Book Review: Marvel's Secret Wars II (1985)

  

 

When I was a kid, I loved Marvel's Secret Wars. I still remember my parents getting me a few 3-packs of comic books just before my brother and I left for France during the summer of 1985  It was issues # 7-9, so it was well into the series. Yet, I read and reread them several times that summer, and loved them. Collected French versions of some of the Secret Wars comics, and tried to learn some French in the process. Also collected the toys. In the summer of 1987, while back in France, I picked up the three exclusively European Secret Wars figures of Iceman, Electro, and Constrictor. In time, I got all of the issues and read them all. Even got the first series in French.

Yet as much as I loved Secret Wars, this was actually the first time that I read Secret Wars II in it's entirety. Not sure why that is, only that it is. Somehow, the fact that it was on Earth made it feel less magical, did not inspire my imagination quite as much. So yeah, I never actually read Secret Wars II in it's entirety.

At least not until now.

Before I go any farther, however, let me give the usual warnings to stop reading if you intend to read this book, because there will be spoilers ahead.

SPOILER ALERT

SPOILER ALERT

SPOILER ALERT

Okay, so by now if you are still reading this, I have to imagine that you either are familiar with this story already, or perhaps you do not mind the spoilers. Please just don't say that you were not given advanced warning. 

So yeah, back to Secret Wars.

The first series, which was published in 1984, brought together most of the superheroes and supervillains from the Marvel Universe. The Beyonder - a sort of God from another universe - has observed the Earth for a very long time. He decides to take whole chunks of the Earth and transport them to a makeshift planet of his own creation far into space, with the superheroes and supervillains to launch a war for survival to get back to Earth. Meanwhile, the planet-eating Galactus seems intent on challenging the Beyonder. 

Ultimately, there are subplots. One of them is Dr. Doom briefly usurping Beyonder's powers, but then quickly being expelled. Some heroes, like the Thing, decide to stay on the old planet instead of going back to Earth. This is also where Spiderman debuts his then new, sleek black uniform, unaware that it is an alien which is trying to merge with him. Ultimately, this alien will become an enemy and will become Venom, one of Spiderman's most dangerous rivals in time. But that is later.

Now all of that appealed to my imagination. Getting a taste of each of the superheroes, even some whom I was previously largely unaware of, was interesting. The idea of some God-like creature taking whole pieces of Earth and transporting people and heroes to a makeshift new planet really appealed to my fertile imagination back then. 

Perhaps that is why Secret Wars II, which takes place right here on Earth, did not quite appeal to me as much. I got some issues, but later on. It seemed weird. Iron Man looked very strange, with this awkward looking costume that made him appear boxy and clumsy. And the comic focused far more on the Beyonder than on either the heroes or villains, it seemed. So it seemed bizarre to me, and this made it harder to get into. 

So it begins with the Beyonder visiting Earth. He wants to come to learn more about it and what makes humans tick. He clearly is a stranger here, not knowing the ways or the customs. Pretty sure that as a kid back when these comics first came out, I would have gotten a kick out of some of the things that he gets wrong, such as eating a bottle of soda.

In time, he begins to learn the ropes. But since he has Godlike powers, he quickly rises to the top and is incredibly wealthy and powerful. He explores sex - not that this is illustrated, but it is clearly implied - and has the dream life. Yet, it all comes too easily for him, and he grows bored. 

One of the problems with a character like the Beyonder is that he seems invincible. I always felt that way about Superman, but the Beyonder goes well beyond even that. So while there are some challenges to his power, you never get the feeling that anyone has the chance to actually defeat him. 

Yet somehow, they do. There is one villain from the first Secret Wars, Owen Reece, also known as the Molecule Man. Throughout the first Secret Wars and almost all of the second, he seems too mousy of a man to actually use his incredible powers. 

Right at the end, however, he finally recognizes, once and for all, the threat to all of life and in fact all of existence that the Beyond poses. And so he decides to join the superheroes when they finally decide to challenge the Beyonder and end his threat. Molecule Man/Owen Reece actually challenges the Beyonder directly, but quickly loses ground and power. However, the superheroes step in, and it is just enough to finally defeat the Beyonder.

We then find out that Reece has done a lot to preserve life and existence, so that life can finally continue here on Earth.

Meanwhile, in an alternative universe, we see the process of the beginning of a universe, as it then expands and begins to form planets and, eventually, life begins. We see evolution turn, eventually, to the creation of another species of man. 

And that's how the comic ends.

It should be noted that the Marvel Universe in comics, back then, is a lot like the Marvel Universe in movies and television these days. They try to sell you on the idea of buying more and more so that you understand the whole story. Back when I was a kid, it made me feel a little sad that I was reading all of this after the fact, and unable to easily gain access to all of those other comic books. Nowadays, however, it feels more reminiscent of corporate greed and strategies to sell products even in the middle of the story. 

But I digress...

Now, I will admit to not liking it as much as the first Secret Wars series. As a boy, I just loved that. And part of the reason that I still love the original Secret Wars is that it brings me back somewhat to those days of being young and reading stuff like this which appealed to my strong imagination. 

Secret War II somehow never quite appealed to me as much. Yet, it was pretty good nevertheless. Better than I thought it would be.

A must for any Marvel fans, or vintage fans of comics from the golden age of the 1980's.

Highly recommended.