Garage Review: Secret Wars #1 (1984)

Witness one of the first major crossover back when they didn't happen all the time.

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47 Comments

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Heisenberger

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Edited By Heisenberger

anyone have a link where i can download secret wars? im dyin to read it now

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jmills

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Edited By jmills

I was too young to read this when it came out (only 4 years old), but I did realize later that my first introduction to Marvel characters came as a result of it. My first superhero action figure was the Spider-Man toy that they released to coincide with this series. I think I had the Doctor Doom and Captain America figures as well, but I remember the Spider-Man figure in particular. I played with that figure constantly! By the time I would eventually lose him, he was missing a thumb and had most of his webbing pattern rubbed off. But he was still awesome!

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celestial_man

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Edited By celestial_man

Secret wars: the comic is cring worthy and way too monotonous.. secret wars was i am guessing the first modern crossover thus it is secret wars fault that we have some many crossovers these days. The story is way too long and stretched out i wonder if this is where DC gets the formula for all their crossovers ? yes i am sure secret wars was groundbreaking at the time. I do admit it is nice to see galactus treated with some respect i do feel the charcter has been heavily eroded over the years.

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Donovan Montgomery

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Agreed, definitely worth picking up and reading.  Great review.

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Press Oblivion

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Edited By Press Oblivion

Awesome! :D

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Deac

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Edited By Deac

G-Man- You really took me back there. I've always loved to read, but, what first interested me in comics was Superman Vs. Muhammed Ali. However, Secret Wars was a big part of me making mine Marvel (say that five times fast). What really sealed the deal for me and showed me what comic books really could be happened right as Secret Wars were wrapping up. In Uncanny X-Men 190-191, Kulan Gath had transformed the City of New York into an ancient land of sword and sorcery. All the heroes in the vicinity (X-Men, New Mutants, Avengers, Spider-Man) became transformed into their D&D counterpart. This was a kewl concept and was handled brilliantly. The scene where Spider-Man is crucified connected with me on many levels. Secret Wars got me into Marvel...the Kulan Gath storyline made me a lifelong fan.
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www.deadpoolforum.com

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I'm right there with ya G-Man. It still holds up to this day.
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SmoothJammin

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Edited By SmoothJammin

I lean towards DC a little more but I think I'll check this one out~

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churrific

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Edited By churrific

I always appreciate G-man's passion for this old school stuff.

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Ultimate JSA

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Edited By Ultimate JSA

good video man
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Eyz

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Edited By Eyz

Ah :)
The original Secret Wars !
Keep those great fun garage reviews comin'~
:)

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EganTheVile1

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Edited By EganTheVile1

Ritalin much? ADHD? Or is something really crazy going on to Tony's right? :)

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zombietag

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Edited By zombietag

it is super cheesy and lame, but its so cool. and fun.

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Gothic Storm

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Edited By Gothic Storm

This was the first comic book I ever bought without my parents being around. My buddies and me were at the local pharmacy (they made the best burgers and malt shakes... yeah, sounds like a place out of a 60s sitcom)... and we were spinning the comic book rack around when this book just stared at me, begging me to buy it. I was glad I did!
 
This was and still is in my top 3 favorite crossovers of all time. The ultimate comic book crossover of it's day, this series really got kids back into reading comics again. Before this series, many parents looked down on most comic titles except for the "purest of the pure" such as Superman. 
 
I still remember catching my step-dad reading issues 1-3 late one night... 'Nuff said!

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Deadcool

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Edited By Deadcool

I bought Secret Wars issue number 10 with just 1 dollar, DAMN I loved that Old Hippie!!

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Manchine

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Edited By Manchine

This is what I loved about comics.  I have the trade and read it every now and then.  =)
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SamAndMax

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Edited By SamAndMax

i just picked this entire series up, along with secret wars 2 and the entire infinity gauntlet arc at an antique shop in vermont for a dollar a book.  awesome find and a good read.

