Review– ‘Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: Battleworld’ Is A Fun But Slight Throwback
by Tony Thornley
The original Secret Wars is the first crossover event in comics history. The 2015 semi-sequel is rightfully considered one of the greatest events in comics history. So how better to capture that magic a bit with a little nostalgia mixed with the reunion of a classic creative team.
Tom DeFalco, Pat Olliffe, John Kalisz, and Joe Caramagna revisit Battleworld at the end of the original Secret War.
The war is over, or so Peter Parker thinks. Unfortunately, while the Avengers and Fantastic Four try to find a way home of the heroes after defeating Doom and the Beyonder, Spider-Man is sucked into another part of Battleworld. To survive, he’s going to have to fight through giants and monsters, and team-up with Johnny Storm in the harshest environment on Battleworld. But who or what is responsible for it all?
If you’re looking for a straight sequel or retelling of the original Secret Wars, this series isn’t it. DeFalco isn’t even really dancing between the raindrops. He’s finding a hole in the story (literally between two panels) and placing his story there. It makes for a very fun read, taking an opportunity to tell a story where many assumed there probably wasn’t one. His prose is often very purple, which does drag it down a bit, and there’s no hints at who the mystery puppet masters are, but it’s generally fun enough to still get through it, especially as a fan of DeFalco’s past work.
Olliffe still draws action incredibly well. There’s a great energy as Peter is rapidly dodging through alien landscapes and avoiding massive enemies. Johnny Storm looks like he’s straight out of a Kirby comic, and he paces each reveal with page turns that heighten the impact. Kalisz’s colors match the era it all comes from, with bright slightly flat colors.
The real draw though is seeing DeFalco reunited with Olliffe, his longtime Spider-Girl partner. These nostalgia-fueled minis almost never reunite full creative teams (the recent Silver Surfer and Adam Warlock minis being the only other exception). If it hadn’t been these two creators reuniting, this issue wouldn’t have had half the charm or appeal. This is part of the problem with these minis, but I’m glad I got to see it.
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: Battleworld #1 is available now from Marvel Comics
Overview
This was a fun supplement to the original series and it was fantastic to see the creative team back together.
