Secret Wars #1 Review (SPOILERS)

[jackolover]

For those who might not have been read Hickman's Ultimates, a couple of tips about something to look for in the art after Reed's Children emerge from their dome. In addition to the ships, the Children like to fly around with mecha suits strapped to their back. You can see some flying around. They also like to get physical, as in using long knives to run enemies through. (The Children if they have physical contact can also uses sensors to analyze the opponent and evolve on the fly to better fight.) That's why one sees someone being run through with a knife and screaming "AHHH!" in the panel where the Black Widow is losing control of the resurrection team ship. Also in the panel after Quill vanishes, one can see in the background a horde of Children descending towards Drax and Gamora.

I have to admit I don't know what the Makers children are and I don't know what they look like. (I thought they were giant flying ships, because after the order was given to release the children, ships flew out of the city). After you describe them in the panels, I still can't picture them. I'd have to open the book up again.

[Rosebunse]

I know. I am just. Kidding.

I know...but...but I can't find any humor in this. This issue is so dark that I've lost all humor.

I wouldn't blame the moving parts or the grief. If I had not read New Avengers last week I would have had no idea that was Dr Strange in the beginning. Some character art was way off. As for the book itself I cannot believe marvel hailed it as a jumping on point. It was nothing like that, only a jumping off point besides Renew Your Vows, make mine DC

RIP 616 you were fun while you lasted until you destroyed continuity and your characters so bad no book was fun anymore. No interest in the mishmash universe you are about to create

Yeah, if I hadn't started reading Avengers and New Avengers a few months ago I would have been totally lost. This issue was unforgiving for people who haven't been keeping up.

For those who might not have been read Hickman's Ultimates, a couple of tips about something to look for in the art after Reed's Children emerge from their dome. In addition to the ships, the Children like to fly around with mecha suits strapped to their back. You can see some flying around. They also like to get physical, as in using long knives to run enemies through. (The Children if they have physical contact can also uses sensors to analyze the opponent and evolve on the fly to better fight.) That's why one sees someone being run through with a knife and screaming "AHHH!" in the panel where the Black Widow is losing control of the resurrection team ship. Also in the panel after Quill vanishes, one can see in the background a horde of Children descending towards Drax and Gamora.

Oh...so...so a lot of characters probably died from Ultimate Reed's homicidal cult members stabbing them? Because now I really hate that guy. I haven't read a single issue of Ultimate Fantastic Four and I hate that guy. Is there I reason I shouldn't hate him?

[jphamlore]

Oh...so...so a lot of characters probably died from Ultimate Reed's homicidal cult members stabbing them? Because now I really hate that guy. I haven't read a single issue of Ultimate Fantastic Four and I hate that guy. Is there I reason I shouldn't hate him?

Yeah the first generation of Ultimate Reed's Children literally put Ultimate Asgard to the sword with their knives, other than Ultimate Thor who was rescued by Ultimate Iron Man. There was a poignant scene where Thor and Loki acknowledged they were brothers, with Ultimate Loki saying he "regretted everything," before brandishing their weapons to go out in a last stand versus the Children, quite similar to 616 Thor and Hyperion versus the Beyonders.

What was not shown in Secret Wars #1 was one reason Reed's Children favor knives and close combat: They earlier had captured Ultimate Thor and had probed him with sensors to determine the nature of his energy and that Asgard might be a threat to the City. The prober could evolve to analyze Thor on the spot. Ultimate Reed decided Asgard was a threat, and off the Children flew to destroy Asgard, which was floating in the sky. Or I suppose with knives the Children could make sure their enemy was really dead.

And the attack on Ultimate Asgard ended with the narrator saying about the Asgardians gods, perhaps paraphrased, "... and they were gone forever"

[Rosebunse]

So...so there's really no redeeming quality for Ultimate Reed?

I really want to see 616 Reed or 616 Doom lay into him.

[jphamlore]

So...so there's really no redeeming quality for Ultimate Reed?

I really want to see 616 Reed or 616 Doom lay into him.

Ultimate Reed's Children also killed all of Germany.

But then in a direction I still cannot comprehend, Marvel had stories where Ultimate Sue was told repeatedly, including by a version of her self from the future, that to save humanity and / or the universe, she had to find a way to reconcile with him. Which she never did ... So Ultimate Reed was actually shown in the story to be Ultimate Sue's fault. This part I do not expect Hickman to acknowledge.

[Scorponok]

So...so there's really no redeeming quality for Ultimate Reed?

I really want to see 616 Reed or 616 Doom lay into him.

The only time he sort of did was when he saw Val and realized what he could have had with Ultimate Sue, due to his counterpart having a family.

[Rosebunse]

Ultimate Reed's Children also killed all of Germany.

But then in a direction I still cannot comprehend, Marvel had stories where Ultimate Sue was told repeatedly, including by a version of her self from the future, that to save humanity and / or the universe, she had to find a way to reconcile with him. Which she never did ... So Ultimate Reed was actually shown in the story to be Ultimate Sue's fault. This part I do not expect Hickman to acknowledge.

Yeah, that was pretty bad. I remember reading about that, and I guess it came from the fact that 616 Reed is the man he is because he loves his family.

Marvel's weird Ultimate Sue thing doesn't acknowledge that 616 isn't the way he is because of his family, but because he's ultimately just a better, kinder, more compassionate person than Ultimate Reed. Heck, I think it's canon at this point that he's the best Reed there ever was. He could have had a family, he could have had real friends and all that, but would he have kept them? Or would he have abandoned them like most of the other Reeds did?

[ZephyrSurf]

Ultimate Reed's Children also killed all of Germany.

But then in a direction I still cannot comprehend, Marvel had stories where Ultimate Sue was told repeatedly, including by a version of her self from the future, that to save humanity and / or the universe, she had to find a way to reconcile with him. Which she never did ... So Ultimate Reed was actually shown in the story to be Ultimate Sue's fault. This part I do not expect Hickman to acknowledge.

This is a meta example of "he wouldn't have been a serial killer if you just dated him" logic

[jphamlore]

The only time he sort of did was when he saw Val and realized what he could have had with Ultimate Sue, due to his counterpart having a family.

Ultimate Reed did try to eliminate social injustice, war, poverty etc. when he wielded much of the power of the Infinity Gauntlet. And he's pretty good friends with Ultimate Hulk.

[cyberhubbs]

How could someone not recognize Strange?

[jphamlore]

I think it was shown that Ultimate Reed is simultaneously trying to use the new City's forces to deliver a "doomday weapon." I wonder if that effort succeeded.

[Rosebunse]

How could someone not recognize Strange?

His hair was sort of weird in this issue.

[Darth Kal-el]

Because the character art was bad for many characters not just him

[Rosebunse]

I think it was shown that Ultimate Reed is simultaneously trying to use the new City's forces to deliver a "doomday weapon." I wonder if that effort succeeded.

But the worlds were already destroyed. What else is there?

[cyberhubbs]

His hair was sort of weird in this issue.

Because the character art was bad for many characters not just him

I didn't even notice the hair the first time around and still knew it was Strange. Cloak kinda gave it away.

So who else was "off"?