SECRET WARS!!! Classic or Dud?

Classic: Reed Richards insults the Hulk, who's holding a mountain off the heroes. Spider-Man's symbiote costume. The Wrecking Crew being an actual threat.

Dud: Zahji (sp?), Colossus' alien love interest. Months of Colossus mopery followed, and the enjoyable Kitty Pryde / Colossus romance never recovered.

Also dud: The Molecule Man / Volcana romance. Jim Shooter shd stick to pissing off John Byrne.

Yes Colossus as horndog was poor.

Wasnt Kitty 13 and Colossus 19 though when they were dating?

Also - that Spider Woman. What the hell?

Thigh/waist ratio-itis ahoy!

I am trying to remember whether the Mutant Master of Magnetism was quite so libidinal in his own comics, I vaguely remember him being at it with some woman who owned a yacht, and later on he tried it on with Rogue. Supervillains rarely have love lives, come to think of it.

Could you get away with that even five years later?

And yup, the symbiote became Venom. And Carnage, etc. I liked the costume change, the inexhaustible webbing, etc. Is Venom not seen as a good thing? He never really struck me as a negative. Compared to the Clone Saga, I can deal with a nutty, homicidal villain.

Venom's biggest crime was being popular (and getting beat into the ground as a result). If he was used judiciously (like the Goblin was, once upon a time), it would've been fine. But then you had Venom and Punisher and Wolverine guest-starring in 30-part mega-events, and shit got stale.

I swear I bought an issue of some miniseries that had these three characters in it at some point in the early 90s. I know there was a Wolverine/Punisher thing, at least.

I'm not much for Secret Wars, but I'll back Secret Wars II. A much more interesting idea (the Beyonder explores omnipotence as it relates to Everyday Life) with much better execution.

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I don't recall, Ward. It's been a while since I read it. But, as it was written by Shooter while he was boss and as that was a time when Gerber was all about sticking it to Marvel, I wouldn't be at all surprised.

PLUS: I had no idea he (Blackheart) was a pre-existing figure in Marvel continuity. I just figured he was another example of Marvel doing it's old "generic demon/alien/higher being #848902.87".

Other than that I hated the art and thought the story was snoozerville. But I haven't read it since I was 12. I guess I'd read it again.

I've been meaning to check out that Nocenti run--ther'es no trade, is there?

There's a trade of the first few Nocenti/Romita issues, including the one where Typhoid Mary first appeared. It's good stuff. I think the book is one of the "Daredevil: Legends" collections.

Looks like they're currently on sale over at mycomicshop.com.

Absolutely true, with the major exception of the one where Mary first appears (#254), which is usualy priced much higher. For that reason, I never read it until the trade paperback was published, even though I had most of the rest of Nocenti's run.

has sw2 been collected?

Secret Wars II Omnibus, featuring an assload of crossovers, to be released in December. I am perversely delighted. Sadly enough, it was the only thing in Marvel's December solicitations that so much as raised an eyebrow.

Holy shit Secret Wars did ONE YEAR LATER 10+ years before DC did! And pulled it off!

Secret Wars was probably the first big comic event from my childhood. I recently reread it, and was surprised how much good stuff was in it. I agree with most of people upthread what's dud about it: Magneto & Wasp, Colossus & Zahji, etc. Also, it felt some of the villains had no function in the story (The Lizard, Dr. Octopus, etc.), they were included just because they were major villains. However, I did like the role reversal of the Molecule Man & Volcana romance, with MM being this insecure weakling Volcana wants to protect (even though his powers are superior to hers).

Doom of course was great in Secret Wars, easily the most interesting character there. Plus his master/servant interaction with Klaw was nice, Klaw's lines were often quite funny. I can't remember seeing Klaw in any other comics after that though... Whose villain was he anyway?

Secret Wars was also the beginning of good Magneto, right? I liked Magneto more when he was ambiguous like that, which is why I wasn't too impressed on Morrison's take on him.

I read the first Secret Wars, but I thought it wasn't very good, either the story or the artwork. The symbiote costume and ensuing storyline was the best thing to come out of the series.

Crisis on Infinite Earths on the other hand was an epic and helped to get me hooked on DC Comics. That series was some true gateway drugs.

Agreed with Tuomas about good late 80s Mags being really good. I think but so much stupid crap had happened eventually (see: Joseph) that the character really needed that reconstruction that Morrison did - it also fit in well with his overall themes for his run in New X-Men. I actually didn't mind it much at all, and when they immediately did that 180 on him, making him and Chuck "Genosha buddies" it felt kind of false. But I don't know what they've done with him lately.

I actually want to revisit Secret Wars I too. CoIE was something I never read until a year or two ago and I was really surprised how well it holds up - dozens of characters, and even if you don't know any of them the story is remarkably accessible and gripping.

lol i had totally forgotten about this dude

Secret Wars II convinced my 10 year old self to become agnostic. The Beyonder blew my mind, he WAS the old-testament GOD: capricious, venal, selfish and greedy.
Not sure if it would holf up to a re-read, but in my memories Secret Wars II was amazing.

holf = hold

Secret Wars, in the UK editions, was the first comic series that I read religiously.
I bought the trade paperback out of nostalgia last year and it just didn't feel as cool as it did when I was a kid.

Secret Wars is awesome. I LOVE the Molecule Man plot! The guy is like the most powerful dude of the MU-Earth and basically he just pines after his girl and wants to stay at home and garden, and somehow this ends up making him a villain through almost no real deliberate effort of his own! I also love how he discovers the real extent of his powers through couples therapy. "My God, I've just been holding myself back all this time because I was afraid! I can control organic molecules! I can do anything!"

oh man Secret Wars was NINETEEN EIGHTY FOUR?!?!?!?

Clearly the only way to make a company-wide crossover event work:

1) have the EIC write it
2) have the EIC force everyone to kowtow to his dictates

I hope Dan Didio is (not) reading.