Iron Man series revealing what happened to Doctor Doom in the very first issue. Also, one major death in the series that didn't translate into the main Marvel U wasn't explained at all. The guy has his own series now, but nowhere is it even mentioned that he was killed or how he came back.
Secret Wars proves yet again that no huge commercial event in The Big Two superhero multiverses will ever mean anything or have any impact in the global scale. It was a tiring and exhausting experience to follow this event, and I do not think it was worth it. Well, at least there were a couple of good tie-in series. But I am pretty sure I'm done with big crossover events like this one.
May 11, 2016
I've heard a lot about this event, little inspiring. So I was pleasantly surprised, four issues in, when I was really enjoying myself. Sure, there are elements borrowed from elsewhere (cough Game of Thrones cough). Sure, it can be a little chaotic, going through multiple potential lead characters in fairly short order. But it's fun, and something about Doom's Battleworld just appeals to me. Plus, I kind of like reading Doom when he's in full on benevolent despot mode.
But the last couple of issues... Things just fall apart. There was some trouble with meeting deadlines here, and that's probably reflected in those last few issues. They just feel more rushed and less carefully planned than the rest of the series to that point. Plot threads that were brought up earlier are entirely forgotten. Important developments aren't really explained. There's an overabundance of exposition. The ending is so fast it's almost jarring. It kind of feels like Hickman planned for twelve issues and was only given nine (ten counting issue 0).
As far as comic book events go, this is better than Civil War but not as good as Siege. The basic idea is cool, and as a strategy for salvaging what was good and interesting about the failing Ultimate universe (which is basically just limited to Miles, isn't it?) it's probably close to an ideal solution. But Hickman's follow through is well less than I would have hoped. I found myself wishing that he'd plotted this book and left the writing duties to somebody else.
But the last couple of issues... Things just fall apart. There was some trouble with meeting deadlines here, and that's probably reflected in those last few issues. They just feel more rushed and less carefully planned than the rest of the series to that point. Plot threads that were brought up earlier are entirely forgotten. Important developments aren't really explained. There's an overabundance of exposition. The ending is so fast it's almost jarring. It kind of feels like Hickman planned for twelve issues and was only given nine (ten counting issue 0).
As far as comic book events go, this is better than Civil War but not as good as Siege. The basic idea is cool, and as a strategy for salvaging what was good and interesting about the failing Ultimate universe (which is basically just limited to Miles, isn't it?) it's probably close to an ideal solution. But Hickman's follow through is well less than I would have hoped. I found myself wishing that he'd plotted this book and left the writing duties to somebody else.
March 30, 2025
I've made it a personal goal to get into more Comics and Manga this year, and I'm dipping into comics starting with Marvel's "Secret Wars" by Jonathan Hickman. I read this because Grace Randolph on her channel "Beyond the Trailer" discussed how this will likely be adapted for Avengers Doomsday and Avengers Secret Wars. After reading this, I think I can see where Marvel is going with this.
First I'll say, the first issue of the book was really confusing. It shows two different worlds colliding and major action happening. However, it was really hard to tell what action was happening and who was doing what. Rather than make the worlds really distinct it really was confusing.
That being said, once the story really got going in Issue #2, boy was I hooked. I really enjoyed reading the story of Doom in charge of his own world, and watching everyone else start to put the pieces together and also form a plan to stop Doom.
The worldbuilding of Battleworld is quite excellent, and the story could have and should have been WAY longer. This world could become really developed, showing political and power struggles between the different collided planets and peoples. Unfortunately, most of that is glossed over for the Doom vs Superheroes story. I loved the Doom vs Superheroes story, but I really wanted that other story as well.
I will say, the themes explored about why Doom makes the decisions he does and why he might have been correct, are really fascinating. Jonathan Hickman is not short on ideas or themes.
I did like the way all of the action came together, and it was beautifully drawn/painted. I just thought it could have been slowed down and focused more. This was a 9 issue comic, and just for the Superhero story alone it should have been like 12-15.
Overall, this was quite a fun time, and boy did it leave me wanting more. But not always in a good way. Still, a fun comic to read. 7.5 out of 10.
Publishing Note: While this is a bindup of 9 issues and includes all 9 issues, there were distinct title pages for Issues 1-7, but no title page for issues 8 or 9 and I thought that was weird.
First I'll say, the first issue of the book was really confusing. It shows two different worlds colliding and major action happening. However, it was really hard to tell what action was happening and who was doing what. Rather than make the worlds really distinct it really was confusing.
That being said, once the story really got going in Issue #2, boy was I hooked. I really enjoyed reading the story of Doom in charge of his own world, and watching everyone else start to put the pieces together and also form a plan to stop Doom.
