In an episode where we cover both parts of Secret Wars, you'll be amazed at which Marvel crossover we declare the most influential and important to Marvel history in the years leading up to Infinity Gauntlet.
Crossovers Epic Event: Part 4 of 8
Brought to you by
IDW: Popeye Classics is the only place you can find Sweet Pea asking for (and receiving!) his first firearm from Popeye and Olive Oyl!
Series Episode Checklist
- The Series Thus Far
- Prelude - All-New Secret Age of Infinity Crossover War CrisisPoint Convergence
- 1 - Your World is Going to be Destroyed! (DC pt1)
- 2 - End of the Universe (DC pt2)
- 2.5 - A Game for Children (Non-Canonical Trivia Game tie-in)
- 3 - Heroes Punching Each Other (Marvel pt1)
- 4 - The Experience Has Been Consummated! (Marvel pt2)
- Yet to Come
- 5 - Chain Mail and a Bomber Jacket (Marvel pt3)
- 6 - Doctor Strange Explains It All (Marvel pt4)
- tie-in: The Incomparable #140 - The Sublime Magicks of Exposition
- tie-in AFTERMATH: The Incomparable #140b - No More Merlins
- 7 - Beyond Continuity Porn (Marvel pt5)
- 8 - This Hero Must Die! (Marvel pt6)
- Marvel NOW! tie-in: Giant Size ORIGINS 9: Illusion of Beginning/Middle/End
- Marvel NOW! tie-in: Giant Size ORIGINS 10: Heavy Metal Album Cover
- Epilogue - Infinite Aftermath: Consequences
Reading List
Secret Wars (1984)
TPB, all 12 issues on Marvel Unlimited
Great companion reading: Sean Howe's Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, specifically the portion that covers this era of Marvel history.
Unlike any other Marvel Crossover, there are no tie-ins at all, but Secret Wars is included in a massive limited-edition Battleworld Box Set coming in June 2015. It includes all of this event, Secret Wars II and all the tie-ins for which Marvel retains rights (more on that below), Secret War (2005), and a ton of extras, for around $400.
Secret Wars II (1985-1986)
TPB, out of print Omnibus includes tie-ins
the "experience" that is "consummated" happens in issue..."number two"
this is the first instance of a gigantic amount of tie-in issues, indicated as such on the covers
the following are all on Marvel Unlimited:
Captain America #308; Iron Man #197; Uncanny X-Men #196; The Amazing Spider-Man #268; Fantastic Four #282; Avengers #260; The Incredible Hulk #312; Avengers #261; Dazzler #40; Doctor Strange #74; Fantastic Four #285; Thor #363; Amazing Spider-Man #273; New Defenders #152; Uncanny X-Men #202; Amazing Spider-Man #274; Avengers #265; Fantastic Four #288; Uncanny X-Men #203; Avengers #266
the following tie-in issues are not on Marvel Unlimited:
New Mutants #30, 36, 37; Web of Spider-Man #6; Daredevil #223; Alpha Flight #28; Thing #30; Cloak and Dagger #4; Power Pack #18; Power Man and Iron Fist #121; Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #111
the following tie-in issues have never been reprinted by Marvel for rights-related reasons we'll get into on the Bill Mantlo creator spotlight episode:
Rom #72
Micronauts #16
Mutant Massacre (1986) & Fall of the Mutants (1987)
these X-Men "fall events" only barely touched other titles, and will be discussed in the next installment of our ongoing X-Men series of episodes
The Evolutionary War (1988)
Hardcover "half-Omnibus" includes all issues
the beginning of Marvel spreading self-contained "crossovers" over the Annual issues of various titles, resulting in an ending, no necessary connective tissue, and no actual "beginning" or kick-off
Speedball (Robbie Baldwin) is introduced in this event
What If?! #1 was "What If...The Avengers Lost the Evolutionary War?"
Inferno (1988)
TPBs and Hardcovers are all out of print, most or all is on Marvel Unlimited
hell comes to invade Earth, and though mostly an X-Men event, this crosses into other titles much more than Mutant Massacre/Fall of the Mutants
subject of a Secret Wars (2015) "Battleworld" miniseries
Atlantis Attacks! (1989)
Hardcover "half-Omnibus" includes all issues
in this search for the Serpent Crown, the heroes have very little to do with the climax of the action, eventually just...leaving
notable for some amazing artists throughout, including Ron Lim, John Byrne, Rob Liefeld, Walt Simonson
Acts of Vengeance! (1989)
no TPB, super-expensive Omnibus and "Crossovers" Omnibus, most key issues and tie-ins are on Marvel Unlimited (missing things like Quasar and Avengers Spotlight as of this posting)
villains unite and, for the first time on this scale, are set against their not-regular hero foils, so you get a Thor villain fighting Quasar, Gravitron against Spider-Man, Hobgoblin against Doctor Strange
the New Warriors are first introduced here...
...as is the "Asianized" version of Psylocke, which has been a problematic racial issue for some time that apparently will never be fixed/changed/dialed back, since "Asian Psylocke" has too broad of a merchandising and licensing presence, one would suppose
...and this is where Spider-Man temporarily gained the powers of Captain Universe
the Omnibus and "Crossovers" Omnibus are each among the most pricey still in print ($140 and $70, respectively) or available, but most of the single issues are extremely inexpensive and easily-found in $1 back issue boxes (with the exception of the stupidly-overpriced Jim Lee-illustrated issue of Uncanny X-Men)
