Spoilers After The Break: Spider-Man #3 Review

I think I’ve read every appearance of Miles Morales.  I’m working on reading every appearance of Peter Parker.  But now that the Ultimate and 616 universes have been blended together, it brings up some questions.  More on this and Spider-Man #3 (with spoilers) after the break.

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars 45 (Issue 5 Edition)

This week saw the release of Ultimate End #5, the second to last Secret Wars book.  Now we just have to wait a month for the four month delayed finale to get the anticlimactic details on how Doom was defeated and everything basically returned to normal.  Where All-New, All-Different seems to equal “we got Miles now and Wolverine is back (kinda)”.

Click through as I cover the fifth and final issues of the following books: Ultimate End #5, Planet Hulk #5, Secret Wars 2099 #5, Armor Wars #5, Spider-Verse #5, Inhumans: Attilan Rising #5, Inferno #5 and A-Force #5 .

As usual there are spoilers, so take care, especially with Ultimate End which is only days old.  The others have been out a while.

Be sure to check out our latest Secret Wars Power Rankings, which also features links to the other parts of my read through.

Save Your $5 And Avoid The Guide To The Marvel Multiverse

With many of their company wide events, Marvel likes to publish a “Guide” book to help those that may be lost about what circumstances lead to the current crossover and who the main players are.

Even being the completist that I am, I almost never read these.  The problem for me is the format.  They are just page after page of very small text with the occasional recycled image added where appropriate.

But since I’m attempting to read all of Secret Wars, will I manage to read this as well?  Answer: no.  So the question becomes, should you?  Find out after the cut.  (Spoilers: no, no you shouldn’t.)

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars XXVI

Not that we need more Secret Wars tie-ins (they are at over 200 and counting), but I feel like Marvel has wasted most opportunities with their Last Days branded books.  None appear to be of consequence (Silver Surfer is making an attempt to be, but likely won’t), few deal directly with the events of the multiverse ending incursions (Magneto, Ms. Marvel) and the rest either use it as an unnecessary framing device or completely ignore it (Punisher, Black Widow).

After the cut I will have a quick look at the following:  Ant-Man: Last Days #1, Silver Surfer #13, Silver Surfer #14, Black Widow #20, Ms. Marvel #17, Ms. Marvel #18, Magneto #21, Loki Agent Of Asgard #17, Spider-Woman #10 and Silk #7.

That’s a lot more issues than I usually cover in an update, but they should be short as I really only cover them in regards to Secret Wars, and most of them had little relevance. Note, this way be spoilers.

Related links:
Secret Wars Power Rankings
Tom’s Road To Secret Wars: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7.
Other parts of this series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25

Secret Wars Rankings: Red Skull Edition

Like this rag tag Marvel version of DC’s Suicide Squad? Don’t, they survive about 5 minutes…

In an event that is rife with ideas and revisited storylines from the 70’s on up, there is still room for it to be unique.  One of those new ideas is that of The Shield.  A planet wide border wall that keeps the likes of Marvel Zombies, Ultron and the Annihilation Wave from overruning the more “civil” domains on the rest of Battleworld.

The Shield and the domains it protects the rest of the planet from, are also where anyone that defies God Doom and his rules are cast.   Sentenced to either serve for the rest of their days as a defender of The Shield or to fight to stay alive against the horrors on the other side.

This concept has been the backbone of some great series (Siege, Marvel Zombies, Infinity Gauntlet) but also of some that started with great set ups and promise and fell flat (Age of Ultron vs Marvel Zombies, Red Skull).

After the break I’ll look at this weeks biggest movers including Red Skull as well as get Tom and Ryan’s thoughts on the most over and underrated series.

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars XXII

Much like the publishing of Secret Wars itself, my read through has fallen behind schedule.  Nothing of the epic Convergence proportions (yet)…but I still have a lot of catching up to do over the next few weeks.

After the cut I share my thoughts on Secret Wars #5, Loki: Agent of Asgard #15, A-Force #2, A-Force #3, Secret Wars 2099 #3 and Secret Wars 2099 #4.