The worldbuilding of Battleworld is quite excellent, and the story could have and should have been WAY longer. This world could become really developed, showing political and power struggles between the different collided planets and peoples. Unfortunately, most of that is glossed over for the Doom vs Superheroes story. I loved the Doom vs Superheroes story, but I really wanted that other story as well.
I will say, the themes explored about why Doom makes the decisions he does and why he might have been correct, are really fascinating. Jonathan Hickman is not short on ideas or themes.
I did like the way all of the action came together, and it was beautifully drawn/painted. I just thought it could have been slowed down and focused more. This was a 9 issue comic, and just for the Superhero story alone it should have been like 12-15.
Overall, this was quite a fun time, and boy did it leave me wanting more. But not always in a good way. Still, a fun comic to read. 7.5 out of 10.
Publishing Note: While this is a bindup of 9 issues and includes all 9 issues, there were distinct title pages for Issues 1-7, but no title page for issues 8 or 9 and I thought that was weird.
February 10, 2020
The end is here.
Or is this the start?
After finally finishing Hickman's entire Fantastic Four, Avengers, and New Avengers run I picked up Secret Wars. The conclusion of all 3, plus other plots throughout the marvel universe. In this, right at the start, the world has ended. 616 and ultimate universe collide and...it's over? Wait, no, a new world is born. One with a new god. Who is this god? Well who else, it is DOOM! That's right, Doom is here and he is now God-level powered.
Slowly heroes trickle in from the normal world to confront Doom. This could be your typical superhero flare but Hickman smartly asks the questions of who else but Doom could have done what he has?
The thing I loved here was seeing both heroes and villains come together. They knew they had to in order to stop doom. Unlikely to stop someone with so much power but plenty of shocking deaths. Moments that'll make you go "holy shit" as a marvel fan. I was taken aback by some deaths actually. The art is also amazing, with amazing action set pieces and and also plenty of emotional moments.
My one downside is that it wrapped up slightly fast. I heard Hickman wanted 2-3 more issues. I could see that.
However, after reading all those runs this was one of the only ways he could finish it and I think he mostly stuck the landing. A 4 out of 5.
Or is this the start?
After finally finishing Hickman's entire Fantastic Four, Avengers, and New Avengers run I picked up Secret Wars. The conclusion of all 3, plus other plots throughout the marvel universe. In this, right at the start, the world has ended. 616 and ultimate universe collide and...it's over? Wait, no, a new world is born. One with a new god. Who is this god? Well who else, it is DOOM! That's right, Doom is here and he is now God-level powered.
Slowly heroes trickle in from the normal world to confront Doom. This could be your typical superhero flare but Hickman smartly asks the questions of who else but Doom could have done what he has?
The thing I loved here was seeing both heroes and villains come together. They knew they had to in order to stop doom. Unlikely to stop someone with so much power but plenty of shocking deaths. Moments that'll make you go "holy shit" as a marvel fan. I was taken aback by some deaths actually. The art is also amazing, with amazing action set pieces and and also plenty of emotional moments.
My one downside is that it wrapped up slightly fast. I heard Hickman wanted 2-3 more issues. I could see that.
However, after reading all those runs this was one of the only ways he could finish it and I think he mostly stuck the landing. A 4 out of 5.
May 14, 2019
When it comes to crossover events, whether it is Marvel or DC, they are arguably the least interesting stories in superhero comics, in which you have an ensemble of costumed heroes coming together to fight an all-powerful universal threat. Personally, I prefer the soap opera antics of Spider-Man and the family dynamic of the Fantastic Four than the global adventures of the Avengers; intimacy over globally.
That said, there are a few event titles are better than most, even if they still fall into the trappings of one. Earlier this year I read The Infinity Gauntlet by Jim Starlin, Ron Lim and George Pérez in preparation for the cinematic Infinity War that was released this April and what made that book triumphant was in the main character that is its villain Thanos, something that the aforementioned movie takes an influence from. Reading the 2015 title Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic, I felt a similar understanding of its central antagonist and arguably the greatest villain in all Marvel history: Victor Von Doom.
The multiverse is doomed and despite the best efforts of the scientists, sages and superhumans of both dimensions, the Marvel Universe and Ultimate Universe have collided with one another and destroyed. All of this happens in the first issue with so many characters from both universes thrown into the mix as they all battle each other whilst their respective Earths are about to collide. This sequence of multiple characters going all out on each other is something not only repeated throughout this nine-issue narrative, but that aspect of repetition is apparent in so many of Marvel’s other events.
