Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Esad Ribic, Ive Svorcina, Chris Eliopoulos, and Alex Ross
Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 12, 2015
After last issues epic finale, will God-Doom find our heroes and villains that survived from the old reality? And, did Doctor Strange actually die by the hands of his God? This and so much more in this week’s all-new SECRET WARS #5 by the great Jonathan Hickman. Let’s jump in and see what’s cookin’!
Jonathan Hickman finally takes the time to explain what exactly happened that created this new Battle World. Using the disguise of an issue dedicated to Doctor Strange’s untimely demise at the hands of his dear friend God-Doom, Hickman untangles pieces of the web that have been building up prior to SECRET WARS, as well as during the last five issues. For those unaware of Hickman’s style of storytelling, look no further than the current HOUSE OF X and POWERS OF X run. Hickman enjoys chugging along with his stories pretending everything is normal. Along the way, little trinkets of knowledge unravel from the plot and interesting twists get revealed. It’s actually a brilliant strategy that leaves fans on the edge of their seat for any minor component or clue that could perhaps guide them to a multitude of explanations.
Issue five is Hickman pulling back the curtain to provide readers with the big reveal as to how Battle World was created while piloting a new direction for the story’s climactic conclusion. Readers find out that it was actually Doom who inadvertently launched the Planet collisions in the first place. Granted, timey-whimey time travel would suggest that he originally didn’t know he started the world ending calamities. However, it’s those incursions that caused Doom’s treasure hunt that spirals back to Doom being the actual cause of the incursions… very heavy… I know.
Anyway, Doom took the very bombs utilized to blow up all of reality from the Beyonder (A.K.A. Molecule Men), seized them, developed a mega-bomb out of them, and essentially destroyed the creators of the universe and harnessed their power to remark the galaxies in his image; the image of Doom. Fans, how creative is Jonathan Hickman? Who would think of something this wild? There isn’t a writer in comics now that is even close to being as creative, imaginative, or intelligent as Jonathan Hickman. Think about it: Hickman takes a no-named, forgotten Fantastic Four character and precisely makes him the crux of the entire end of the multiverse… but not in a simple or silly way. Molecule Man is the very foundation of this new reality. For those currently reading HOUSE OF X and POWERS OF X, all this reviewer needs to say is… Goldballs. You know what I mean!
The issue concludes by introducing the very fabric that will pull Battle World apart. Valeria and the Future Foundation noticed a spike in energy immediately before Sheriff Strange died, as well as a spike in God-Doom’s energy. Meaning, Valeria and her team discovered that something smelled rotten. Plus, with the questions Val was asking earlier in the issue, she probably already knows God-Doom has something to do with it. Guys, it’s only a matter of time before $&@$ hits the fan. New readers to the issue should be prepared for the remaining issues to be action-packed and full of power, vitality, and life. But who will bring down Doom? Better yet, is it possible to take down a God? These are the questions readers will dive into as the series continues to unfold.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Hickman takes a pit stop in his narrative to catch fans up on some huge details to the very foundation of the story while pointing readers into a brand new direction to wrap up the series. His creativity, inventiveness, and ingenuity shine throughout the issue and merely show comic fans that Jonathan Hickman is on an entirely different level than anyone else in the game right now. Grab this trade and add it to your collection. This is a story you can pull out to read time and again without being disappointed. Well, what are you waiting for? Start reading!