I don’t mean this as a backhand compliment, but Secret Wars is probably the best big Marvel crossover in recent memory. It’s a really great book that with an actually compelling story and character arcs that feel meaningful and earned. And at the end, it leaves an entirely new Marvel Universe that is pretty much exactly the same as the old Marvel Universe.

Another point in the book’s favor is Esad Ribic’s art. I love that he was penciler for the whole series and Ive Svorcina was the colorist for the whole series. That consistent look really make the series feel more meaningful and important. I especially love Svorcina’s colored-pencil style coloring and Ribic’s bugged out eyes.

The book really is a rip-roaring fun read that manages to walk a fine line of making it feel like this is just one portion of a huge complicated world without leaving you confused and wondering what the hell happened that you missed. This is frequently a problem with Hickman.

Issues two through four (and to a lesser extent issue one) have an immediacy to them that was very exciting. This take on Marvel (a What If wrapped in What The wrapped in Game of Thrones wrapped in Doom writing Doom fanfic) is fun and head spinning, and hits in a way Hickman always tries to do but doesn't always succeed at. In Issue 5, my interest waned at first, but in re-reads the later issues really work well. Hickman is packing a lot into these and I think they needed more attention that I was giving them.

The finale really sticks the landing, which is also rare for Hickman.

Mid-way through (I was reading this as the individual issues came out), I started reading the tie-ins on Marvel Unlimited. This probably helped give weight to the story when I re-read it leading up to issue 9. However, from a story & characterization perspective, only Siege and Thors are necessary. Most of the other tie-ins are essentially unrelated What If stories, although a few are adjacent to the main story.