In the second issue where a whole new universe is conceived known as Battleworld and is under the rule of Doctor Doom, now reformed as a god, things get interesting. What makes Doctor Doom a compelling villain is how he generally thinks that the world would be a better place if he rules it, even when his ego and lust for power is often the cause of his own downfall. Having ruled the country of Latveria with an iron fist, Doom is actually pretty good at dominance and when you see Battleworld, which is divided into multiple lands ruled by iconic baddies such as Mr Sinister and Apocalypse, it is a functioning world that has rules and Doom maintains order.
Considering how menacing and cool he looks with his all-white cloak and armour, his god persona is a mask to show he is actually humanly flawed, especially after he reveals his disfigured face in front of Sue Storm, of whom he takes as his wife, as well as Franklin and Valeria as his children. Amidst the epic scale, Secret Wars works best when Hickman takes a breather and spends time with the characters, such as Doom interacting with Doctor Strange, who becomes Doom’s right hand, and Molecule Man who is secretly a prisoner than only Doom knows. The central trio is the spine that shapes the origins of what is actually going on with the story, even if you may not understand every single aspect.
Like I said, there is a lot going on and plaudits to artist Esad Ribic, who makes this a visually impressive spectacle in how he illustrates Marvel’s diverse cast of heroes and villains coming together in a world that feels both alien and familiar. Despite the many tie-ins to Battleworld that were published, which I have very little interest in picking up, there are sections of this world where Ribic really shines as he presents that have this strange mixture of science and religion, such as the iconography of Castle Doom. Also, the sight of an army of Thors will delight those who have read Jason Aaron’s Thor run.
Like or dislike them, the purpose of the crossover event is to shake up the Marvel Universe and at the start of Secret Wars, it blew up and by the end, it reshaped into something else. Flawed just like the majority of those titles, at least Hickman and Ribic find an interesting angle in exploring the dominant nature of Doctor Doom, who once again has to go battle the heroic likes of the Fantastic Four, whose journey even reach a finality... but not for long.
That said, there are a few event titles are better than most, even if they still fall into the trappings of one. Earlier this year I read The Infinity Gauntlet by Jim Starlin, Ron Lim and George Pérez in preparation for the cinematic Infinity War that was released this April and what made that book triumphant was in the main character that is its villain Thanos, something that the aforementioned movie takes an influence from. Reading the 2015 title Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic, I felt a similar understanding of its central antagonist and arguably the greatest villain in all Marvel history: Victor Von Doom.
The multiverse is doomed and despite the best efforts of the scientists, sages and superhumans of both dimensions, the Marvel Universe and Ultimate Universe have collided with one another and destroyed. All of this happens in the first issue with so many characters from both universes thrown into the mix as they all battle each other whilst their respective Earths are about to collide. This sequence of multiple characters going all out on each other is something not only repeated throughout this nine-issue narrative, but that aspect of repetition is apparent in so many of Marvel’s other events.
In the second issue where a whole new universe is conceived known as Battleworld and is under the rule of Doctor Doom, now reformed as a god, things get interesting. What makes Doctor Doom a compelling villain is how he generally thinks that the world would be a better place if he rules it, even when his ego and lust for power is often the cause of his own downfall. Having ruled the country of Latveria with an iron fist, Doom is actually pretty good at dominance and when you see Battleworld, which is divided into multiple lands ruled by iconic baddies such as Mr Sinister and Apocalypse, it is a functioning world that has rules and Doom maintains order.
Considering how menacing and cool he looks with his all-white cloak and armour, his god persona is a mask to show he is actually humanly flawed, especially after he reveals his disfigured face in front of Sue Storm, of whom he takes as his wife, as well as Franklin and Valeria as his children. Amidst the epic scale, Secret Wars works best when Hickman takes a breather and spends time with the characters, such as Doom interacting with Doctor Strange, who becomes Doom’s right hand, and Molecule Man who is secretly a prisoner than only Doom knows. The central trio is the spine that shapes the origins of what is actually going on with the story, even if you may not understand every single aspect.
Like I said, there is a lot going on and plaudits to artist Esad Ribic, who makes this a visually impressive spectacle in how he illustrates Marvel’s diverse cast of heroes and villains coming together in a world that feels both alien and familiar. Despite the many tie-ins to Battleworld that were published, which I have very little interest in picking up, there are sections of this world where Ribic really shines as he presents that have this strange mixture of science and religion, such as the iconography of Castle Doom. Also, the sight of an army of Thors will delight those who have read Jason Aaron’s Thor run.
