| Title | : | Secret Wars II Omnibus |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0785131116 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780785131113 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 1184 |
| Publication | : | First published December 3, 2008 |
Secret Wars II Omnibus Reviews
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WOW! This volume has everything Secret Wars II you ever need to read. Every cross over and title affected by the series is included. Nice read. Recommended
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A weird story in which The Beyonder, the most powerful being in the Marvel universe, has a mid-life crisis and ponders desire and his purpose in life--along the way getting taken advantage of by the mob, dabbling in hedonism and small appliances, forcing people to think they love him, and killing and then recreating Death.
When I was reading Marvel comics back in the 1980s I never noticed how sloppy so much of it is. The "camera" in a scene wanders about aimlessly; there's little sense of visual grammar or continuity; the backgrounds are frequently a solid color with no detail; that color changes frequently with no rhyme or reason (in one five-panel stretch the background was white, then pink, then orange, then red, then pink again); the stories often aim for epic but actually make no sense; the author overexplains the bits which do make sense; and the characterization is often paper-thin.
Also, and least forgivably, the author of this one decided that two of the characters need to constantly call each other things like "snookums" and "lovey-pie." -
I love this not only for the story, which explores a lot of thought-provoking questions about existence, but also because it's essentially a cross-section of all the art and writing in the Marvel Universe at the time. There are certainly elements of the artwork that don't age well (the Beyonder's jumpsuit and jeri curls) but this was the Marvel Universe I cut my teeth on and it was a wonderful romp through memory lane! Sure, the individual issues are hit-or-miss, but this is a case where the sum is greater than its parts. I thoroughly enjoyed making my way through this beast over the course of a month. My only complaint is that the add-on FF story at the end which attempted to explain the existence of the Beyonder seemed unnecessary and to boot it got rid of Molecule Man who was one of the best characters of the series! An all-powerful being who just wants to sit at home and watch TV with his sweetheart--I loved the concept!
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Oh wow, was this EVER bad.
I remember reading this as a kid and thinking it was really cool; but, re-reading it as an adult, I can see how horribly, horribly written it is. The plot is all over the place and every page is monotonous and boringly sloppy storytelling (I mean, Spider-Man shows someone how to go to the washroom in this!! How stupid!) There isn't even any good artwork to speak of. Ridiculously dated, to boot.
Definitely near the top of my "Worst Comics of All Time" list.
1/5 -
"Secret Wars" was off the chain, yo. A unified battle between all the good/bad guys Marvel had, with twists and etc.
"Secret Wars II" was a major downgrade, mostly because it was too long (at least with this book) and it had a rambling point of view.
The Beyonder (he has the power of an entire universe, in one person) wants to hang out on Earth. It started out cool, when he was trying to be benevolent and goofs around with the lives of heroes and stuff.
But when he inevitably becomes evil or at least hates our universe, it got really boring and awkward. He basically threatens to kill everyone over twenty issues of Marveldom. Get it over with.
Speaking of which, the idea of including every related issue of a Marvel comic that the Beyonder showed up in is certainly inclusive, but it gets really dull. A full issue of something like the New Mutants, he has his cameo, and repeat with Spider-Man, X-Men, Alpha Flight, blah blah. Very repetitive.
The end of "Secret Wars II" was pretty awesome. What they decided to call "Secret Wars III" basically over-explained (a major problem with a lot of these sci-fi trappings of the Beyonder, btw) the awesome ending of Part II, and basically made for a lame ending.
So it was an OK book, but I probably would've preferred less material (or you know, better). Power Man and Iron Fist were awesome (but they always are). -
Collects Secret Wars II #1-9, New Mutants #30, 36-37, Captain America #306, Uncanny X-Men # 198, 202-203, Iron Man #197, Fantastic Four #282, 285, 288, 316-319, Web of Spider-Man #6, Amazing Spider-Man #268, 273-274, Daredevil #223, Incredible Hulk #312, Avengers #260-261, 265-266, Dazzler #40, Alpha Flight #28, The Thing #30, Doctor Strange #74, Cloak and Dagger #4, Power Pack #18, Thor #363, Power Man and Iron Fist #18, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #111, Defenders #152 and Quasar #8 (July 1985 -April 1986, July -October 1988 and March 1990).
As a kid, I collected and read all the Secret Wars limited series plus the X-Men, New Mutants and Alpha Flight tie-ins. Reading EVERYTHING here was a bit exhausting. Much was silly (though sometimes the silliness was absolutely warranted) and some of it is pointless, but for the most part this holds up as a much better story than the original Secret Wars. The New Mutants and X-Men stuff is still pretty damn dark and well written and I love it. The final Avengers, which sorta stands as an epilogue to the story, feels anti-climactic and I don't think the last four Avengers and the Quasar issues (happening several years after Secret Wars II) really needed to be included. All in all a fun thing to revisit though. -
Off the bat, it does not hold up well. This is 80s dialogue to the max. Also, while it's interesting to think about omnipotence incarnate trying to understand humanity, it's a little...unbelievable? Haha, this insane cosmic adventure on Earth is unbelievable. Yeah.
And then the crossover itself. So many issues that I "have" to jump to where I have NO IDEA what's going on in the series just so I can see Beyonder appear and say "Blorp" and then vanish. Absolutely no need for this somewhat almost could be interesting premise to be longer than a 4-6 issue series without any crossover issues. -
Who am I?
https://aedontor.blogspot.com/2020/08... -
1. Sooooo… much better than
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars which was a glorified toy advertisement in comic book form.
