Simply The Best, the comics you must own… Secret Wars
In 1984 something happened that would change the comics world, an event, one that would spawn the crossover event phenomena that lasts to this very day. It all started with… Secret Wars
Some people look back on the series with disdain, it was a toy event, which it was, a marketing ploy for Mattel figures and play-sets. Others don’t like it as it started the sometimes hit and miss event era, that has been used to bleed us dry with tie in books ever since. For me it was a wonder :-)
The plot was pretty thin. An all-powerful being known as the Beyonder teleports a collection of heroes, some Avengers, Spidey, most of the FF, and the X-Men to Battleworld, a planet he has stitched together from pieces of other worlds, Earth included. He also brings an opposing force of villains, chief among them was Dr.Doom, and Galactus. Each team get a fortress, and are to fight it out, the victors getting their wishes made real. That’s it, a simple set up. However we get some great character moments, and some lasting developments that have ramifications to this day in the Marvel U.
There was no comics store near me for another five years until my beloved ‘Talisman’ opened, and while I could get Brit comics in newsagents, American books weren’t easy to come by, sporadic Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man were possible, but a consistent run was a no no. I’d managed, through visiting many shops involving many bus journeys, and long walks, to collect others but nothing I could reliably get into. Then it happened, my local tiny newsagent with the chain smoking shop-keep that swore every other word, as a kid you’d buy sweets there just to hear him say “How the f**k are you Nick!”, got in two copies of Secret Wars #1. I got both.
I couldn’t believe it, all the heroes I’d seen in single issues here and there in one place, fighting for their lives against a roster of vicious villains. Luckily my friendly, if inappropriate, magazine vendor got the whole 12 issue run, it was heaven!
Despite its dubious purpose to push products it’s not a bad series, with some pretty cool story beats. You got the friction between the mutant heroes and regular tights and cape wearers, and some villain dynamics as well. I got to see Galactus as a more complex being than just the world devouring menace I had took him for, and this in turn fleshed out Reed Richards and the ongoing conflict between them. Captain America as always took a steady leadership role, but Prof X threw me as bit when he threatened to alter Storm’s memories to get her to follow his lead in battle. Guy gets the chance to walk again on Battleworld and turned into a bit of a tool.
Spider-Man shone as totally cool, whether battling the X-Men for wanting to bail on the hero team to follow their own agenda, or kicking villain ass in general. Of course Secret Wars also saw the origin of the black Spidey costume, that became Venom later on. I was thrilled to see the Hulk catch a mountain that was dropped on the heroes, and even better was Mr. Fantastic cobbling together a weapon to blast through it, using parts from Hawkeye’s arrows, Spider-Man’s web shooters, and Iron Man’s armour.
One thing that I think stood out most was Dr.Doom. Like Galactus he gained a bit of depth in his scheming to rule the villains, then his attempts to steal both Galactus’ power, and then the Beyonder’s, with disastrous results. One of my all time favourite comic covers is that of issue #10 showcasing Doom’s shredded armour as he battles the two powerhouse figures.
One other thing that gives me ‘feels’ even to this day when I see it, though it has happened since in other stories, was the destruction of Cap’s shield, something that will happen once again in Avengers : Age of Ultron next year. It was like losing an old friend, and I was so glad to see it repaired by the story’s end, funny how little things stick with you :-)
With the complete series collected I had embarked on a journey into comics with a renewed fervour, and haven’t looked back. Secret Wars will always hold a special place in that collection, my only regret was that the toys never made it to toy stores here, and I only managed to get a couple many years later.
It has its detractors, and its fans, but for me as a kid, Secret Wars was a story arc that was simply the best!