Like or dislike them, the purpose of the crossover event is to shake up the Marvel Universe and at the start of Secret Wars, it blew up and by the end, it reshaped into something else. Flawed just like the majority of those titles, at least Hickman and Ribic find an interesting angle in exploring the dominant nature of Doctor Doom, who once again has to go battle the heroic likes of the Fantastic Four, whose journey even reach a finality... but not for long.
July 20, 2016
The "regular" Marvel universe and the "Ultimate" Marvel universe (begun in 2000 as a line of comics intended to reconstruct the "regular" universe into a more modern take) collide, literally smashing the two Earths together. Heroes and villains from both sides fight to destroy the other Earth, thereby saving their own. Time runs out and both sides fail, causing both universes to be destroyed. But... In the meantime, Doctor Doom had identified the indirect cause of the death of the multiverse - a villain known as the Molecule Man, who has the power to reshape reality. Doom takes his power, allowing him to save remnants of select dead universes and cobble them together into something called Battleworld. There, Doom is a god.
The last issue hit Marvel Unlimited finally, so I jumped on it. I think the above information is all one really needs to know going into the event, but the issues of Avengers and New Avengers leading up to it were decent and gave some nice context. The numerous side issues appear to deal with the final days of both Earths and the different Doom-created factions on Battleworld. None of them are necessary though some issues I've flipped through are fun.
As with most comic book events, change is temporary and the question isn't whether things will go back to some kind of status quo, but how it happens. If the fact that things in superhero comics don't permanently change is an irritant, I would suggest skipping this entirely. It's not about change, it's about the story. The story here is pretty good, especially with its focus on Doom, the Fantastic Four, and a handful of others. There is a strong fantasy "Game of Thrones" vibe throughout which appealed to me and familiar Marvel motifs merge in crazy ways, no doubt echoing Doom's faulty use of unlimited power. Overall, it was a fun and imaginative trip that was a clever way to do some universe clean-up. Great Alex Ross covers and really nice art from Esad Ribic give the event the scope it deserves.
The last issue hit Marvel Unlimited finally, so I jumped on it. I think the above information is all one really needs to know going into the event, but the issues of Avengers and New Avengers leading up to it were decent and gave some nice context. The numerous side issues appear to deal with the final days of both Earths and the different Doom-created factions on Battleworld. None of them are necessary though some issues I've flipped through are fun.
As with most comic book events, change is temporary and the question isn't whether things will go back to some kind of status quo, but how it happens. If the fact that things in superhero comics don't permanently change is an irritant, I would suggest skipping this entirely. It's not about change, it's about the story. The story here is pretty good, especially with its focus on Doom, the Fantastic Four, and a handful of others. There is a strong fantasy "Game of Thrones" vibe throughout which appealed to me and familiar Marvel motifs merge in crazy ways, no doubt echoing Doom's faulty use of unlimited power. Overall, it was a fun and imaginative trip that was a clever way to do some universe clean-up. Great Alex Ross covers and really nice art from Esad Ribic give the event the scope it deserves.
April 3, 2016
A good conclusion to Hickman's run on Avengers, with a lot of reference to his previous Fantastic Four run...
The only issue I had is that the story on Battleworld feels a little short, which may be due to me not reading all the ties in ( I don't know for sure if they would have helped, I am guessing probably they would have).
The only issue I had is that the story on Battleworld feels a little short, which may be due to me not reading all the ties in ( I don't know for sure if they would have helped, I am guessing probably they would have).
March 22, 2016
It would be hard not to compare this to DC's Convergence event, having read both. Fortunately, while delayed at multiple points, the end result of the Secret Wars event was a much more polished product.
While both events featured complex plots resulting in the collision of comic multiverses, Marvel's execution was simply superior. I had no trouble following the rising action throughout the nine issues, and enjoyed the vast array of characters that were smashed together, creating interesting alliances and adversaries. While it's true that every character did not get enough time in the spotlight -- especially Thing -- there really was no feasible, logistical way to make that happen. Also, the art in every issue was simply breathtaking, which alone made the delays worthwhile.
The only shortcoming was the resolution of the event following the climactic battle, as I am unsure exactly what the end of Secret Wars bodes for the future of the Marvel Universe. This, of course, could be intentional, to give the writers at Marvel more leeway going forward, but still does not make for a satisfying conclusion in a vacuum.
For contrast, here is my review of DC's Convergence event.
While both events featured complex plots resulting in the collision of comic multiverses, Marvel's execution was simply superior. I had no trouble following the rising action throughout the nine issues, and enjoyed the vast array of characters that were smashed together, creating interesting alliances and adversaries. While it's true that every character did not get enough time in the spotlight -- especially Thing -- there really was no feasible, logistical way to make that happen. Also, the art in every issue was simply breathtaking, which alone made the delays worthwhile.
