Secret Wars #3

Jonathan Hickman is my favourite writer in comics and his Avengers run was what won him that status. It got me into monthly comics and helped me understand why I love superheroes so much. It’s a story that I will always remember. Secret Wars had a lot to live up to when I opened its first page and it exceeded my expectations. This is why I read Superhero comics and this is why Doctor Doom is my favourite villain of all time. Secret Wars #3 was an intimate issue that gave us the perfect down time necessary following its explosive predecessors but most importantly, it maintained their quality. Read Full Review

You don't need to have large-scale action sequences in order to have an exciting issue. Hickman, Ribic, and Svorcina open up the doors to Battleworld and let the readers know this more to all of this than previously thought. Again, we get pieces of how this all came together but not the whole picture all at once. It will make you want to continue forward with the book. SECRET WARS #3 is a solid event issue that's going to lead to bigger things. Read Full Review

If the word brilliant or amazing or fantastic havent been used enough above, just say those three words half a dozen more times, and maybe youll understand just how goodSecret Warsis. Not only this issue, but the intricate and deep tale that Hickman has been weaving and adjusting and changing foryearsnow that are all finally coming together and as long as weve waited and as much as weve enjoyed his work, it just cant seem to come fast enough. Theyre so well thought out and so excellently crafted and executed that you cant help but get sucked in and pulled along for the ride. A new universe is here for any Marvel fan, new or old, andSecret Warsis destined to become the best Marvel event in the history of the company (thats right, I went there), so youd better jump on now before youre left behind. Read Full Review

Clearly, this is where the excitement begins. I am beyond stoked to see where this goes, and how all our questions are answered. This is definitely a book you need to check out. Read Full Review

Secret Wars issue three is a must read for fans of the Marvel Universe, the art and story are suburb and the stage is set for some amazing confrontations yet to come. I highly recommend this book, this series and hope you enjoy it as much as I do. All Hail DOOM! Read Full Review

Overall, Secret Wars is moving along at a perfect pace. The main story has remained excellently self-contained and is bringing a fantastic story about the nature of gods and men working against the backdrop of the Marvel universe. There are some more key elements introduced in this issue ensuring that this excellent pace and intrigue is sure to continue through halfway point of the series. It really seems that Hickman and Ribic are delivering an event worthy of the title. Everything on show feels like a natural continuation of Hickman's work and there hasn't been a single misstep so far. If you're a Marvel fan who hasn't been reading this series you should rectify this immediately. Secret Warsis managing to capture both the epic cosmic spectacle of an event comic while simultaneously delivering strong character moments that give the series so much weight and depth. If this continues, it'll not only be the best Marvel event in years, but a modern classic for years to come. Read Full Review

Hickman once again proves that he is one of the best storytellers in any game right now. His ability to take the characters we love while telling a spellbinding narrative that will eventually reboot the Marvel Universe is unprecedented. Read Full Review

The slam on the original Secret Wars maxi-series was that the story was simplistic. You'll find no such complaints here. Read Full Review

Secret Wars #3 is another strong issue in the event, and if you've been enjoying it so far, Hickman and Ribic will not disappoint you. This is a crazy huge epic that is unfolding before us, and I'm enjoying every page of it. Read Full Review

This is a much better series than I expected, though I believe all will return to normal by the last issue. This is a giant Marvel What If?, with a solid story and sensational art. Will please any fan of comic book heroics. Read Full Review

It's an issue of character-building right after one of world-building, with some touches of revelation that confirm/clarify a few things while leaving some mysteries still lingering. The art beautifully renders the characters and their expressions with a good number of subtle details to make every panel a visual treat. There is a momentum to the plot that propels our interest, proving the story is nicely hitting its stride. Read Full Review

SECRET WARS is shaping up to be one of the best Marvel events in recent history. After a couple of bad events, they needed this to help restore faith in readers. Read Full Review

A rewarding read, if Secret Wars continues to be this good, we could have a modern classic on our hands. Read Full Review

Thanos' words represent a growing faction of comic book fans less worried about continuity, canon, and history in favor of good storytelling and fun characters.Secret Wars, as a whole, represents a shift to a more inclusive comic book industry.Secret Wars #3 sets the stage for Doom's fall because the cracks are forming and the survivors of the old multiverse are bringing jackhammers. Read Full Review

Overall Secret Wars #3 is a terrific wrap-up of the first part of what is shaping up to be an event of epic, Multiversal proportions. Jonathan Hickman is both an expert storyteller and expert world-builder, and the groundwork he's laid in the past few years in his Avengers/New Avengers run is finally paying for readers and, most assuredly, the creator himself. Read Full Review

Secret Wars #3 is basically an excellent chapter to begin with. From Ross's cover art, Hickman's mixture of serious and touching dialogues and his brand of non-linear sequential storytelling, up to Ribic's anatomically balanced illustrations (plus Svorcina's light coloring techniques), this is a well executed and engaging read. To wit, EXCELSIOR! Read Full Review

We have yet to really hit the major action of Secret Wars, but Hickman and Ribic are doing more than enough to set the stage. We've got our Battleworld, we've got our main characters, and we know that the stakes are going to be nothing less than the fate of existence itself. I like where this is going. Read Full Review

Secret Wars #3 was a brilliant read. I simply cannot get enough of what Hickman is dishing out in this title. Secret Wars continues to be an intricately constructed story that is treating readers to a level of writing and storytelling that is simply superior to anything else currently on the market from DC and Marvel. If you enjoy stories that have lush settings, detailed plot lines and a truly epic feel then definitely check out Secret Wars. This is one big event that truly feels special. And that is a rarity for big events. Read Full Review

Now it's confirmed majority of people in Doom's realm are from the main Marvel U, the stakes are higher than ever. It's everyone's guess what's going to happen next, and I'm really excited with the Secret Wars event. Read Full Review

It kind of goes without saying at this point, but this book is an absolute must-read. Not only is Secret Wars going to change the landscape of the Marvel universe, it's a darn good story in and of itself. Read Full Review

Secret Wars #3 brings the reader in closer for some eye-opening revelations, but writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Esad Ribic also remind readers just how vast the scope of this story truly is. Read Full Review

Esad Ribic's exotic landscapes are the perfect complement to the uniqueness of battleworld, I am reminded of his artwork depicting the world from the Uncanny X-Force series, that said my one long standing gripe with his work are his isomorphic facial depictions, they tend to look very uniform. Read Full Review

Secret Wars is delivering the goods. It's as epic as anyone could want from a big Marvel event comic, yet expertly paced and as concerned with characterization as it is action and spectacle. Jonathan Hickman once again proves he can write Doom like no other. Unfortunately, the series' generally bedazzling art is marred by poor facial work. That flaw has become increasingly prevalent over the course of these issues, and we can only hope the trend doesn't continue. Read Full Review

Secret Wars #3 may move at a slow pace and require additional reading to be fully in the loop, but has such great moments it's still an engaging read with fantastic artwork. Read Full Review

Secret Wars has a lot of silly superhuman dressing for what is ultimately a story about humanity, morality and the burden of power. It's right in line with the kinds of stories that Marvel has been putting out for over 50 years. But we're still in the early goings of this event and many other events have started similarly strong only to completely lose their way when trying to stick a landing. Read Full Review

The book, as I said earlier, can be wordy but if anyone has ever followed Hickman, this is what he does. With the way that the story is told, readers get a front seat to seeing who are The Powers That Be and those that run things behind the scenes. We are not quite halfway into this ride and things are starting to heat up. I can only image what will happen once Thanos fully inserts himself into the picture. Read Full Review

Three issues in, and Secret Wars is currently the best event book Marvel has done in years. Read Full Review

We finally get some answers in this issue, which make it an essential read for this week. The worry is that too many plot points are being trotted out right now, and coupled with the different versions of characters on the page, the confusion might start to outweigh the excellent art and storytelling. Read Full Review

"Secret Wars" is off to an undeniably strong start, but we've seen that with Marvel events before. As its cast and plot expand, I hope it will keep tight track of its central threads. "Secret Wars" shows a great grasp of pacing and character in this issue and, if that continues, this will be a memorable event. Read Full Review

An issue loaded with twists, revelations and fantastic character development. Secret Wars is shaping up to be a modern classic. Read Full Review

I think what works and doesn't work overall is the exposition-heavy nature of these early issues. On one hand, it is fantastic world-building and gives added depth to a story already pretty complex in nature, but on the other hand it drags things to a crawl when the ideal purpose of an event book is to have hype, insane, game-changing moments every issue until it's over, with long-lasting repercussions and implications. It is in this part that Hickman has both failed and succeeded with Secret Wars. At least his collaborator in Ribic seems to be firing on all cylinders. This is not by any means a bad issue, but the pace needs to pick back up if Marvel doesn't want it to be a dud. Read Full Review

It's accurate to say we're high on Secret Wars. Its early but the main title and auxiliaries are neither too unwieldy nor too bereft. The rest of the summer should offer up some good readin'. Read Full Review

Small forward progressions are made that will have huge potential but the broader strokes lack in the immediate. After such exceptional strides, it feels like the foot is coming off the gas a little. Read Full Review

