Secret Wars #5 Review (w/SPOILERS)

[Scorponok]

Right now, Doom is loosing control of the situation. Since everything was fine until Reed turned out be one of the rafters. Now he resorting to lying to his subjects just to cover that he killed Strange in anger. Not to mention that Valeria is noticing that he's panicking under his calm exterior. Especially when Reed is the only one who can throw a wrench into his plans.

[Haquim]

It's filled with a lot Hickman's trademark tropes when it comes to his style of writing (his dialogue, his pacing, his ability to draw things out). If you were expecting anything exciting, don't. This is a talking and exposition dumping issue. It's not a high priority to read this I would say at the moment.

Right! No need for a newbie to understand what's going on! We just need issues where people SMASH!

XD

[Spideyparker75]

Right! No need for a newbie to understand what's going on! We just need issues where people SMASH!

XD

Ah Im sure Ill be ok lol.

I understand that writers have to cater to long time fans as well as folk like me. Im sure Ill enjoy it.

[Haquim]

Ah Im sure Ill be ok lol.

I understand that writers have to cater to long time fans as well as folk like me. Im sure Ill enjoy it.

Depends on what you want: do you want to understand what's really happening behind the scenes of the event? If so this was a good issue, it explained and confirmed things and set up what comes next (see last panel). Besides that the issue gave us good characterization (Doom feeling guilty for killing Strange for example).

You don't care for finer detail and explanation? Then you can probably skip this issue, although if what you are searching for is mindless "smashing" then this is probably not the event for you

[Spideyparker75]

Depends on what you want: do you want to understand what's really happening behind the scenes of the event? If so this was a good issue, it explained and confirmed things and set up what comes next (see last panel). Besides that the issue gave us good characterization (Doom feeling guilty for killing Strange for example).

You don't care for finer detail and explanation? Then you can probably skip this issue, although if what you are searching for is mindless "smashing" then this is probably not the event for you

No Im not searching for mindless smashing as that is pointless and gets old real quick. A good story is what I think we all want. I will get this issue because getting an explanation would be good for someone like me.

[ishikabe]

Well that was underwhelming. Molecule Man is still alive (established by the solicit though), MM recaps the final issues of Avengers & New Avengers, we find out how the Beyonders were defeated (after all that build up? That was significantly underwhelming), Valeria is leading a team to find everyone, and Thanos is at the Shield.

Rather lackluster and boring. Just when it felt like things were picking up last issue and I was getting interested, Hickman hits the brakes and dumps a truckload of exposition and "epic" sounding talking.

That's what Hickman does in East of West. It's around issue #20 and we finally got through the backstory.

[The Fury]

You don't care for finer detail and explanation? Then you can probably skip this issue, although if what you are searching for is mindless "smashing" then this is probably not the event for you.

The event is called Secret Wars. I'm pretty sure everyone expected fighting. Would be nice to see some.

[Spideyparker75]

The event is called Secret Wars. I'm pretty sure every expected fighting. Would be nice to see some.

Yeah some would be nice. Something tells me the fighting will bookend the run #1 and # 8 lol.

[Haquim]

The event is called Secret Wars. I'm pretty sure everyone expected fighting. Would be nice to see some.

Strange... I'd swear I saw some pretty high level fighting (as in Phoenix Cyclops vs God Doom) in the issue right before this one... surely I am mistaken though...

[vitruvian]

How is Molecule Man crazy, if there is only one of him? He gets crazier and crazier after more MM exist. He got saner the more MM the Swans killed, till he was sane again when they fought the Beyonders. But the fact he is crazy may be a clue that there are still many alternate universes out there with many Owen Reeces! That could be a shocking fact.

No. That is all backwards. Read everything again.

[vitruvian]

So I'm wondering if we're again getting clues that Doom is not as powerful as he seems? The Future Foundation have learned how to get readings of Doom's power, or at least what became of the Beyonder's power, staying it all stems from the very top of Castle Doom, where Doom lives. But we see in this issue, directly beneath the castle, or at it's centre, is either Owen's prison or the gateway to his prison. This is interesting because, in the flashback scenes, it's said that the power of the Beyonders was siphoned off to "store it someplace safe, where is could be used to preserve some of what had been lost." Then Doom says to Strange that Owen will serve as a "conduit" and "together we can save the remnants of worlds."

So what does this mean? Does Doom not actually possess the power of the Beyonders? Does he instead use the Molecule Man as sort of a well to draw that power from and use as he sees fit? Could this ability be stolen from Doom? I have no idea if this is the correct way to see this, it's just the idea of the Beyonders' power being "stored" and Owen being a "conduit" really stuck in my head. Does Doom actually possess the power of the Beyonders or does he not?

This seems like sensible speculation. It could actually be Owen who is effectively the god of Battleworld.

[vitruvian]

Indeed, agree. A race of being so powerful they can shape worlds and their form is that of little green aliens. The idea of the Beyonders is far more threatening than ever having them in an actual form. Given them form takes from their threat.

At least they looked more alien and threatening than David Hasselhoff in white leather.

[The Fury]

At least they looked more alien and threatening than David Hasselhoff in white leather.

Much to the point that in the the original Secret Wars, you didn't see the Beyonder. He was an out of their world being, far beyond the comprehension of us as he could shape the very universe, a being of few words and no form. An extremely threatening idea.

The Beyonder has gone through how many retcons recently? First he was a being of immense power, then a cosmic cube gained sentience then and Inhuman (weirdly), what is he now? Just a Beyonder? Bit dull that. I prefered the sentient cosmic cube, far more fun.

Strange... I'd swear I saw some pretty high level fighting (as in Phoenix Cyclops vs God Doom) in the issue right before this one... surely I am mistaken though...

That's enough of your quips. You know what I mean.

[Bamfthony]

Forgive me if this has been said, it's early and I haven't read the whole thread.

Molecule man says he's consumed everything. We know that matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, just transferred. So does Molecule Man contain the energies from the multiverse inside himself? Is this the way out of Battleworld?

[Iron Maiden]

We'll never see what happens to Namor or Black Panther because there's no book set in Egyptia.

But Hickman has written more about them. I hope they go back to being in more of a relationship of grudgingly respecting each other. What point is there for them to have this blood feud anymore? They're on Doom's playground now.