Related links:
Secret Wars Power Rankings
Tom’s Road To Secret Wars: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7.
Other parts of this series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars Part Twenty

Much like my trip through DC’s Convergence, I’ve fallen woefully behind schedule.  At the very least I am caught up on reading everything.  Writing about them is another story.  I’ve also been pretty busy with our latest pet project: The Secret Wars Power Rankings.

After the break I’ll take a look at Infinity Gauntlet #2, Weirdworld #1, Weirdworld #2, Red Skull #1, Ultimate End #3 and very briefly touch on Giant Size Little Marvel AVX #1, Giant Size Little Marvel AVX #2 and Giant Size Little Marvel AVX #3.

Some other important links:
Tom’s Road To Secret Wars: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7.
The other parts of this series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars Part Seventeen (Last Days Edition)

Marvel’s Last Days branded Secret Wars tie-ins are supposed to give us the stories surrounding “What will our heroes do with their final hours before it all ends?”  Unfortunately, most of these books have very little to do with Secret Wars.  While some deal with the final incursion and its affect on people across the globe, most just deal with wrapping up storylines from each solo title.

After the break I’ll look at Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #9, Punisher #19, Punisher #20, Ms. Marvel #16, Magneto #19, Magneto #20 and Black Widow #19 and their wildly varying degrees of tying into the main event.

Also, if you are like me and haven’t read all of Johnathon Hickman’s Avengers run leading up to Secret Wars, be sure to take Tom’s Road To Secret Wars course at gabbinggeekuniversity.com.  The reading materials are online here: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7.

And that course is a prerequisite to the other parts of this series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars Part Eleven

Well I’m the only one in the office today (because Canada), so I need to produce all our content, hence the day has been mostly filled with videos and pictures since I’m not Tom Kelly and can’t write columns in my sleep like that chick in Tommyknockers.  That was a great book.  Hey Watson, that’s a book I read.  Jackass.

With that in mind, let’s fill this slot with a look at Wednesday’s Secret Wars #4.  Keep in mind that after the break there will be spoilers.  I’ll see if I can conference in Ryan and Tom for their thoughts as they drive to the Cape or the Hampton’s or Venice Beach or wherever it is the cool kids are these days.

Also, if you are like me and haven’t read all of Johnathon Hickman’s Avengers run leading up to Secret Wars, be sure to take Tom’s Road To Secret Wars course at gabbinggeekuniversity.com.  The reading materials are online here: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six and Part Seven.

And that course is a prerequisite to the other parts of this series: Part One, Part Two, Part Three,Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars Part Eight (Hulk Edition)

As much of a Marvel Zombie as I was growing up and have been to some degree after rediscovering comics in my later years, one character I’ve never really collected has been the Hulk.  I’ve read lots of comics with the Hulk in them, and am usually to some degree familiar with his current incarnation.  (Though I admit to be completely lost before doing some research about this whole Red Hulk business a few years back.)  I generally knew if Hulk was currently green or gray, intelligent or not.  I knew who the Maestro was from Future Imperfect.  I knew basically what happened in Planet Hulk, World War Hulk and World War Hulks, but never read any of them.  They are on a long list of things I hope to read (yes Watson, I can read) someday.

As familiar as I am mostly with the 616 Hulk, I am the opposite when it comes to Hulk 2099 and the Ultimate Hulk.  Outside of reading the Spider-Man related titles on and off I was never that into the Ultimate or 2099 lines.  I’m not surprised they have Hulks, but I can’t tell you anything about them.

So in this column I will be flying a bit blind in looking at Ultimate End #2, Future Imperfect #1 and Secret Wars 2099 #2, much like I was in reviewing the Secret Wars version of Planet Hulk.  I’m sure I can make sense of it all, but might miss some of the throwbacks and references to the “source material”.

Also, if you are like me and haven’t read all of Johnathon Hickman’s Avengers run leading up to Secret Wars, be sure to take Tom’s Road To Secret Wars course at gabbinggeekuniversity.com.  The reading materials are online here: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six and Part Seven.

And that course is a prerequisite to the other parts of this series: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven