Mere anarchy is loosed upon Battleworld.
If you were disappointed in Secret Wars #5’s focus on dialogue and exposition over plot advancement, issue #6 will be just the change in pace you crave. As this issue opens, chaos is beginning to consume Battleworld as domains openly rebel against God Doom and the crack’s in the villain’s invulnerable facade begin to show. The series has no trouble maintain its scope and sense of drama despite the fact that Marvel is quickly shifting focus to what comes after Secret Wars.
Jonathan Hickman concerns himself less with Doom in this issue than the many players who are working to overturn his grand creation. Finally, the survivors from the Marvel and Ultimate Universes are able to take center stage, resulting in a number of entertaining scenes as they work together to topple Doom’s regime. The scenes between regular and Ultimate Reed Richards pack an especially good punch. Hickman contrasts their two wildly different personalities while also finally forcing the elder Reed to react to the idea that Doom has stolen his family. Elsewhere, there’s great interaction between Peter Parker and Miles Morales, Thanos and his jailers, and even an unlikely alliance between Black Panther and Namor.
But more than any of this material, the most compelling thread in this issue is Valeria’s investigation and her slow, sad realization that her “father” isn’t all he claims to be. The fanciful bedtime story Sue Storm tells Franklin of the origin of the Fantastic Four only highlights the gulf between Doom’s illusion and the reality of Battleworld. Thanks to these elements, Secret Wars is reading as much like a coda to Hickman’s Fantastic Four run as it is his Avengers saga.
Unfortunately, there are a few weak spots in the script that stem from Hickman’s tendency to gloss over certain developments. Frequent references are made to a new player called The Prophet, yet the story treats this character as if he was already a known quantity. And while the cover may showcase Thanos slaughtering waves of Marvel Zombies, the series skips straight from the issue #5 cliffhanger to Thanos already being imprisoned in The Shield. Finally, Captain Marvel appears in a surprising new state with no real context for why it happened or what it means.
As the delays on this series pile up, Marvel deserves credit for allowing Hickman and artist Esad Ribic to finish their story rather than bringing in filler artists to speed things along. This book simply wouldn’t be what it is without Ribic’s grand, fantastical style bringing out the best in Hickman’s writing. Ribic delivers plenty of epic moments in this issue, but he also shines when it comes to humorous moments (Molecule Man’s disgusting snack) and key emotional beats (Reed silently taking in the sight of his lost family).
As ever, Secret Wars is well worth the wait. This issue gives the series a kick in the pants as far as the plot is concerned. It provides a grim but compelling view of the declining state of Battleworld while also delivering a number of great character moments along the way. Thankfully, Marvel hasn’t saddled the book with filler art, so this issue is every bit the visual showcase its predecessors are.
