Review of Marvel’s Secret Wars #1

Event books always create an interesting phenomenon among comic fans; if the internet and social media were an accurate barometer you would expect that events were the worst selling titles of the year. What feels like hundreds of angry fans (and in all accuracy just hundreds is most likely right) bemoan the “big two” and their constant desire to sell event books more and more frequently. In this they aren’t wrong; Marvel and DC have at least two “big events” a year each, and increasingly let their marketing hype machines go wild to proclaim them as “universe changing where nothing will ever be the same again”. But things usually are the same… in particular the safe bet that three to four months later yet another can’t miss event series will hit the stands.

“Secret Wars” is the latest event series from Marvel, and it brings with it the promise of “forever altering the course of the Marvel universe”. This claim carries more weight than previous events; unlike the last two events Marvel published which brought minor adjustments to characters, this series comes with it the promise that the entire Marvel Universe was ending, all titles would be temporarily canceled and when the regular series began again they would carry with them completely new team rosters, characters and adjustments to Marvel’s continuity.

For weary fans it still sounded a lot like hyperbole, but Secret Wars had one other unique thing going for it. The series is the brainchild (although to be sure many voices within Marvel undoubtedly contributed) of Jonathan Hickman who by all accounts is not your typical comic writer. Renowned for his work on the independent scene, Hickman takes a “long game” approach to his titles and isn’t afraid to introduce dense, complicated concepts to readers. Given that event comics are often compared to summer blockbusters by Michael Bay, Hickman’s handling of a major crossover was bound to contain more out of the box thinking.

Jonathan Hickman is also responsible for the Image series “East of West”, an amazingly brilliant title with complex world building and powerful characterization.

Jonathan Hickman has been building the groundwork for several years now through Marvel’s flagship Avengers and New Avengers titles, and even utilizes concepts from earlier work on the Fantastic Four and Ultimates. As such the event opens right in the middle of a dire situation for all of reality without the usual room to buildup the crisis employed by previous events. As the first issue begins we find the multiverse collapsing with only two universes remaining but on a collision course with each other. The issue wastes no time in explaining that there is no winning in this situation, only leaving open the question of who –if anyone– would survive. Of course, it’s a comic series and nobody seriously believes that Marvel’s core characters are going anywhere… but the hook is how the journey will play out.

Joining Hickman is superstar artist Esad Ribic who brings a unique and at once powerful visual style to the series. Ribic is truly one of the best visual storytellers in the business today and he brings some of the most beautiful pages to be seen in recent memory to the title. Juggling close-up personal moments with huge scale widescreen action, Ribic provides the visual equivalent to Hickman’s story. Often forgotten but worth noting is the title’s colorist Ive Svorcina, who brings strong color sensibilities that match perfectly with Ribic’s mix of comic realisim. With a huge color palette that visually brings the apocalypse to the page, the pages look beautiful even in the face of massive destruction. The combination of the three helps sell the fact that this is no ordinary event series and that Marvel is trying to live up to the claim that nothing will be the same again.

Of course, the other side of having such a rich and expansive buildup to the series is that if you haven’t been reading along or are familiar with Hickman’s earlier work in the Ultimate Universe, a lot of what happens will be jarring and almost certainly confusing. The nuances of the characters and their motivations, particularly from the Ultimates team that more closely resembles the Marvel Cinematic Universe, won’t make much sense… particularly when one of their stray shots murders the MCU favorite Rocket Raccoon. Readers will struggle to figure out who the villains are in the conflict, and while a younger, disfigured Reed Richards and recognizable faces like Thanos are clearly not the heroes, the real enemy is the collapse of the multiverse and time itself. This attempts to be summed up in exposition from the characters early on, but coming in without warning won’t be easy.

Then you also have Dr. Doom hanging out with Dr. Strange, Cyclops embracing and merging with the Phoenix Force and more recent Marvel changes like the female Thor and African American Captain America. There are good reasons for all of these things, and comic readers that have been following along with the Marvel Universe for the last five years will feel rewarded for their loyalty. Storylines far and wide are tapped into here, and it’s nice to feel some payoff to the continuity even as Marvel plans to streamline their overall universe coming out of this event.

It’s also worth noting that even in the face of big, earth shattering action Hickman takes time to spend a page devoted to the street level heroes; a character like The Punisher has no logical hope against world bending fighters, but still manages to have his moment in a final showdown with a bar full of Marvel’s villains. Why is old Norman Osborne’s face in the frame when his appearance has been shifted within the core Spider Man title? Well, not all continuity is handled perfectly… but it’s still a nice scene.

Secret Wars #1 sets up the next seven issues and multitude of tie-in comics. When all is said and done Marvel will easily publish over 50 comics (and I think I’m being generous here) as part of the full series. Some of the crossover events will be good, some bad, some indifferent… but the core series itself is off to a powerful start. A comic which ends with a direct epitaph to the Marvel and Ultimate Universes isn’t fooling around; for whatever ultimately emerges at the end of the series, Hickman is putting everything on the line for the moment.