Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars (1984)

 Issue #1

Dang why is Wolvie so anti Cap? I love how lame Molecule Man is. Those are some good dreams he has. A lot of characters but there's fun to be had with the different character dynamics here.

Issue #2

Man seeing all these characters together just shows how great their designs are. What a world. Love seeing the differences between how the heroes and how the villains act as groups. So much variety amongst the villains.

Issue #3

It’s weird but Magneto does have rizz lowkey. Crazy Spider-Man prop here, not the first time he’s made life hard for the X-Men though. So many secret conversations, I wonder when things are gonna fall apart. I didn’t know that there was a time when Titania was apart from Absorbing Man, interesting that this is her origin and that it’s tied to Doom.

Issue #4

Starting off with a banger of a cover. Perfect arrow from Hawkeye, that was a huge chunk of metal. Not a lot of time is given to develop the relationship but I like the star crossed lovers angle with Thor and Enchantress. Magneto Ruins Situationship by Giving The Ick. Goated Reed moment, showing what it means to be the universe’s smartest. A lot going on in this issue, but in a good way. So many characters had a chance to shine. 

Issue #5

Confident Molecule Man is a hilarious character. Interesting that the only temptation from Enchantress was when she offered to heal Doom’s face. Charles has to be under someone’s influence or something. Johnny being prejudiced against Mutants was unexpected. Glad Tony called him out. Didn’t expect this to be a lowkey funny comic.

Issue #6

Wasp so kind. ❤️ This might be the worst love triangle ever. Maybe Tony got swapped for Rhodey. There seems to be so much strangeness with Battleworld that that’s not out of the picture. Didn’t expect Wasp to die or “die.” I was really liking her role here, flipping her boy crazy personality as a way to get intel from Magneto was great and I liked the gentleness she showed the Lizard. Hopefully there’s more of her in this book. 

Issue #7

So crazy they all calling Volcana a cow like she’s not a supermodel. This comic has done a great job at highlighting Galactus’ cosmic nature. The She-Hulk one woman army was awesome (while it lasted.) I wonder if this Xavier has any hidden agendas. Him intervening was a nice gesture and good move though. 

Issue #8

Changing Spider-Man forever just like that. I kinda like how much this has just been a literal war of heroes vs villains vs Galactus. There is definitely the mystery side of the Beyonder and everything that needs to be explored but I like how much focus is around this environment based conflict. 

Issue #9

Another excellent cover. Just the positioning of each character. Wow. Hawkeye making his classic anti Galactus arrow. Captain America is a great leader. Reed is seen by a lot of fans as cold but I love that he’s a family man over everything.

Issue #10

Yeah these covers have been hit after hit. I’m surprised at how this comic was able to live up to its immense reputation and truly stand out as a blockbuster event. “Terrorists—! That’s what the big army calls the little army!” good quote from Wolverine. I like that the varying levels of dysfunction between the heroes is a constant problem. Doom seemingly sending a prerecorded victory message while he is getting torn up is just great. Beautiful and slightly abstract depiction of Doom’s history and breaks down his core. 

Issue #11

Love the occasions where the villain wins and the heroes have to find a way to beat them despite it/figure out how to reverse what happened. Really puts them on the back foot. The Colossus stuff is just awful. That ending…Well at least they died standing! (Most of them were actually sitting but you know.)

Issue #12

Doctor Octopus throwing a tantrum because he’s too science brained is incredible. I love maskless Doom, so much fear and shock on his face. I wonder what the intent was for saving this Spider-Man mystery for later. Wonderful choice regardless. Like the resolution of the conflict but the exact ending does feel a little too aimless. Overall a great story, love how it was structured to really show the conflict between and within groups.