Secret Wars – The classic Marvel saga that inspired the upcoming Avengers films – returns as part of the Marvel Premier Collection. The end has arrived. The unstoppable wave of interdimensional Incursions has obliterated universe after universe until only two remained – the Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe. Their collision has left nothing but Battleworld: a vast, patchwork planet forged from the shattered remnants of countless realities. On this broken stage, heroes and villains struggle to survive. Strange new domains rise. Familiar faces return in shocking new forms. And at the throne of creation itself sits Doom – absolute master of all.
Taking its name from the classic 80s Marvel saga, 2015’s Secret Wars was one of the most ambitious Marvel events of the modern era along with having the longest lasting consequences. The saga saw the end of the original Ultimate Universe as fans knew it – along with Miles Morales and The Maker moving over to the main Marvel Universe. This saga – along with the events in Time Runs Out that ran through Avengers and New Avengers form the basis of the upcoming films Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Fresh off highly ambitious runs on Fantastic Four and Avengers, Jonathan Hickman brings together themes from all his time on both series to create a truly epic narrative. The concept of incursions brought the stakes up to another lavel and the lengths that Doctor Doom uses them to his advantage stood out as one of his most dastardly moments making him the perfect villain for the surviving heroes to rally against. Hickman has always had a great voice for Doom and he gets to demonstrate it in this series. His clash with his arch nemesis Reed Richards over the actions he has committed is suitably epic and was at the time seen as a potential final confrontation between the pair. Hickman also has fun with The Maker (the now evil Ultimate Reed Richards) and Molecule Man – with the pair having a big impact of the Marvel Universe’s future.
On the art side, Esad Ribic was the perfect choice. His work on Thor has already demonstrated how adept he is at epic level storytelling and Secret Wars gives him plenty to work with. With all the Marvel characters involved and the sheer scale of the cosmic events happening in the story, his artwork is a key reason why this series stands out in a big way.Secret Wars is a must read for any current Marvel reader and anyone looking to jump on. New fans coming onboard following the upcoming releases of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will also naturally gravitate to this modern classic.
Avengers: Secret Wars [Marvel Premier Collection] is out now from Marvel (9781302970291, p/b, £12.99)
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