Secret Wars

It’s been awhile since I bought comic books due to personal reasons. This week however I gladly got to put my buying back on track. After dropping way too much for a sane person to buy all my books I have decided to review Marvel’s Secret Wars #1, “The End Times” by Jonathan Hickman with art by Esad Ribic. Oh and SPOILERS AHEAD!

*****WARNING THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF SECRET WARS ISSUE 1*****

This book is the first chapter in the event that has been in motion for years. The story takes its first steps all the way back in Marvel Now’s Avengers#1, as well as New Avengers #1. Which were released in 2012 and 2013. This story has been set up over 70 issues and has led to crippling reveals, heartbreaking betrayals and gut wrenching decisions and focuses on the death of the Multiverse.

This issue is the final battle between Earth 616, the universe where the majority of Marvel takes place, and the Ultimates Universe, which has been a solid and viable universe to Marvel to explore. The battle went kind of as I expected, The Ultimates having better technology but very few super humans, and 616 dominating with their super humans. There are countless deaths on both sides. There are two great moments though that stand out most for me.

The first is The Punisher of 616. He walks into a bar full of villains, such as Kingpin, Bullseye and Sandman, and goes out in a blaze of glory with machine guns emptying. The second, and most impactful, is the death of Sue Storm. While the select few from 616 are escaping on the “Life Raft” they are hit with turbulence and lose a small section. This section contains not only Sue Storm, but Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm and Franklin Richards. Despite his attempt to save them, and Sue somehow protecting them for moments against astounding cosmic forces, Reed simply can’t save them. Sue’s shield drops and the container is torn apart. The look on Mr. Fantastic’s face is heartbreaking. It sends the point home that the people left on the raft are it, no one is coming back. If they are not on the life raft they are dead.

The art was amazing. It has been every step of the way. I can’t say enough about the writing either. I have never cared so much about Marvel. I applaud what he is doing and how Hickman is utterly destroying the thing that I love.

The final page says it best… it’s simply a white page with the life and death dates of the Marvel Universe and the Ultimates Universe. Wow… 5/5… all the feels… amazing job.