Secret Wars

[Reno McCoy]

When I was a kid, I went to Target (or maybe it was K-Mart) and while looking through the Star Wars action figures, I found a bunch of packs of comics with three books in each bag. I found a pack that had Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #4 showing, you know, the one with the Hulk holding up the mountain.

 

I absolutely had to find out what happens, so, without hesitation, I took my Star Wars money and bought the pack of comics. Luckily for me, the pack contained two other issues of the series. I read them at once, and I was hooked. I all but forced my mom to take me back to the store, where I bought two more packs. Although I never managed to get the entire series at the time, I read the ones I did get over and over again.

 

Now I'm reading the series for the first time as an adult, and while I have to say that it's a little episodic for my current tastes, it's still a lot of fun. Even the fact that the series was created in order to make toys instead of being story driven, I'm finding myself having a good time with the series. And boy, let me tell you, the covers bring back very fond memories!

 

Anyway, anyone else have fond memories of this series?

 

Anyone care to tell me about the collectibility of this mini? I'd like to get a set in HG, and I'm assuming that's easy to do (I imagine these are pretty common and were produced in huge quantities).

[Par2ch]

I have a set of 1-12 CGC SS 9.8 signed by the various artist/writer associated including Zeck, Beatty, McLeod, Shooter & Layton.

 

HG copies 9.8 are not impossible but can get pricey esp #1 and #8.

[seanfingh]

 

My dad bought me dozens of comics between late '74 and early '80. Then I got no more new comics. One of the first books I bought myself with my own money was Secret Wars 9. That got me looking for back issues and I never looked back. Although I quit comics a couple of times, i always came back. All because of those Bronze books and some 1984 Marvels like Secret Wars and Avengers 250.

[Reno McCoy]

Finished the omnibus last night. Ah, the memories. What a barrel of (almost silly) fun this mini was. Now that nearly 30 years have passed, what do you think about the series and its repercussion on comics? It spawned the company-wide crossover events...was that a good thing?

 

 

 

Oh, and I'm definitely going to hunt down this series in HG. Maybe not slabbed, and I probably won't concern myself with acquiring 9.8s, but I'll be on the hunt over the next couple of months. If anyone has spare, HG copies with no miswraps, by all means, shoot me a PM.

[sl4ppy]

I have a set of 1-12 CGC SS 9.8 signed by the various artist/writer associated including Zeck, Beatty, McLeod, Shooter & Layton.

 

HG copies 9.8 are not impossible but can get pricey esp #1 and #8.

 

I have a 9.8 s/s #8 (thanks to you!) but a complete set would kick . I now have a new goal.

 

The Secret Wars was probably the most defining series of comics from when I was about 12 or 13. I collected Spider-Man, DD, and Cap, but mostly because I thought the characters were cool. Secret Wars was the first time that I was totally engrossed by the story. It also introduced me to a ton of characters that were outside my normal pantheon and broadened my interest in comics significantly....

[Schmakt]

I have a set of 1-12 CGC SS 9.8 signed by the various artist/writer associated including Zeck, Beatty, McLeod, Shooter & Layton.

 

HG copies 9.8 are not impossible but can get pricey esp #1 and #8.

 

I have a 9.8 s/s #8 (thanks to you!) but a complete set would kick . I now have a new goal.

 

The Secret Wars was probably the most defining series of comics from when I was about 12 or 13. I collected Spider-Man, DD, and Cap, but mostly because I thought the characters were cool. Secret Wars was the first time that I was totally engrossed by the story. It also introduced me to a ton of characters that were outside my normal pantheon and broadened my interest in comics significantly....

 

+1

 

I reread this a few months ago (maybe a year??)... it definitely didn't provide the same excitement that it did when I was 13 or whatever, but it was still very enjoyable.

[Whizzer]

I think Marvel were testing the water with the three issue Contest of Champions, which I remember being disappointed in at the time.

 

Secret Wars benefits from the novelty factor of seeing all these characters together for more or less the first time. It was also superior to CoC because it was spread out a little more over the 12 issues.

 

Like the op I have fond memories of the series. The cover to issue 1 is killer as well. Maybe I should dig out my run for a re read

 

[Par2ch]

The cover to issue 1 is killer as well

 

I agree, Check out my signature

[Reno McCoy]

Yeah, that's a great cover. Too bad they had to lose Thor and Mr. Fantastic to fit the title on there.

 

I mentioned this elsewhere a few weeks ago, but I had a DoodleArt poster as a kid (if it wasn't DoodleArt specifically, it was the same style/idea) of the cover for issue 1 (heroes) and 6 (villains). I remember studying the black and white image and soaking in every detail before I put the coloring pens to paper. I did everything I could to match the coloring style exactly.

 

Man, do I wish I had those blank posters to color again...

[Whizzer]

The cover to issue 1 is killer as well

 

I agree, Check out my signature

 

Yep, I admire your sig every time I see it

[fastballspecial]

I think Marvel were testing the water with the three issue Contest of Champions, which I remember being disappointed in at the time.

 

Secret Wars benefits from the novelty factor of seeing all these characters together for more or less the first time. It was also superior to CoC because it was spread out a little more over the 12 issues.

 

Like the op I have fond memories of the series. The cover to issue 1 is killer as well. Maybe I should dig out my run for a re read

 

I liked the Contest of Champions because I got learn about new characters from around the world I didnt know about. I liked seeing the different combination of teams.(Hey I was a kid color was cool)

 

Secret Wars I loved with the Hulk holding up a mountain and the controversy about spider-man kicking the out all the X-men. Molecule man issues and Ultron who I didnt know from sqaut back then was a bad man/robot.

 

 

 

[gaz973]

It was the UK reprint of Secret Wars that got me collecting Marvel comics again. Some of the cool classic villains that I'd enjoyed seeing when I read comics as a kid such as Doc Doom, Absorbing Man and the Lizard were a big attraction for me.

 

When the UK Secret Wars reprints ended, I jumped back into reading the US Avengers again and never stopped since.

[Loki]

You know, I don't think I ever read the last two issues... I remember that as a kid, the last one I was able to find at my local shops was #10, with Dr. Doom on the cover...

 

How was the ending? Worth the effort to go find readers of the last two issues?

[Reno McCoy]

I liked the ending. It holds nothing you wouldn't expect, and there's nothing Earth shattering that changes the heroes forever or anything, but yes, it's worth plunking down a few dollars to get the entire story.

[Loki]

I liked the ending. It holds nothing you wouldn't expect, and there's nothing Earth shattering that changes the heroes forever or anything, but yes, it's worth plunking down a few dollars to get the entire story.

 

Thanks! :hail:

 

I'll keep an eye out for copies in the future.

[Hamlet]

In the late 80's, I put an ad in the local paper looking to buy comic collections.

 

I ended up buying a few collections, and ended up with a fair number of duplicates of this series, since pretty much everyone picked up at least the first few issues.

 

I put together a couple of sets and sold them on E-bay, and was happy with the money I got for them (about $25 a set, with the #8 being mid-grade), but what is a little frustrating is that I have a bunch of extras from the earlier numbers.

 

I'm at a loss as to what to do with six extra mid-grade #1's I have

 

I'm thinking of just burning the 3 extra SWII #1's I ended up with

[nickwire]

this was the series i looked forward too every month. i was a spiderman fan then and all my fiends were xmen fans so i loved rubbing it in their faces when spidey whipped em