The 34th Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast: Secret Wars Part 1

If you were to google the words Secret Wars, you'd be presented with a whole host of results ranging from Secret Wars (2015), Spider-Man and the Secret wars, Secret War, Secret Wars II and more but for this edition of the broadcast, I'm talking about the big one from the year 1984, I'm talking about Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars or better known to comic book lovers as just SECRET WARS!

Welcome to the 34th Co(s)mic Comic book Broadcast: Secret Wars Part 1 of 3.  These days ask any comic book fan about Secret Wars and you'd probably get this answer:

The 2015 Secret Wars.  Take a look at that Alex Ross cover, that's a beauty. Alex Ross also did the cover for Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars TPB as well.  I've only read this one issue, actually I quickly glanced through it, I usually like to read the entire series (if I can) so far only 2 issues of Secret Wars have been released.  For this edition of the broadcast, I wanted to share with you a little bit about an earlier Limited Series called Secret Wars, I first found out about this unique concept (well, I was fascinated by the term Limited Series which was magical to me at the time)which was a 12 issue Limited Series featuring all my favorite Super Heroes on one side and Marvel Comics' Villains on one side.  It was a battle royal.  I was chomping at the bit to get them but the time I found out about this series, it was already well underway.  How did I find out about this series, it was through Marvel's House Ads, like this one:

At the time, the Internet was I believe still a myth or maybe it was in it's infancy.  So the only way to be "in the know" about comics was through House Ads and also through this:

Those days, you found out what was new and cool through Marvel's Bullpen Bulletins and the Hype Box.  It was thanks to all this that I first saw a cover to Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars.  I knew at that moment that I wanted that series.  Well as luck would have it, I never got to read a single issue of Secret Wars.  I would ask around the book shops or news paper vendors but I would always get the same look and answer: "Huh????"  I just about gave up.  I guess looking back now Secret Wars was my first ever Holy Grail Item. Oh, how I wanted to read Secret Wars but I never did.  I thought that was it, I would never get to own the set or even to read it, until one faithful day.

Here's a copy of Marvel's Hype Box Hyping the Secret Wars Limited Series. 

A few years later, my dad took us on a vacation to Singapore, it had been a while since I went on a vacation.  While everyone else in the family was thinking about a vacation, I thought of Comic Books Shops, real honest to god Comic Books Shops, specialty Comic Book Shops.  I saved up what I could and I found such shop in Singapore.  I was a wide eyed, jaw to the floor little boy looking at the comics hanging on the wall, comics to the left, comics to the right, comics everywhere.  Well after what seemed like an eternity, I picked my jaw up off the ground and uttered my first words to the owner (who must have thought.....who knew what he thought), I said Secret Wars?

The Owner responded: "Ahh I have just the thing for you." and he came back with this:

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars # 12.....I was like wait, there are 12 issues, where's Issue 1 to 11.  The owner said Secret Wars has been sold out for months now but he does have this one available.  He goes on to tell me that it's the original Issue # 12.  Original?? I guess he meant first printing of this issue.  The condition was near mint (not for long), well I bought it just like that. So for the entire vacation I just ate, slept and read issue # 12 of Secret Wars.  I know, it's really odd to read the conclusion of this series but hey, I couldn't get the other 11 issues.

(If and that's a big IF, if you haven't read this series before, SPOILERS coming up) In issue # 12, I read that the heroes were dead and Doom tries to contain the power of the Beyonder. The villains, heading back to Earth, begin to squabble. Klaw manipulates Doom to resurrect the heroes. The Beyonder, sucks his power back out of Doom. Doom, Klaw and Ultron disappear. The heroes return changed to earth. Spider-Many with a black alien costume. Curt Connors cured of the Lizard. Hulk has a busted leg. Colossus has lost love, Zsaji. The X-Men get new costumes. Lockheed returns with another dragon. Captain America's shield is restored. She-Hulk joins the Fantastic Four when The Thing remains on Battleworld.

Pretty soon that Near Mint issue became Fine.  I can't recall just how many times I read that issue.  The artwork by Mike Zeck fascinated me to no end, I loved his artwork inked by John Beatty.  I also noticed that some of the ink work seemed different from page to page.  I later found out that John Beatty had help in the inking department for this issue, help from a gentleman named ARTHUR ADAMS.  You might have heard of him. Wow.  

