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The MC2 Presents: Secret Warriors, Week 23

By , and | October 23rd, 2015
Posted in Columns | % Comments

Welcome back to the MC2, Multiversity’s panel of noted Marvel experts. The three of us (MC3 sounded weird) are covering Marvel’s straight up CALVACADE of “Secret Wars” tie-ins! This week, we tackle “Age of Apocalypse″, “Secret Wars: Agents of Atlas” and more whilst giving up our own thoughts on the event as a whole! Feel free to join in the conversation in the comments and let us know what you think about Marvel’s latest crossover. Spoilers below!

Micro-Reviews

Agents of Atlas #1 One Shot
Written by Tom Taylor
Illustrated by Steve Pugh
Reviewed by Jess Camacho

So I’ll be completely up front with you all here, I had not heard of the Agents of Atlas before this one shot. I had no idea what to expect but one of my favorite writers right now is Tom Taylor. Thankfully, I was not disappointed by what was delivered by the entire creative team. In the Baron Zemo controlled Metropolitia, the Agents of Atlas fight for the people. S.H.I.E.L.D. is nothing more than a puppet and Zemo has been taking his own citizens and testing on them. Once Agents of Atlas leader Jimmy Woo goes missing so Coulson and Gorilla-Man team up to find him. This is a really tight stand alone story that accomplishes a lot without feeling rushed. We get enough set-up to understand how bad Zemo is and the way Taylor approaches the team fill us with enough confidence in their already established relationships. Unlike so many of the other tie-ins, this feels like an actual superhero story. These heroes are doing something useful and there’s a nice sense of humor to the entire issue without ignoring how seriously messed up Zemo is. Pugh’s art is very expressive and the action scenes are a throwback to classic super hero comics. I mean, there’s a giant gorilla-man and a giant siren beating up Baron Zemo. Tamra Bonvillain’s colors are gorgeous. She gives the book the retro tone that it was going for.

Final Verdict: 8.0 – A nice, fun one shot.

1872 #4
Written by Gerry Duggan
Illustrated by Nik Virella
Reviewed by Alice W. Castle

There’s not much left to say about “1872” that I probably haven’t already, honestly. Except for maybe that I need the ‘Avengers Of The Old West’ to return sooner rather than later. If I were to be honest, “1872” is easily in my top three tie-ins I’ve read to “Secret Wars” because Duggan and Virella did a fantastic job re-envisioning the Marvel Universe in 1870s Timely instead of present day New York and making a uniqque, cohesive story out of it that anyone can read while peppering it with some fantastic continuity nods and in-jokes.

The series struck the perfect balance between being accessible and full of references to the wider Marvel universe that makes the base story readable and enjoyable to all while giving a little more to those who will catch those nods. In this last issue, Duggan and Virella wrapped up their story (for now, apparently) in a way that brought a lot of action, humour, heroics and emotion. Honestly, if there’s one tie-in from “Secret Wars” not to skip, it’s “1872”.

Final Verdict: 8.5 – A solid conclusion that makes me want more from this setting and these characters.

Age of Apocalypse #5
Written by Fabian Nicieza
Illustrated by Iban Coello
Reviewed by Jess Camacho

My biggest takeaway from “Age of Apocalypse” #5 is this: What was the point of ever included Douglas? Douglas was initially our POVn= character who was just as lost as we were with what was going on. As the miniseries went on, all he served as was a springboard for exposition. He never had a real personality or a real storyline of his own. In the end, it ended up being the Phoenix Force (of course) that decided where this story would go. Nicieza wrote a script that was very 90’s X-Men but captured some of the melodramatic goofiness of that time, we even get a sappy ending in a wasteland. It just all works but as I’ve said before, it’s just not going to be for everyone. Coello’s art is a good compliment to Nicieza’s story thanks to massive sized characters, lots of pouches and really heavy inks. The whole thing just clicks and understands that it’s kind of ridiculous looking.

Continued below

Final Verdict: 6.5- Waste of a character aside, “Age of Apocalypse” wasn’t a disaster.

Weirdworld #5
Written by Jason Aaron
Illustrated by Mike Del Mundo
Reviewed by James Johnston

It was at some point in “Weirdworld” #5 that I knew I would miss it. I’m not sure whether it was when the eyeball warriors who are probably The Orb’s ancestors showed up or during any moment of the big dragon fight, but “Weirdworld” and its manic energy was utterly unlike anything else “Secret Wars” was pulling off. And then, it beautifully showed just how this tie-in will lead into the new “Weirdworld” series from Del Mundo and Sam Humphries. This is how you use a big crossover to build interest in a new character.

I’ve struggled to describe exactly what “Weirdworld” is about in the past, but hit issue really narrowed it down for me. “Weirdworld” is like Samurai Jack but more extravagant. Mike del Mundo’s landscapes and characters borrow heavily from the swords and sorcery but some of the modern devices the bad guys throw at Akron femake the book feel entirely its own. Plus, Aaron’s bombastic use of language and penchant for gritty characters helps ground the story in some real stakes, even as crystal warriors keep popping out of nowhere.

Final Verdict: – 7.3 – Another solid entry from “Weirdworld.” Hopefully the momentum carries over into

Final Thoughts

James: I’m starting to feel optimistic about Marvel again, especially now that most of the tie-ins are dying down. “Weirdworld” was a lot of fun, “1872” still feels a little off for me, and “Age of Apocalypse” was really just a blip for me, but at least we’re reaching the end of the tunnel. Also I’m not even going to be here next week so I’m happy regardless.

Jess: The Mets are in the World Series so honestly the two issue I read could have been total garbage and I wouldn’t have even cared. Thankfully they weren’t but I am glad this pretty much over.

Alice: Hey, did you guys see that Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer? Boy, wasn’t that something.


//TAGS | The MC2

James Johnston

James Johnston is a grizzled post-millenial. Follow him on Twitter to challenge him to a fight.

EMAIL | ARTICLES

Alice W. Castle

Sworn to protect a world that hates and fears her, Alice W. Castle is a trans femme writing about comics. All things considered, it’s going surprisingly well. Ask her about the unproduced Superman films of 1990 - 2006. She can be found on various corners of the internet, but most frequently on Twitter: @alicewcastle

EMAIL | ARTICLES

Jess Camacho

Jess is from New Jersey. She loves comic books, pizza, wrestling and the Mets. She can be seen talking comics here and at Geeked Out Nation. Follow her on Twitter @JessCamNJ for the hottest pro wrestling takes.

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