The Story So Far - Marvel's Secret Wars #1
I. Doom.
In many ways Secret Wars is the most interesting Fantastic Four story in quite some time. Sure, it involves the entire marvel universe, as well as Marvel’s other universe (the one with Miles Morales and the Blob that eats people), but at its core it is about Marvel’s first family, and their ultimate nemesis finally getting his way.
This is Doom’s world, and we are just living in it
How did we get here you ask? Well, it turns out the regular Marvel Universe, and its offshoot, the Ultimate Universe, are on a collision course with each other. While the great minds of both attempted to halt the collision (in Secret Wars #0), it was no use, and couldn’t be stopped.
The bulk of issue 1 deals with the various incursion attempts by Nick Fury, Tony Stark, and The Maker. At the end of 0, both universes are aware of their plight, and so Nick Fury (Ultimate) wastes no time in trying to take down the other before they both go.
Truthfully, it sounds like a great deal to digest, and it is. This rings especially true if you have not been at least checking up periodically on the goings on in the Marvel U. That said, it is worth the effort, as by issue's end the basic premise is clear, and you have a general understanding of why we are all here. The biggest area of confusion will be in regards to certain characters, especially when it comes to the Cabal, The Maker, and Cyclops. (Hit the quick hits section below for some reference).
Alright, so back to my opening statement for a minute. Secret Wars is the strongest case I’ve seen in recent memory for why the Fantastic Four Is important. Unlike some of their other hero brethren, Reed, Sue, and their family bring a practical point of view to these epic proceedings. At some point, concessions have to be made, and this is summed up no better than by Valeria in Secret Wars #0. In response to why they are building a ship instead of a way to beat the odds, she says, “ We can’t win, so we decided not to lose.” While I appreciate the typical "nothing can stop us if we try hard enough" mentality, there are still some times you have to tactically retreat to win the bigger battle. The Fantastic Four and co. embody this trait in Secret Wars.
Heavy Spoilers Ahead from this point on.
The thing is, in issue #1 alone, Reed loses, and he loses a lot. The ship gets hit, and in a blink of an eye his entire family is lost. It's a moment that wouldn’t be half as effective without the talented pencils of Esad Ribic. The facial expressions throughout the book all have a sense of dread about them, but seeing everything Reed loves and cares for literally yanked from him is excruciating. You can actually feel it through the page. With comics, death, disappearance, rebirths, etc, are all so commonplace that most times I’m a bit numb to it all, but Hickman and Ribic really conveyed a sense of loss here.
Hickman has crafted a great opening salvo in Marvel’s premiere event and somehow managed to corral all these various threads into a cohesive whole, and it is definitely worth your time. Our story so far recap of issue #2 will be out soon, but in the meantime here are some quick hits.
QUICK HITS
Who is The Maker?
The Maker is Reed Richards from the Ultimate Universe. There things took a different term after the Ultimatum Event. After Franklin Richards' death, the disbanding of the team, and Sue’s rejection of his marriage proposal, Reed took a dark turn and became one of the biggest villains in the Ultimate Universe.
Who makes up the Cabal?
Thanos, Namor, Black Swan, Corvus Glaive, Maximus, Proxima, Midnight, Terrax, and now The Maker.
Who is Manifold?
Real name Eden Fesi. Manifold’s powers revolve around teleportation — the thing is he can choose when to close them (no time limit) and can teleport without knowing where he will end up, regardless of distance. He can only use his powers, however, within his native universe.
What is going on with Cyclops?
Ever since his original merging with the Phoenix, his powers have been broken. He has now found a way to merge with it again, and this time his power isn't split 5 ways.