This issue had just about everything in it for me, battles, excitement, great story and of course great artwork.  Reading the conclusion of Secret Wars only fueled my desire to get the other 11 issues and after a few years, I finally had a chance to buy my own copy, my own set of Secret Wars.

I ordered the complete set of Marvel Super Hero Secret Wars and this is of course Issue # 1.  Just look at that cover.  Mike Zeck and John Beatty did a great job on this cover.  I loved it the moment I took it out of the packaging.  Those days comics from overseas were shipped via SEA MAIL which would take anything from 6 months to a year almost.  The waiting was the worst part, it was agony.  When I got this issue, I read it right away and for the next few weeks my life was consumed by this series.

Issue # 1 was the stuff of legends, our cast of heroes and villains each find themselves in their respective gigantic space ships trying to figure out how they got there and what is going on; They witness the end of a galaxy and the creation of Battleworld; Ultron attacks the other baddies and is snuffed out by Galactus; The voice of the otherworldy Beyonder tells them that their goal is to defeat their enemies and their wildest dreams will come true; Galactus and Doom immediately fly off to confront the Beyonder but are repulsed as if they were no more than gnats; The heroes are transported to the planet and immediately turn on Magneto who has been inexplicably counted among their number; They choose Cap to lead them; The villains are also moved to Battleworld and Doom tries to reason with them concerning the Beyonder's wishes; When no one is willing to listen, he flies off to talk to Reed but is shot down by Kang; The heroes reach Doom but mistrust him and get blasted; The rest of the villains arrive and the Secret War begins.

If you thought the cover to Issue # 1 was cool, then take a gander at Issue # 2.  In this issue,  the heroes and villains engage in their first battle of the Secret War and the heroes win and take prisoners; Doom uses the time the villains are engaged to invade their base and revive Ultron to do his bidding; When the remaining villains return, they find Doom waiting and grudgingly agree to let him be their leader; The heroes find a base of their own only to have it invaded by Magneto who makes off with the Wasp; and the last you'd expect to happen, happens. The Thing reverts to his human form, Ben Grimm.

This is Issue # 3 which sports my favorite cover: The Crisis Within, penciled and inked by Mike Zeck. I promised myself to read Secret wars in the correct sequence, so when I saw this cover, you'd better believe I was chomping at the bit to read it but I would not jump from issue to issue, I would read this series in the correct sequence. In this issue, while a storm rages across Battleworld, the Wasp cozies up to her captor, Magneto; The Hulk secretly fears that his intellect is fading; Spidey overhears the X-Men planning to leave and join Magneto and whips the mutants good until Xavier wipes his memory; With their forces dwindled, Doom creates two new allies for the coming war; Thor revives the Enchantress and the two head off to chat; When dawn breaks, the Hulk drops the ball on sentry duty and the heroes are unprepared for an assault on their base by the villains who quickly gain the upper hand.

Then came Issue # 4.  The cover was just awesome.  The cover read: BENEATH ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY BILLION TONS, STAND THE HULK....AND HE'S NOT HAPPY!
It didn't strike me at first but the artwork in issue # 4 was different and after a while I realised the art IS DIFFERENT( Yeah I'm a smart one, took me four to five reads to realize that the penciler had changed) It wasn't Mike Zeck anymore, it was Bob Layton on pencils  but Inks was still by John Beatty.  Still I read this issue and loved it.  Why?

The villains defeat the heroes in battle, rescue their captured comrades and destroy their base; Trying to impress Volcana, Molecule Man drops a mountain range on our heroes; Thor and the Enchantress return from their little chat to find the villains victorious and Thor is attacked; The X-Men join forces with Magneto and the Wasp uses the distraction they provide to escape; The Human Torch and Captain Marvel channel their powers through Iron Man and blast themselves out from under the mountain range; They reunite with Thor and take refuge in an alien village where a local woman heals their wounds; The only problem is that the village is right underneath the gaze of Galactus, and Galactus begins to move.

There are still 8 more issues to go with more action, more intrigue, a new costume, the return of a familiar penciler, romance and stories to fill 8 more issues.  This is going to be the first part of a trilogy on the Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast.  Drop by again for parts 2 and 3, relive your memories of this great series, Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars.

I'll be back with part 2 and 3 soon, I hope you'll drop by again.  Until the next broadcast, you take care.