SECRET WARS II
Re-examining Secret Wars II
Secret Wars II was a nine issue Limited Series released by Marvel Comics in 1985. In the years that have passed since it's release, I've come to understand that the entire population of the earth can be grouped into 2 separate types of people: those who hate Secret Wars II, and those who have never heard of it.
That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I must admit, as a fan of the series, perhaps the ONLY fan, I sometimes feel like the series' main protagonist the Beyonder. Misunderstood. Confused. Alone.
Despite my unabashed love for the book (and it's more than 30 crossover issues!), I can understand where some of the anger comes from. Secret Wars II has been accused of being many things, few of them complimentary, and most of them are true.
For one, it heralded the Marvel age of the bloated crossover. Marvel crossovers had been happening since the company's inception in the sixties, but usually only in between titles - A Hulk/Thing battle would start in one character's book, and finish in the other's. If the stars were aligned properly, this would entice the readers of one title to pick up the other. Marvel Team Up achieved the same goals throughout the seventies. Alternatively, as was the case for the first Secret Wars series, a plethora of characters could join together in a separate mini-series - a gimmick started by 1982's Contest of Champions. Secret Wars II, under then Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter's direction, combined both tactics - a separate series, and crossovers into other titles.
The 30-plus Secret Wars II crossovers invaded more than 20 separate titles. Some crossovers worked nicely - Daredevil #223, a standalone story in which the Beyonder returns eyesight to the blind Matt Murdock is a good example. Others barely tie in at all, with only a panel or three dedicated to the crossover.
Responsibility for Secret Wars II fell onto the shoulders of it's creator, then Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, and an E-I-C with a master plan comes with it's own set of pros and cons. While they can be the fertile soil that is necessary for a large, interconnected universe to grow, they can also be seen as a nuisance, interfering with the creative vision of the writers hired to tell the stories. In some instances, the resistance to Shooter's vision is so palpable, you can almost smell it. Some crossovers, such as New Mutants #30, treat the crossover as a mere nuisance, dispensing with the Beyonder's obligatory appearance as quickly as possible, in order to return to the regularly scheduled story arc.
Regardless of what discontent may have been happening behind the scenes, Secret Wars II was sparking the flames of the collecting bug growing within me. Prior to the spring of 1985, all that piqued my interest was Spider-Man comics. The first Secret Wars (and all the related toys and merchandise) got me interested enough in the wider Marvel Universe, but not interested enough to buy more comics, or try new titles. But the little "Secret Wars II" triangles featured on all the covers involved in the crossover stirred something within me. Could I really pass up buying that issue on the racks, knowing full well that Secret Wars II "continues in this issue"?
My obsessive hunt for the crossovers not only introduced me to new books and characters, but also to new artists and writers, many of whom were executing (arguably) the finest work of their careers when Secret Wars II passed through their work. John Byrne's Fantastic Four. Roger Stern and John Buscema's Avengers. Ron Frenz's Amazing Spider-Man. Walter Simonson's Thor. Bill Sienkiewicz's New Mutants. Chris Claremont and John Romita's X-Men. David Mazzucchelli's Daredevil. A veritable roll call of the best creators of the 1980's.
Nostalgia for the Jim Shooter era helps, but on a whole, I can forgive Secret Wars II for many of the negative points outlined above. A being with god-like powers seeks to experience humanity, in the process giving us a mirror to look at our own desires and incompleteness. Considering the fact that the first series, on it's most basic level, is a 12 issue long fight scene, Secret Wars II covers much more complex territory - consumerism, religion, abortion, social classes, Reaganomics, and even restroom usage. While the quality of the execution of Secret Wars II may lack consistency, the core concept remains interesting, if not a bit ahead of it's time.
The Beyonder has made some recent appearances in Brian Michael Bendis and Brian Reed's successfull Illuminati mini-series, and was referenced in the Annihillation saga. After a fairly long absence from the Marvel Universe, the Beyonder seems to be making a bit of a comeback.
Can Secret Wars IV* be far behind?
*Secret Wars III occurred in Fantastic Four vol. 1 #319.Secret Wars II™ and © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc. unless otherwise noted herein. All rights reserved.