The Good

The moment that's been building up for some time if finally here. SECRET WARS has begun and it looks like the Marvel Universe, any of them within the Multiverse, will never be the same. If you've been following Jonathan Hickman's AVENGERS and NEW AVENGERS, you know that the Multiverse has been coming to an end. It's been known to a select few that the Universe was going to collide with another. There's been many attempts to prevent this and there's been high costs. Now it's come down to the regular Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe. This might seem like a lot for readers that haven't been following the story before but the issue does sup it up simply in just three sentences.

In a matter of survival, we see the two earths having to decide what they need to do to survive. This is where you start to see the finality of what's happening in the story. The familiar versions of characters we love are now at odds with each other. With everything at stake, it's not going to be pretty. Hickman does write some remarkable scenes and we see some glorious battles. What makes it hard is the fact that these characters shouldn't be fighting each other. They just don't have any other choice.

The visuals for the story are exactly what you would want in such a big and important story. Esad Ribic's art and Ive Svorcina's colors are astounding. There are so many characters present in this issue. They all look great and the story and action flows smoothly. Each moment and change of scene looks great and the appearance of other characters never feels gratuitous or just included to make the story feel bigger. This is the real deal here.

The Bad

For readers that have no idea what the Incursion business is about, there might be a little confusion. As mentioned, it is concisely summarized and you can get the gist of what's going on. We have two worlds fighting each other, trying to save their own. That's really all you need to know.

There were a couple times characters were talking, off panel or over a com, and you weren't exactly sure which universe they were from. This was a rare occurrence. It was usually pretty clear by the tiny differences in their looks.

The Verdict

This is a story that's been in motion for some time. We've been looking forward to this for some time and Jonathan Hickman delivers in a big way. For a first issue, there is no holding back. The seeds have been planted over the last couple years. Now they're coming to fruition. If you've been reading Hickman's Avengers book, you have an idea what's going and that's all you really need to know. Those that haven't, might be a tiny bit confused but it's easy to figure out the basics of what's going on. Esad Ribic's art and Ive Svorcina's colors are gorgeous. The characters are depicted in a glorious and fitting fashion as they put everything on the line to fight for survival. The crazy thing is this is an eight-issue story. With all the action and outcomes from this one, it's hard to imagine what could possibly come next. We could guess or make assumptions but with Hickman at the controls, it's best to sit back and enjoy the show. I read the original SECRET WARS when I first started buying comics. I was excited for this story before but now having read the first issue, I'm even more excited for the rest.

I'll read this book.

Can't wait to get this today. Loved Hickmans avengers and new avengers from the beginning.

Dang this review was quick

I was too late to get anything on FCBD but Secret Wars #0 the previews. Plus Divergence by DC. There was only 1 New Avengers copy left and my friend took it.

same here. I'm dyiiing to read this onee

I'll wait. After so many universes and so many trillions upon trillions of meaningless deaths I don't see anything interesting in yet more deaths. These days the only thing the big two are interested in is body counts.

Just read it, WOW!!! Everything died RIP 616 and Ultimate Universe.

All Hope lies in Doom, The Maker future marvel main bad guy IMO and the Phoenix reborn!!

I love the part with the punisher

I'll be picking this up today :)

Thank God it looks better than Convergence.

Shoot! Here I was thinking... "I don't need to read the book. I'll just catch up once the event is over. It's probably gonna flop anyway. I can just go back to reading main books once it's over."

Now I've read this review... and I want to read it!

@the_stegman: you don't like convergence

@holyserpent: I like the tie ins, but the main story is painfully boring. And I thought we'd see heroes other than the Earth 2 ones by now.

Really enjoyed that first issue. So much going on and had a lot of great little moments throughout. Really looking forward to see where it goes from here.

Great issue! Really lived up to my expectations, recommend this to anyone who is reading anything from Marvel.

My interest is definitely peaked on this just don't know if I can scrounge up $4.99 to add to my budget for this (I think this is coming out twice a month?), but very happy it is getting good reviews

all hope lies in someone else, cause using FF or X-men characters to save the universe is a big no no to the mouse ears.

That was good, the Hulk Fast Ball Specials were also a nice touch.

@trodorne: not this shit again *sigh*

This is one heck of first issue.

double *sigh*

@trodorne: Not really, if you've read Hickman's F4 and New Avengers, it makes it obvious that the hero of the story will be either Doom or Reed Richards.

love black panther

This book was insanity...I cannot believe what I just read. Pick it up. Don't even think twice about it.

hey guys rate and review the issue here if you guys like :)

http://www.comicvine.com/forums/gen-discussion-1/rate-secret-wars-1-1669724/

So long as something bad happened to ultimate hulk I'm all happy.

I refuse to believe Sue and Ben are dead, especially with Franklin there.

Soooooo goooooooooooooodddddddddd

So psyched to read this today!

@thedailybagel: Hey. Stop it. All right? Stop it.

Literally just picked this up. Looking forward to reading this tonight.

@crimz: They are canceling the title, the characters aren't safe anymore. Besides when has that condition been serious?

The art was top notch, amazing scenes with Black Bolt and the Punisher, only thing I was slightly disappointed with was Cyclopes' new Phoenix costume, but an easy 5/5 stars

@guardiandevil83: I can't help my hate for that thing...

First issue was dynamite... Now if they can keep this up with the oncoming main-issues and tie-ins, We've a real winner & instant classic event at our hands people.

Even better, people can simply write their own review on the issue page:

http://www.comicvine.com/secret-wars-1/4000-487843/

Big Daddy P putting in work, even when the world is ending.

Also, shout-out to Hickman for that awesome fastball special with Colossus and Hulk.

I also don't believe they are totally dead either unless Marvel is really going to commit to that as well as Tony, Steve, and Thor all dying in the last few issues of Avengers and NA. Just so much can happen with the timeline still with the Beyonders and Doom.

After Infinity I'm confident Hickman can write an awesome event. I need to catch up on Avengers/New Avengers before reading this though. For anyone interested, both series are on sale on Comixology right now for less than $1 an issue.

Suffice to say this is everything Convergence should have been, but isn't.

A book of this magnitude deserves to start off with a bang, and boy does it ever.

Fantastic, fantastic stuff. And I'm looking forward to what Hickman and Ribic have in store for us next :)

Can someone clarify the order of some recent events. Such as the Black Vortex story. Does that take place before or after secret wars?

@vash1306: I think it's happening just days before the final events at the beginning of SW.

@sinikettu: But we see Gamora in her pre cosmic form in this issue of secret wars. Along with Groot's pre cosmic form change.

If it weren't for Hickman's East of West, with its own twisty tale of apocolypse, and the Time Runs out TPBs I likely wouldn't have been that interested/excited for this book. It's an event comic how many of them are actually that good these days?

Still what could of been spectacle destruction porn was but also managed to find the personal heroisim and character that is so often loss in this type of plot. It's something Hickman's done a real good job weaving through overall even as he uses a nonlinear narrative to lead up to this.

The art per usual also pretty good.

Cheap Plug to User Review

@crimz said:

...What!?

@vash1306: Yeah, I think it's maybe a deliberate oversight by Hickman since there's not supposed to be a universe left to "save" for long once the convergence has begun.

The death of most of the Fantastic Four.

That Punisher scene....

The funniest joke i saw was when Rocket said "Remember when comics only cost a dollar?!"