Secret Wars #3 is rather dull. It's another exposition heavy issue, but with little plot progression and more continuing setup. There's really not much else to chew on in the issue besides some Fantastic Four moments. Not awful, but it's not great either. Read Full Review

Secret Wars continues to look at the nature of power and the responsibility that comes with it in this issue. The comic book focuses on Doom and how he came to power and the kinds of regrets he's dealing with. The comic is a slow, but dense read. The plot movement brings together some of the surviving characters from the last incursion. Generally the book is a fine read but it isn't anything terribly memorable. There are some key moments that will provide more punch in a collected edition, but as a single issue they make for a slow paced, average read. This is worth a look. Read Full Review

Secret Wars has been amazing so far as it builds to a larger conflict that will likely result in the new Marvel status quo. Each issue hasbeen well worth the price of admission thanks to beautiful artwork and a very well-produced story. So far, the Marvel reboot has been more like another chapter leading into something new — apart from those saved by Doom, the raft survivors are the exact same characters carried over from their universes. I'm excited thinking about the prospects of Reed meeting Susan again, Phoenix-Cyclops finding his X-Men, and and the two teams of heroes and the Cabal fighting against and with each other. A story as big as this one can go higher or fall down an incredible height. Let's hope the series lives up to its name, the part that says War. Read Full Review

JBL Reviews

Jun 07, 2015

Love it!

FireUpTheDeadpool

Aug 15, 2015

This issue is even better than the previous one because it shows that some of our favourite heroes did survive the final incursion. A must read for anyone

Psycamorean

Sep 04, 2020

A really lovely issue.

supercoolyeah

Jun 03, 2015

Secret Wars has peel another layer of mystery into it's world and it is a DOZY! Of course, this chapter wasn't as mind-blowing as #2, but you do get to see the survivors of former universe in action and Doctor Strange freaking out in his own self controlled way. You also see a very vulnerable side of Doom. I'm guessing the writers are trying to make him feel human, but trust me he still has a a prick mindset. The art is superb. The details of what is underneath the mask is beautifully horrid. It's just a great read and makes you anticipate more because this book was seriously left on an AWESOME cliff hanger. It's going to be raining Thors next chapter and I can't wait. And FYI Do any of you guys have the image of the teletubbies sun when yo u hear Johnny's story??? Good night Tinky Winky. more

LucasMarts

Jun 03, 2015

Secret Wars is shaping up to be the best decision Marvel has made with its comic books since the beginning of the Ultimate Line. Although this issue isn't as action packed as the first one or as world building as the second issue, the third issue’s strength is its character development of God Emperor Doom and his adviser Strange. It gives Doom a third dimension to his personality, while still showing he is still the same old Doom. It also gives Strange more character development and to show his strange “friendship” with Doom. The issue also answers a few lingering questions, such as what happened to Earth-616’s life raft? It also gives some answers to questions we probably didn’t have, like what created Battleworld’s sun? Overa ll, this issue does a fantastic job at giving character development to the main figureheads of Secret Wars, while still advancing the story along at a nice pace. If you are not reading Secret Wars, I highly suggest you start asap. It is not only Marvel’s game changer, but it is a fantastic read as well. more

Supes' soups

Jun 04, 2015

For those of you who read Hickman, you know that the payoff literally might take years so to judge his storytelling issue by issue is kind of hard. That being said, I thought this comic was a solid read.

DarioV

Jun 01, 2016

I was just wondering when our heroes from Earth-616 would pop out, and there they are, ready to wreak havoc on Battleworld. Our understanding of this new world order is clearer now, but many things stay unanswered, like what the hell were those light beams Doom was talking to at the start of the series? And what do they have to do with all this? Victor's psychology was further studied with a clean and beautiful dialogue between him and his beloved Susan Storm. But how will she react at the sight of not one, but TWO Reed Richards from past dimensions? The intriguing plot points are all there to be exploited, and I have a feeling that Hickman will do it right. My only concern with #3 is the evident drop in artistic quality by Esad Ribic, wi th some characters reduced to mere sketches. Hope it will get better soon. more

Synthozoid

Jun 04, 2015

Getting better.

Yippeekiyay

Jun 05, 2015

Not even the beautiful art and save this series from it's lacklustre story for me. Is this what Marvel has become?

Big Brother

Jun 04, 2015

Hickman finds new ways to define the phrase "slow burn". Fast-paced stuff like Infinite Crisis took infinite crap from fans, but this turtle walk gets high praise. Is a slow retread of Age of Apocalypse good enough for you? This concept seems so beneath a cerebral guy like Hickman, and I seriously doubt that this was his endpoint when he started his long, boring run on Avengers. Throw Dr. Strange on the pile of morally-corrupt, compromised, ruined characters. There's no joy in this thing.