2. Truly a mixed bag here ranging all across the Marvel Universe circa 1986. This book functions as a survey of what Marvel comics were like midway through the 80’s. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the really bizarre.
3. Jim Shooter may have had some good ideas, but they are buried under a 1960’s comic book sensibility. He writes dialogue like he’s writing a script for a superhero radio play all deep throated and wooden.
4. But… the premise is what sells this book… an omnipotent being from “Beyond” comes to Earth to figure out what makes finite humanity human. It actually functions as a pretty nice philosophical exercise. Humans (even super powered humans) are mortal, incomplete, striving beings with desires. When you are infinite and omnipotent desire means nothing. But limiting yourself creates some problems. Than there is the response of basically all the super types… we can’t let infinite power exist … it is too powerful. Interesting!
5. My favorite bits were
Chris Claremont’s work on X-Men and New Mutants; The Cloak and Dagger tie-in; most of the Spider-Man stories, and some of the Avengers bits.
6. I could have done without the Power Man and Iron Fist story (thought I love Luke Cage); the creepy use of Dazzler as basically a love interest/sex object; the idiotic Thing; and the frankly bizarre end to the Defenders.
7. The art too was a real mixed bag with basically the main highlight being Bill Sienkiewicz’s work on New Mutants here.
8. There is a bit of a sloppy epilogue with the Fantastic Four story into the Negative Zone exposing the Beyonder as a Cosmic Cube (what?); a rather throwaway story about Quasar; and the absolute crazy Deadpool story.
9. But overall a fun read. -
Some mixed feelings on this one, when compared to the paperback version.
On one hand, all of the extra crossover issues connected to the event are present (with the exception of ROM and Micronauts), so you get to experience it in its (almost) entirety, but on the other hand, many of these issues add very little to the over-arching story.
There are some great moments: the Beyonder's numerous faux-pas are humorous (like trying to eat glass bottles), Molecule Man and Volcana are adorable, the issue with Boom-Boom's first appearance is surprisingly poignant, and some of the X-Men, Spider-Man and Avengers-related crossovers are decent.
Sadly though, the storyline feels like a half-baked copy of Stranger in a Strange Land and gets quite repetitive and convoluted, making it a bit of a chore to read through. This is especially so when there are over 1000 pages of material! Al Milgrom's art is average at best and frequently looks ugly, but there is some nice stuff from the crossover issues, from the likes of Johns Byrne and Buscema.
Overall, some nice ideas and moments but mostly a slog. Hard to recommend this. -
I have many fond memories of this series and the crossover issues contained herein. This was the first big Marvel crossover in terms of there being a million different issues that tied into a bigger series. I fell hook, line and sinker for the first few months, buying crap like Doctor Strange and the New Mutants that I didn't care one whit for at the time. As the months progressed, that stopped though. I was exposed to some really good reads too, like Daredevil #223, Incredible Hulk #312, and Captain America #308, all of which I read multiple times that summer.
The core mini-series was okay, nostalgia aside. Jim Shooter's writing has many dated slang and pop culture references which are forgivable, and is mostly solid. He makes some corny jokes but also doles out some thought-provoking plots. I dug on Al Milgrom's art circa 1984 on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man, but once you remove those rose-colored glasses you realize that he sucks. Sorry, Al, but you do.
One of the 'DVD-style' bonuses in the back of the book are Sal Buscema's unused pencils for Issue 1. It doesn't say why he bailed, but he never did the series, and that is unfortunate. Sal Buscema has a workman-like chug, but delivers solid storytelling and decent action sequences. I have to wonder 'what if'. The Fantastic Four issues (316-319) with Steve Englehart (writer) and Keith Pollard and Joe Sinnott (artists) are great, in spite of the fact that Ms. Marvel is, for some reason, a female Thing here. The Quasar issue sucks, and I consider it nothing more than a bonus, as it really doesn't tie in with what is going on in the rest of the book.
I am thrilled to death to see something that I loved as a child preserved in a deluxe, high-quality format like this. Nice paper, sewn binding, the only problem is the typos in the table of contents. Why would they list the wrong issues in the wrong spots? That's silly, especially when the indicia has the correct issues listed. A minor quibble, especially in light of the fact that this is a monster 1,188 book. -
A comprehensive read of Secret Wars II, with all the core Secret Wars II books, plus all the auxillary books, and also several books that finish up the line after the fact. The book is an interesting compilation of how humans act, and why they do what they do, under the magnifying glass of a supposed omnipotent, omniscient being.
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This is one strange trip. When the universe is saved with an abortion and the highlight of the tale is Spider-Man toilet training a full-grown man shaped like Steve Rogers, you've got some head scratching to do.
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Terrible. Probably the worst comic mini-series ever made. Really, just crap. Should be called Secret Bore. I wish it was still a secret. I paid $2.25 for all 9 original issues and that was a rip off. The most exciting moment was when Spider-Man taught the Beyonder how to pee.
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To be honest, I didn't get it in the end. Is it some attempt to be philosophical and create a discourse on human limitations? A failed exploration at the psyche of the Marvel-verse? Another excuse to get Dr. Doom out?
Anyway, I'm glad that this happened in the '80s. -
It was almost punishment to read this. And I love old comics. Still, the pull is the some of the great art in several of the issues. The story, however, is very stupid.
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Skip it. The story meandered like crazy and changed direction multiple times
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Blow me, Beyonder. Take your white leisure suit and just go. Most boring galactic powered character ever.
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Picking on the New Mutants should never be allowed.
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"Good help is so hard to corrupt."
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This is the best book on Asperger's I've ever read
