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Marvel is no stranger to annual blockbuster events in its comic books, but few can compare to its 2015 mini-series Secret Wars. The culmination of years of storytelling, Secret Wars broke and rebuilt the Marvel Universe, eventually forming a new status quo in the comic books. The massive crossover event centers on the Fantastic Four’s leader, Reed Richards, and judging from the few details we know about the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, it appears the new film will draw from elements of Secret Wars, making now the perfect time to catch up on the storyline. Luckily, Marvel recently published a massive hardcover Secret Wars omnibus edition that collects the entire run and several tie-in issues, and it’s on sale for just $69.20 (was $100) at Amazon.
$69.20 (was $100)
The Secret Wars hardcover collection includes all nine issues of Secret Wars, the 2015 Free Comic Book Day Secret Wars 0 issue, as well as dozens of Avengers comics that tied into the Secret Wars storyline. Here’s everything included:
- Avengers (2012) Issues 35-44
- New Avengers (2013) Issues 24-33
- Secret Wars Issue 0
- Secret Wars (2015) Issues 1-9
If you never read it, Secret Wars is set after the Marvel multiverse was destroyed, with only a single reality surviving the incursion events. Ruled by Doctor Doom–who had gained godlike power–various Earths had been combined into a patchwork creation known as Battleworld. This new world was full of unique domains, like a wasteland populated by zombies, a region ruled by the genocidal AI Ultron and its robot hordes, a city of demons, and much more.
With various forces conspiring against Doom and survivors from previous realities crash landing on Battleworld, it’s only a matter of time before war breaks out to determine the fate of Battleworld and the Marvel universe.
This isn’t the first Secret Wars mini-series published by Marvel, as this title was first used in a 1984 mini-series. The 2015 version is a spiritual successor, but if you’d like to read the original, you can grab a paperback edition for just $17 (was $35). The original Secret Wars was Marvel’s first major crossover event and ran for 12 issues, featuring the Avengers, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men pitted against their major foes by the unbelievably powerful Beyonder.
Marvel’s cross-over events are some of the most exciting storylines the publisher produces and there are several other great runs to check out. Civil War was a major event that saw superheroes take sides in the wake of a terrible tragedy, leading to an era of conflict in the Marvel Universe. Years later, a new heroic age would begin after the Siege event, leading to a united effort to stop Thanos and his armies in the mini-series Infinity.
Other great war stories include World War Hulk–starring a Hulk capable of splitting an entire planet apart during one of his infamous temper tantrums–and War of the Realms is a delightful tour across the magical side of Marvel, as Thor fights to save the day from dark forces. Check the list below for a selection of even more Marvel comics crossover events.