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cbishop

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Edited By cbishop

"Don't read Secret Wars II." lol 
 
I hated SW2 because I had envisioned the character "Thundersword" almost exactly as he appeared in SW2, a few months before he appeared in the comic.  There wasn't something like Previews out at the time, so it's just an odd coincidence, but they took a cool name and visual and trashed it for a joke character. <shakes head> lol

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FoxxFireArt

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Edited By FoxxFireArt

Crossovers such as this were rare back then. Now, we call it a Wednesday.

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coolbeans

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Edited By coolbeans

I would give anything for comics to be 75 cents again

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They Killed Cap!

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Edited By They Killed Cap!

I read this about 6 months ago for the first time. It is dated but it is still good. It was a very important story and everyone should read it. Secret wars 2 is incredibly hard to read.
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Krakoa

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Edited By Krakoa

This is the way a crossover should be done.

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The Impersonator

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Edited By The Impersonator

I was born in 1984. Later that time, I never had the chance to read comics. But I watched cartoons like He-Man, Ninja Turtles, Transformers, and Robotech though. My first comic book series was Wolverine volume 2, which I just finished reading the series including Dark Wolverine about a month ago. Yeah, it was too late to read comics for me but that's how I started to get into comics in the first place. I was in college at that time. I believe it was 2003-2005 that I started reading comics. Somewhere in between, yeah.
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GT-Man

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Edited By GT-Man

Cool
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grayrick949

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Edited By grayrick949

i am so happy, i was going to have to slap a G man for keeping Secret wars in his garage. good thing that i watched the whole thing before I said something.

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roboticjesus

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Edited By roboticjesus

Some older story lines hold up well over time and some don't.  I think Secret Wars holds up well and doesn't seem cheesy like a lot of early 90's and 80's stories tend to.

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mickoreo_LZ

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Edited By mickoreo_LZ

Cool how you reviewed one of the first major crossovers. I kinda wish comics were like that today where you didn't have a "Crisis" every year or two and things like that. The more major crossovers there are, the less special they become. This comic is timeless to us because it was so unique and memorable and big crossover events nowadays just don't have that special something a lot of the time. 
 
Keep the review from the garage coming G-Man
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Woodclaw

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Edited By Woodclaw

Persoanlly I was about 2 years old when this came out, many years later I bought the collected edition and, well, it was simply great. At that times I was already having fanboy issues with how Marvel was handling things (the Dork Age of comics was at its peak) and Secret Wars really saved my sanity (the only other crossover event that I consider that good is JLA/Avengers).
 
And I agree with the general sentiment, the discovery of the "real origins" of the Beyonder was one of the biggest disappointment in the history of comics.

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deactivated-5ffc7df6492da

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Probably is one of the greatest crossover of all time, my favorite issue #8 dont have #1....yet
Also has one of the worst lines I've ever read I have no respect for Pile Driver because of his line.

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Dr. Detfink

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Edited By Dr. Detfink

I remember as a kid when Secret Wars came out, how much I loved it...but as I got older, I realized how ridiculous it was. Pretty Much Secret Wars is the unofficial inspiration of the Royal Rumble. That is, let's junk pile all these heroes and villains in a hope to get kids buying (and it worked) but it had zero at stake. Was there anything that lasted after the 12 issues? Don't say Venom because that wasn't even an idea at the time. 
 
For what it was, Secret Wars was for ideal for a young simple minded kid like me. At the time, I couldn't get into the thicker, higher stakes game like Crisis on Infinite Earths which had greater implications for the DCU. Today, I am almost embarrassed that I have all original prints in mint condition. 
 
Proof that sometimes it's not always better to be brainy but stupid enough to keep your readers.

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tonis

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Edited By tonis
@G-Man: wow, you actually explained a flaw in Wolvies character for this story pretty well. Makes sense to me. 
 
This was a special review for me too. Secret Wars is the reason I went from having 1 comic to thousands. Other than contest of champions nothing had ever been done like this up till then. It had a profound impact on my love for comics. 
 
There's a mini series titled '1985' that has a great story about that time. Has anyone read it?
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fedspaz

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Edited By fedspaz

It is too funny how you get so fired up on this one G-Man... lol
It's great!

