Secret Wars
In an era where big comic book crossovers frequently fall short of the mark, Marvel’s new version of Secret Wars is the rare event series that actually delivered. The collected edition is now available.
Putting a 21st century spin on the name and basic concept of its ’80s era predecessor, Secret Wars follows what happens after the destruction of Marvel’s multiverse. Having co-opted the power of the Molecule Man, Doctor Doom is able to save bits and pieces of various universes before their destruction. He assembles them into a patchwork planet, Battleworld, where he rules as their God. Doctor Strange is on hand as sheriff, keeping peace among the various republics and zones (many resembling famous stories from Marvel’s past).
Doom has displaced Mister Fantastic within his own family, taking the Invisible Woman as his consort and adopting Richards children Franklin and Valeria as his own. Doom and Strange are the only ones on Battleworld to remember the prior universe. They work together uneasily to keep a fragile peace. Valeria’s science foundation uncovers “heretical” artifacts that could cast doubt on Doom’s divinity.
Into this fraught atmosphere crash land two crews of survivors from the Marvel Universe and Ultimate Universe, who remember the past and realize the extent of Doom’s undertaking. The refugees include the Mister Fantastic and Spider-Man of both universes, as well as key Marvel characters like Captain Marvel, Thanos, Star-Lord, Black Panther, Sub-Mariner and the female Thor. The characters fan the flames of existing resistance to Doom’s rule. A fierce showdown between Mister Fantastic and Doctor Doom results in the re-making of the Marvel multiverse.
Secret Wars was the culmination of years of stories from writer Jonathan Hickman, in Fantastic Four, Avengers, New Avengers and Infinity. Many of the key characters and concepts from those runs play a crucial part in the story. While Secret Wars is cast as a massive Marvel crossover event, at its heart it comes down to the ultimate “Reed vs. Doom” story, the bedrock of the Marvel Universe since day one.
There’s a lot going on here, but Hickman has firm grip on the plot. After all the machinations necessary to set up the series, Secret Wars itself plays out in a fairly straightforward fashion. Hickman has plenty of room to explore Battleworld and spotlight some really well-crafted character interactions. He makes the most of Doom’s messianic propensity and cracked mirror noblesse oblige to drive the story. Predicating the climax on the competing philosophies and world views of Reed Richards and Victor von Doom was a brilliant thematic move. Fans have decried that the beloved Fantastic Four has faded into the background recently, but Hickman provided a timeless story to send the team into its hiatus on a high note.
At its core, Secret Wars is a love letter to classic Marvel stories and sensibilities. It’s packed with callbacks and grace notes that are subtly placed and enrich the experience. It’s some of Hickman’s best work, packed with intrigue, drama and high stakes. And the writer finds moments to fit in some truly witty dialogue that adds some nice counter-notes to the apocalyptic story. This appears to be Hickman’s Marvel swan song (at least for the near future) and the writer finishes strongly.
Esad Ribic wasn’t the most obvious choice for a crossover epic. Big events usually draft artists with hyper-detailed, big-screen aesthetics. Ribic brings a much different sensibility to Secret Wars. His painterly approach, replete with soft line work, impressionistic compositions, and heavy use of shadows and negative space, is a daring move for this kind of comic. Ribic can do action sequences and big tableaux quite effectively, but also puts a mythical fantasy twist on them. What his approach really does is heighten the emotional drama of the story. For a series like Secret Wars, that so relies on the clash of two opposing philosophies, the ability to communicate the complex drama of the story through character rendering and smart design work adds a whole other dimension. Ribic collaborates closely with color artist Ive Svorcina, who drapes the images in soft, shimmering tones, muted and airy, occasionally punctuated by bursts of color or brilliant whites. The art is lush and downright luxurious. It gives Secret Wars a unique, hypnotic style to compliment Hickman’s ambitious storytelling.
That many fans are burnt out on or wary of big comic book events is quite understandable. Secret Wars is one of the few recent of such outings to truly be worth fans’ time and money.
Originally published at thunderalleybcpcom.ipage.com on March 30, 2016.
If you like what you’ve read, be sure to hit recommend below, to pass this story along to your followers! As always, consider following Panel & Frame for more emerging voices in comics, literature, art, and film!
