The Secrets of Secret Wars: Phase Two

 

So...last week I had some complaints regarding the decisions made in that first issue of Secret Wars. I was mainly concerned with the presentation of the issue, and how fans were actually going to consume the tale as a hole. Fortunately, the second issue that shipped this week was full of wonderful surprises. The story was jam-packed with an immense amount of lush and vibrant ideas that reimagined key points of the Marvel Universe. Author Jonathan Hickman managed to tie the pieces of Battleworld in a manner that nobody reading Avengers is likely to expect. Thankfully, with Esad Ribic on artwork he didn't have to do so alone. While I did have some criticism in last week's piece, this issue braces everything that's great about these two creators (Ribic and Hickman) and plays to their strengths as creators. Ribic is allowed to illustrate the vibrant spaces, and Hickman is allowed to use his refined dialogue and build incredible worlds.

Yes...this comic is that good!

This issue does some of my favorite things in comics in that it takes concept and reintroduces them in such clever ways that tie back to the core mythology. I've talked a little bit about how Rai gets this opportunity in Valiant to show brand new concepts with their universe and reintroduced what key character and threads look like when they are reimagined in the distant future. This is another comic brimming with discovery. For instance, Marvel has already revealed that in Battleworld Thor is now a community of individuals that function as police for Battleworld. The idea of Thor Cops are really interesting -- but Hickman doesn't stop there, he takes all of those concepts much further throughout this issue and pushes all these ideas with a mysteriously familiar monarch figure.

Did you do your homework?

Now, with that in mind, two main things are asked of the reader. The first being that you take all of that loose Avengers and New Avengers knowledge with the past oh...I don't know...77+ issues and three years worth of stories building to the event, and throw them right out the window. Aside from some key moments at the end, your knowledge of the Hickman saga isn't going to matter a whole lot. The second thing you need is an extended point of reference for the Marvel Universe. You need to be aware of all the different concepts to really get the most out of this issue, even though more casual fans will be able to have some fun here. 

The masters of craft at work.

Secret Wars is a complicated storyline for sure, but this story simplifies things and welcomes fans towards discovery. The concepts being reworked in this grand saga are truly mesmerizing from Hickman -- but when they are drawn by someone with mastery of the comic art form like Esad Ribic: this world comes alive. The vast expansive placements of objects and scenarios are truly awe-inspiring. This feels like some of the greatest work ever crafted from both of these creators at Marvel. It's going to be very hard for either of them to top the high level of craft that the two fully utilize in the issue. With Jonathan Hickman being able to operate in an expansive sci-fi world along with Ribic, their should be no hesitation regarding comics fans picking up the title altogether.

Now, let's talk some spoilers about each of the highlights of this issue.

-That first moment with the reveal of the Doom head completely took me by surprise. New Avengers had the character of Doom going in a Different direction -- and this swerve in perspective really payed off here. 

-I'm not sure where some of the ideas with the expanded Future Foundation and The new role for Alex Power is going to take -- but I'm certain excited to keep reading to discover more.

-How about those Doom and Sinister moments? They really were some of the highlights of the issue, with familiar characters utilized in wholly different ways. There was some Galactica-ish New Caprica-style delight going on here, but man was the Game of Thrones influences really coming out here.

-The new motivations for people like Dr. Strange were totally bonkers.

-That actual fight with Sinister and Captain Britain was ingenious, I really hope to see something similar actually happen on Game of Thrones.

-Also, Thanos' interactions with the mole man were spectacular -- which of course led us to that great off panel Hickman designed page. That was something fierce -- and a great way to cap off a spectacular issue.

-The final thing to talk about here is Braddock in the pit. I'll leave all that with one sentence fragment: holy shit.

In conclusion...

Alright...so that was Secret Wars #2, which Marvel had really promised a lot of stuff about. I totally thought he issue was worth the hype, and a much better jumping on point than the first issue of the comic. There is so much good stuff here that I can't imagine a fan not taking sheer delight in this book. It's been a long road to Secret Wars, but man does it feel good to finally be back in Battleworld.

I'll see you for issue #3 so don't go anywhere!