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Lvenger

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Edited By Lvenger

I only really got into properly reading comics a few years ago. When I was little, I used to buy kids superman and batman and spider-man magazines but then stopped collecting for a while. It was only in 2006 after my dad bought me 2 comics from the nearby comic store (they were Superman #654 and #656).

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MichaeltheFly

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Edited By MichaeltheFly

"The Easter Bunny"??? Lol, I didn't know he was a Marvel hero.

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CRACKERMAN92

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Edited By CRACKERMAN92

Great review G Man

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GothamRed

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Edited By GothamRed

Wouldn't Little G-Man, technically be G-Boy?

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ImperiousRix

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Edited By ImperiousRix

This was way before my time, sadly, but I am a huge fan of big superhero mash-up events.  I think I understand how you feel because, as a little kid, I'd get the odd comic here and there (usually Spider-Man or X-Men because of the cartoons), but as a teen it was Civil War that really got me into comic books full-force.  I guess if you have the pre-disposition for loving superheroes, it takes a big event to finally thrust you into collecting them consistently.
Or maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.

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gmanfromheck

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Edited By gmanfromheck
@pinchpaker29: I do have Infinity Gauntlet (and Crusade, etc). I like to mix things up so we'll see what I dig out for next week. But perhaps in the future. 
 
@AMS: Sadly, my single issues are getting beat up as well.
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AMS

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Edited By AMS

Such a good book and story, it was like THE event. It still holds up well today as well, I'm going to rebuy Secret Wars I & II in hardcover cause this video just reminded me how beat up and well read my softcover version of Secret Wars is.
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djames216

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Edited By djames216

 My first comic book experience was also with Secret Wars.  I was about 10 at the time.  I wasn't buying it from a comic shop though, I was buying it from the local post office/newsagents.  Plus, I live in the UK, so the comic was a UK reprint and not the original US comic.  Being totally unaware of its existence until I walked into the shop, I had already missed the first four or five issues, but I loved reading it.  I would say I have the same feelings about it as G-man does - a combination of nostalgia and loving cool big superhero/super villain events.  The Beyonder character fascinated me and really opened my eyes, at such a young age, to the limitless boundaries of imagination.
 
Edit:  Oh!  I just remembered something about the UK reprint.  The last half of each issue featured stories from Alpha Flight.  They were pretty cool too.

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MichaeltheFly

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Edited By MichaeltheFly

You know G-man you convinced me, I was wondering if I should try to read this series or not,I've always been a Marvel Cosmic fan, but that panel of Beyonder "pimp slapping" Galactus and your enthusiasm about  this comic made it for me. I've heard things about this Beyonder that made the mutant-inhuman Beyonder seem like a insect, your reaction when you talk about his current status always makes me laugh. Thanks G-man.

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kungnima

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Edited By kungnima

''Little G-man'' lol

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pinchpaker29

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Edited By pinchpaker29

Oh yeah! Secret Wars! I wasn't born yet when this came out but I got to read it because my uncle had his copies, all 12 issues! 
 
I just wanna say, with Secret Wars, THAT IS THE Beyonder, my brain refuses to absorb that "mutated Inhuman" crap...
 
Thanks G-man, now why don't you do the Infinity Gauntlet Arc next? Im sure someone like you have it! :D

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Decept-O

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Edited By Decept-O

Aw, heck yes.  Secret Wars is the hot fudge on my sundae.  Beyonder is the Beyonder as he appeared here, not any other way.  "Mutated Inhuman" my a$$...   Galactus got schooled!
 
Surprised you didn't give it a 5, but what the hubba bubba bubble gum,  a fine  comic book series!
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deactivated-5c6600594117e

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*sigh* I remember reading this series in the 3rd grade. Freakin' good times I tell ya.
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EdwardWindsor

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Edited By EdwardWindsor
@G-Man:  i manged to get hold of a copy of this myself a couple months ago from a boot sale i was dragged to for like £1, i was chuffed its a classic.
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BetonneTom

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Edited By BetonneTom

always wanted to see this one