The only shortcoming was the resolution of the event following the climactic battle, as I am unsure exactly what the end of Secret Wars bodes for the future of the Marvel Universe. This, of course, could be intentional, to give the writers at Marvel more leeway going forward, but still does not make for a satisfying conclusion in a vacuum.
For contrast, here is my review of DC's Convergence event.
August 29, 2020
In storytelling, the epic Avengers Endgame, a monument to 10 years of Marvel cinematic production, is a faint echo to 2015-2016's Secret Wars, the crowning capstone to Jonathan Hickman's first tour of duty in the Marvel universe. It took threads seeded in his Fantastic Four/Future Foundation, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Avengers runs and brought it to fruition with artist Esad Ribic and his sublime renderings.
Granted, one should be familiar with the aforementioned work to truly enjoy it all, but that is the nature of monthly comics, it rewards the faithful. However, worry not, the internet is your friend. You have Wikipedia, online reading lists, and sometimes you just need to ask your comic book nerd friend. You probably have one or two in your circle of friends. Seek these out and you just might fully enjoy this masterpiece.
Full disclosure:+
This was a pain to follow when it was serialized as a periodical. It was barely a periodical because of the release gaps. It even had a ton of tie-in miniseries. Now that it's collected as a graphic novel, it's surprisingly tighter and an overall better experience.
Granted, one should be familiar with the aforementioned work to truly enjoy it all, but that is the nature of monthly comics, it rewards the faithful. However, worry not, the internet is your friend. You have Wikipedia, online reading lists, and sometimes you just need to ask your comic book nerd friend. You probably have one or two in your circle of friends. Seek these out and you just might fully enjoy this masterpiece.
Full disclosure:+
This was a pain to follow when it was serialized as a periodical. It was barely a periodical because of the release gaps. It even had a ton of tie-in miniseries. Now that it's collected as a graphic novel, it's surprisingly tighter and an overall better experience.
June 18, 2020
****second read****
Still amazing.
******first read******
I did it. I read Secret Wars 2015.
And I did it right! I read all of the lead up material as well as the tie ins (like, no shit, I had Marvel Unlimited on my phone next to me, as well as the issue by issue reading order, and I read every tie in.)
And goddam, I have to say, this really was superb. Like, listen, I get it... it’s a confusing, convoluted and dense Marvel event. It’s bizarre. It’s unorthodox and weird... but jesus it’s so good.
So many payoffs.
Thanos raising an army against Doom
Reed fucking Doom up
Miles and Parker
And the best part! Starlord has a very fun card up his sleeve when dealing with Black Swan.
This is an epic story. It may be the epic story to end all epic stories. I just finished, and I’m still hyped. There’s electricity in the air.
The Art!!! IT WAS ESAD RIBIC, ONE OF THE BEST ARTISTS IN ALL OF COMICS!!! You may remember him from Silver Surfer: Requiem. He’s only gotten better. Every frame, man. Pure perfection.
Ignore the haters. This book is the shit!
Still amazing.
******first read******
I did it. I read Secret Wars 2015.
And I did it right! I read all of the lead up material as well as the tie ins (like, no shit, I had Marvel Unlimited on my phone next to me, as well as the issue by issue reading order, and I read every tie in.)
And goddam, I have to say, this really was superb. Like, listen, I get it... it’s a confusing, convoluted and dense Marvel event. It’s bizarre. It’s unorthodox and weird... but jesus it’s so good.
So many payoffs.
Thanos raising an army against Doom
Reed fucking Doom up
Miles and Parker
And the best part! Starlord has a very fun card up his sleeve when dealing with Black Swan.
This is an epic story. It may be the epic story to end all epic stories. I just finished, and I’m still hyped. There’s electricity in the air.
The Art!!! IT WAS ESAD RIBIC, ONE OF THE BEST ARTISTS IN ALL OF COMICS!!! You may remember him from Silver Surfer: Requiem. He’s only gotten better. Every frame, man. Pure perfection.
Ignore the haters. This book is the shit!
February 20, 2016
Good! Finally done with this series! So the story is, that The Marvel Universe and The Ultimate Universe are colliding, the world is coming to an end! Worlds collide, and from it comes Battleworld, ruled by Doctor Doom! So I won't lie this series was pretty good, had good artwork, and the story was very interesting. The only fault, is that the story can get really really confusing, from time to time, heck describing the basic premise gives me a headache! But the story is good enough that never scared me off, and saw to the end! Overall pretty good, in my opinion though, i thought DC's Convergence was better, ya ya i know, keep your pitch forks and torches down haha.
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